AFL Live Scores: Geelong Cats vs Adelaide Crows

Thursday only AFL Round 1 match is between Geelong Cats and Adelaide Crows with the game to be played at Simonds Stadium. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:10 PM with home team Geelong Cats currently holding favouritism. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Geelong Cats and Adelaide Crows.

Round: Round 1, Friday 7:10 PM March 20, 2014,
Stadium: Simonds Stadium
Weather: 28° Sunny.

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Odds Comparison:


Geelong Cats	1.33	1.32	1.33	1.32	1.33	1.33
Adelaide Crows	3.45	3.50	3.40	3.50	3.45	3.45

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Preview:

GEELONG and Adelaide open their season in a game that has been cheekily named the ‘James Podsiadly Cup’. This will be Podsiadly’s first official match for the Crows and his first outing against his former club. Both sides head into the clash with plenty of injury concerns. The Cats will be missing emerging stars Billie Smedts, Allen Christensen, Steven Motlop and Nathan Vardy, while Adelaide will be without a host of first-choice players, including Taylor Walker, Nathan Van Berlo, Richard Douglas and Tom Lynch.

THE SIX POINTS

1. The Crows are one of the few teams to have matched it with the Cats in recent seasons. It’s three wins each since 2010.

2. Last year Geelong won seven of eight games at Simonds Stadium, and the Cats have won 20 of their past 22 games at the venue. Adelaide hasn’t beaten the Cats at Geelong since 2003.

3. Only Hawthorn averaged more goals per game in 2013 than Geelong. The Cats kicked an average of 16 goals per game, while Adelaide was ninth with an average of 14 per game.

4. Clearances were one area in which Geelong struggled last year. The Cats were ranked 15th with 34 per game; Adelaide was 11th with 37 per game.

5. Last season the Cats received a total of 486 free kicks. Club captain Joel Selwood was awarded 15 per cent of those. In fact, Selwood received the most frees of any player in the competition, 27 more than the next player.

6. Selwood will start the season at No.3 in the Official AFL Player Ratings. Adelaide dynamo Patrick Dangerfield is No.2.

Teams:

GEELONG CATS

B: Andrew Mackie, Tom Lonergan, Taylor Hunt
HB: Corey Enright, Jared Rivers, Cameron Guthrie
C: Jimmy Bartel, Josh Caddy, Mitch Duncan
HF: Jordan Murdoch, Harry Taylor, Joel Selwood
F: Mitch Brown, Tom Hawkins, Lincoln McCarthy
Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Steve Johnson, Matthew Stokes
Int: Travis Varcoe, Mark Blicavs, James Kelly, George Horlin-Smith

Emg: Jackson Thurlow, Jackson Sheringham, Dawson Simpson

ADELAIDE CROWS

B: Sam Shaw, Ben Rutten, Luke Brown
HB: Mitch Grigg, Daniel Talia, Brodie Martin
C: Brodie Smith, Scott Thompson, David Mackay
HF: Matthew Wright, Shaun McKernan, Matthew Jaensch
F: Eddie Betts, James Podsiadly, Patrick Dangerfield
Foll: Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Jason Porplysia
Int: Lewis Johnston, Jarryd Lyons, Brad Crouch, Sam Kerridge
Emg: Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Josh Jenkins, Matt Crouch

News:

The Adelaide Crows won’t use the death of Dean Bailey as extra motivation for their AFL season-opener against Geelong on Thursday night.

Bailey, the Crows’ strategy and innovation coach, died last week from cancer.

But Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson says he’s unlikely to use Bailey to inspire his players this season.

“We won’t mention it at all in the pre-game,” Sanderson told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.

“Players will be driven their own personal way, whether it’s with the memories of Dean or the opportunity to play well in round one.

“But I can’t see myself, those sort of cliches like ‘do it for Bails’ – whether it’s round one or round 20 or in the finals, we’ll just leave it up to the players to use their own inspiration.”

Sanderson said the Crows switched their focus from Bailey to their away fixture against Geelong after Saturday’s memorial service for the former Melbourne head coach.

“It was a really nice, beautiful send off, with his memorial service,” Sanderson said.

“I think for most us that was a bit of closure. That was our chance to say goodbye.

“And probably since that Saturday afternoon our focus has purely been on getting back to focusing on round one.

“Time will tell. But the boys seem to be in a really good head space.”

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