I don't know who wrote this, but given how this thread has gone, I'm sure there are plenty of disgruntled Cats supporters who'll remember these incidents.
Top Five Chris Scott Finals F@ck Ups
Congrats to Chris for Friday night for making a new entry in my top five finals f@ck ups by him
5. Dropping consistent goal kicker that year Dan Menzel to bring in untried 12 year old Zac Gutherie to face the Tigers in front of 95,000 at the MCG for the 2017 Qualifying Final. Genius, Hardwick couldn't of made a better selection
4. Starting the best midfielder Dangerfield at Full Forward against the Crows at Adelaide Oval in the 2017 Prelim. After 15 minutes Chris decided to give Danger a spell in the midfield and we were 5 goals to zip down. Classic Chris move that one.
3. Geelong playing Qualifying final at Kardinia Park for the first time in 50 years (Me; HUH?) and it is finals warrior Chappys 250th game. Chris plays his master stroke giving Chappy the sub vest! Brings him on at 3 quarter time where he gets a dozen dispossals when the game is lost. Chappy goes on to be best on ground the next week against Port earning this head scratcher #3. Weeks later Chris gets his underlings to tell Chappy he is past it and out of the club. He goes onto to play 2 more years at Essendon and become a cult fan favourite for The Don's.
2. Despite kicking 50 goals in 2013 Chris's Scott pulls a last minute masterstroke dropping Tom Hawkins for the Qualifying Final before the game and bringing in Josh Walker instead. Reports say Chris is still evaluating the impact of this decision and that Walkers 7 touches, 2 marks and 1 point made a big contribution to the team. Geelong loose the game by 3 goals btw.
1. The new club house leader. After getting his head from out of his arse Chris declares it is going to pour rain for the final against the Pies at the MCG and because of that we are not going to play any ruckman. Despite that he is up against the current AA ruckman and that Stanley had got the best of Grundy at the same venue earlier in the year, Chris has had a light bulb finals moment again. Disregarding any fleeting concerns of the disruptions it would do to the back and forward line structures by getting key position players to play ruck all night Chris ploughs ahead with the master stroke. The fact that it didn't rain a drop, that Geelong got beat, Grundy dominated hit outs and the Pies midfielders got a armchair ride all night doesn't faze Supercoach Chris who was last seen evaluating if Grundy had a impact!
Can't help but wonder what Chris and 6 or 7 others are going to dream up to try and baffle the opposition, but only succeed in confusing our own players and supporters.
Everyone makes mistakes, it's only idiots who don't learn from them and keep on making them.
You need to expand out to a top 10. Neither of you have even mentioned "mission accomplished"
Solid list, and I think we can just about get it to 10.....
10. "Mission accomplished". In actuality it wasn't in a final, it was after the Hawthorn v Geelong match in Round 22, 2014. Geelong led by 31 points at half time; but an 11 goal to 3 second half saw Hawthorn win by 23 points. Not a final, but it was so mindblowingly stupid a remark by Scott I'm happy to promote it.
9. Putting Harry Taylor forward at the start of the 2017 Qualifying Final against Richmond. This wasn't as boneheaded as it first appeared; Taylor had kicked 4 goals and was crucial in the team's 14 point win over Richmond a few weeks earlier, and Taylor had gotten the better of Rance. Problem was it was unlikely to be repeated, Rance seemed to remember it very well, and he beat Taylor like a redheaded stepchild. We only kicked 5 goals for the match. We got smashed as well.
8. Putting Lachie Henderson up forward for the 2016 Preliminary Final against Sydney. He'd been playing in defence all season, and his contributions before and since for Geelong have always been better in the backline. No matter, this masterstroke saw him gather a whopping 8 touches for 0 goals. Another belting too obviously.
7. Putting not-just-a-crap-ruckman-but-also-a-crap-winger Mark Blicavs on Brad motherfathering Hill at the start of the 2014 Qualifying Final. Blicavs has never been a winger but that hasn't stopped Scott from thinking he can play anywhere, anytime. Which he can, just not very well. And not in a final against a guy half his size and twice his speed. 27 touches to Hill later, Blicavs had zero impact and we chalked up yet another impressive finals loss.
6. This could be 1B and was my clubhouse leader before last week. Dropping Trent West for the 2013 Qualifying Final. Scott's initial crush for Mark Blicavs had blossomed into full irrational love by late 2013 and had convinced him that he and Nathan Vardy were quite equipped to handle Aaron Sandilands in the Qualifying Final. This despite the fact West had competed very well against Leuenberger and Brisbane the previous week (in the last 8 weeks of 2013, that game was the only one were we won the hitouts, clearances, and centre clearances, oh yes we won the game too). Still it wasn't enough to allow logic and sanity to prevail. Our rucks were completely and utterly molested by Sandilands, and the 53-16 hitout count was actually even worse than it looked. I'm legitimately impressed that Scott was able to dust it off after six years for a perfect repeat performance.
Maybe it's all been a cunning ruse, and we're about to see three magnificant finals wins.