VETERAN duo Lachie Henderson and Scott Selwood have both got through their returns to playing unscathed after playing restricted game time in Geelong’s 42-point VFL loss to Essendon at the MCG.
Henderson, who had missed a month of football with plantar fasciitis, was taken from the field early in the third quarter, while Selwood played the first half before running several laps of the MCG during the half time break.
“It was good to see Scotty; he was buzzing around,” coach Shane O’Bree said of Selwood, whose last match was a VFL practice match on March 15.
“He was good first-up. He only had half a game, but (I was) happy with the way he was working around the contest, and he was keen around the contest as well.
“I think ‘Hendo’ was pretty solid down back. They were under siege, at times, the defenders.”
With Henderson and Selwood out of the game early, co-captain Aaron Black sidelined in the first half with a hamstring injury, and Nathan Krueger concussed in a sickening head clash with Bombers’ defender Matt Dea in the third quarter, O’Bree was pleased with how Geelong kept persisting.
“We were four men down on the bench, so it was challenging,” he said.
“But I thought our guys kept on chipping away and trying to do everything; we still kept trying to win the game because we thought we had some momentum swings during the first three quarters.
“And we thought in the last quarter we could do the same.”
Sam Simpson was the standout among the 14 AFL listed players that Geelong fielded, while big man Ryan Abbott and young midfielder Charlie Constable also impressed.
“Simmo’s had a really good month of footy,” O’Bree said.
“His ability to work in the contest, around the contest, lay tackles, take the game on – his footwork is elite when it’s up and running.
“We’ve just got to keep encouraging Sam to do that and keep his form up and, hopefully, he gets an opportunity soon.”
Constable, who was a surprise omission from the AFL squad, finished with 25 possessions.
St Joseph’s small forward Jackson McLachlan and Bell Park’s Luke Smith were the best of the VFL contingent.
Geelong will be looking for its second win of the season when it meets North Melbourne at Werribee’s Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday.
Twitter: @tom_king79
ESSENDON 4.1, 5.5, 11.8, 13.16 (94)
GEELONG 1.4, 2.7, 5.9, 7.10 (52)
Goals: Essendon: T. Mynott 3, H. Hocking 2, W. Berry 2, E. Sibbald 2, B. Ham, N. Lazzaro, N. Gown, I. Mosquito
Geelong: L. Smith 2, R. Abbott 2, D. Capiron, S. Simpson, J. Tarca
Best: Essendon: B. Ham, T. Mynott, W. Berry, M. Hartley, A. Heppell, H. Hocking
Geelong: J. McLachlan, S. Simpson, R. Abbott, C. Constable, L. Smith, J. Jones
