2nds VFL Round 3 - Geelong v Box Hill, Simonds Stadium, 6:00PM Saturday 19 April

[Partridge]

Walker is very good in traffic. Especially because he is a very big unit. Part of me wants to start him in the centre square and let him rip the ball out as big mid. The first snap goal he put away with his wrong foot was an eye opener. From heavy traffic - the type of snap a Ballentine gets home only 50% of the time. Two other goals were kicked from traffic, one a right foot snap the other on the run at close range but under tackling pressure.

He is developing the skills to go with his effort.
He just needs time.

Absolutely agree. Great thing is he's still only 21.

 

[JUBJUB]

Absolutely agree. Great thing is he's still only 21.

goodoldcats has just driven off the road and straight into a tree [hopefully breaking their foot ]

 

[The rabbi]

If Hamling is showing big signs I'd be pencilling his name in very soon if we have rotations necessary or otherwise. The guy has great run for a 197cm player and a huge leap.

Hamling is closer to 194 cm. But I take your point, he is very athletic.

 

[catempire]

I worry how we are going to squeeze Hamling in at AFL level to give him a chance. It is very important that he debuts this year IMO. The track-watchers from WA will not miss an athletic, skilful 194cm key position player.

 

[Catgirl93]

Does anyone think we can win tonight and on Monday ? I'm still not confident Mackie will play - maybe a late withdrawal?

 

[denicat]

Hamling could even get a game next week as we can not play Rivers and Lonergan.we play port our backs will be to slow with them both in

 

[Turbocat]

Hamling is ready. I don't know if he started but from the second quarter through to the end of the third quarter he was impressive. Played down back. He has a good game sense to add to his athletic abilities. Reads the play well and takes a good grab.

In MHO, Hamling and Hartman were our best AFL listed players. Hamling had leather poisoning in the 2nd quarter. He marked everything that came his way and played on creating run.

Hartman (the much maligned, we should not have wasted a draft pick on him kid) did some very good link up stuff across 1/2 back to the centre and managed to get a couple of goals himself. Or may have been only one. He has a fair turn of pace when he gets the wheels going and is intelligent around goals.

Just my views of how I saw it live

#36 Hartman – probably my best on for 2 ½ quarters. Significant. Improvements. Loved the fend offs, has some serious pace linking up and can hit the scoreboard. It’s hard to describe his game in all honesty, played a game not too dissimilar to how Stokes is playing now. I’d be interested to see his stats as he was everywhere. I was almost shocked at what I was watching.


#45 Hamling – what a game, clearly the best cats defender on the night. Great marks, spoils. A solid defenders game. I’d have to disagree that he won’t be suited to a KP defensive spot. I just got the feeling watching him that he’s not the sort of player that needs a lot of weight on him. He seems strong in the sense of not getting pushed out of the contest, can position himself very well and has an amazing leap, and long arms à Fletcher’s not exactly bulky now is he people…380 games later!) Sure he’ll bulk up more, but don’t discount him as a KPP yet.

FANTASTIC REVIEWS GUYS

Although all the observation were very insightful I didn't really want to quote them all.

Hamling ; seems to have stood out great to hear, is one who is talented enough , he just needs to bring his game to an AFL level, sound like he is close to that. KPP or not KPP , who knows now anyway. He is Harry type so if Harry can play , so can he. His foot skills are the thing that lets him down in comparison to HT but its sound like he is really coming along.

Hartman ; Im not so bloody minded that I will fail to admit Im wrong...when I see that Im wrong. If he makes a debut this year , it will be confirmation that I have been.

In spite of often being quoted or misquoted or perhaps misunderstood.. Im not against having at the club or on our list . Like with any player recruited to Geelong , I want them all to succeed but wanting doesn't make it happen. And when it doesn't I don't want any downsides to players that have been thrown in the deep end before being ready and then being a victim of the system. We see it all the time , Simpson at Freo , Garnett at Hawks kids picked for whatever(talent) reason but perhaps not ready for what AFL football is. Everyone agrees we picked him from way back, and that means he has further to travel to make it. I do not want our club to ever have a Bray situation ever again.

So as far as wasting a draft pick , just like I have been strong on the Bates choice , I have expressed an opinion. My opinion is under the current list structure he is Rookie material to my mind. Personally I dislike the Rookie system but thats another story. Now I understand that drafting is not something that is a pure purchase for price thing. Sometimes you pick the talent you like , and pay more than their obvious worth , to ensure you get them before others can get to them. Therefore they are on the list not Rookie list. Just about any ruck taken falls into this category. Most are years away but if you want them , you must purchase them before others

As a player , he is from what I have seen either a very unusual high end fantastic get , or will be a wash out. Cant see him being a journeyman vanilla type. So from this observation he may be a classic Wells get , Geelong back themselves and their system .When I saw him earlier this year he still looked off the pace. The week after got rave reviews , so perhaps , I saw him just to early in his prep. Compared to Stoke is a very different style to my image of him. He is obvious good by foot but .."Stokes" , if he is covering the ground like him, he has come a long way ..
Good to hear

 

[Partridge]

I worry how we are going to squeeze Hamling in at AFL level to give him a chance. It is very important that he debuts this year IMO. The track-watchers from WA will not miss an athletic, skilful 194cm key position player.

It's even more important he doesn't get broken in half when he does too. What if he busts his shoulder a couple of times like Brown did?

 

[catempire]

It's even more important he doesn't get broken in half when he does too. What if he busts his shoulder a couple of times like Brown did?

What does this mean? He shouldn't debut? He is too slight?

 

[catswhiskers]

It's even more important he doesn't get broken in half when he does too. What if he busts his shoulder a couple of times like Brown did?

Hamling is not slight. He has a good solid upper body.

Brown got all his big injuries in the VFL I think - they can happen anywhere.
Hepell and Gleeson both play AFL and both are ( or were in Heppell's case) slight.
Then there is Mackie he wasn't held back because he was slight.

The MC will make the call obviously but if Hamling's footy is up to it its time to find the games for him to play this year.

 

[catempire]

Did Hawthorn's emergencies -

• 34 Jordan Kelly
• 18 Jonathon Ceglar
• 17 Brian Lake

- all play last night? I know Lake did.

 

[Jagshemash]

Did Hawthorn's emergencies -

• 34 Jordan Kelly
• 18 Jonathon Ceglar
• 17 Brian Lake

- all play last night? I know Lake did.

Jordan Kelly was the only one that didn't.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

AND....... if Walker is our best ruck option in the twos , we have no ruckmen. If Hamish or Daws have to do time in the twos then Shroder, Stringer, Lang , Jensen etc Will look a lot better.

Not gonna happen.

The vfl rucks will struggle for another few weeks until Banjo is back from overseas, then he will carry the load.

Hamish and Daws are prized assets with bad injury histories who need careful management. When they need a rest (and both will have played 5 games in a row after tomorrow) they will have a week off rather than be run further in the vfl. I'd be staggered if either played more than 2 or 3 vfl games for the whole year.

Which also makes Walker's effort to continue to kick bags meritorious, if he keeps having to pinch hit ruck also (and will have to for most of the year). I think Walker will be a good chance to play in the ones in the next couple of weeks.

 

[JUBJUB]

Does anyone think we can win tonight and on Monday ? I'm still not confident Mackie will play - maybe a late withdrawal?

Not a hope in hell

 

[The rabbi]

Hamling could even get a game next week as we can not play Rivers and Lonergan.we play port our backs will be to slow with them both in

I think that they may debut kids against sides like GC of GWS and Melbourne.

 

[Catgirl93]

Not a hope in hell

my bad I thought the game was tonight my bad! saw we lost damn - hopefully the senior boys do better !!

 

[dazbroncos]

Loved his straight arm " don't argues". Maybe he has been working with Caddy over the summer!

Think it comes with confidence and feeling like you belong too. If you have the feeling that you can actually cut it ( confidence) then you are more willing to take a chance and not worry about getting pinged. If you feel you are just treading water, then you'll be more tentative and less inclined to take things on.

Reckon he's been told to play his game and don't worry about some of the consequences….

Go Catters

 

[The rabbi]

Reckon he's been told to play his game and don't worry about some of the consequences….

Go Catters

He did seem to continually take them on. So it does not seem out of the question that the coaching staff have instructed him to take them on.

 

[meto]

Hamling is closer to 194 cm. But I take your point, he is very athletic.

I heard he was recruited at 194 and had put on 3cms, that's what I heard, could be wrong I don't know!

 

[Jagshemash]

Compared to Stoke is a very different style to my image of him. He is obvious good by foot but .."Stokes" , if he is covering the ground like him, he has come a long way ..
Good to hear

When I referred to Stokes I meant the way Hartman got around the ground, not necessarily his skills.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Good to see both clubs dominating at both senior and reserve level. You can always guarantee we'll have a good tussle despite the standard of footy. I didn't see it but apparantely Motlop got a ripper of a goal from the boundary only for it to be called out after he kicked it.....

 

[JUBJUB]

I heard he was recruited at 194 and had put on 3cms, that's what I heard, could be wrong I don't know!

Put on 3cms ?
I think grown 3cms is the way to put it

 

[Turbocat]

When I referred to Stokes I meant the way Hartman got around the ground, not necessarily his skills.

Just to expand on my meaning . Hartman looks talented by foot , maybe even better than Stokes but Stokes is highly proficient.
I meant the coverage of ground. If he is at the stage of cover the same amount of K's a game as him , he has come a LONG, LONG way

 

[Jon Douglas]

Thanks for all the write ups guys.

To summarise it seems that my concern about our number 1 draft pick Hamling has no merit. Great news. Sounds like another Mackie to me.

Hartman sounds like he is making progress and that is good news as well.

Bews sounds like he had a decent games as well.

Walker has at least put pressure on Brown for that all important CHF role. We will see over the next month who wins that battle. Still reckon Brown would be a better third tall forward target and is far more suited to that role than a true KP player.

Overall even though we lost the game Hamling and Walker are putting their hands up for selection. Not sure where McCarthy is as I expected him to be another to put his hand up.

I can imagine now we have Bews, Hamling and Thurlow as future potential backs - and that pleases me.

The game seems to have highlighted we need a young ruckman in our next ND pretty badly - and of course a KPD.

 

[SleazySimon]

did mcarthy play or is he injured again?