Is Mark Blicavs a symptom of what is wrong with the Cats?

[Vdubs]

What great results?

Pendlebury springs to mind.

 

[ATSAM]

He's arguably the best defender in the league, especially last year.

So I'm not sure about this weird standard you think we hold him at.

Then blasted well play him there. It worked in the first half of the season it has failed int he second half because for some reason the winning formula was thrown out.

 

[Partridge]

I know you've never been a Blic fan, stop trying to be polite about it.

Simple question.

Do you think he has performed well in finals or performed poorly?

To me the evidence is very strong that regularly fails under finals pressure. Particularly if played as a ruckman or midfielder.*

(* - 2013 Qualifying Final, 2013 Preliminary Final, 2014 First Semi Final, 2016 Preliminary Final, 2017 Qualifying Final, 2017 Preliminary Final, 2018 Elimination Final, 2019 Qualifying Final as evidence. Perhaps they were exceptions.)

 

[jimmy.h]

He's arguably the best defender in the league, especially last year.

So I'm not sure about this weird standard you think we hold him at.

I think some of the weirdness is that despite the fact that he has been recognised as one of the competition’s best tall defenders the coaches moved him out of the backline to the ruck for a final.

 

[you pick one]

Wait until Guthrie wins it this year over Stewart and Dangerfield.

 

[you pick one]

I'm not knocking Blicavs, he's a good honest goer, but is he really worthy of being a dual b&f winner?

To me that just reeks of rewarding someone who's playing their role exactly how the coach wants, no matter how limited.

Geelong's list is full of much better and talented footballers, footballers that have played footy from the time they could walk.

He has just as many Carjis as Danger, Ablett Jnr, Enright, Joel Corey, Bill Goggin, Polly Farmer, Bruce Nankervis, Mark Bos, Steven King and Sam Newman.

He has more than Ablett Snr, Scarlett, Chapman, Ling.

Just reflect on that and let it sink in.

The coach has a philosophy and a game style and if you stick to it he will recognise you.

I know Blitz has his detractors on here, but it's not about his performance, it's about the club / coaches rewarding his game because his game is a reflection of what the coaches want.

I could probably add some more, but I'm at work on a tight schedule so will have to leave it at that for now.

Over to you fellow supporters.

None for SJ.

 

[thecatattack]

I think some of the weirdness is that despite the fact that he has been recognised as one of the competition’s best tall defenders the coaches moved him out of the backline to the ruck for a final.

As soon as I heard Stanley was dropped I just had a sinking feeling that we'd lose.

All my confidence in the game dissapeared.

 

[Partridge]

Wait until Guthrie wins it this year over Stewart and Dangerfield.

Have to admit that would be hilarious.

 

[Seeds]

He's arguably the best defender in the league, especially last year.

So I'm not sure about this weird standard you think we hold him at.

What rubbish. He isnt the best defender at the club let alone the league. Stewart is clearly our best defender and by a mile. Regardless playing one of your better defenders in the ruck when you have 3 fit ruckman is utterly bizarre.

 

[you pick one]

Have to admit that would be hilarious.

The scary part is there are those here that think that would be justified,when I look through my dislike page it's obvious some see him as the messiah.

 

[thecatattack]

What rubbish. He isnt the best defender at the club let alone the league. Stewart is clearly our best defender and by a mile. Regardless playing one of your better defenders in the ruck when you have 3 fit ruckman is utterly bizarre.

Yes, arguably the best. You just argued against me.

Congrats on agreeing with what I said.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I know Blitz has his detractors on here, but it's not about his performance, it's about the club / coaches rewarding his game because his game is a reflection of what the coaches want.

No question 2015 he won it because that season there were only two performers, himself and Joel.

But last year he won because he was a super consistent performer. Constantly beat his man.

harsh thread

That's garbage VD. He won it last year. Tom Hawkins was miles, MILES better than him last season. No one on here predicted it.

Grade A bullshit.

Completely deserved B&F and he should have been AA as well. He could actually beat a man 1v1 unlike Rance.

But we shouldn’t expect anything less from someone who has never warmed to Blicavs and to this day still waffles on

I for one did, mainly due to his consistency and the respect CS/MC have for him. Our B & F does not always go to the player that looks "miles better". Bos, Corey, Boris, all worthy recipients, but in each of those cases, other players looked to have had better seasons.
I was just asking if his (the OP)concern was the B & F itself, or the role Blic plays.

Nakia also called it

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Pendlebury springs to mind.

Goldstein a month ago also. He can do those tasks but it depends on opponent.

 

[fpm84]

Blicavs has always been an extremely poor ruck. He’s not big enough, strong enough or smart enough. He can pinch hit there for a patch here or there but I’m struggling to remember a single match in his career where he definitively outplayed his opponent in the ruck.

I am 100% certain would have beaten Brisbane recently if Stanley was in the ruck, given Stef Martin’s BOG last quarter and the handful of stoppage goals the Lions kicked courtesy of Martin.

Blicavs is also a very good defender, in the best handful of KPDs in the league evidenced by his AA squad selection this year.

Why we continually weaken our backline to weaken our ruck stocks is beyond me. Absolutely beyond me.

 

[Zeroman]

How is this for a symptom

Have we been too harsh on Cam G?
Is he merely the mini-me of Chris Scott coaching?
Is Cam the role model mini-me that CS is trying to turn the whole list into.
A whole bunch of Coach Cam mini-me's ...

 

[Hamingja]

Blitz is a symptom of what is wrong with the cats but not because he won the b&f's.

He is the quintessential Chris Scott era player along with Guthrie, Duncan & Kolo. Over 600 games between them and should have taken over the heavy lifting from Selwood, Taylor and Hawkins.

They are the guys he has brought up from scratch that play well at the start of the year and then disappear by the time the finals come around. It's not the bottom six that have killed us over the years, it is these guys.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

What great results?

In the ruck? None.

 

[you pick one]

Blicavs has always been an extremely poor ruck. He’s not big enough, strong enough or smart enough. He can pinch hit there for a patch here or there but I’m struggling to remember a single match in his career where he definitively outplayed his opponent in the ruck.

I am 100% certain would have beaten Brisbane recently if Stanley was in the ruck, given Stef Martin’s BOG last quarter and the handful of stoppage goals the Lions kicked courtesy of Martin.

Blicavs is also a very good defender, in the best handful of KPDs in the league evidenced by his AA squad selection this year.

Why we continually weaken our backline to weaken our ruck stocks is beyond me. Absolutely beyond me.

Well said that's the crux of it.

 

[thecatattack]

He’s not big enough,

Stanley is 200cm and 100kg, Blitz is 198cm and 100kg.

 

[Seeds]

Yes, arguably the best. You just argued against me.

Congrats on agreeing with what I said.

No he is not even arguably the best. Stewart is heads and shoulders better. And thats just at our club.

 

[thecatattack]

No he is not even arguably the best. Stewart is heads and shoulders better. And thats just at our club.

Blitz was 100% better than Stewart last year.

Blitz was again amazing to start the year and then we decided to put him in the ruck.

 

[Seeds]

Stanley is 200cm and 100kg, Blitz is 198cm and 100kg.

Stanley is too small as well. Stanley is a second ruck ideally.

 

[thecatattack]

Stanley is too small as well. Stanley is a second ruck ideally.

Is Goldstein big enough? He's way bigger than Stanley at 201cm and 103kg.

 

[fpm84]

Stanley is 200cm and 100kg, Blitz is 198cm and 100kg.

I take your point but has Blicavs ever come close to delivering a hit out like Stanley did at the opening bounce last week, which led to Danger’s goal within 10 seconds?

Stanley’s leap and reach makes him a far more valuable asset in the middle than Blicavs has ever, or will ever, be.

 

[Seeds]

Blitz was 100% better than Stewart last year.

Blitz was again amazing to start the year and then we decided to put him in the ruck.

Rubbish. Blicavs is protected greatly by our game plan and has had some absolute stinkers this year like the game he got smashed by ben brown. There was a whole 6 week period in the middle of this season where he was average to terrible.

Overall he is just a good solid full back that has zero offensive value and is greatly aided by the most defensive game plan in the comp.

Stewart is in the top 3 defenders Ive seen at our club in 30 years of watching. Stewart was our best defender last year by miles. Great defensively and offensively.