Are Geelong unbeatable?

[The 747]

We will have a form slump during the year and the young guys who are giving us so much at the moment will likely run out of steam. However the side is being managed well at the moment so we will have (relatively) fresh Dangerwood to chuck in the middle when the heat is on.

At this stage, it looks very likely we will finish top and then finals are a new game.

 

[fpm84]

In all seriousness you can start by:

- hitting up short targets on the lead instead of bombing the ball on top of Blicavs and Taylor (Bulldogs and North did this well but couldn’t sustain it)
- Tag Tom Stewart
- Play through Tuohy’s man, he’s great at setting up the play but an unaccountable defender
- Double team Hawkins as I don’t think there’s a defender in the league that can stop him one on one
- Get physical with Stanley, having a great season and more athletic than most rucks, but got pushed around by Mumford which was instrumental in GWS’s round 4 win

 

[Boxhead_31]

Richmond showed how to do it in the first quarter on Friday night.
Close down the time and space, don't allow the backline to create a spare man

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

I think West Coast will be hard to top this year in finals. They’ll come good. Still 4th, could very well be top 2 at year end. Today wasn’t great but that’ll happen from time to time.

Maybe. I guess if Geelong had gone over to Optus earlier in the year and put on a similar display to what the Eagles did at GMHBA, I wouldn't expect their supporters to rate the Cats either.

It's easy to put on a facade as a supporter that 'it will be different when it matters', especially on the internet, but I reckon if you've been embarrassed by an opponent during the season, there's got to be at least some doubt about whether you can go with them if the teams come up against each other again in September.

It just seems to me like the other top four contenders (besides Collingwood, pending the result of tomorrow) have lost ground on a week ago, whereas Geelong made an emphatic statement. Richmond, Brisbane, West Coast all pretty pitiful losses. GWS had a critical road win there for the taking and just seemed to surrender in the last few minutes.

Now Adelaide emerges as another contender, almost by default and the aforementioned aren't too upset because they haven't really lost ground on the top four, only on top spot.

I like to play the odds and the odds are still that the field is a better bet than Geelong for the 2019 premiership. But as to a specific team that is more likely, on exposed form this year, you've got me. Geelong's been the best team all year and the gap appears to be widening, if anything.

No other team can even come close to saying they easily could have won their worst game of the season. Most other teams now have 3-4 genuine stinker performances this year. I couldn't even tell you Geelong's second worst. Beating the Pies at the MCG by 7 points? Letting the Bulldogs, Suns and North (a narrowish 3-4 goal win looks OK now, considering they've been pretty good since) and Sydney (ditto) hang around before dispatching them in the final 15 minutes? I don't know, to be totally honest. Most of the performances have been pretty comprehensive, without being perfect.

 

[MOONEY 21]

Yes, because Gary Rohan is a proven finals performer.

Lets see how he performs when he is playing for a club he actually wants to play for.

 

[The Final Word]

Assuming they're home and hosed for a top 2 spot, a qualifying final win would see Geelong in a similar situation to Richmond. Haven't had a true pressure game for 2 months or more (where a loss will have a significant impact on your season) and all of a sudden it's do or die.

Those prelims can do funny things, the swans treated us like witches hats for a half in 2016. Utter disdain and you wonder what we'd been doing for the week off. And before you know it the mad Monday dress ups are coming out.

 

[Catsnlakers]

of course they are beatable, they always normally do well in home and away and then go to water in the big finals, have a go at me all you want cats fans and what ever bring up last years GF (even though this thread is literally just about Geelong not Collingwood) but it's true.

My best mate is a die hard cats fan and agrees with this, I will admit they are looking as good as they have in a very long time this year but time will tell if they can do it in the finals.

Hoping for a 2011 rematch

We may have gone to water in finals post 2011, but we never went on a four year hiatus from finals like the Pies did....There is pressure on all teams come finals, like you said only time will tell how we go, same as the Pies & how they go with last year’s ghosts hanging over them...

 

[Scotland]

If they're going to lose it will be after the bye. That's their thing.

Monties to finish on top though. Collingwood the only team who can possibly match them for wins.

 

[footyfan000001]

I’m eating my words massively on the cats. Had them a lock for bottom 10 with an ageing midfield, boy do I look silly. Hats off to Scott. Would have been his call for a new look midfield with less time in the middle for Selwood and Ablett and more time for Duncan, Guthrie and Parfitt. Bringing in guys like Constable, Miers, Atkins, Rohan and Dahlhaus have made their side alot better. Pressure is through the roof. Clark gonna be a star too. Going to be hard to beat.

 

[Rad Roo]

this could be last spark before permanent downfall, a dying person often has a brief few days of clarity and good signs before eventual death.

 

[Power Play]

Lets see how he performs when he is playing for a club he actually wants to play for.

Rohan wanted to stay at Sydney, they got rid of him though and told him he wasn't wanted anymore.

Sydney lied by saying that Rohan wanted to go home for family reasons.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Geelong are a bees dick ahead of their nearest competition.

How do you work that out? We're at least 2 wins and a lot of % ahead of 2nd assuming Collingwood beat Melbourne. A bees dick is what separates Essendon and Hawthorn.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Atm clearly ahead of the pack and will probably finish first. Finals is another test, so it'll be interesting how they go.

 

[Yippy Yi Yeo]

Yep great side.

Lost against Sydney last year at the SCG too, and got smacked by Essendon in Perth and then choked against Adelaide in 3 consecutive games. Followed that up by getting smacked by North a few weeks later. It is annoying to watch as a fan when your team completely loses interest but it happened last year several times and we still won the flag, and for whatever reason we just cannot play at the SCG.

Doubt us all you like, we have Hurn and Barrass to come back in the next couple of weeks to sure up the shaky defense we had yesterday, Yeo and Naitanui to come into the midfield will make a massive difference with clearances, pressure and contested possessions. That's 4 of our best 7 or 8 players missing, a fact which a lot of people seem to be glossing over. On top of all that it doesn't help that Simmo has persisted with the 2 ruck setup despite the fact that they're both out of form combined with being below average at the best of times, which stifled our pressure and movement on the postage stamp that they call the SCG. Those few changes will make a world of difference.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

If they're going to lose it will be after the bye. That's their thing.

Monties to finish on top though. Collingwood the only team who can possibly match them for wins.

Even assuming the Pies win today, I reckon they'll be doing pretty well to get to 16 wins from here. Look at their games in July: Hawthorn and Richmond (presumably injury free, with everyone besides Rance expected back by then) at the MCG and West Coast and GWS away. Brutal.

They also have Adelaide away and Essendon in the final rounds of the season: two sides that will probably be desperate for wins at that stage.

 

[jezza1435]

Probably worth pointing out our better players have actually generally been fine in September. The middle to bottom third of our side has been unable to handle it.

It’s been a legitimate query and needs to be resolved

Dangerfield and Selwood having 39 disp each in a losing Prelim comes to mind... but yeah our good players don’t play well in finals ;-)


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[Scotland]

Even assuming the Pies win today, I reckon they'll be doing pretty well to get to 16 wins from here. Look at their games in July: Hawthorn and Richmond (presumably injury free, with everyone besides Rance expected back by then) at the MCG and West Coast and GWS away. Brutal.

They also have Adelaide away and Essendon in the final rounds of the season: two sides that will probably be desperate for wins at that stage.

Works for me. We've been steadily climbing the ladder while teams around us drop games.

I reckon Geelong will put in an 18/19 win season from here.

 

[romeohwho]

they said richmond were certainties last year too

Lol- do you think anyone at Geelong has forgotten 2008- our club is very well placed to recognize the pitfalls of getting ahead of oneself. Won’t be an issue. One week at a time.

 

[Antzzz]

Cats will finish on top no doubt...….playing a strong brand of football.....hard to see them not taking the cup this year...they are in a great position at the moment

 

[Scotland]

Wouldn't get too carried away about finals just yet. Richmond finished two to three wins and 15% ahead of the rest of the top 4 last year and didn't even make the GF. Geelong could end up hosting Pies or GWS at the G which would be cracking games. Even us at the MCG could be a good contest. Biggest concern for the Cats is holding form and not losing players in the lead up to September.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Wouldn't get too carried away about finals just yet. Richmond finished two to three wins and 15% ahead of the rest of the top 4 last year and didn't even make the GF. Geelong could end up hosting Pies or GWS at the G which would be cracking games. Even us at the MCG could be a good contest. Biggest concern for the Cats is holding form and not losing players in the lead up to September.

The big one is Hawkins. If he went down we'd struggle. Ablett is the other we can't afford to lose for reasons I can't be bothered explaining now

 

[MOONEY 21]

Rohan wanted to stay at Sydney, they got rid of him though and told him he wasn't wanted anymore.

Sydney lied by saying that Rohan wanted to go home for family reasons.

A quote from the man himself

'its always been my dream to pull on the hoops'

 

[Coaster2012]

I remember a thread bouncing around this time last year saying Richmond had basically already won the flag.

 

[jezza1435]

Are these threads unbearable?


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[Sttew]

I remember a thread bouncing around this time last year saying Richmond had basically already won the flag.

Started by Richmond supporters