Autopsy Cats lose to Suns by 64 points.

[Micksy]

Aside from the usual BS from some, there are plenty from all teams on FB (including Hawks and Tuggers) who thought the umpiring was terrible. In a few cases they said the umps clearly wanted GC to win.

I'm not sure I have seen a worse effort in all my years of watching.

Knew we were in for a bad night when I heard the umpire saying "Rowell" before the bounce, then immediately picks a dubious free for Rowell.

 

[catswhiskers]

Neale is an athlete first and a footballer second.

So WAS Holmes.

You can improve footy skills and experience brings some nous. Neale has already added an excellent kick to physical and athletic abilities....he needs experience in the higher level to improve nous and skills.

The VFL is not the place to get him ready quickly. Last years VFL team were awful and if anything rewarded random acts rather than good positioning or presenting well.

With all the managing likely from here in the AFL this years good VFL start is likely to return to last years standard.

IMO

 

[Finknottle]

It's good to bear in mind the AFL equalization policy. Geelong by always being successful doesn't get a lot of help from the draft. Gold Coast Suns had 9 first round draft picks playing last night, most of them very high picks.
2x No. 1 pick
1x No. 2 pick
1x No. 3 pick
2x No. 4 pick
1x No. 5 pick
1x No. 6 pick
1x No. 11 pick
Some teams got high first round picks by spending a period as cellar dwellers, e.g. Hawthorn, Melbourne, Carlton. However, Geelong and Sydney have had to improvise, develop lower drafted players and rookies to remain competitive.

 

[Sticksman]

It's good to bare in mind the AFL equalization policy. Geelong by always being successful doesn't get a lot of help from the draft. Gold Coast Suns had 9 first round draft picks playing last night, most of them very high picks.
2x No. 1 pick
1x No. 2 pick
1x No. 3 pick
2x No. 4 pick
1x No. 5 pick
1x No. 6 pick
1x No. 11 pick
Some teams got high first round picks by spending a period as cellar dwellers, e.g. Hawthorn, Melbourne, Carlton. However, Geelong and Sydney have had to improvise, develop lower drafted players and rookies to remain competitive.

Incredible isn't it? Rewarding mediocrity is not a good look.

 

[terry_bright]

It's good to bear in mind the AFL equalization policy. Geelong by always being successful doesn't get a lot of help from the draft. Gold Coast Suns had 9 first round draft picks playing last night, most of them very high picks.
2x No. 1 pick
1x No. 2 pick
1x No. 3 pick
2x No. 4 pick
1x No. 5 pick
1x No. 6 pick
1x No. 11 pick
Some teams got high first round picks by spending a period as cellar dwellers, e.g. Hawthorn, Melbourne, Carlton. However, Geelong and Sydney have had to improvise, develop lower drafted players and rookies to remain competitive.

Sydney have remained competitive due to its Academy.
Grooming and cherry picking kids from a young age allows them to slip in seamlessly when they come into AFL system.
Mills, Heeney, Blakey, Gulden, Campbell tell the story.
To say Sydney have had to rebuild on the run in a similar manner to us is disingenuous.

 

[CHAWKTS]

So this turns into more of a preview…but we seem on the cusp of making a lot of changes each week - which surely risks being disruptive? Maybe good for the long wrong and we can afford a down spot.

Next week we have 4 certain ins already don’t we? Cameron, Hawkins, SDK, Duncan.

I know some commentary on maybe leaving Hawkins out but we need a win and I can’t see him being needlessly left out. He isn’t coming back from injury - just getting a couple of weeks rest.

So with 4 changes already are we really going to do more? But none of those changes really address the midfield? So maybe we will? But then it will be large changes a few weeks in a row?

Before we make more than 4 changes we need 4 outs…

Neale? Won’t do his confidence any good but I can not see Rohan, Henry, Jezza, Hawk and Neale in the same team. Just can’t see it. So unless Jezza or hawk not in I think Neale back to VFL after 1 game

Guthrie managed or back to VFL?

2E managed again? Will be really upset and if they do they have to omit him surely. Can’t see us being at that point yet.

Dempsey I have now said 3 weeks in a row that he will be managed. At some point I will be proven correct! Surely this week!

Clark goes out? Or Atkins managed? Mullin? Who? Can’t see it being Close/Miers/Stengle. I would drop Rohan (I love the 2-3 things he does but having Rohan, 2E, Duncan, Hawkins, Jezza in our team really hurts our defensive running - to me we can only have 3 of those in our 23!) but I don’t think they will drop him. Maybe the rest O Henry (but he kicks 2 goals every game!!

This is not easy…

Let’s assume it is Neale, Dempsey, Guthrie and one other MF that goes out….we all of a sudden go tall with those changes against a team that runs hard!

So then we want to (and should) bring in Mannagh - but then need to find a 5th out.

 

[Finknottle]

Sydney have remained competitive due to its Academy.
Grooming and cherry picking kids from a young age allows them to slip in seamlessly when they come into AFL system.
Mills, Heeney, Blakey, Gulden, Campbell tell the story.
To say Sydney have had to rebuild on the run in a similar manner to us is disingenuous.

I was aware of the AFL academy. Maybe I was being imprecise. Disingenuous is not the right word.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

a Geelong Board "luminary" said exactly that about Blicavs.

It didn't go well for him.

That said Neale was frankly woeful today despite his 2 goals. The missed mark any decent AFL player should stick was the beginning of the end.

Essentially he is far off the mark for an AFL player and is looking at beung delistsd probably end of year or end of next year depending who we draft.

 

[TiggerMan22]

Imagine being sent to play a game in a billion degrees, in a location that the big Melbourne clubs will never dream of having to play, and still never getting a home final when you earn it.

AFL Tables - Marrara Oval

 

[Finknottle]

So this turns into more of a preview…but we seem on the cusp of making a lot of changes each week - which surely risks being disruptive? Maybe good for the long wrong and we can afford a down spot.

Next week we have 4 certain ins already don’t we? Cameron, Hawkins, SDK, Duncan.

I know some commentary on maybe leaving Hawkins out but we need a win and I can’t see him being needlessly left out. He isn’t coming back from injury - just getting a couple of weeks rest.

So with 4 changes already are we really going to do more? But none of those changes really address the midfield? So maybe we will? But then it will be large changes a few weeks in a row?

Before we make more than 4 changes we need 4 outs…

Neale? Won’t do his confidence any good but I can not see Rohan, Henry, Jezza, Hawk and Neale in the same team. Just can’t see it. So unless Jezza or hawk not in I think Neale back to VFL after 1 game

Guthrie managed or back to VFL?

2E managed again? Will be really upset and if they do they have to omit him surely. Can’t see us being at that point yet.

Dempsey I have now said 3 weeks in a row that he will be managed. At some point I will be proven correct! Surely this week!

Clark goes out? Or Atkins managed? Mullin? Who? Can’t see it being Close/Miers/Stengle. I would drop Rohan (I love the 2-3 things he does but having Rohan, 2E, Duncan, Hawkins, Jezza in our team really hurts our defensive running - to me we can only have 3 of those in our 23!) but I don’t think they will drop him. Maybe the rest O Henry (but he kicks 2 goals every game!!

This is not easy…

Let’s assume it is Neale, Dempsey, Guthrie and one other MF that goes out….we all of a sudden go tall with those changes against a team that runs hard!

So then we want to (and should) bring in Mannagh - but then need to find a 5th out.

I still don't get bringing 178cm Mannagh into the midfield when he has been playing as a small forward. Surely 185cm Mitch Hardie, a genuine midfielder, would come in. Hardie gets plenty of ball and lays a lot of tackles. We need a bit more height in the middle. Atkins and Parfitt are 180cm and Clark is 181cm

 

[Pollywaffle]

I think the fact that Henry got done for dissent in the last quarter clearly showed he had had enough of the BS umpiring.
Did it cost us the game, no way. But it certainly made for a frustrating experience.

When did the handball over the head to someone behind go from being called a throw to a legitimate handball? I distinctly remember this being coached out of doing this as a younger fella (some time ago now, admittedly).

Me too. I was taught the fist must propel the ball not the arm wind up. Has the rule changed or just the interpretation?

 

[Mr Meow]

Essentially he is far off the mark for an AFL player and is looking at beung delistsd probably end of year or end of next year depending who we draft.

He has a lot to work on, but wasn't it you who said who needed to see goals from him last year?

Well 2 games in this season he has 5 goals, and a goal assist, and 12 score involvements. These are actually objectively strong numbers for a key forward.

Hawkins has 10 goals and 3 goal assists from 8 games. Neale would only need 5 goals and 2 goal assists from his next 6 games to match him.

As a reminder, he is 7 games into his AFL career and our key forward prospect cupboard is bare.

 

[catempire]

As disappointing as Neale’s game was, he did kick a couple, had a goal assist and 6 score involvements all while dropping marks he’d usually take and dealing with our mids kicking it straight to Gold Coast defenders all night. His biggest issue for me was not getting to the right spots to contest. I’ll overlook the dropped marks in those conditions.

I’m not as down on him as others. It was just a shame he didn’t make himself undroppable.

 

[allrighty]

Neale was shocking in the first half but I'll give him credit for working into the game a bit more towards the end... I can forgive some of those dropped marks due to conditions. If it was dry, it would be another story.

The biggest issue IMO is midfield spread and linkup players... The mix in there is terrible.

Really need to clone Holmes a few times... Not sure if possible though. Thank god he re-signed.

Guys like Parf, Bruhn, and Axe play in such a small radius that once the ball is out of it, they offer very little + they aren't even dominant within that radius.

Get Mullin in the guts more.

Conway should be a fine ruck for a long time.

And give Humphries a shot

 

[allrighty]

Knew we were in for a bad night when I heard the umpire saying "Rowell" before the bounce, then immediately picks a dubious free for Rowell.

He is amazing but I couldn't help thinking he is being lined up for Charlie this year.

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

He has a lot to work on, but wasn't it you who said who needed to see goals from him last year?

Well 2 games in this season he has 5 goals, and a goal assist, and 12 score involvements. These are actually objectively strong numbers for a key forward.

Hawkins has 10 goals and 3 goal assists from 8 games. Neale would only need 5 goals and 2 goal assists from his next 6 games to match him.

As a reminder, he is 7 games into his AFL career and our key forward prospect cupboard is bare.

People so harsh on Neale, he's barely had a run.

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

I think we might need to move Holmes back in to the midfield and maybe bring in Humphries to replace him. Would also be keen to throw Mullin in to the midfield, he seems to look more elite and fast now he's cut his hair for some reason. He's also tackling really well.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Is 9 days enough to recover from the Darwin mess?

Ask this as they used to only schedule games there when teams had the bye the following week

 

[bombersboy]

I said weeks ago this game would be one we probably wouldn't be fussed dropping, but that was banking on beating Port last week.

We're in a rut, and whether that's because we've hit a flat spot after being up for seven weeks, injuries/management of players, sides have gone to work on us or we just aren't that good as we'd may have thought, who knows. Probably a combination of the lot and other factors I haven't mentioned.

We're in a tricky situation. The start has put us in a good position to play finals, probably better than they would have thought at the beginning of the season. But we're carrying many experienced, senior players whose form is well below par and there are guys in the VFL who are deserving of an opportunity. We're in that contend/transition mode. The club won't concede, as we just don't do that, and they'll be putting their faith in these players to bounce back. But we might be closer to a tipping point than we were only two weeks ago.

There's no doubt our fixture has caught up with us too. The wet slog in Brisbane, then the clash against against a hot Carlton, followed by another dour slog with Melbourne in the wet, then two six day breaks to fresher or more acclimatised sides, including a trip to humid Darwin at the end. It's not excusing the rubbish we dished up last night, but it has to have been a factor. Three games in 13 days is far from ideal.

All of a sudden, next week is now season defining, whereas two weeks ago we still hadn't lost a game. How quickly things can change.

I also think it is because without Danger there is very little on field leadership. Stewart could not lead his kids to the Tonka toys or Lego in a toyshop.

 

[bombersboy]

We’re doing a rebuild on the run, to be 7-3 while transitioning is a remarkable testament to the club, could be doing a Richmond anchored to the bottom for the foreseeable future, thats not in our DNA.

If we had Richmond's run with injuries same as we had last year that is where we would be.

 

[Mr Meow]

I also think it is because without Danger there is very little on field leadership. Stewart could not lead his kids to the Tonka toys or Lego in a toyshop.

There is a point in this. In their current states/form lines I'm not sure what the likes of Stewart, Blicavs, Cam Guthrie, Atkins, Rohan and Tuohy are offering in the leadership stakes. They are too worried about trying and failing to put together okay performances themselves.

The uncompetitive nature of last night compared to the two games earlier could be that missing Hawkins, Duncan and Cameron (on top of Dangerfield) left something of a leadership gap.

Worrying for the future, but I guess somewhat inevitable. We will need Holmes, Zuthrie and a couple of others to emerge as our next group of leaders quite soon.

 

[Mr Meow]

If we had Richmond's run with injuries same as we had last year that is where we would be.

The difference is Richmond's 25 and unders have been terrible. If anything, their veterans have been less cooked than ours.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Yes. Next week we have to do everything to win and that means playing the best possible team.

Buckley and Taylor are a formidable key defender duo so we definitely need Hawkins and Cameron back in.
Which is why I can't quite understand year of the cat disagreeing with Neale going out. Those two would chew him up and spit him out.

He was very poor last night and the Suns defenders aren't as good, albeit Ballard is quality player.

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

Is 9 days enough to recover from the Darwin mess?

Ask this as they used to only schedule games there when teams had the bye the following week

I think so, but GWS aren't exactly mugs either. Thank goodness we got off to a flyer to offset this difficult patch of 4 games.

 

[Hinkley29]

Can we all please agree that there is no meaningful analysis or conclusions that can be gleaned from that game. Please remember the following:

• the team was significantly depleted with a number of players being asked to fill a prominent role that they had not done previously.
• the conditions were outrageously favourable to one team (ie not Geelong) and you could see how foreign it was by their inability to handle and mark the football
• the location had a country football atmosphere which was unlike anything Geelong ever play in. GC play in this type of atmosphere every second week.
• the umpiring was some of the most one sided that I have ever seen.

Given the conditions above, we were NEVER winning that game. The loss to port was far more disappointing.

It was not instructive at all. Annoying yes, instructive no.

It is actually pretty scandalous that the AFL thinks it is a good idea to play any meaningful games in those conditions, and is example number 987,435 that the AFL has no interest in fixture integrity.