Geelong possess one of the most intimidating midfields in the competition.
Their onball division boasts some of the most iconic names in the game: Ablett, Dangerfield and Selwood – just to name a few.
But that doesn’t faze Jack Redden.
The inside ball winner says he relishes – rather than dreads – the thought of going up against the Cats’ star studded centre line.
“They’ve got some of the greats of the game running around in that midfield, but I think our midfield matches up pretty well against them,” Redden said.
“We’re quite well rounded, so it’s going to be a great battle.
“At the moment we are bouncing off each other as a midfield group. We’ve got our bulls like Shuey and Yeo inside and your outside runners in Gaff and Masto.
“Hutch is there to shut someone down, I’ll play relatively defensively and Dommy is doing his attacking thing too.
“It’s a well-balanced midfield at the moment, but we all know we have to work together as a team if we’re going to get the win.
“I know the boys are up for it. They love playing against those A-list midfields. We’re ready for the fight.”
There’s no better time for Redden to take it up to Chris Scott’s onball division.
West Coast's joint 2018 player of the finals is, in many ways, a September specialist.
Since arriving at the Eagles in 2016, Redden has carved out a reputation as one of the club’s best big game performers.
In the six finals he has played for the club, Redden has elevated his game to another level.
Compared to his 209 career games, Redden’s average disposals has jumped from 21.78 to 27.16 and he has churned out more contested possessions (9.2 to 10.66) per contest while wearing blue and gold in September.
“Games change in the finals compared to the home and away season,” Redden revealed.
“The pressure goes up and it becomes more of a contest and field possession game, which I enjoy.
“I enjoy the competitiveness of finals footy and it suits my game a little bit.
“I don’t think about it too much, but it just seems to happen that way. It’s panned out well so far.”
Redden is hopeful that his and the Eagles’ good finals form will continue at the MCG tonight.
He said the group was in a good space following it’s 55-point elimination final win over Essendon.
“I think it was one of our most complete performances,” he said.
“We had shown glimpses throughout the year of similar footy, but we put it all together as three lines against the Bombers.
“Everyone worked together as one unit. Our team defence was really strong and put them on the back foot from the get-go.
“The vibe is really good. The boys are confident in our ability and what we need to do leading into this final.
“We’ve shown on many occasions this year that when we play four quarters of footy we’re a pretty dangerous side.”
