Hard Work Will Get Cats Out Of Rut: Mooney

The Age

Monday May 1, 2006

EMMA QUAYLE

GEELONG'S leaders will decide how to dig the Cats out of a form slide that Cameron Mooney has described as a rut. Mooney, speaking after the pre-season premier posted its third consecutive loss to Sydney on Saturday night, said the players had lacked confidence since being thrashed on their home ground by Hawthorn three weeks ago.

"Since the Hawthorn game our confidence has been shot a bit," Mooney said. "A lot of the guys just aren't playing well at the moment.

"We'll have to sit down and have a good chat, because at the moment things aren't gelling, and we've got to do something now, before it turns into four, five, six losses in a row.

"We'll definitely sit down this week."

Mooney was not sure what, apart from hard work, would help the Cats regain their belief, and was not entirely sure why the attacking energy that had taken them to the NAB Cup and two early wins had disappeared so soon.

"I'm not sure where we're going wrong there," Mooney said. "We're just not playing with that attacking flair at the moment.

"But it's footy. It can turn on you so quickly, and it's turned on us at the moment. But we'll work hard and we'll get out of it. We've still got a few boys to come back in - basically our whole spine's out at the moment - and when we get those guys back in and get a few games under them I think we'll be right.

"There's probably no secret to it, it's just a lot of hard work. I know it's a shocking cliche, but that's pretty much all it is, hard work and see how we go from there.

"We'll be right though. We're a good side. We've just hit a bit of a rut, but we'll bounce back."

Swans co-captain Barry Hall, who kicked four goals for the premiers in their second win for the season, was satisfied not only with his side's most comprehensive performance all year, but with his decreased frustration levels.

Hall said after the match that he had been disappointed with his individual start to the season, and that he had allowed himself to become distracted by opposition teams' double-teaming tactics.

Playing against Matthew Scarlett - on whom he had scored just 11 goals in their previous six encounters, including none in last year's semi-final - gave Hall added motivation.

"I've been a bit disappointed with my intensity around the footy and with how the season's gone so far," Hall said. "I suppose that being double-teamed I was a bit disheartened and worrying about it, but that's something I've tried to work through.

"It's out of my control and I've just got to play smart footy like everyone. We addressed that during the week and it worked tonight, so hopefully that's all behind us now."

Geelong lost midfielder Brent Prismall early in his debut match with a broken wrist, an injury that will sideline him for at least a month.

While Thompson pledged faith in his current team, he hoped to regain Kent Kingsley and Henry Playfair this week, as well as Peter Riccardi for his first match of the season.

Defender Tom Harley should have his first run in 2006 against Frankston at Skilled Stadium this Saturday.