Opinion Few and far between: the rare howlers made by the club

[SleazySimon]

Adrian Hickmott was one we should have kept. He went on to become a very solid contributor for Carlton. Another one of those smaller players who was exceptional overhead making him an interesting and pretty tough match up.

Add Aaron Lord and Shane Breuer to that.

 

[GTOA]

I'm a bit against the popular vote here, but when we named Ayers as coach, I was genuinely optimistic, He had assisted Blighty with a view, got the nod, and had a pedigree like no other person who had come our way apart from Blight.
He clearly had his way of doing things and many of our players could not handle his approach, and some thought he was useless as a coach, but his results were not that bad, for all to see.
ie, I do not see that as a howler.

Except that he got off-side with players at Adelaide too.

When it happens more than once, maybe it stops being everyone else's fault.

The only reason the Port Melbourne players love him is because they are young, don't know any better, and probably don't have the confidence to call Ayres out on his BS, like Geelong and Adelaide players did.

 

[GTOA]

Justin Murphy.
Had to mention the name, but he also did play some good games.

He was a traitor of the highest order, when he openly showed his disdain to Milburn for decking Silvagni.

But then, Murphy was at Carlton the next year anyway, so he showed which club he truly loved anyway.

 

[Scottland2007]

David Spriggs - thought we played him too much in the seniors and starting on the ball too early in his career (21 games 1st year, 22 games 2nd year). He looked like he had some potential but he got bashed from pillar to post which eventually wore him down. I think he became a bit guy-shy in the end. Needed more games in the seconds before becoming a regular on-ball starter.

Picked in the same draft (1999) and to go on to be champions - Ling only played 10 games in 2000, Joel Corey 5, Chapman 4, Enright 0.

In hindsight I put this down to a new coach who was learning on the job and naturally was going to make mistakes.

Plus from memory he did some injury at the beach...which didn't help his career.

This is a good point. I was thinking the other day, what if you could only draft players 21+? There bodies would be more hardened for senior footy and not beaten up for a few years. The other side of the coin is drafted at 18 gives them a few years in the system to learn structures, diet etc. I guess its up to the clubs how they train them.

 

[Whit3y]

has anyone mentioned Loris Bertolacci yet?

 

[vinum coupe]

His win-loss record was bolstered by his first two seasons in charge where he essentially took over a team that was already at the peak of it's powers where he had a 67% win record and 51% in his final three seasons.

I always felt his style of game was terrible. Too defensive-minded.
He did not rejuvenate the list. Thompson comes along and within the space of two and a half seasons, he almost bloods as many new faces as what Ayres did in the five years he was in charge. We also drop the tactic of drafting in the scraps that other teams had thrown away and back our development program.
Many exceptional players were unearthed by Ayres, Scarlett, Harley, Wojcinski, King, Burns, Milburn but it was Thompson who really really sparked the team into action and brought about new ideas and philosophies that Ayres probably never envisioned due to his coaching
tutelage under the guard of the 'older generation'. When he left us, we were in a terrible state both on and off the field and he is responsible for some of that no matter what.

I remember when Ayres had moved on and we were looking for a new coach.
I didn't care if the coach was unproven.
All I wanted was someone who communicated with the members. Someone who showed emotion. Someone who let us know he was upset with the loss or exhilarated by a win.

Ayres gave us nothing. We are starting to see a bit of the same from Scott.
And I'm not Scott bashing. But I am tiring a bit with the 'give nothing away' vibe.

 

[rooie]

garry hocking declaring clint bizzell the next gary ablett.

i think this happened, may have been a nightmare, not sure.

 

[nowhereneargeelong]

2008.

2 hours of football hell.

 

[Scottland2007]

2008.

2 hours of football hell.

You must meen the home and away match against the pies that year?

 

[Lana]

I remember when Ayres had moved on and we were looking for a new coach.
I didn't care if the coach was unproven.
All I wanted was someone who communicated with the members. Someone who showed emotion. Someone who let us know he was upset with the loss or exhilarated by a win.

Ayres gave us nothing. We are starting to see a bit of the same from Scott.
And I'm not Scott bashing. But I am tiring a bit with the 'give nothing away' vibe.

I completely disagree, watch his post match press conference after the semi final loss, he was hurting a lot.

 

[SleazySimon]

I remember when Ayres had moved on and we were looking for a new coach.
I didn't care if the coach was unproven.
All I wanted was someone who communicated with the members. Someone who showed emotion. Someone who let us know he was upset with the loss or exhilarated by a win.

Ayres gave us nothing. We are starting to see a bit of the same from Scott.
And I'm not Scott bashing. But I am tiring a bit with the 'give nothing away' vibe.

He communicates with fans more than any coach I know. He even goes on bloody twitter for gods sake. With me its the opposite - he says alot of strange things that has me question what the coaches are doing.

 

[GTOA]

Overlooking Ken Hinkley for senior coach. I think CS is a good coach but Kenny from Camperdown is a great coach.

I can see the club's reasoning. We had done well with players from outside the club in the past (Blight, Ayres, Thompson) so wanted to continue the trend.

Besides, if you look at Geelong's last four coaches, they all have something in common. They were all part of Legendary Grand Final sides, and dynasties- Blight (70's NM, 75, 77 premiership player), Ayres (80's Hawthorn, 1983,86, 88, 89 & 91 premiership player), Thompson (80's, 90's premiership player, Essendon 1984,85 and 93) and Scott (2000's Brisbane Lions premiership player, 2001, 2002 premiership player (missed '03 through injury)).

So, we seem to have the mentality when picking coaches that "success breeds success". Hinkley was too close to home, and never played in a flag. I think the next time a Geelong player coaches the Cats, it will be from our recent past (a '07, '09 and '11 premiership player).

 

[GTOA]

Just as a side issue, for you, Taylor or Egan?

Harry Taylor, because he can play forward as well.

Given that, I think that, if we still had Egan, we could afford to play Taylor forward more often, and it would have solved our second key tall forward problem last year.

 

[GTOA]

I don't see how it's irrational. I have perfectly justifiable reasons for not liking him.

What are they?

 

[GTOA]

Not having a plan B in 2008 GF!

I hated more that it was Hawthorn who beat us!

If we had won in 2008, I would have been rapt if we won in 2009 as well, but could have copped St. Kilda as premiers, Would have rather lost to them than Hawthorn, if I had to choose one (but would have rather had a threepeat).

 

[GTOA]

Hinkley is 3 from 5 in finals over the last two years.
Scott is 1 from 5.

Your coaching record is 0 from 0, so I think CS knows more about coaching than you do.

 

[GTOA]

Yeates not hitting Dermie HARDER in GF 1989 (he should had made sure that Brereton was stretchered off, and in an ambulance) so that Dermie would be a non-factor the rest of the day.

The club having Menzel get LARS surgery on his second ACL, when he should have sat out for twelve months.

Not putting in Vardy for LARS last year, so that we could have had him back and firing mid-season.

 

[Vdubs]

I can see the club's reasoning. We had done well with players from outside the club in the past (Blight, Ayres, Thompson) so wanted to continue the trend.

Besides, if you look at Geelong's last four coaches, they all have something in common. They were all part of Legendary Grand Final sides, and dynasties- Blight (70's NM, 75, 77 premiership player), Ayres (80's Hawthorn, 1983,86, 88, 89 & 91 premiership player), Thompson (80's, 90's premiership player, Essendon 1984,85 and 93) and Scott (2000's Brisbane Lions premiership player, 2001, 2002 premiership player (missed '03 through injury)).

So, we seem to have the mentality when picking coaches that "success breeds success". Hinkley was too close to home, and never played in a flag. I think the next time a Geelong player coaches the Cats, it will be from our recent past (a '07, '09 and '11 premiership player).

Perfect description and reasoning, and exactly why at the time, I hoped for CS ahead of BOTH Hinkley and Sanderson.
Sando in particular had really no track record of any great success.

 

[Seeds]

garry hocking declaring clint bizzell the next gary ablett.

i think this happened, may have been a nightmare, not sure.

garry hocking said no such thing. even if he did so what. its just words.

 

[Vdubs]

garry hocking said no such thing. even if he did so what. its just words.

I recall that description and the game, last game of our year, we had just beaten Ess who were finals bound, Bizzell was brilliant that game, and both Buddha and Colbert were singing his praises, but as you say, just some words after a hard season and a meritorious win and a great performance by a likely looking talent just after returning from some strange blood illness?

 

[WeAreGeelong]

garry hocking said no such thing. even if he did so what. its just words.

He certainly did say something along those lines, maybe not your exact quote, but there certainly was a comparison.

Just checked google and found this quote "But after kicking five goals against Collingwood in Round 14 2001 he was burdened by a comparison with Gary Ablett by teammate Garry Hocking, and was traded to Melbourne at the end of ‘01."

As you guys say, just words, but it probably did put an extra bit of pressure on Bizz.

 

[vinum coupe]

He communicates with fans more than any coach I know. He even goes on bloody twitter for gods sake. With me its the opposite - he says alot of strange things that has me question what the coaches are doing.

Its a different era. They just run in circles now.

 

[Seeds]

I recall that description and the game, last game of our year, we had just beaten Ess who were finals bound, Bizzell was brilliant that game, and both Buddha and Colbert were singing his praises, but as you say, just some words after a hard season and a meritorious win and a great performance by a likely looking talent just after returning from some strange blood illness?

he said Bizzell did things at training that were similar to Ablett. its a long long way from declaring him the next Ablett. a long way.

 

[Seeds]

I recall that description and the game, last game of our year, we had just beaten Ess who were finals bound, Bizzell was brilliant that game, and both Buddha and Colbert were singing his praises, but as you say, just some words after a hard season and a meritorious win and a great performance by a likely looking talent just after returning from some strange blood illness?

he said Bizzell did things at training that were similar to Ablett. its a long long way from declaring him the next Ablett. a long way.

He certainly did say something along those lines, maybe not your exact quote, but there certainly was a comparison.

Just checked google and found this quote "But after kicking five goals against Collingwood in Round 14 2001 he was burdened by a comparison with Gary Ablett by teammate Garry Hocking, and was traded to Melbourne at the end of ‘01."

As you guys say, just words, but it probably did put an extra bit of pressure on Bizz.

yep he compared sone of the things he did at training to Ablett. did not declare him the next ablett.

 

[WeAreGeelong]

he said Bizzell did things at training that were similar to Ablett. its a long long way from declaring him the next Ablett. a long way.

yep he compared sone of the things he did at training to Ablett. did not declare him the next ablett.

Yeah, I'm sure you are right and the media twisted the quote to suit them (much the same as the Chappy losing to Hawthorn thing). From memory a comparison was made in that he could do some freaky things like Gazza Snr and they ran with it as they usually do. May or may not have affected Bizzell, but probably not that smart in hindsight IMO. We got Kelly out of his trade anyway, so it all worked out well in the end.