GEELONG and Adelaide will both be out to keep pace with the frontrunners when they open round three in a blockbuster under lights at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday.
The Cats (1-1) overcame a sluggish start against Fremantle to even up their win-loss record with a hard-fought victory before having a week off to reset during a bye.
Chris Scott’s men return to their home fortress where they have won 14 consecutive matches by an average 28 points against the Crows in a hot streak that began in 2004.
Adelaide (1-1) has shown it will again be among the contenders as it pushed the Western Bulldogs all the way a week after smashing its long-running hoodoo against Collingwood at the MCG.
The Crows have chipped away at other horror streaks during their rise back up the ladder but are still to prove their mettle against a Cats outfit that they have beaten only once in their past nine meetings.
Geelong has made the shock call to drop half-forward Brad Close, while recruit James Worpel has only been named in the emergencies despite recovering from a finger injury.
Forwards Ollie Henry and Ollie Wiltshire (for just his third AFL game) have been recalled by the Cats, while skipper Patrick Dangerfield will miss with a calf injury.
The injury-hit Crows, meanwhile, have brought in four players to replace their injured stars, with Hugh Bond, Zac Taylor, Luke Nankervis and Finnbar Maley all coming in, the latter for his club debut.
Skipper Jordan Dawson (calf), recruit Callum Ah Chee (hamstring), veteran Taylor Walker (managed) and Rory Laird (calf) are all out.
