REPORT: Geelong coach reacts after Patrick Dangerfield’s mistake leads to loss against..

During the Cats’ victory against Fremantle, Dangerfield made what was maybe the worst error of his AFL career.

After making what was arguably the biggest mistake of his AFL career on Saturday, Geelong coach Chris Scott said that Patrick Dangerfield has earned a few mistakes over the years. Dangerfield led from the front with 20 disposals, 11 clearances, and a goal in Geelong’s 11-point victory over Fremantle. Geelong finished strong, scoring three goals to one in the final term to secure the 10.13 (73) to 9.8 (62) win. The result moved the Cats (14-7) above Brisbane on the ladder and into second place.

But with the game on the line, Dangerfield committed what may have been the worst mistake of his amazing 333-game career, and the outcome almost slipped through their fingers. In the last minutes, Dangerfield broke free from his man at the top of the goalsquare with Geelong up just three points.

Dangerfield was in free space when Jeremy Cameron deposited the ball there, and he dashed onto the bouncing ball a few meters from the goal. The Cats star unleashed a fierce volley on the bouncing ball that narrowly missed, but strangely chose not to retrieve the loose ball to go in and score an easy goal with no Fremantle player in sight.

The critical victory was sealed shortly afterward when Shaun Mannagh kicked the winning goal, negating the cost of the mistake. Scott noted after the game that he can overlook his midfielder’s mistake because he had an excellent last quarter.

“Yeah if he grabbed it and kicked it, it would have helped,” remarked Scott. “But he’s got a fair few credits in the bank.”

Dangerfield put on a game-winning performance in the fourth quarter alone, recording seven possessions, three clearances, two contested marks, and a goal. “The game was red hot at the start of the last quarter, and as much as anyone, we thought he was the one that took the game away from them,” Scott stated.

“In the last quarter, those big contested marks … for a guy with that sort of speed and for such a renowned ground-level player, his ability to go forward and trouble the opposition is a strength that’s nice for us to have.”