Retired Brad Ottens (2005-2011)

CatmanForever said:

If anyone wishes to make troll comments about our players feel free to do it in Bay 13, but it wont be tolerated here.

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rizzo said:

Since i have adopted the big fella here we go:

- Traded by Richmond to Geelong in multi team deal. Geelong traded Brent Moloney to Melbourne for 12th selection in 2004 national draft, then traded the 12th & 16th selections in 2004 national draft to Richmond in exchange for Ottens.


Player Honours
Richmond
Fifth best fairest 2001, 2002

Representative honours
All-Australian 2001
Australia vs. Ireland International Rules Series 2001
All Australian U18 1997
South Australia U18 1997


Season Highlights
- 20 disps (8 kicks 12 hballs), 8 marks, 14 hitouts and 2 goals in Rd 7 39-pt win over West Coast at Kardinia Park (13 May 2007)

- 16 disps (7 kicks 9 hballs), 7 marks, 5 tackles, 25 hitouts and a goal in Rd 2 78-pt win over Carlton at Docklands Stadium (7 Apr 2007)


Game Stats

Career Stats

Season Splits

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Standard is now set for Cats, says Ottens
By Mic Cullen 10:44 AM Sat 14 March, 2009

GEELONG’S intent was to make an emphatic statement to the rest of the football world at the start of the new season, according to ruckman Brad Ottens.

And, after a 76-point thrashing of one of the only two sides to beat them last year, the Cats can be confident their objective has been achieved.

On Friday night in the NAB Cup grand final against Collingwood, Geelong was everything it wasn’t on the last Saturday in September – smooth, powerful, irresistible.

“That was great – it was a big game, it’s a grand final, regardless of whether it was a night grand final,” Ottens said after the game.

“We wanted to field our best side, and we knew Collingwood had played well against us the last few times, so it was a good dress rehearsal for round one.

“It was a good result.”

Ottens admitted last weekend’s game against Carlton, despite producing a win, was not the sort of match the team wanted memories of heading into the season proper.

“We were off in a lot of areas last week, and Carlton were really good, and found us out ... We didn’t want to go into the season playing that sort of footy.

“We knew that we were going to have to play at our very best to beat Collingwood who are up-and-going, and I think we did that.

“The way we played tonight was the way we want to play every week.”

The 29-year-old also said it was an opportunity to wipe away any lingering issues after the Magpies belted the Cats by 15 goals in round nine last year.

“I’m not sure when we play Collingwood (in the home and away season), but we don’t want to go into the season feeling like they’ve got the wood over us – that’s definitely something that would be driving anyone.

“We knew that we needed to perform well against a good team, and we did that tonight”.

Ottens missed the first nine rounds last season with a foot injury, but said he was now fit and raring to go.

“I’m feeling pretty good – it’s been nice to have a full pre-season and to get through to play round one will be nice, and I’m feeling as good as I have for a couple of years.”

Round one presents a re-match of last year’s grand final, and Ottens said he was looking forward to getting to grips with Hawthorn again.

“It’s as good a time as any to play the Hawks and get that one out of the way’” he said.

“Again, same as tonight, we’re going to have to perform at our very best to beat them.

“They’re a great team, but we’re a great team as well, so it’s going to be a very good contest, that’s for sure.”

Dream Team watch – Brad Ottens is rated a $329,000 ruckman in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.

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SuperCoach boom and bust
March 30, 2009

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Brad Ottens proved a value pick at $395,100. He was the top-ranked player with 175 points after a game that included 14 contested disposals and seven hitouts-to-advantage.

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Team of the week: round one
March 31, 2009

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Brad Ottens (Geelong) – The 2007 premiership ruckman was first-class against the Hawks. Not only did he control the ruck with 22 hit outs, but his ability to win the ball – 14 of his 22 possessions were contested – was crucial around the ground.

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Brad Ottens injury to test Cats rucks
April 05, 2009

GEELONG faces a critical test of its ruck stocks over the next two months after losing premiership big man Brad Ottens to a serious knee injury yesterday.

Ottens hurt his medial ligament falling awkwardly early in the Cats' 20-point win over Richmond and will be sidelined for "four to six weeks".

Geelong coach Mark Thompson denied the team would be vulnerable in the ruck but acknowledged injuries to two of his VFL back-up talls yesterday would restrict options.

Geelong's first draft pick from last year, Mitch Brown, broke his leg being tackled in the reserves and will be out for the year, while Dawson Simpson also finished the game on crutches.

Thompson, who initially feared Ottens's injury was much worse, threw Mark Blake a huge challenge to cover for Ottens but was confident the Cats would cope.

"Brad Ottens didn't play until Round 10 last year and we didn't lose a game in the 10 rounds Brad didn't play, so that's the beauty of our team," Thompson said.

"It creates opportunities for young players to get a few games and we'll cope OK with that."

Trent West and Shane Mumford filled in for Ottens last season, playing nine games between them.

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Cats breathing easier over Ottens injury
April 05, 2009

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says a knee injury to number one ruckman Brad Ottens is not as serious as first thought.

Ottens injured his knee in a ruck contest during the first quarter of yesterday's 20-point win over Richmond, and hobbled off the field with the help of trainers.

Geelong feared a lengthy layoff for the ruckman, but Thompson says the medial ligament injury is expected to sideline Ottens for only four to six weeks.

"[It] is a better result than we originally thought," he said.

"We thought initially he had a posterior cruciate which is the ruckman's curse."

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Ottens to miss up to six weeks
April 5, 2009

GEELONG will be without No. 1 ruckman Brad Ottens for up to six weeks after he injured his right knee in a ruck contest during yesterday's 20-point win against Richmond.

Ottens went down late in the first quarter after clashing knees with Tiger ruckman Troy Simmonds at a centre bounce. He was unable to put weight on the leg and was helped from the ground. He went straight into the Cats' rooms and did not re-emerge.

Coach Mark Thompson confirmed after the game that the 29-year-old, who had managed three hitouts and two disposals before he went down, had sustained a grade one or two medial ligament injury.

Thompson said he was expected to be out for between four and six weeks, which although was not good, was a better result than originally thought.

"We thought initially he had a posterior cruciate, which is the ruckman's curse," Thompson said.

"Obviously he's our No. 1 ruckman, so Blakey (Mark Blake) gets elevated to No. 1, and we've just got to pick one of the other young ruckmen we have.

"We've got five of them on our list, so we've got enough depth there."

Thompson said it was never nice to see any player go down "and you know straight away when people can't get to their feet and walk or run they're in a bit of trouble, so we had our fingers crossed and it's not completely bad news".

Defender Darren Milburn said the injury had a "pretty big impact" on the team and Ottens was sorely missed.

"He's a vital player for our side so him going down … you've gotta pull players out from other positions (to help in the ruck), so it throws the whole team around.

"We're probably going to have to live without him for a couple of weeks, so we'll have to deal with it."

Thompson said those likely to benefit from Ottens' time on the sidelines included Trent West and Shane Mumford. But he said although the side appeared to struggle after Ottens left the ground, he was confident the Cats could manage without him.

"Brad Ottens didn't play until round 10 last year, so we didn't lose a game in the 10 rounds that Brad didn't play, so that's the beauty of our team and it creates opportunities for young players to get a few games and we'll cope OK with that."

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Great news for Cats on Ottens
Mon 06 April, 2009

GEELONG has received the best possible news on premiership ruckman Brad Ottens with scans on Monday downgrading the seriousness of his knee injury.

It was initially feared that Ottens had ruptured an ACL during the match against Richmond and would miss the season. But after the match the club was hopeful that he had only torn his medial ligament and would miss four to six matches.

However, they sent him for further scans on Monday and they provided even better news.

Ottens has now been diagnosed with a slight grade one medial ligament strain and is expected to miss two to four weeks.

He injured his knee when he fell awkwardly after a ruck contest in the first quarter of Geelong’s win over the Tigers. It brought a premature end to a horror day for the ruckman after he also injured himself in a collision in the pre-game warm-up.

The right-knee injury is the latest setback for the premiership ruckman who missed the first nine games of last season with a foot injury.

The news was terrible however for draftee Mitch Brown with scans confirming he will miss the entire 2009 season with a broken leg.

The club’s first draft pick of the 2008 NAB AFL Draft suffered the break during a VFL practice match on the weekend at Skilled Stadium.

Ottens was an integral part of Geelong's 2007 premiership team and also played one of his finest games in the cliffhanging preliminary final victory over Collingwood the week before.

He put in another fine performance in the 2008 grand final which the Cats lost.

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Good news for Geelong as star big man Brad Ottens gets good prognosis
April 06, 2009

The prognosis keeps improving for Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens, with scans on his injured right knee indicating he will miss less football than first thought.

The star big man has been diagnosed with a slight grade one medial ligament strain, with the Cats estimating he will spend two to four games on the sidelines.

The club had said after Saturday's win over Richmond at Skilled Stadium that they expected Ottens to be out for four to six matches.

That was already an improvement on their initial fear that he had injured his posterior cruciate, which would have sidelined him for several months.

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Ottens relief for Cats
06/04/2009

Geelong is breathing a sigh of relief after learning on Monday that the knee injury sustained by No.1 ruckman Brad Ottens is nowhere near as bad as first thought.

Ottens, who injured his knee in a ruck contest during the Cats' second round win over Richmond on Saturday, may be back within a month after scans revealed only a slight medial ligament strain.

After originally saying Ottens could miss up to six matches, the Cats have now listed his time on the sidelines as between only two to four matches.

While that rules the 29-year-old veteran of 206 matches out of Thursday night's Round 3 blockbuster against Collingwood and the trip to Adelaide the following week, Ottens could be back as early as the Round 5 home clash with Brisbane.

But at worst he is likely to return in Round 7 against Sydney, the week after the Cats face lowly Melbourne at the MCG.

Ottens, whose starring role in the narrow 2007 preliminary final win over Collingwood was crucial in ending the Cats' 44 year premiership drought, missed the first nine matches last season due to a foot injury.

Despite Ottens' importance to the Cats, the team remained unbeaten during the period he was sidelined last year as youngsters Trent West (six games) and Shane Mumford (three games) were given their first taste of senior action as the club's back-up ruckman to Mark Blake, who will again assume the No.1 rucking role in Ottens' absence.

The Cats are again likely to turn to either West or Mumford to help Blake in the absence of Ottens, starting with Thursday night's MCG clash against the Pies.

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Surgery confirms worst for Geelong: Brad Ottens out for a month
April 28, 2009

GEELONG'S No1 ruckman Brad Ottens has had a setback in his rehabilitation from a knee injury, which could add at least a month to his scheduled return date.

The premiership ruckman initially strained medial ligaments in his right knee after clashing with Richmond's Troy Simmonds at a centre bounce in round two.

The Cats said he would be back playing within two to four weeks, but after experiencing soreness, he has undergone arthroscopic surgery behind his right kneecap.

According to Geelong sources yesterday, the procedure involved a "general clean-up", including the removal of floating pieces of bone behind the kneecap.

The surgeon believed the initial round-two collision moved the kneecap, which dislodged bone fragments and led to the inflammation.

Even though the Cats have been flying without him - they remain unbeaten after five rounds and face lowly Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday - a more realistic date for Ottens' return has been tentatively set for round nine or 10.

He is facing a similar scenario to last year when a pre-season foot injury (planta fasciitis) prevented the 29-year-old from playing at senior level until round 10, which was his first match since winning the 2007 grand final.

During his absence last season, the Cats remained undefeated. His loss will again be covered by Mark Blake, and either the rookie-listed Shane Mumford or Trent West.

Blake and West, in his seventh senior game, played against Collingwood in round three and combined to have 43 hit-outs against Josh Fraser's 21.
West did not have a possession against the Magpies and was replaced in the line-up by Mumford for the past two rounds.

Against the Crows in round four, the Cats had 39 hit-outs to Adelaide's 28, and in wet and windy conditions against a severely depleted Brisbane ruck combination last Sunday, Blake and Mumford, in just his fifth senior outing, had 65 hit-outs between them to the Lions' 16.

Cameron Ling, who tore his achilles slightly in round four and missed last weekend's win, will miss one more match and could be back early for Geelong's match with Sydney in round seven.

The early prognosis was that Ling could miss as many as four rounds, but the close-checking midfielder believes he may miss just two weeks.

And captain Tom Harley could be ready to resume from a knee problem in either round seven or eight.

Last year's All-Australian defender has had no match practice this year due to pre-season surgery and he may need one hit-out in the VFL before being recalled to fill the void left by defender Josh Hunt's knee reconstruction.

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Ottens' knee OK, but lack of condition may sideline him for at least a fortnight

The Age | Samantha Lane | July 7, 2009

BRAD Ottens' knee complaint, initially considered so minor that he would be sidelined for as few as two matches, has blown out to a 13-week problem that could yet see the big Cat miss more than another fortnight of senior football.

Ottens' absence was keenly felt when Geelong dropped just its fourth match in 59 outings on Sunday and a rampant Michael Gardiner steered St Kilda to victory. Yesterday, Cats football manager Neil Balme was hesitant to put a timeframe on the 29-year-old's return but insisted the club was happy with his progress after a bumpy ride.

"It's a bit risky to put a timing on it because we're always held to it. But it's sooner rather than later," he said.

"He's going well now. We're really pleased with where he is. He's still got a bit of work to do condition-wise, but we're quite pleased with how the knee's presenting."

Balme said Ottens' knee no longer needed to be cured and that the priority was recovering the ruckman's conditioning, which, after such an extended stint out of a match environment, is lacking. That means that while the Cats were initially planning to reintroduce Ottens to the seniors as soon as he was deemed fit, it is now increasingly likely he will return via the VFL.

Balme said that Ottens was not yet in full training, but added that some players never are. The club will be encouraged by the fact that, after missing the first nine matches of last year with a foot complaint, Ottens went on to guide the Cats to the grand final.

When he damaged his right knee at a centre bounce three months ago Geelong feared Ottens' season could be over. But scans the following day showed that it was a grade-one medial ligament strain, that he did not require surgery and could expect to return after just a fortnight's rest.

The club opted for surgery after the knee failed to improve, but Ottens was set back after he had considerable post-operative swelling. It meant his training program had to be greatly reduced until the knee settled down.

A one to two-week recovery period will likely appear next to Ottens' name when Geelong updates its injury list today.

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Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens recovery has stalled

Geelong Advertiser | Michael Auciello | July 8, 2009

BRAD Ottens' contribution to Geelong's 2009 premiership campaign is growing more uncertain by the week, with coach Mark Thompson yesterday conceding the ruckman has "hit a wall" in his recovery from a knee injury.

The 29-year-old was injured in round two, and despite being listed as two-three weeks away ever since, his return remains unknown to everyone at Skilled Stadium.

Thompson admitted there was growing angst among the coaching staff about Ottens' ability to return later in the season.

"He's a hit a bit of a wall and he can't improve. He's been running and doing everything, but we need him to keep improving and he's not," Thompson said.

"So we can't progress him too much more until he gets a bit stronger in some of the areas - some of the exercises we're trying to get him to do.

"He's running, he can do a fair bit (of training, but) it's all the pushing and prodding - acceleration, change of direction, deceleration that are affected.

"He's OK most days until he has to do some exercises that he just can't do.

"Unfortunately, I know we get a lot of criticism about putting him down for two or three weeks, but he's still two or three weeks away.

"I think we're confident he'll get back, it's just the timing of when he gets back, we want him back quickly and it's not happening, so there is a little bit of angst there."

The Cats' coach said he was unsure why Ottens' recovery was progressing so slowly.

"All humans act differently and for some reason - we haven't experienced it that often, for the doctors and rehab guys - it's just not happening," Thompson said.

Thompson said he would love Ottens to get a month of footy under his belt before September, but he was a player capable of playing in finals with no game time.

"We probably would (bring him straight in for a final) but it's probably not great preparation for any player," he said.

"He seems to be a natural footballer who can pick it up pretty quick."

Initially the Cats had expected Ottens to come straight back into the seniors, but a return via the VFL now appears more likely. Thompson said the timing of Ottens' return would dictate how they used him - whether it was up forward or in the ruck.

"It depends on a lot of things. I can't really answer that, except to say that we'd love him back, he's really agile and if his legs improve a lot then he'll be more likely to play more game time, but until we get him back (and) know how much work he's done, it's an open-ended question, really."

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Brad Ottens mystery at Geelong
Scott Gullan | July 14, 2009 12:00am

SIGHTINGS of Brad Ottens in Geelong are becoming as legendary as the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland.

Everyone says they've seen him. The reported sightings vary from him running the streets like Steve Moneghetti to hobbling around like a pensioner with a walking stick. There has been no evidence to back up either claim - until yesterday.

Finally the Cats ruckman was tracked down to the terraces of Skilled Stadium doing something that looked a lot like running.

It was the first confirmed sighting of Ottens since early April when he limped from the same ground with a knee injury.

Since that Round 2 game against Richmond, Ottens has been permanently listed as between 2-3 weeks away on the Cats' injury report that is released every Tuesday. It seems nothing has changed.

According to Geelong captain Tom Harley, Ottens is "probably still" two or three weeks away.

Harley, clearly mystified himself about the absence of his premiership teammate, took matters into his own hands last week and arranged a lunch meeting on Friday to try to get to the bottom of the case.

He had taken a long time to get over knee surgery in the off-season and wanted to hand out some tips, given Ottens is quickly running out of weeks to be a factor this year.

"I had lunch with him just to talk about some things because it was similar, although his was not as invasive or as chronic as the operation I had over summer, but still he's going through similar sorts of steps," Harley said yesterday.

"He has been frustrated with how it has panned out but he's definitely making sure he ticks all his boxes to get up. He's got enough time but it is then about what impact you have.

"I think he has to be realistic and I think everyone has to be realistic about what he is going to put out, but he is still a pretty important piece of the puzzle for us."

The word coming out of the inner sanctum was that Ottens was moving the best he had in a long while.

"He did 400s today and he is progressing," Harley said. "He was back running probably the best he has run. I would love to give you more but that's all I know."

The rumour mill had Ottens easing off again last week because of back soreness. This came after Cats coach Mark Thompson had declared Ottens had "hit a wall again".

"I'm not sure he had a back injury but he might have had a couple of days off," Harley said.

Ottens isn't the only concern the Cats have, given they have lost two in a row and face a rampant Melbourne at Skilled Stadium on Saturday.

The review of Saturday night's debacle against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba had been particularly tough, Harley said.

By his reckoning, at least five of those who missed will face the Demons.

Those five were Gary Ablett (calf), Matthew Scarlett (back), Darren Milburn (ankle), Andrew Mackie (thigh) and Travis Varcoe (shoulder).

Harley said James Kelly (hamstring) was doubtful, Cameron Ling (knee) line-ball, while Steve Johnson (hip), who has missed the past two games, was in the mix but no guarantee.

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