Should the Cats worry as the Lions flex their midfield muscle?
He didn't need to mention Levi Ashcroft had started on the bench and Jaspa Fletcher on a flank. If the Cats have the Bash Brothers in Holmes and Smith then the Lions can raise them with the Ashcroft Brothers, Will and Levi.
Throw in Zac Bailey galloping through the middle and Darcy Wilmot and the veteran Dayne Zorko and the depth extends to all areas of the ground.
Fagan was most impressed with Rayner, the No.1 pick who is delivering. After years of nearly being there is now a great player, his strength and confidence growing. He had five clearances and kicked three goals, two of them coming at the start of the third and fourth quarter to extinguish any hope the crowd might find voice.
'We have come to understand him and his strengths. It has taken us a little bit of time and how it all fits in with our system but in the last couple of years we have discovered that,' Fagan said.
He led the way along with Will Ashcroft and Dunkley as Neale, a dual Brownlow medallist, was kept quiet by a gallant Tom Atkins who tried to lift his team.
The question now is what Scott can plot to overcome the weight of numbers that is turning the tide the Lions way.
The Cats remain in good shape and they are a strong chance to meet the Lions again in September.
Geelong can point to poor kicking and an off-night and be right. But the biggest cat in the AFL jungle flexed their muscle on Friday night to take the Lions back into the top two.
Fagan even admitted they have been at their best when facing the biggest of challenges this season. This was the last hoodoo of his reign. Beating Geelong at Geelong was something they had not managed since 2003.
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The signs are good with more than half the season over.
'When we got to the bye last year we were 13th. When we get to the bye this year we're second,' Fagan said.
'I'm pretty pleased with where we are at, but it's a hard competition so you have to keep going, don't you.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Five things the Wallabies learned from the Lions' defeat in Dublin
The former rugby league star and his squad will brood on the defeat during the long flight to Perth, and will arrive desperate to consign the display to history and take out their frustrations on the Force next weekend. Top of the props The Lions were missing the majority of their Leinster contingent against Argentina, including loosehead prop Andrew Porter, who in the stand in the Aviva Stadium basking in rare Dublin sunshine. In his place, England's Ellis Genge made life brutally difficult for Puma's tighthead Joel Sclavi, winning two clear scrum penalties against the La Rochelle prop in the first half. Genge also won another set-piece penalty against his replacement, Brive's Francisco Coria. What is concerning for the Lions is that Porter is even stronger in the scrum than his English teammate. Wallabies scrum coach Mike Cron would have taken pages of notes over his morning coffee. Porter starting and Genge coming off the bench is a monstrous prospect. It is vital that Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa can at least gain parity and then Taniela Tupou hold the Wallabies scrum in the final quarter against a fully firing Genge. Dealing with pressure After Santiago Cordero's spectacular try in the 58th minute, Argentina had to absorb 24 minutes of relentless Lions attacks to hold on to their four-point lead. One of Farrell's favourite players, Canberra-raised winger Mack Hansen, looked dangerous every time he touched the ball and it appeared there were more gears for the Lions to move through in attack. With three minutes left, the Lions were inches away from victory before stand-in captain Tadhg Beirne was penalised for an illegal neck-roll at the breakdown. Lions series are often won by the smallest of margins and this was a rare moment of indiscipline from a player known for his calmness under pressure. The Wallabies will look to sow doubt in the minds of their opponents at every opportunity. The battle at the breakdown The Wallabies squad is thin in parts, particularly the centres and props. But as ever, Australian rugby has an abundance of back-row talent. The Lions were missing one of the best breakaways in the world in Ireland's Josh van der Flier, but the combination of Wales' Jac Morgan and England's Ben Earl and Tom Curry was still a strong unit. It was notable that winger Rodrigo Isgro earned three turnovers at the breakdown, including one that ultimately won the game for his side. English prodigy Henry Pollock came on for 33 minutes, providing a mixed bag which included a crucial missed tackle on the outstanding Pumas playmaker Tomas Albornoz that led to Cordero's match-winning try and an abrasive performance in the loose. Wallabies breakaways Fraser McReight and Carlo Tizzano both have the potential to cause havoc to the Lions' ball at the breakdown. Familiarity will breed comfort for Lions It was not the Lions' strongest side in Dublin, with the likes of Scotland's Blair Kinghorn still playing for Toulouse. However, there were plenty of players who will be pushing for selection against the Wallabies. The Argentine defence was excellent when it came to scrambling against the Lions' attack and making crucial reads, knowing exactly when to shoot up and put pressure on the ball-carrier. In each tour game leading up to the Tests, Farrell will shuffle his deck before deciding whether to stick or twist with his combinations. One of the ultimate challenges for any Lions player is to unlearn years of programming with their club and country and quickly embrace new attacking patterns. Farrell has picked a large contingent of tried and tested Leinster players, for the very reason that they are so familiar with one another. Conversely, rested Scottish playmaker Finn Russell delights in unstructured, off-the-cuff play. This defeat Lions put the Lions under pressure before their plane had even left the tarmac, but they still have time to become a formidable side before the first Test in Brisbane in just under a month.
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
Five things the Wallabies learned from the Lions' defeat in Dublin
The former rugby league star and his squad will brood on the defeat during the long flight to Perth, and will arrive desperate to consign the display to history and take out their frustrations on the Force next weekend. Top of the props The Lions were missing the majority of their Leinster contingent against Argentina, including loosehead prop Andrew Porter, who in the stand in the Aviva Stadium basking in rare Dublin sunshine. In his place, England's Ellis Genge made life brutally difficult for Puma's tighthead Joel Sclavi, winning two clear scrum penalties against the La Rochelle prop in the first half. Genge also won another set-piece penalty against his replacement, Brive's Francisco Coria. What is concerning for the Lions is that Porter is even stronger in the scrum than his English teammate. Wallabies scrum coach Mike Cron would have taken pages of notes over his morning coffee. Porter starting and Genge coming off the bench is a monstrous prospect. It is vital that Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa can at least gain parity and then Taniela Tupou hold the Wallabies scrum in the final quarter against a fully firing Genge. Dealing with pressure After Santiago Cordero's spectacular try in the 58th minute, Argentina had to absorb 24 minutes of relentless Lions attacks to hold on to their four-point lead. One of Farrell's favourite players, Canberra-raised winger Mack Hansen, looked dangerous every time he touched the ball and it appeared there were more gears for the Lions to move through in attack. With three minutes left, the Lions were inches away from victory before stand-in captain Tadhg Beirne was penalised for an illegal neck-roll at the breakdown. Lions series are often won by the smallest of margins and this was a rare moment of indiscipline from a player known for his calmness under pressure. The Wallabies will look to sow doubt in the minds of their opponents at every opportunity. The battle at the breakdown The Wallabies squad is thin in parts, particularly the centres and props. But as ever, Australian rugby has an abundance of back-row talent. The Lions were missing one of the best breakaways in the world in Ireland's Josh van der Flier, but the combination of Wales' Jac Morgan and England's Ben Earl and Tom Curry was still a strong unit. It was notable that winger Rodrigo Isgro earned three turnovers at the breakdown, including one that ultimately won the game for his side. English prodigy Henry Pollock came on for 33 minutes, providing a mixed bag which included a crucial missed tackle on the outstanding Pumas playmaker Tomas Albornoz that led to Cordero's match-winning try and an abrasive performance in the loose. Wallabies breakaways Fraser McReight and Carlo Tizzano both have the potential to cause havoc to the Lions' ball at the breakdown. Familiarity will breed comfort for Lions It was not the Lions' strongest side in Dublin, with the likes of Scotland's Blair Kinghorn still playing for Toulouse. However, there were plenty of players who will be pushing for selection against the Wallabies. The Argentine defence was excellent when it came to scrambling against the Lions' attack and making crucial reads, knowing exactly when to shoot up and put pressure on the ball-carrier. In each tour game leading up to the Tests, Farrell will shuffle his deck before deciding whether to stick or twist with his combinations. One of the ultimate challenges for any Lions player is to unlearn years of programming with their club and country and quickly embrace new attacking patterns. Farrell has picked a large contingent of tried and tested Leinster players, for the very reason that they are so familiar with one another. Conversely, rested Scottish playmaker Finn Russell delights in unstructured, off-the-cuff play. This defeat Lions put the Lions under pressure before their plane had even left the tarmac, but they still have time to become a formidable side before the first Test in Brisbane in just under a month.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Young gun Jorgensen ready and hungry to face Lions
After fearing the worst, Wallabies sensation Max Jorgensen has declared himself "100 per cent" ready to tackle the touring British and Irish Lions. Jorgensen has been sidelined since late March after falling victim to a hip-drop tackle and sustaining ankle syndesmosis in a NSW Waratahs Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Hurricanes in Wellington. The after-the-siren try-scoring hero of Australia's famous victory over England at Twickenham last November admits he wondered if he'd miss the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to face the Lions when he first suffered the injury. "Obviously it goes through your mind. It's pretty hard when you get injured," Jorgensen said after being named in Joe Schmidt's 36-man squad for the Wallabies' season-opening Test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6. "You can't say anything until you get scans and stuff like that, so I sort of just hoped for the best and the scan turned out really well. "So, yeah, and look where I am now. So it's good." The series-opening Test against the Lions is on July 19 in Brisbane. Jorgensen is certain he will be ready. "Oh, yeah, 100 per cent," the 20-year-old wing wonder beamed. "I'm pretty much back to full fitness and playing games, so yeah. "I pretty much started full training this week, and last week, so am just getting back into it at the moment, but I can't complain. It's feeling really good." With coach Schmidt playing his cards close to his chest, Jorgensen has "no idea" where he ranks in the Wallabies' wing pecking order, or if he will feature against Fiji or be placed on ice for the Lions showpiece. Whenever, whatever, he just wants back on the park competing. "There hasn't been any discussions," he said. "That's all up to the coaches, so I don't think that's any of my decision. "I just want to play the game, 100 per cent. I play the game to play footy ultimately. I don't want to be just training and and in rehab. "It's not that good a place to be in but, yeah, I just want to play games." Despite his immense class and potential, Jorgensen didn't take his spot in the Wallabies squad for granted and said it was a nervous wait before receiving the phone call from manager Chris Thomson. "It's pretty nerve-wracking and stressful," he said. "I think most boys would say the same thing. You're always waiting for that call and you don't find out too early. You find out pretty late, so you're pretty nervous right up until the squad announcement. "And the Lions (series) is massive. It's a it's a once-in-a-career opportunity pretty much. They only come once every 12 years, so it's it's a pretty cool thing."
