It’s crunch time for this offensively challenged Geelong team and Chris Scott must fix his mistakes if they’re to compete again this year.

Since beating Carlton to make it seven wins in a row to start the season, Geelong’s lost five of their last six games.
They’ve been competitive in patches but disappointing in more.

They commenced the year as a relatively miserly defensive unit, but they’ve since looked tired and have conceded in larger scoring patches than we’re used to seeing, but that’s almost a secondary issue.

Premierships aren’t won in the middle of the season and the luxury of an undefeated start allows for some experimentation and testing other plans.

But to watch a Geelong team so offensively challenged has been an unusual watch, one that has been self-inflicted and has to be remedied soon by the coach.

In these six games, they’ve scored 95+ points thrice, so we’re not necessarily talking about the final, scoreboard impact – although, one was against a lowly Richmond team and one was against a horribly structured Port defence, so they’re not exactly badges of honour.

Of course, the main issue isn’t a novel one, but the notion of playing arguably the best forward in the competition on the wing, seeing him get so many possessions in the defensive half of the ground, it’s just so strange.

Jeremy Cameron is the prototypical modern-day centre half-forward, who should predominately be stationed across the arc and use his elite fitness base to push high up, then beat his opponents back. That’s largely how he was used earlier in the season.

Since the Carlton game, Cameron has played much higher up the ground and while he’s been racking up possessions, he has five goals in the last five games.

His move up the ground has been designed to get more game time into Shannon Neale, a really good prospect who deserves an opportunity at the senior level and looks an imposing figure with clean skills to boot.

But right now, as the Cats sit sixth on the ladder and on the brink of contention, with a negative skew on that perspective given where they were earlier, Scott has to be decisive – he cannot have it both ways.

Because at the moment, he’s playing Cameron higher up the ground and playing a forward line that has Tom Hawkins, Ollie Henry and what has been Neale, which could be Gary Rohan if he executes that change too.

Put simply, Geelong is trying to function with an immobile forward line that cannot create space. Sure, sometimes they put up scores, but it’s moments of individual brilliance more than actual offensive craft that have been prevalent in the team’s style over the last couple of months.

Neale himself is probably the least of the issues but is likely the most expendable member of the team this season in the eyes of those in charge.

He’s the best follow-up tall they’ve got outside of Cameron, he can take big marks and he’s agile, it’s just that the space he wants to use gets clogged up.

Unfortunately, Hawkins looks like a shadow of his former self and while he’s capable of a big performance, he has been well-held this season and his repeat leads have died down. He’s averaging just three marks a game and has been going large patches without any impact.

The issue with the younger Henry brother is that, despite having an athletic, medium-sized profile, he plays more akin to a limited-possession key forward. Sure, he hits the scoreboard, but he doesn’t do much else.

Scott likes to have high work ethic flankers that work both ways. Hypothetically, it should clear space in the attacking 50 for leads and to outwork opponents when rushing forward.

Yet as the priority has been to push Cameron up the ground, and as Gryan Miers has established himself as a crucial member of the broader stoppage unit as a flanker, Brad Close has had his role change a bit.

Yes, he’s having the best offensive season to date, kicking 16 goals and adding 14 goal assists in his 13 games, but as that has improved, his defensive output has dropped off a bit and his ability to put pressure on higher up the ground and help the team defend the whole ground has been lost.

What Alex Neal-Bullen has been to Melbourne is similar to what Close has been at times to Geelong and while his assistance offensively has been noted, the actual impact on the team has been negligible.

Really, the dollar values around Tyson Stengle at the moment for his next contract are only going to get higher based on his current output, with the 25-year-old being the glue guy in a flailing forward setup.

Even he prefers to be able to push up the ground. He’s a small Cameron in that way, and his inferred pressure to defend the opposition’s transitions has been great.

Even more so, his marking is way up and the eye test seems to indicate that he’s a lot fitter and stronger than he has been previously.

He’s the number one target for opposition defences, so he’s covering a lot more ground than he has in the past and winning a lot more hardball. His time-on-ground numbers are way up, he’s getting the ball in more advanced positions and he’s averaging two goals and one goal assists a game.

All this effort from Stengle and the Cats is turning it into very little, because of some strange coaching decisions that leave them vulnerable when trying to score.

Scott is rightfully trying to create space in attack, the Cats would love to be finding uncontested marks inside attacking 50 by dragging defenders out of position, but if they’re not immobile, the current setup has players getting in each other’s way.

Even with getting more ball in the hands of Cameron, all of it is useless if they can’t score and then, they’re ineffective at defending transitional plays.

Scott simply must play his best player closer to goal and return to a more familiar setup. Cameron’s positioning isn’t just about goals, it’s about magnetism.

Creating space inside 50 is all well and good, but it’s about who’s actually defending the space. Have Cameron as the focal point at times, so his opponent can’t afford to let him lead towards the wing, with the fear of being turned around easily.

Neale should be a regular in this team at the expense of a more familiar name, but it’s unlikely to eventuate if Cameron were to return forward.

Perhaps the return of Patrick Dangerfield makes all of this easier to execute, even using him as a target in attack a little more while giving chances to strong VFL performers like Mitch Hardie or more meaningful minutes to Jhye Clark to replace Tanner Bruhn in the midfield is a more palatable offensive mix.

Dangerfield with space in attack created by Cameron is a winning combination.

Whether or not Shaun Mannagh makes it remains to be seen, but that’s the sort of player that can be included as a rotation with Close through the forward line and midfield, to maintain that pressure and energy.

To have a period extending beyond a month, with the same forward mix and the same issues confronting them each time, is un-Scott-like and if continued, will result in the team just finishing in the middle of the pack.

It’s a big month coming up for this team. They’ve got Carlton tonight before facing Essendon, Hawthorn, Collingwood and the Bulldogs.

At one point this season, the Cats looked like a potent attacking team that could tick off four wins from those games. Right now, they’re all 50/50s at best.

Scott has been challenged a few times in his coaching career and this time, he needs to find the answer quickly.

Geelong can compete in 2024, but only if the coach fixes the offensive misalignment as soon as possible.