News 2020 Pre-season - New and Improved after Rd 1 with Rd2 in June. ***

[BORIS332]

It was a reference on my part to our forward work as a whole over the last few years - not 2019 in isolation.

Yes, we did ok last year in that regard, but our record otherwise has been below par imo.

And we haven't been known for 'fast, direct' movement over that time either.

Our record pre-2019 is irrelevant to 2020. We have an entirely different forward six.

 

[Cataholic]

Our record pre-2019 is irrelevant to 2020. We have an entirely different forward six.

The question over whether we can move the ball fast and direct to our forwards, and sustain it every week, remains......to me anyway.

Without that, forwards starve no matter who they are.

 

[BORIS332]

The question over whether we can move the ball fast and direct to our forwards, and sustain it every week, remains......to me anyway.

Without that, forwards starve no matter who they are.

So how did we score the second-most points in the comp last year?

 

[Cataholic]

The numbers you quote back the sense I had across 2019 that we were far more effective than we had been in previous years at bringing the ball in and scoring as a result.

We were outscored by one team last year. That was the Lions, who scored less than a point more than us each week over the 22 rounds.

So, if our forward line work is considered incompetent, where does that leave the other 16 teams who finished behind us on this measure?

Little wonder the AFL is mired in mediocrity when the imcompetent set-ups are running second across the comp in any given year.

I said our work in getting the ball TO our forwards has been incompetent..... Not that the 'forward line work' was. And I was referencing our record over the last few years, not just 2019.

Look at our dismal record in finals in any given year over the best part of the last decade.

 

[goyoucatters]

The question over whether we can move the ball fast and direct to our forwards, and sustain it every week, remains......to me anyway.

Without that, forwards starve no matter who they are.

You note that forwards starve without fast, direct ball movement. And you say we have clearly not been exemplifying this system in the way we play.

And yet, as BORIS332 pointed out, Toma, Gaz, Gryan and Rohan all made their way into the top 50 goal-kickers last season as forwards. predominantly. With Danger and Kells also making it into that group from their time in the forward half.

And the team outscored every other team bar one over the course of the season.

For mine, those numbers do not underscore starvation.

 

[Cataholic]

So how did we score the second-most points in the comp last year?

We did well until the bye, no issue there.

How did we go after the bye?

How did we go in the finals?

How have we gone in any final series over the last 9 years?

 

[Gunf]

We did well until the bye, no issue there.

How did we go after the bye?

How did we go in the finals?

How have we gone in any final series over the last 9 years?

How did we go 50 years ago is just as relevant as 5-10 years ago. Not at all

 

[cats_09]

Highlights from #10

 

[Cataholic]

How did we go 50 years ago is just as relevant as 5-10 years ago. Not at all

I want to see our potent forward line outscoring teams in finals, rather than being content with just doing so in the regular H & A.

 

[Max Milburn]

I want to see our potent forward line outscoring teams in finals, rather than being content with just doing so in the regular H & A.

You should have gone to the West Coast final then.

 

[Cataholic]

You should have gone to the West Coast final then.

And I should've said that I want to see it more than once.......

 

[Max Milburn]

And I should've said that I want to see it more than once.......

You didn't have to really. We all wanted that.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Fair point, but can they adapt to the idea of moving it forward as fast as possible??

I would argue getting it forward faster is the easier part, keeping it there with three talls if we don't convert will be difficult

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Couldn't disagree more. We had the best conversion rate in the league from inside 50s. We also had six players inside the top 50 goal kickers last season - more than any other team, next best was Richmond with four - and the equal most marks inside 50 in the whole competition.

Our entries last year were excellent, and certainly far from 'incompetent.'

Think it might have been a poor choice of words. Reckon the post was referring to speed of entry rather than quality

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Highlights from #10

There's a kid with some clear objectives

 

[bombersboy]

To be fair though, De Koning is very very raw, and very very slight in frame. Won't play a senior game for at least two years. Schlensog played predominantly down back in the VFL last season, and he's got more experience and a more AFL ready frame now. Also Scarlett is giving him big wraps, which is always a big tick IMO

Looking at De Koning at the open day I walked away thinking he was 3-4 years away. He is so slight.

 

[thecatattack]

We did well until the bye, no issue there.

How did we go after the bye?

How did we go in the finals?

How have we gone in any final series over the last 9 years?

Pre-bye we averaged 83.5 PPG. Pst-bye we averaged 79.2 PPG.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Looking at De Koning at the open day I walked away thinking he was 3-4 years away. He is so slight.

I'd judge off his brother Tom who I don't think looked much better. Now apparently 97kgs 2 years after the draft, so I'd guess 4 years for Tom is a little pessimistic

 

[Live in hope]

This is literally false.

What was Linc’s longest run and second uninterrupted longest run of games with us ? I can’t find the stats on the run of games in the one season of seven with more than AFL 4 games (2016 with 19 of 25) - but I would be surprised if the first was more than 7 and the second more than 5 (ie a handful).

Even if I have been a little loose with language (which I’m not sure I have) - 29 games in 7 years (compared to 24 in first with Lions) - surely Landgraft you are not implying that Linc with us was not a chronically injured player and that Brisbane have done remarkably better to keep him on the park in this first with them?

 

[Landgraft]

What was Linc’s longest run and second uninterrupted longest run of games with us ? I can’t find the stats on the run of games in the one season of seven with more than AFL 4 games (2016 with 19 of 25) - but I would be surprised if the first was more than 7 and the second more than 5 (ie a handful).

Even if I have been a little loose with language (which I’m not sure I have) - 29 games in 7 years (compared to 24 in first with Lions) - surely Landgraft you are not implying that Linc with us was not a chronically injured player and that Brisbane have done remarkably better to keep him on the park in this first with them?

Brisbane have never had him while he was injured, it's a false comparison. We cautiously approached his return to footy through 2018 and I would be more inclined to say that Brisbane reaped the rewards of him coming over fully healthy and rehabbed than anything else.

The most games he played consecutively for Geelong was more than a handful - 13 in 2016. Second most... well he did have some threes

 

[Live in hope]

Brisbane have never had him while he was injured, it's a false comparison. We cautiously approached his return to footy through 2018 and I would be more inclined to say that Brisbane reaped the rewards of him coming over fully healthy and rehabbed than anything else.

The most games he played consecutively for Geelong was more than a handful - 13 in 2016. Second most... well he did have some threes

Good sleuthing LG on the 2016 games. Obviously I somewhat conveniently ‘overlooked’ that 13 game run.
Hope Linc remains injury free - if anyone deserves better injury luck, it’s him - so long as there are no more speccys and game winners against us!!

 

[Drunkcat]

When you read Bradley Close has had a very good pre-season and was a stand out vs Collingwood......it shows how little any noise coming out of this pre-season has been he will play sat night

 

[BORIS332]

Geelong Advertiser article below. Good to see Atkins being talked up as a midfield option too. He looked good when he started in the centre square last year.

Geelong Cats 2020: Rookie Brad Close looming as selection bolter

MATURE-AGE rookie Brad Close is looming as a selection bolter for Geelong this Saturday when it takes on Gold Coast in the first of its Marsh Community Series matches.

Taken with pick 14 in the rookie draft, Close has put in a strong pre-season and has barely put a foot wrong all summer.

The 21-year-old has impressed the Cats hierarchy with his football smarts since arriving at GMHBA Stadium and was one of the standouts from the joint extended match simulation exercise with Collingwood last Thursday.

In a similar fashion to Gryan Miers last year, Close has worked tirelessly at training and has all but done enough to earn a spot in the Geelong team to play the Suns after starting pre-season as an outside chance to play senior football this season.

He is likely to play in the forward line alongside all three of Geelong’s key tall forwards, with the Cats keen to see how Tom Hawkins, Josh Jenkins and Esava Ratugolea function together inside-50.

Gary Ablett, who was overlooked by Victorian selectors, is available and will likely be on the plane to Queensland, while Miers and Rohan are also understood to be among the probable names to complete the attack.

All four of the Cats players selected for the State of Origin Bushfire clash – Hawkins, Patrick Dangerfield, Mark Blicavs and Zach Tuohy – are in the mix to take on the Suns, while Tom Atkins is a firm chance to be given an opportunity in the midfield.

Atkins has been close to Geelong’s best performer this summer and the 24-year-old set to be rewarded with a return to the position he dominated at VFL level before being rookie-listed.

With Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan both unavailable it will be the ideal chance for Atkins to push his case for a permanent move away from the small forward role he thrived on in 2019.

In positive news for Geelong Jake Kolodjashnij is understood to have started running again in recent days after undergoing hip surgery last month.

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

When you read Bradley Close has had a very good pre-season and was a stand out vs Collingwood......it shows how little any noise coming out of this pre-season has been he will play sat night

He looks ready to go , from the brief clip of the Pies game he gave off a reflex handball and did a clever backward tap to Sav on the boundary - not a lot to go on but combined with the good press he's getting is encouraging for a rookie pick

 

[dazbroncos]

Always good to hear a new name impressing early. Means little until the real stuff gets rolling but if nothing else can add depth and puh for a senior spot.. presusre from the new faces keeps the older ones honest... well thats the theory anyway.

GO Catters