Levi Greenwood finds form
Levi Greenwood was one of few shining lights for Werribee as it fell to its fourth consecutive loss on Saturday.
Development coach John Lamont labelled the midfielder North's 'best performer' on an otherwise disappointing day against Geelong.
"I was pleased with Levi's effort. He stuck at it all day and was good through the middle," Lamont told NMFC.com.au after the match.
"He's had a down couple of weeks so it was good to see him return to form. He's had a much better game today which was good for him.
"Levi played with real energy which a number of blokes didn't today. That's what we need from Levi and he did that which was pleasing to see."
Greenwood admits he was happy to find some touch personally, but ultimately the team's performance was below par.
"I've been in pretty average form the last few weeks so it was good to get back on the board and get a few touches," he said.
"... but we ended up losing by nine goals in the end. It's just disappointing. They (the Cats) got that run on and we ended up losing by so much. It's just the same story every week and everyone needs to lift."
The Tigers suffered an early blow in the first quarter, with ruckman Daniel Currie dislocating his left thumb and unable to return to the ground.
"Losing Currie at the five minute mark was a massive loss and very disappointing for him," Lamont added.
"Geelong managed three goals during this time (straight after Currie went off) and gained a lot of momentum which our players took a while to counteract."
There were some solid performances from other North-listed players, but it wasn't enough to get Werribee over the line.
"Jordan Gysberts (23 possessions, 1 goal) played in a slightly different role today as a winger. Gys took a step forward today.
"Ben Speight (15 disposals, 1 goal) had a good first quarter but didn't get involved enough after that. We still want more from him; he's got to do more than what he did today."
Praised for his development during his first year as a rookie, Tim McGenniss' effort was encouraging.
"He did some good things, played on the inside and kicked a lovely goal. He fumbled a bit at times and he could probably tackle a bit better so he'll work on that."
One player looking to push his case for a senior recall was Kieran Harper, and he had some exciting moments.
"... did some good things but we need to see a lot more.
"He showed some good power and speed but we just don't see it often enough. It's up to him to stay in the game longer and run a bit harder and put himself in the frame a lot more often."
Mason Wood (10 touches and a goal) and potential father-son Luke McDonald (14 disposals) had flashes of brilliance, but like their team-mates faded considerably in the second half.
North development coach Jarred Moore was a revelation yet again for the Tigers, finishing with 35 possessions and 8 tackles.
Geelong Cats 3.5 9.10 13.12 21.14 (140)
Werribee Tigers 4.3 7.7 10.10 12.13 (85)
GOALS:
Geelong Cats: Vardy 6 Burbury 6 Kersten 4 Caddy 2 McFarlane 2 Schroder
Werribee Tigers: Clouston 2 Warren 2 Speight Gysberts Greenwood Wood Maric Sherlock McGenniss Castello
BEST:
Geelong Cats: Burbury Schroder Thurlow Vardy Flanagan Gleeson
Werribee Tigers: Moore Ross Greenwood Fort Sherlock McGenniss