Preview AFL GF 2025: Geelong V Brisbane Sat 27th Sept MCG 2:30 pm

[cats_09]

Resource Post - I'll endeavour to update this post with info and links relevant to what's happening over the coming week

- Meet Up, Live Sites & Viewing Party discussion

Meet Up - 2025 Meet Up Thread - Grand Final Edition... including Live Sites info

https://gardenstatehotel.com.au/ 101 Flinders Lane. It opens at noon on Sunday.

www.bigfooty.com

- Grand Final Ticket discussion (please don't start separate threads for ticket sales)

Resource - 2025 Finals Ticket Discussion - Grand Final ticket discussion

Where can I find my Cats Membership Barcodes? OR When do we get Cats Membership Barcodes? Checked online : geelongcats.com.au website and Cats Mobile App

www.bigfooty.com

 

[standupand]

Gezundheit!

(I know, I know )

Yeah I call him "the German sneeze" because they do a bit of a "chee" instead of a "choo" to round off the sneeze there. "Gesundheit" is with an "s".

 

[ultimate warrior]

Blicavs has been outstanding in the past two finals, but let’s be honest, Darcy Fort is no world beater, and Lloyd Meek had run his tank dry after a brutal stretch of games, including back-to-back road trips. Blitz looked like an extra midfielder and tore them up.

This week’s a different beast. Big Oscar McInerney isn’t just a ruckman, he’s a skyscraper. If we throw Blitz at him all game, We have minimal flexibility around the ground. That’s where Stanley matters. He doesn’t need to dominate, he just needs to make Oscar earn every contest. Short, sharp bursts to keep McInerney honest, then Blitz can come in fresh as the second rotation.

It’s the flexibility it unlocks: Blitz can swing forward if Harris Andrews takes charge, or drop back if their forwards start cooking. Without Stanley, we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. With him, we’ve got the chess pieces in the right spots.

I have a feeling Jack Martin probably misses out, as we need Bews to clamp Cameron/Bailey, freeing up Zach Guthrie to play that Stewart-like interceptor role.

Tough calls, but the right ones if we’re serious about winning the midfield battle and protecting the backline.

You do realise Big O only attended 22 ruck contests for the entire match

 

[joe444]

One of my most treasured possessions- the old 2007 GF CD with 5 different calls to choose from, including K Rock.

5AA Ken Cunningham as SJ kicks his second goal: "Who's on Johnson?! WHO'S ON JOHNSON??!!! STRIKE ME PINK!"

 

[cats_09]

, now Vic Pol are taking the piss out of Essendon

 

[CatToTheFuture]

You do realise Big O only attended 22 ruck contests for the entire match

Yeah I haven't been watching the big O much recently but Lyon on SEN was suggesting Fort is well ahead of him now.

 

[lettheboysplay]

I guess Mitchell benched Meek and gave Blicavs coaches votes because Blicavs was beaten by Meek

Put him on ignore, it's worth it, trust me.

 

[joe444]

You do realise Big O only attended 22 ruck contests for the entire match

And he did sweet FA around the ground, too. He's playing only 60% game time since he came back. He hasn't been right since round 9. Upon his round 18 return, he's averaged 7 possessions a game at 50%

I initially had fears, but it only took seeing his first few efforts against Collingwood for me to think, "Oh please play this guy next week." We're facing the 2025 half-broken version of him, not the semi-elite player he was last year.

And it's glorious - Fages is going to have both he and Fort on the ground at the same time. Against Blicavs and Stanley? They'll be gassed at half time.

 

[iameviljez]

They’ll be doing a call of the “replay”. Weird but I guess good to have different commentary to watch after the game when we win

Poor Whateley if we lose - could you imagine anything worse than having to call your own team's Grand Final choke again?

 

[CatToTheFuture]

And he did sweet FA around the ground, too. He's playing only 60% game time since he came back. He hasn't been right since round 9. Upon his round 18 return, he's averaged 7 possessions a game at 50%

I initially had fears, but it only took seeing his first few efforts against Collingwood for me to think, "Oh please play this guy next week." We're facing the 2025 half-broken version of him, not the semi-elite player he was last year.

I have been thinking about this a bit and how they use their two rucks.

Float forward because they don't have forward line heights is usually option A but SDK is an actual defender and I'll back him against either of them. It'll leave Stanley loose back as a intercept too which i think favours is as he's done this a fair bit lately.

The other, which i think makes the most tactical sense, is to get the non-ruck forward at CBAs then push into the corridor for pressure relieving marks. This would be important if our pressure rating is going the same way it did last time. Rhys to follow i guess?

I don't think the two rucks is a card dealt in their favour here

 

[CatAttack84]

What about the "I was there" shirts for the losing side? At least you can recycle paper

also true. IIRC these used to (90s) show up at Dimmeys or used to be sent to charities in Africa etc.

 

[Feline]

One of my most treasured possessions- the old 2007 GF CD with 5 different calls to choose from, including K Rock.

And listening to K Rock on the victory pack for the 2009 GF. "CHAPEE! CHAPEE!"

 

[iameviljez]

also true. IIRC these used to (90s) show up at Dimmeys or used to be sent to charities in Africa etc.

I did keep my eyes out in the Pacific for these bad boys when I was there a decade ago, no dice unfortunately. Did see a kid in an Essendon jumper though - he's seen just as many finals wins as he could have expected had he lived in Australia...

 

[iameviljez]

What about the "I was there" shirts for the losing side? At least you can recycle paper

I believe that Dad had a connection to the printers for the old WEG-style posters following the 2011 GF. So, he managed to intercept a batch of them on their way off to the recycling mill following the game...

When a Collingwood supporting mate came to stay a month or two later, guess what he woke to find his car absolutely plastered in?

 

[fpm84]

Reports this morning Neale (of the Lachie variety) completed full training, Berry didn't train, Dunkley trained away from main group.

 

[joe444]

Poor Whateley if we lose - could you imagine anything worse than having to call your own team's Grand Final choke again?

My understanding is that it will be called live by Huddo & Derwayne, just from the studio.

And listening to K Rock on the victory pack for the 2009 GF. "CHAPEE! CHAPEE!"

One more time ...

 

[Tkoajd]

My understanding is that it will be called live by Huddo & Derwayne, just from the studio.


One more time ...

That gave me goosebumps. Chappppppyyyygh

 

[joe444]

Tell ya what. From time to time I'll run my only little mini Grand Final marathon here

 

[Art Vandelay_]

By what measure? Certainly not ruck contests.

Ruck contests are one of the least relevant statistical metrics in footy.

As shown by footballistics book a couple years back. Team that wins hit outs wins around ~52-53% of matches. Negligible impact on a 50:50 contest.

 

[cats_09]

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Well seems I was wrong about Neale. That's quite a recovery

 

[cats_09]

Well seems I was wrong about Neale. That's quite a recovery

It's one thing to hit top speed at training, but can be do the repeat efforts and find that acceleration needed during a game

 

[joe444]

Well seems I was wrong about Neale. That's quite a recovery

If they want to play a guy whose done his quad and his calf in the past six weeks, that's fine by me.

Last example of this is Dane Rampe, who was rushed back into Sydney's side after a calf injury. Whilst he survived the game and got back to form subsequent weeks, he played his worst game for the year, touching the ball only 9 times.

And the interesting thing about Lachie is that he couldn't play much better than he did against us in the QF anyway. Didn't bother us then.

Two of his last three games have been losses and he's got over 30 possessions in all three of them.

Edit: He's missed more games in the past two months than he has in the previous four years. Hasn't had a break this long since 2021

 

[cats_09]

Would anyone be surprised by this

 

[Footy Smarts]

I still look at Brisbane's bottom end players and think we've got to exploit their lack of experience and particularly their lack of running power.

Fort, McInerney, Gallop, Morris, L Ashcroft and Marshall is a lot of guys who either lack mobility or haven't got to an age where they've developed their tank.

You would hope we can exploit that and we can be outrunning them the longer the game goes.

 

[Jumping Jack]

Would anyone be surprised by this

Mitch Cleary is onto it and is leveraging his strong inside connections at Geelong.

Blicavs to Andrews is what I'm hearing for periods of the game. Should be an intriguing watch as I'm sure Andrew's will try and get to Neale. it's one thing for Brisbane to be across this possibility - another things for them to nullify it. Very hard when an opposition sends a player to match up on a key defender. Particularly someone like Blicavs who can also create problems of his own.

Andrews 200cm strong in the air and reads the ball in flight as well as anyone
Blicavs 198cm strong enough in the air to compete and a class above when the ball hits the ground (will also take inside 50 ruck contests)