GEELONG has continued its stranglehold on the K rock Cup, but not before being given one heck of a fright by Werribee at Avalon Airport.
After falling one point short of the Northern Blues last week, the Cats held on for a three-point win at Avalon Airport Oval, 12.12 (84) to 12.9 (81).
Geelong led by 33 points when draftee Ben Jarvis kicked a goal at the 10-minute mark.
However, the Tigers weren’t going to surrender meekly, with five consecutive goals, including two to Nick Coughlan, getting the home team within a goal with just under three minutes to play.
“The players deserved that,” O’Bree said of the win. “The first two rounds, they’ve played some good footy; we’ve just had some lapses.
“Today, I thought we had a super three quarters. Last quarter, we were out on our feet and just hanging on, which is probably the heat, the tempo of the game, and the challenge we had in front of us today.
“The boys were really good today.”
GEELONG: TUOHY “CONFIDENT” IN BODY
With Zac Smith held over ahead of Geelong’s AFL clash with Hawthorn on Easter Monday, Ryan Abbott claimed the Damian Drum Medal as best-on-ground in a dominant ruck performance.
“I thought his ruck craft was really good, and around the ground, he had a real presence (with) his follow-up work,” O’Bree said.
“He looked really explosive late at times in the contest, which we know ‘Rab’ can do really well.
“He’s been a consistent contributor for us and probably just building his confidence playing regular games now.”
Fellow big Darcy Fort also impressed with three goals, while debutant Luke Smith and fellow VFL-listed forward Jackson McLachlan both kicked two goals.
Zach Guthrie and James Parsons, who were both again named as emergencies for the AFL team, both impressed, as did Quinton Narkle.
Jake Riccardi managed three goals for the Tigers, with St Mary’s youngster Max Augerinos and the experienced Tom Gribble their best.
Geelong has the bye next week before facing Essendon at the MCG on May 5, while Werribee will look to bounce back when it plays away for the first time in 2019 against the Northern Blues at Ikon Park on Saturday.
Twitter: @tom_king79
GEELONG 4.6, 8.9, 11.11, 12.12 (84)
WERRIBEE 3.2, 5.5, 7.6, 12.9 (81)
Goals: Geelong: D. Fort 3, L. Smith 2, J. McLachlan 2, J. Kennerley, Q. Narkle, D. Capiron, B. Jarvis, J. Tarca
Werribee: J. Riccardi 3, B. Malual 2, N. Coughlan 2, M. Munro, R. Hebron, J. Henderson, T. House, J. Clayton
Best: Geelong: R. Abbott, Z. Guthrie, D. Fort, J. Parsons, Q. Narkle, J. Gow
Werribee: M. Augerinos, T. Gribble, M. Spencer, J. Riccardi, R. Barrack, D. Brew