Interesting discussions here, and i have to admit that generally being a Scott fan, last year did seem almost like the end of his road, he'd been up there so long but kept running into something better.
However from the announcements of Steve Hocking back to the club as CEO, and the changing of the guard of some long term assistants was in my eyes a very positive sign. The removal of the line coaches and perhaps the end of what may have become little 'cliques' in the side, perhaps looking more after their own numbers rather than that as a whole for the side. Replacing the ostensibly serious and perhaps challenging demeanor of Scarlett for the fresh, sunny and new voice in Eddie Betts was something that i feel did help to change the mood at the club. And all the new additions coaching-wise and of course recruitment, and the development of our younger players like SDK, Holmes, Close and Zuthrie in particular has borne genuine fruit this year. And who among us dared to even contemplate that our weaknesses in the pressure era (a classy and penetrative small forward) could be answered so handsomely by Tyson Stengle's addition to the club. A quantum leap over what we've had in the last few years, and he's Stevie J and Chappy dangerous near goals.
So we now are in the ultimate decider, a position no coach or fan would turn their noses up at the start of the season. Indeed this is where as a long term fan i reckon we lose perspective a little on what we have in our club, what it gives to us as fans.
Back in the mid-late 70's when i started following the mighty Cats, we were really a mid-ranking side, every now and then we'll beat a Collingwood or a Carlton, we would lose to the power clubs regularly and scratch together a 12-10, 11-11 type season and sneak into the 5 or just miss out. The heady days of 1980 and 1981 where we made the double chance and we'd watch a side that was pretty good still ended in disappointment due to back to back Pie defeats in those preliminary finals. Then aside from watching Gary Sr, the rest of the 80's bar '89 were a continuation of that same mediocrity.
So we reach the magic 1989 under Blight, and are right up there punching aside from a crappy 1990 and a rather stiff 1993, but three GF defeats and a PF loss was too much for him, and he probably thought he could do no more. Gary Ayres came in and had a record like Nathan Buckley, a losing GF early and then sliding down the table, by '98 and '99 the club was in huge debt and our playing stocks were low.
But since then, we've had two coaches...Bomber who built the list and style along with Wells, and after a couple of forays in '04 and '05, the side bloomed from '07 onwards. As Cat fans we saw the highest highs for several years, until the PF loss in 2010 to the Pies, when a battered Cats side bowed out, and Chris Scott came in.
A flag to him in 2011, and pretty much up there punching away ever since. Just three active participants will be in the team this weekend from the 2011 list, being Hawkins, Duncan and Selwood, with Guthrie at the club as a 1st year player. And we've seen the Hawks precision kicking (and maybe 9.5 m passes), replaced by Dusty-ball...the scrambly footy of the Tigers coupled with statistically the best 4 years of finals footy anyone has played. Both these sides won three Flags, Geelong being beaten en route 5 times in this time. But did Geelong give up? No!
No matter what, the players under Scott keep buying in. Even Sydney has had a couple of years out of the Finals, West Coast have gone from Flags in '06 and '18 to absolute tripe twice, with a few better years here and there. Port went from 119 to terrible in 2011, and under Hinkley have been up there losing two home PF's, but not making a GF, and have been disappointing in a few other years too. St.Kilda flamed out after Lyon, and Freo did too.
But Geelong has always had it's hand up in September, and given me as a long time fan the joys of watching many stirring wins throughout the seasons, and it's a darn sight better than being mired in that 8-12 win range that Geelong sides in the 70's and 80's had endured. 2003 is the last season of single-figure wins, and 2018 is the only season since '06 where the club has suffered 10 defeats in a season. Scott and the team have won 15 straight and are into the GF, all Cat fans should just be on board, forget the past as it's done and dust(ied) and hope like hell we can get the choccies this weekend. GF's are hard to make, and harder to win, so as Cat fans, just be on board!
However from the announcements of Steve Hocking back to the club as CEO, and the changing of the guard of some long term assistants was in my eyes a very positive sign. The removal of the line coaches and perhaps the end of what may have become little 'cliques' in the side, perhaps looking more after their own numbers rather than that as a whole for the side. Replacing the ostensibly serious and perhaps challenging demeanor of Scarlett for the fresh, sunny and new voice in Eddie Betts was something that i feel did help to change the mood at the club. And all the new additions coaching-wise and of course recruitment, and the development of our younger players like SDK, Holmes, Close and Zuthrie in particular has borne genuine fruit this year. And who among us dared to even contemplate that our weaknesses in the pressure era (a classy and penetrative small forward) could be answered so handsomely by Tyson Stengle's addition to the club. A quantum leap over what we've had in the last few years, and he's Stevie J and Chappy dangerous near goals.
So we now are in the ultimate decider, a position no coach or fan would turn their noses up at the start of the season. Indeed this is where as a long term fan i reckon we lose perspective a little on what we have in our club, what it gives to us as fans.
Back in the mid-late 70's when i started following the mighty Cats, we were really a mid-ranking side, every now and then we'll beat a Collingwood or a Carlton, we would lose to the power clubs regularly and scratch together a 12-10, 11-11 type season and sneak into the 5 or just miss out. The heady days of 1980 and 1981 where we made the double chance and we'd watch a side that was pretty good still ended in disappointment due to back to back Pie defeats in those preliminary finals. Then aside from watching Gary Sr, the rest of the 80's bar '89 were a continuation of that same mediocrity.
So we reach the magic 1989 under Blight, and are right up there punching aside from a crappy 1990 and a rather stiff 1993, but three GF defeats and a PF loss was too much for him, and he probably thought he could do no more. Gary Ayres came in and had a record like Nathan Buckley, a losing GF early and then sliding down the table, by '98 and '99 the club was in huge debt and our playing stocks were low.
But since then, we've had two coaches...Bomber who built the list and style along with Wells, and after a couple of forays in '04 and '05, the side bloomed from '07 onwards. As Cat fans we saw the highest highs for several years, until the PF loss in 2010 to the Pies, when a battered Cats side bowed out, and Chris Scott came in.
A flag to him in 2011, and pretty much up there punching away ever since. Just three active participants will be in the team this weekend from the 2011 list, being Hawkins, Duncan and Selwood, with Guthrie at the club as a 1st year player. And we've seen the Hawks precision kicking (and maybe 9.5 m passes), replaced by Dusty-ball...the scrambly footy of the Tigers coupled with statistically the best 4 years of finals footy anyone has played. Both these sides won three Flags, Geelong being beaten en route 5 times in this time. But did Geelong give up? No!
No matter what, the players under Scott keep buying in. Even Sydney has had a couple of years out of the Finals, West Coast have gone from Flags in '06 and '18 to absolute tripe twice, with a few better years here and there. Port went from 119 to terrible in 2011, and under Hinkley have been up there losing two home PF's, but not making a GF, and have been disappointing in a few other years too. St.Kilda flamed out after Lyon, and Freo did too.
But Geelong has always had it's hand up in September, and given me as a long time fan the joys of watching many stirring wins throughout the seasons, and it's a darn sight better than being mired in that 8-12 win range that Geelong sides in the 70's and 80's had endured. 2003 is the last season of single-figure wins, and 2018 is the only season since '06 where the club has suffered 10 defeats in a season. Scott and the team have won 15 straight and are into the GF, all Cat fans should just be on board, forget the past as it's done and dust(ied) and hope like hell we can get the choccies this weekend. GF's are hard to make, and harder to win, so as Cat fans, just be on board!
