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Crisis creates opportunity: Why the Cats shouldn't fret in Danger's absence
Jaiden Sciberras • May 20th, 2025 8:44 pm
Geelong has today announced that star Patrick Dangerfield will miss one to two weeks with a low-grade right hamstring strain.
The 35-year-old has been playing well below his age bracket, proving a vital cog in a new role forward of the ball.
Through 10 games this year, Dangerfield has thrived in the front half, averaging 15 disposals and over a goal per game, taking over three shots at goal and accumulating nearly six score involvements.
With an incredibly difficult challenge approaching in the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night, Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne has presented “crisis creates opportunity,” signifying that the star’s absence may benefit the Cats in the long-term.
“There’s been some big injuries to the stars of the competition this year, and there are every year,” Hoyne told SEN Sportsday.
“Obviously the most recent one on the weekend is (Patrick) Dangerfield. Straight away everyone says Geelong didn’t win a game or they won one game last year and they struggled without him.
“I never really panic around the one superstar. I think when you’re Sydney and you lose multiple of them, that’s unlucky and hats a reason for concern.
“But when you don’t, the opportunity that it creates, we’ve seen it time and time again.
“Sam Darcy before he goes out injured, the number one rated player in the competition, absolutely flying. Now, what it’s done to the Dogs since he’s gone: they’re averaging 120 points for.
“Their offence at the moment is flying. Potentially with how well Darcy was going, the worry could have been, does everything then just go straight through this guy, which you can get given how well he’s going.
“Now that he misses three or four months, you’re looking at different opportunities, what our forward 50 can look like, and it is absolutely humming knowing that this superstar is coming back into your team.
“You think of Hayden Young. Recently just gone out, absolute superstar for Fremantle. What’s that then done? That’s given Shai Bolton more centre bounce minutes.
“From all the players that have qualified enough minutes as the midfielder this year, there’s no midfield that’s having greater impact on the game than Shai Bolton.
“Crisis creates opportunity. You think of Callum Mills last year with the Swans; he would have been absolutely part of their conversations to be in the centre bounce mix last year.
“Goes down injured a couple of weeks before the season starts. ‘Gheez we better put Isaac Heeney in there.’ Goes as the number four rated player in the competition last year.
“So the Dangerfield conversation this week, relax. It’s all good. If you are good enough as a footy club, you will get away and you will find opportunities.
“Others will come in over a couple of week period and potentially make yourselves better.
“In 2022 when they were good enough, and Dangerfield missed his standard five- or six-week period in the middle of the year, they didn’t lose a game, because they’re good enough.
“It might sound really basic, but it creates opportunity that then makes your footy club better when these superstars actually come back.”
“Don’t panic, because things can actually almost benefit when that actually does happen.”
