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Review Cats defeat Saints by 31 points

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The good news is the forward fire-power we have of Cameron neale elite smalls plus Martin and Dempsey can absolutely kick big scores and win you finals.

The bad news is the midfield still looks thin at times plus Rhys is low on gas (i expect we rest him soon) and we have no replacement. And in defensive transition we are getting caught out too easily plus individuals like Stewart mullin O'Connor and sdk are playing well below their best. I'm not sure we can win the flag like that but then again the league sucks so we could Bradbury it like Brisbane did last year.
 

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1. Rhys Stanley - I reckon big Rhys might have finally hit the wall. His ruckwork opposed to Rowan Marshall was more than acceptable, but he struggled to get involved around the ground. He's definitely due a management break. Next week will be a great opportunity for Neale and Blicavs and Conway to beat up on a Xerri-less Norf ruck division, so the perfect time to give Stanley that break.

3. Bailey Smith - With "only" 23 touches you might think it was a quiet day for Bailey. I disagree. I reckon Scotty was using him a little bit more as an outside distributor today, as evidenced by his excellent DE, and I appreciated his willingness to pressure the Stains mids running the other way, which was glaringly missing last week.

5. Jeremy Cameron - What a luxury it is to have a full forward who kicks a bag every game and is an accurate shot for goal. He's definitely better staying in F50 than derping around in the midfield or on a HBF. He deserves his big lead in the Coleman and let's hope it continues.

7. Shaun Mannagh - Okay, so when a player has had 23 touches, 3 goals, 500m gained, and more tackles than Tom Atkins he has had a good game. Could have finished with 5. I had him BOG.

9. Max Holmes - He got a heap of the footy and 810m gained, at good disposal efficiency, but it felt like he was more quiet than that. Maybe we've come to judge him to a higher standard, which is the mark of a genuine star. He needs to get some protection from the umps, because some of the treatment he got was pretty filthy, but good luck with that when you wear the horizontal blue and white.

12. Jack Bowes - Pretty good coming on as the sub. Knew how to exploit St Kilda's tiring legs, and that goal was chefs kiss.

14. Connor O'Sullivan - I didn't mind his game today. A few turnovers let him down, but competed well all day. He keeps getting blatantly shoved in the back too, and if his opponent then takes the mark I can't grade him too harshly. Umps need to be watching the play and not their Sportsbet accounts.

16. Sam De Koning - It wasn't the right time to bring him back IMO. We had enough tall defenders even without him- Blitz, JHenry, and COS had it sorted- and he didn't really play well. Getting him some AFL touch going into the finale of the season was probably the correct strategic call though.

17. Lawson Humphries - What's happened to his kicking? Since his concussion he hasn't been quite right. He still reads the ball at ground level as well as he always did, tackles for keeps, and patrols his set zone correctly. But he needs to start hitting targets again PDQ.

18. Tyson Stengle - Great to have him back after the last two weeks, and two goals is a fine return. I expect him to build in form going into the serious part of the season.

19. Jack Martin - I reckon that first half is the best he's played in years, and showed how potent he can be as a forward option. Second half was very, very quiet. Still, I'd have him in the 22 for now but with Bews, Stevens, Knevitt, and Conway all banging the door down in the VFL I expect he'll be the one to get squeezed out.

28. Ollie Dempsey - Lively all day, and that goal was a work of art. Running so hard from the wing to FF and back, all day long, whether he gets involved in that particular play or not, must make him a nightmare for the opposition coach. I think at times he can be a bit precious about going for a hard ball get, but when your best work is done cashing in on the stray bobbling ball it might be a coach's directive. And I worry that if he puts on the extra kilo or or three of muscle to let him compete like Atkins does that he'll lose some of his pace. Still, when it's your turn to go, you go, and he often doesn't.

30. Tom Atkins - Another pile of possessions and a gajillion tackles. We don't even question it these days, just like we don't question our car's engine rumbling to life when we turn the key. And Axe is Geelong's engine.

32. Gryan Miers - Probably our best, I thought. Once again his disposal was sublime. And for a guy with a somewhat light frame he does burrow in pretty hard when he has to. Ollie Dempsey needs to take notice.

33. Shannon Neale - It sort of didn't come together for him today, but I admire his second and third efforts. He never seems to get discouraged, even when things aren't going his way, and when it's not sticking in his hands he can usually get it to fall to the advantage of our crumbers.

34. Oisin Mullin - Quiet day possessionwise, but I thought he was OK tagging McRae. He should have been on Wanganeen-Milera though. Puzzling coaching. One thing I like is how quickly he reads the ball off the boot. His eye is as quick as Jack Henry's in that regard. He'll develop into an intercepting tagger, one who can drag his opponent away from the play by using his pace offensively, but we're not quite there yet. It'll click soon though, I can feel it.

35. Patrick F. Dangerfield - He had to lift after last week's stinker, and did. Two goals and 20 touches in the forward line is a good return. Two hideous shanks, less so. Still, I think the mix is right, 75% up forward and 25% in the centre square for the genuinely important centre bounces.

38. Jack Henry - There's not a lot to fault in Henry's game today. He reads the ball well in the air, kicks competently, and the one time I saw him beaten it was by Rowan Marshall who is about eleven feet tall and built like that angry zombie guy from Game of Thrones.

39. Zach Guthrie - Yet another solid game for us. I often find it hard to write anything about Zuth in these little reports, because all he does all day is do his job with no pomp or flamboyance.

42. Mark O'Connor- Touch-wise a very quiet game, but unlike last week where I thought he had a stinker I reckon he was passable today. Playing as a deep small defender, he seemed to be minding Hill and Henry, whichever of the two was snaeking forward at the time, and kept the screws on pretty tightly. Aside from one clumsy high fend-off when Stewart sold him up the creek with a reprehensible kickin. I like him better upfield though. A couple of times he beat Hill in a 1-on-1 on the wing, then delivered perfectly to a teamate at half forward- he's better doing that than skulking about in the back pocket.

44. Tom Stewart - The intercept marking is back! Two major stuffups blotted his game though, getting done HTB trying to take on too many tacklers and then selling Merrick into all sorts of trouble with a hideous kickin. Getting subbed off was purely strategic. It was the correct time for cotton wool, and I don't think his knees copped any real injury, just an accumulation of little knocks.

45. Brad Close - He's always creative, but these days Scotty seems to be using him as a defensive forward, keeping the oppo HBF rebounding players accountable and hopefully making them play deep in the back pocket. Last week it didn't work, At all. Today it did.

46. Mark Blicavs - Another decent day out for Blitz. I thought he was decent as the second ruck but a bit surplus to requirements as another tall defender with so many of St Kilda's forwards being smalls and SDK back. So no surprise to see him sneak forward a bit, where his marking was a handful. Set up one of Jezza's goals and unlucky not to get on the scoreboard himself.
 
Generalissimo said:
1. Rhys Stanley - I reckon big Rhys might have finally hit the wall. His ruckwork opposed to Rowan Marshall was more than acceptable, but he struggled to get involved around the ground. He's definitely due a management break. Next week will be a great opportunity for Neale and Blicavs and Conway to beat up on a Xerri-less Norf ruck division, so the perfect time to give Stanley that break.

3. Bailey Smith - With "only" 23 touches you might think it was a quiet day for Bailey. I disagree. I reckon Scotty was using him a little bit more as an outside distributor today, as evidenced by his excellent DE, and I appreciated his willingness to pressure the Stains mids running the other way, which was glaringly missing last week.

5. Jeremy Cameron - What a luxury it is to have a full forward who kicks a bag every game and is an accurate shot for goal. He's definitely better staying in F50 than derping around in the midfield or on a HBF. He deserves his big lead in the Coleman and let's hope it continues.

7. Shaun Mannagh - Okay, so when a player has had 23 touches, 3 goals, 500m gained, and more tackles than Tom Atkins he has had a good game. Could have finished with 5. I had him BOG.

9. Max Holmes - He got a heap of the footy and 810m gained, at good disposal efficiency, but it felt like he was more quiet than that. Maybe we've come to judge him to a higher standard, which is the mark of a genuine star. He needs to get some protection from the umps, because some of the treatment he got was pretty filthy, but good luck with that when you wear the horizontal blue and white.

12. Jack Bowes - Pretty good coming on as the sub. Knew how to exploit St Kilda's tiring legs, and that goal was chefs kiss.

14. Connor O'Sullivan - I didn't mind his game today. A few turnovers let him down, but competed well all day. He keeps getting blatantly shoved in the back too, and if his opponent then takes the mark I can't grade him too harshly. Umps need to be watching the play and not their Sportsbet accounts.

16. Sam De Koning - It wasn't the right time to bring him back IMO. We had enough tall defenders even without him- Blitz, JHenry, and COS had it sorted- and he didn't really play well. Getting him some AFL touch going into the finale of the season was probably the correct strategic call though.

17. Lawson Humphries - What's happened to his kicking? Since his concussion he hasn't been quite right. He still reads the ball at ground level as well as he always did, tackles for keeps, and patrols his set zone correctly. But he needs to start hitting targets again PDQ.

18. Tyson Stengle - Great to have him back after the last two weeks, and two goals is a fine return. I expect him to build in form going into the serious part of the season.

19. Jack Martin - I reckon that first half is the best he's played in years, and showed how potent he can be as a forward option. Second half was very, very quiet. Still, I'd have him in the 22 for now but with Bews, Stevens, Knevitt, and Conway all banging the door down in the VFL I expect he'll be the one to get squeezed out.

28. Ollie Dempsey - Lively all day, and that goal was a work of art. Running so hard from the wing to FF and back, all day long, whether he gets involved in that particular play or not, must make him a nightmare for the opposition coach. I think at times he can be a bit precious about going for a hard ball get, but when your best work is done cashing in on the stray bobbling ball it might be a coach's directive. And I worry that if he puts on the extra kilo or or three of muscle to let him compete like Atkins does that he'll lose some of his pace. Still, when it's your turn to go, you go, and he often doesn't.

30. Tom Atkins - Another pile of possessions and a gajillion tackles. We don't even question it these days, just like we don't question our car's engine rumbling to life when we turn the key. And Axe is Geelong's engine.

32. Gryan Miers - Probably our best, I thought. Once again his disposal was sublime. And for a guy with a somewhat light frame he does burrow in pretty hard when he has to. Ollie Dempsey needs to take notice.

33. Shannon Neale - It sort of didn't come together for him today, but I admire his second and third efforts. He never seems to get discouraged, even when things aren't going his way, and when it's not sticking in his hands he can usually get it to fall to the advantage of our crumbers.

34. Oisin Mullin - Quiet day possessionwise, but I thought he was OK tagging McRae. He should have been on Wanganeen-Milera though. Puzzling coaching. One thing I like is how quickly he reads the ball off the boot. His eye is as quick as Jack Henry's in that regard. He'll develop into an intercepting tagger, one who can drag his opponent away from the play by using his pace offensively, but we're not quite there yet. It'll click soon though, I can feel it.

35. Patrick F. Dangerfield - He had to lift after last week's stinker, and did. Two goals and 20 touches in the forward line is a good return. Two hideous shanks, less so. Still, I think the mix is right, 75% up forward and 25% in the centre square for the genuinely important centre bounces.

38. Jack Henry - There's not a lot to fault in Henry's game today. He reads the ball well in the air, kicks competently, and the one time I saw him beaten it was by Rowan Marshall who is about eleven feet tall and built like that angry zombie guy from Game of Thrones.

39. Zach Guthrie - Yet another solid game for us. I often find it hard to write anything about Zuth in these little reports, because all he does all day is do his job with no pomp or flamboyance.

42. Mark O'Connor- Touch-wise a very quiet game, but unlike last week where I thought he had a stinker I reckon he was passable today. Playing as a deep small defender, he seemed to be minding Hill and Henry, whichever of the two was snaeking forward at the time, and kept the screws on pretty tightly. Aside from one clumsy high fend-off when Stewart sold him up the creek with a reprehensible kickin. I like him better upfield though. A couple of times he beat Hill in a 1-on-1 on the wing, then delivered perfectly to a teamate at half forward- he's better doing that than skulking about in the back pocket.

44. Tom Stewart - The intercept marking is back! Two major stuffups blotted his game though, getting done HTB trying to take on too many tacklers and then selling Merrick into all sorts of trouble with a hideous kickin. Getting subbed off was purely strategic. It was the correct time for cotton wool, and I don't think his knees copped any real injury, just an accumulation of little knocks.

45. Brad Close - He's always creative, but these days Scotty seems to be using him as a defensive forward, keeping the oppo HBF rebounding players accountable and hopefully making them play deep in the back pocket. Last week it didn't work, At all. Today it did.

46. Mark Blicavs - Another decent day out for Blitz. I thought he was decent as the second ruck but a bit surplus to requirements as another tall defender with so many of St Kilda's forwards being smalls and SDK back. So no surprise to see him sneak forward a bit, where his marking was a handful. Set up one of Jezza's goals and unlucky not to get on the scoreboard himself.
Click to expand...

Agree %100 with your assessment of Bailey Smith's game; thought he rock solid.
 
Pure_Ownage said:
The good news is the forward fire-power we have of Cameron neale elite smalls plus Martin and Dempsey can absolutely kick big scores and win you finals.

The bad news is the midfield still looks thin at times plus Rhys is low on gas (i expect we rest him soon) and we have no replacement. And in defensive transition we are getting caught out too easily plus individuals like Stewart mullin O'Connor and sdk are playing well below their best. I'm not sure we can win the flag like that but then again the league sucks so we could Bradbury it like Brisbane did last year.
Click to expand...

largely agree PO
 
CatToTheFuture said:
The Martin swing forward looked like it took the saints by surprise a fair bit. Almost a shame to pull that rabbit out the hat now and show everyone
Click to expand...
Anyone who watched in his early days at the Suns would have known Martin forward capabilities can exhibit the old X factor on his day.
 

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Generalissimo said:
19. Jack Martin - I reckon that first half is the best he's played in years, and showed how potent he can be as a forward option. Second half was very, very quiet. Still, I'd have him in the 22 for now but with Bews, Stevens, Knevitt, and Conway all banging the door down in the VFL I expect he'll be the one to get squeezed out.
Click to expand...
Great write up as always.

Really interested in what they do here, I think he could just replace O. Henry's role in the forward line to be honest. It did feel like we tried a few different set ups this game throughout it so I don't think his drop off in the second half was necessarily due to form but maybe positioning.
 
Strange Cat said:
cats_09 what did you say to make Stewart look up at you lol?
Click to expand...

I've opted to not share a few other photos I took, but just out of frame is Stewart's daughter and she was looking up so he was looking up to see what she was looking at

I was simply standing in the right location to take the photo
 
Cursed Cat said:
largely agree PO
Click to expand...

The midfield would look better if they didn't make it hard work with skill errors. It's a worrying area of turnover.
Smith back definitely helped bringing the ball through, and Zuth gets loose enough times to assist, the quiet achiever. The long balls to Dempsey, waiting for a speccy, are overused.

Holmes is not quite beating his player by enough (as he has in the past) to get clear and gain metres, and stoppages are not won consistently enough. Lawson and COS try super hard, but sometimes makes rookie errors with delivery, can live with that. Gryan good, but no one clear, what can he do. Better teams will kill us once they gain the ball midfield and pop it over the back.

Really really need to tighten up those handballs and passes across the centre, work the leads, and be better prepared to block the outside run from Oppo teams..
 
CatToTheFuture said:
The Martin swing forward looked like it took the saints by surprise a fair bit. Almost a shame to pull that rabbit out the hat now and show everyone
Click to expand...

We were often starting one of if not both of Martin & Blicavs deep forward and that saw Wilkie often matching up on them for extended periods, compared with Wilkie vs Cameron which has often worked in the Saints over recent meetings
 

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cats_09 said:
We were often starting one of if not both of Martin & Blicavs deep forward and that saw Wilkie often matching up on them for extended periods, compared with Wilkie vs Cameron which has often worked in the Saints over recent meetings
Click to expand...
Yeah the other thing i was going to mention is that I feel like blitz rolling forward was a success but I think it took some of scratchers game away. He had concrete for hands today regardless but a lot of the opportunity to build into the game was split away from him i think
 

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Review Cats defeat Saints by 31 points

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