Review Cats defeat Doggies by 11

[#6 Thorp #7 Selwood LOL]

Good win, but as someone else posted earlier, you do that against Richmond in a final and there's no coming back. That first quarter was a big concern - why do we never flood for a few minutes to stem the bleeding?

Don't really buy this theory. Dogs would have beaten the AFL/VFL team of the century in that first quarter.

 

[mcwilrob]

Is Guthrie a Brownlow smokey?

His improvement has been remarkable, no doubt Well done Guthers!!

 

[calder_daddy]

Is Tomahawk in trouble ? Check the Rohans 1st goal of the last quarter. Just before Rohan marks the ball, Gardiner falls over like a sack of potatoes, looks like a gut punch from the Hawk. What does everyone think?

Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk

Don’t know how you seen a guy punch, a little body block and got Gardiner in the sweet spot.
No fist or for arm, just a big man running into him

 

[Chinacats]

If we lost that top 4 would’ve been dependent on beating tigers. The will and hunger to win tonight knowing a crack at a premiership was almost on the line was the best part of the win. They want the cup! Great feeling & belief in the group not to accept defeat! Cats great chance this year.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Danger put in an epic second quarter and got us going...Stewart awesome up back ..Henry good again and then Rohan's final quarter was a tremendous performance...

And a pat on the back for Kolo...Wallis unsighted and largely Kolo's opponent...

Yeah easily his best game for the year; he did a great stopping job on Wallis (who I don't really rate anyway), but more than that he just seemed a touch quicker and fitter; may be in a fitness sweet spot at the moment; got involved a chain of play around the middle part of the game where he got involved 3 times; haven't seen him play like that all year ...

 

[Grimoz]

Surely Kolo deserves to be in the best, absolutely carved Wallis a new one.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

Quality? They're not top 8. Other top 6 sides have smashed them.

Tend to agree with that

Very happy to get the 4 pts - but when the Dogs fall away in the 2nd half ( like they have in all their big losses this year ) they collapse in a shocking heap - in the back of your head - when you factor that in -that takes a little bit of the gloss off Geelongs win ( looking at what level they will have to play in at the finals

Not being harsh on the Dogs - but Geel beat a rabble in the 2nd half

Havent been Dallhouse greatest fan - but that was great courage what he did - re the tap on to Guthrie in the last qtr

 

[Cursed Cat]

It's not just this game, you could do a montage of Rohan's efforts all season, even when he doesn't touch the ball it's still that pressure he applies to the ball carrier trying to clear the ball out of I50, he caused several turn overs tonight by rushing their kick and has done it all season, his goals are just a bonus.

Hawkins is currently the best forward in the game hands down, most accurate kick, best 1 on 1 forward in the air, great at doing his own ruck work in the 50 and actually has great foot skills and footy sense when he has the ball further up the ground.

It's a really well-rounded set of forward's skills; even tonight when he was a bit off he was able to work his way into the match in a number of different ways.

 

[catempire]

People who know me will believe I’m not one to rain on a parade but that was a bittersweet win. To be 40-ish points down at quarter time is everything we fear about this team going into finals. To claw it back and steamroll them late is not something I expected, particularly with many of our best players off and the charge led by none other than Gary Rohan.

The four points is hugely important but that first quarter will keep me awake at night until season end.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Call out to Stevens - was pretty much a lone hand in that first quarter. Not huge numbers but took the game on positively throughout. Saw some glimpses of the A grader.

seemed the only Cat to consistently win it out of the centre for a while there - Guthrie lifted in that regard though

 

[catempire]

Who was playing on Mitch Wallis? Whoever it was did an absolute ripping job on him. Hardly sighted all night.

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

People who know me will believe I’m not one to rain on a parade but that was a bittersweet win. To be 40-ish points down at quarter time is everything we fear about this team going into finals. To claw it back and steamroll them late is not something I expected, particularly with many of our best players off and the charge led by none other than Gary Rohan.

The four points is hugely important but that first quarter will keep me awake at night until season end.

Yep, I'm obviously glad we won but that first quarter has me mighty concerned. Looked very familiar...

 

[Cursed Cat]

Surely Kolo deserves to be in the best, absolutely carved Wallis a new one.

I'm surprised everyone suddenly rates Wallis - must've played a helluva month of footy, because the rest of his career has been pretty mediocre. In saying that, I agree that Kolodjashnij played well; best I've seen him move all year.

 

[azyboy]

I rarely post on this forum anymore. I’ve followed Geelong for 40 years. In my youth, I had the privilege of going to home and away games every week all across metro and regional Victoria. Senior was the man. I worshipped him. Attended the 89, 92, 94 and 95 GFs (unfortunately, no cigar).

I discovered this forum in 06 when I moved to Sydney for work purposes. I admit that I was extremely frustrated after the 04 and 05 seasons and our performance in 06 led me to write emails to the club outlining my frustrations. One such email was actually published in the book ‘Comeback’ by James Button (a great history on the ups and downs of following the GFC).

I’m eternally grateful to admit my criticisms were corrected in 07 and the following 5 years were the most enjoyable from a supporters perspective. I was grateful beyond belief. I still have mates who support the Dees and Saints who would trade this form line in a heartbeat. I remember thinking I’d never see a premiership so I know their thought process.

The lasts 8 years have seen us fall short but I’d like to think I’m an astute judge of football, and I don’t think we’ve underachieved. In fact, for the list that Scott has had, I truly believe he has done well to see us compete year on year. Sure, I too questioned the role of Blitz in last years prelim, but we were three goals up at half time.

Given so many have been quick to pot C Scott, I’m amused this year (and other years) that his critics also fail to acknowledge the win-loss ratio he has achieved in arguably the most challenging season on record. Let’s instead throw stones at the record of someone who regularly gets us to the pointy edge.

No doubt his critics will be quick to circle should we fall short in Sep/Oct. I too will think it may be time for a change. 8 years without success is a long time for some. But the thing that really shits me is the lack of credit afforded to him by his critics. Name another coach who could have done better whilst turning the list over almost completely from the one he ‘inherited’. Clarkson? Yeah, look how he’s gone since ‘15. Straight sets finals exits and bottoming out. But yeah, C Scott has underachieved, Right?




.

 

[Catsace]

Just thinking with Gary Rohan, last year he started the season in great fashion, but i really think the two concussions he suffered seriously affected his game afterwards, he's a player who puts so much in with his running and crashing, pressure etc, that he just couldn't get that edge quite back after the two hits, and they took a toll on him big time.

This season though he's now back to his pressuring best, and that last quarter's effort was just inspirational to see, and so good that he was able to get on the end of a couple to goal. The tackle on English late was just amazing, almost like Corey's smother on Bryan, and at almost the same point on the ground too.

If he stays fit, he's a big weapon for Geelong, and as someone else said, opposition kick-innerers know they are on dicey ground if they play on and Rohan's manning the mark. It's rarely a kick straight down the ground for sure. And Dahl's selfless tap on deserves immense credit, created a goal and showed amazing courage.

 

[AM]

People who know me will believe I’m not one to rain on a parade but that was a bittersweet win. To be 40-ish points down at quarter time is everything we fear about this team going into finals. To claw it back and steamroll them late is not something I expected, particularly with many of our best players off and the charge led by none other than Gary Rohan.

The four points is hugely important but that first quarter will keep me awake at night until season end.

Yep! We can't allow teams that sort of jump on us and expect to peg them back. Had the Doggies not been reduced to two rotations we may not have squeezed out a win.

Noticed Danger said after the game they'd been coached to anticipate the Doggies game plan but weren't able to implement it.

That said none of it will keep me awake tonight let alone for the rest of the season.

 

[CoreyJoel]

That might not have been great but it was bloody gutsy! Great to see the tweak fight from start to finish

 

[AlcoaCat]

Fantastic win!

 

[catempire]

I'm surprised everyone suddenly rates Wallis - must've played a helluva month of footy, because the rest of his career has been pretty mediocre. In saying that, I agree that Kolodjashnij played well; best I've seen him move all year.

Its not fashionable to give credit to Kolo but Wallis did kick 4 against Melbourne last week and 3 against each of Brisbane and Richmond. He’s the Dogs’ leading goalkicker by some margin.

Kolo often gets a tricky matchup which is why he will again feature highly in the B&F (7th in 2018), despite being unheralded here.

 

[cats_09]

Pretty happy to watch the last 2 minutes on replay

 

[Grimoz]

I'm surprised everyone suddenly rates Wallis - must've played a helluva month of footy, because the rest of his career has been pretty mediocre. In saying that, I agree that Kolodjashnij played well; best I've seen him move all year.

Dont know about the rest of the year but i know he did kick 4 last week against the Dees.

 

[PhatBoy]

Mooney thinks Hawkins island done. Hawkins still big though.

Finished with 2.2 and another touched on the line for a rushed behind, plus set up the crucial goal to O’Connor.

even his quiet games now he’s still having a huge impact which is fantastic to see.

 

[cats_09]

Do not adjust your expectations.
Premiership cups may be further away than ladder position indicates.
Point extinguisher at the base of your hopes and firmly squeeze the trigger.

Is there a ray of light creeping through a crack in The Lid?

Watching the Tigers prey upon the Eagles last night was a reminder of this lop-sided competition's propensity of flattering to deceive.
Yes, we can harvest scalps faster than Judge Holden, but at some point - usually sometime in September - there will be a Reckoning with a hungry opponent possessing of the collective ability to unmask us.

And after a string of Top 4 fizzers Geelong fans have certainly learned to manage expectations the hard way.

The H&A form of Blicavs and Menegola ( to pluck two scapegoats from the herd) may prove temporary; mere prestidigitation before their Big September Disappearing Act.

Tonight's first quarter against a red-hot Western Bulldogs was an unwelcome reminder of just how whole month's of steady form can suddenly come unstuck in the space of a few minutes.

Guthrie got caught trying to break a tackle, Menegola missed targets.
We couldn't win a clearance with any surety.
We lost our shape (trying to act casual). Stray dogs everywhere.

Who would, or could, stand up and fight back after we found ourselves 26 points down half-way through the first quarter? 37 points down?

With a white-hot Western Bulldogs shimmying the ball up the ground with impunity, a six goal lead at quarter time looked all but insurmountable.
We know what happens here, right?
A lot of protracted, agonising and ultimately fruitless catch-up that falls just short.
A pseudo 'close' loss when in fact we'd blown it out of the gates; missed the starter's gun.

But not tonight.

After a quarter and a half in which the Bulldogs claimed all the Lebensraum they needed to build a substantial lead, we dug in and counter-attacked with discipline and diligence; there was a noticeable re-shaping of field position as our 22 slipped into well-drilled routines, well-honed grooves.

Tom Stewart lit an early spark with a high-velocity attack on the contest; he wasn't always clean, but he body-lined the ball and wouldn't let it get behind him.

Patrick Dangerfield's work rate went into the red zone, he worked his arse off.
Again, it wasn't always very effective; at times there were a lot of touches with little damage. But he got better and better.

I've been pretty nonplussed about Luke Dahlhaus right throughout his Geelong tenure; he's an extremely limited player, but he didn't drop his bundle tonight, in fact he played close to his ceiling.
Picked a fine time to hit the scoreboard, too; a very ambitious banana late in the game keeping us alive right when we needed it.

One of the good things about Tom Hawkins is that the difference between his best and his worst games is fairly narrow these days.
In the end it was probably just a good solid Tom Hawkins game - but his hands were cleaner than nearly every player on the ground in the 3rd quarter; he made the most of every half-chance and set up O'Connor with a peach of a handpass.

We had no answer for Naughton, I haven't seen our KD's summarily beaten like that in a while.
He's a quirky player, fun to watch so long as he's not cutting your team to shreds. He was great tonight, some outlandish marks.
It would have been tempting to throw Jack Henry the challenge of quelling Naughton after the older men were pantsed, but Henry killed English regardless in what seemed like a dozen aerial contests.
I've got Jack Henry pencilled in for a lazy 200+ games, such a great mixture of athleticism and judgement. He was superb tonight.

I can't remember too many Geelong wins of that nature - I reckon we have come back from similar deficits only maybe 3-4 times in my entire lifetime of following the Cats; I certainly remember Joel Selwood leading the fightback against Freo circa 2008; reckon we were at least 38 points down at one point in that game.
Regardless of the numbers, it was a meritorious and professional win.
I heard Luke Beveridge making excuses and bemoaning his lack of rotations; fair enough but we had a couple of blokes struggling with knocks in Harry Tayor and Zac Tuohy, who were off for lengthy periods.

* I've probably said it before but Gary Rohan is the quickest bloke I've seen in the hoops since David Wojcinski, and I reckon he'd actually have Wojak covered for speed.
The 10-Touches Man gives full entertainment value that's for sure; he has games where nothing goes right, but more often than not he is fun to watch.
That acceleration of his is like a cheat code, it's like an optical illusion; he's going real quick, then his legs kinda blur a bit for a second, just for a second.

* I loved Parfitt's intensity and focus late in the match; he was willing to get right to the coal face and was quite comfortable in getting in Bontempelli's grill when some players might be shitting their dacks. He made some poor decisions last week (and did some good stuff); tonight he largely limited those indecisive errors and played a really solid game.

* trust me I could go on.

Yet another brilliant write up - always the highlight of the autopsy thread

 

[ChookNorris]

Best win of the season. Shows how dominant we can be when playing well, and equally shows how hard we are punished by skills being 10% off. We play a full ground team defence, possession football, will serve us well. But become more vulnerable than most if we miss a target under no pressure. Atkins best game for the club, him Dahlhaus and Close will be hard to tell they are missing for ablett in a couple of weeks.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Its not fashionable to give credit to Kolo but Wallis did kick 4 against Melbourne last week and 3 against each of Brisbane and Richmond. He’s the Dogs’ leading goalkicker by some margin.

Kolo often gets a tricky matchup which is why he will again feature highly in the B&F (7th in 2019), despite being unheralded here.

I liked Kolodjashnij last year for sure CE; I actually thought his finals series was pretty solid, too.
Imo he's looked a bit off the pace so far this year; I do acknowledge that he usually performs a very defensive role and often gets a very specific match-up, but there are times where he has needed to step up the counter-attacking side of his game and has looked a little lethargic.
Tonight he reminded me of what a good solid Kolodjashnij game looks like. Wiped the floor with Wallis, played it safe with the ball when he got it .. but there were also a couple of occasions when he chanced his arm a little more than usually, showed a bit of dash and looked (to me) a bit better equipped to handle the pace of the game.
Very happy to give him credit tonight, hope it continues