Just in: “We are really excited and looking forward to it”

Tom Stewart is looking forward to the challenge of playing Gold Coast at TIO Stadium in Darwin on Thursday night.

Darwin is expected to bring a new challenge with its hot and slippery conditions, but it’s something that Geelong’s vice-captain thinks will suit the Cats well.

“It is an awesome experience to get to play at a ground that many of us haven’t played at before. It is a great initiative to play up here against the Gold Coast boys and we are really excited and looking forward to it,” Tom Stewart told media on Tuesday.

“We are expecting it to be a lot different to what we are used to in terms of the conditions. It is just going to be slippery.

“We are excited by that prospect, and we think it really suits us.”

The weather won’t present the only unfamiliar challenge for the Cats who enter the game minus forwards Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron.

“They’ve been mainstays of our forward half for many years now, but I think it gives us a great opportunity to see something new and exciting.

“Shannon Neale has probably been unlucky to not be in the side and he gets his opportunity to come in.

“There’s a plethora of players that have been playing really good footy in the VFL for us.

“So, it might be different for the spectators and viewers at home, but it is something that we are really bullish about as a Club, to see what the next generation looks like.”

The Cats enter the Round 10 clash following back-to-back losses to Melbourne and most recently Port Adelaide.

They’ll be hopeful of returning to the winners’ list as they chase an eighth victory of the season.

“We understand that their ferocity at the contest is their strength, they’re sound defensively and they’ve got some weapons up forward as every team does, but we just come into every contest to expect their best,” Stewart said.

“We ourselves haven’t been at our best the past few weeks but we think we’ve had a really good prep, and we are excited to come up against a quality outfit with Shaun Grigg, an old friend of ours at the helm, so we are excited.”

Geelong’s clash with the Gold Coast Suns at TIO Stadium will commence at 7.30pm AEST on Thursday night.