Injury 2024 Season Geelong Cats Injury Thread

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Geelong Cats midfielder Cameron Guthrie is likely to miss 8 -10 weeks with a right quadricep tendon injury.

Health Update | Cameron Guthrie
 
The only upside is the reporting of an injury timeline. In the past this would have been described as “medium term” or “indefinite” with no benchmark against which progress would be reported. Now the journos will be able to ask in a month, “is Guthrie’s recovery on track?” and there will be some transparency and accountability in the response as it will need to be reflected in the injury list return date.

Kudos AFL for the progress. 👍
 

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This one injury instantly negates all of the positives surrounding our list's otherwise clean bill of health going into the season. Hard to be upbeat about having near-full squad availability when one of the only players who isn't going to be available is someone we're dependent on to be competitive against the best teams.

This is the one position of the ground we absolutely could not afford an injury to a key players, as we simply don't have the personnel to cover the loss of quality. Our midfield already had paper thin depth prior to Guthries injury. It's a disaster. No way around it.

I mostly just feel deflated by this. Such a buzzkill before the beginning of the new season just as I was starting to get hyped about our prospects this year.

sigh
 
So our midfield for the first two months of the season is likely to be a 34-year-old Dangerfield, Blicavs, Atkins, and Bruhn.

That is hot garbage.

As far as I'm concerned this development means we need to either abandon the Holmes to HBF plans and put him back in the middle OR we need to throw Tom Stewart into the midfield. Or maybe even both of those things. Our current mix simply isn't going to cut it and we've gotta try something different unless we want this season going to waste.
 
So our midfield for the first two months of the season is likely to be a 34-year-old Dangerfield, Blicavs, Atkins, and Bruhn.

That is hot garbage.

As far as I'm concerned this development means we need to either abandon the Holmes to HBF plans and put him back in the middle OR we need to throw Tom Stewart into the midfield. Or maybe even both of those things. Our current mix simply isn't going to cut it and we've gotta try something different unless we want this season going to waste.
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This one injury instantly negates all of the positives surrounding our list's otherwise clean bill of health going into the season. Hard to be upbeat about having near-full squad availability when one of the only players who isn't going to be available is someone we're dependent on to be competitive against the best teams.

This is the one position of the ground we absolutely could not afford an injury to a key players, as we simply don't have the personnel to cover the loss of quality. Our midfield already had paper thin depth prior to Guthries injury. It's a disaster. No way around it.

I mostly just feel deflated by this. Such a buzzkill before the beginning of the new season just as I was starting to get hyped about our prospects this year.

sigh
For me 10 injuries would negate all the positives. 1 injury is a little dent.

Guthrie is important, of course he is. But when all of Stanley, Dangerfield, Atkins, Blicavs, Bruhn, Duncan and Holmes were healthy and playing at the same time our midfield was very competitive. When a few of these were missing or underdone, leaving too much burden on the others, it came unstuck.

Bowes has exciting potential and Bruhn was strong in the back half of 2023, and could conceivably take the next step. Rotating Stanley and Conway I believe will benefit our ruck situation. Dangerfield has had a big pre season and Duncan did his work in the USA. With no Guthrie we probably will see a fit and hungry Holmes through the guts more or at least on the wing. And maybe we'll get an exciting glimpse of Clark or Mannagh through there. Stengle and Stewart for the odd burst as support.

It's way too early to be doom and gloom over this. The above can carry us through to when Cam is back. If you throw Dangerfield and Holmes onto that list of absentees, then I'll embrace panicking.
 
So our midfield for the first two months of the season is likely to be a 34-year-old Dangerfield, Blicavs, Atkins, and Bruhn.

That is hot garbage.

As far as I'm concerned this development means we need to either abandon the Holmes to HBF plans and put him back in the middle OR we need to throw Tom Stewart into the midfield. Or maybe even both of those things. Our current mix simply isn't going to cut it and we've gotta try something different unless we want this season going to waste.

Add in Holmes, Bowes, Clark, Duncan, Knevitt, along with the likes of Close, Miers & Stengle who all ran through the guts at times last year, and suddenly there's options

We've already got draftees like Mannagh & Stevens who may get a chance

We shouldn't be relying on 1 player to make a midfield - it's a loss to not have Guthrie, but it also presents an opportunity to look at other players running through the guts & that's surely a good thing
 

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Add in Holmes, Bowes, Clark, Duncan, Knevitt, along with the likes of Close, Miers & Stengle who all ran through the guts at times last year, and suddenly there's options

We've already got draftees like Mannagh & Stevens who may get a chance

We shouldn't be relying on 1 player to make a midfield - it's a loss to not have Guthrie, but it also presents an opportunity to look at other players running through the guts & that's surely a good thing

There's options, sure, but I guess I'm just not convinced there's quality options.
 
What would you do about the midfield? Do you think our current mix sans Guthrie is good enough?

Well I’m not going to panic and throw the baby out with the bath water especially before a game has been played.
What would be hot garbage is if the team can’t cope with having 1 player (a good one, yes) out of for 2 months. If you told me Jezza had done his ACL and his year is over, I’m more inclined to agree with you.
If injuries mount like last year, it’s an issue, but we are far way away from being there.
I see this an opportunity to see what some of our much touted kids can do.
 
Well I’m not going to panic and throw the baby out with the bath water especially before a game has been played.
What would be hot garbage is if the team can’t cope with having 1 player (a good one, yes) out of for 2 months. If you told me Jezza had done his ACL and his year is over, I’m more inclined to agree with you.
If injuries mount like last year, it’s an issue, but we are far way away from being there.
I see this an opportunity to see what some of our much touted kids can do.

I unironically think we could cover the loss of Jez for two months better than the loss of Guthrie for two months. The whole reason I think this is so impactful to us is because we're so weak in the middle of the ground. I don't feel the same way about us in other areas. Our forward line is elite. Even if you removed Jez from the mix we'd still have a better forward group that most sides. The same can't be said for our on-ball division.

I do agree with you though that this is a good opportunity for Clark and co to show their wares.
 
What would you do about the midfield? Do you think our current mix sans Guthrie is good enough?
We could always throw Parfitt in there.
I couldn't even type that sentence keeping a straight face.

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There's options, sure, but I guess I'm just not convinced there's quality options.
If our premiership hopes are solely reliant on Cam Guthrie - and Cam Guthrie alone - for the first 6-8 weeks of the season, then we were never a premiership threat to begin with.

Nobody's happy about it, but have you actually taken the time to look at the fixture? Or just immediately gone to smash the keyboard in panic?

St Kilda - W
At Adelaide - L
Hawthorn - W
Bulldogs - W
Norf - W
At Brisbane - L

That's 4-2, and well within the realms of possibility. Some might even argue it's likely.

You've said yourself that the defence and forward line will hold up, and I'd go as far as to say they'll improve.

Jack Henry back, SDK fit and settled sans Sav, Ollie Henry with another pre-season of development under his belt, Jezza fit and firing, and Stengle, Miers & Close all fit and determined to improve.

That's without mentioning Hawkins & Stewart, who we've become accustomed to just performing at an elite level now.

The sole question is the midfield, so let's go through that:

Dangerfield - Supposedly, as fit as he's been in years.

Duncan - Likewise, and finally fit to start the season.

Holmes - Blue chip talent, beginning to enter his best football years.

Bruhn - Likewise.

Atkins - Grunt and pressure at the peak of his powers.

Bowes - Looks ready for a Will Brodie esque renaissance in his natural position, after a pre-season to get fit, and actually learn our system.

Blicavs - Most versatile player in the competition, and when he and Stanley are fit and firing, we don't lose many games.

N/A: Clark, Stevens, Hardie, Mannagh, Willis, Dempsey, Knevitt, who all could surprise.

Is it elite? No...but could we get by with it for a few weeks? Absolutely.
 
If our premiership hopes are solely reliant on Cam Guthrie - and Cam Guthrie alone - for the first 6-8 weeks of the season, then we were never a premiership threat to begin with.

Nobody's happy about it, but have you actually taken the time to look at the fixture? Or just immediately gone to smash the keyboard in panic?

St Kilda - W
At Adelaide - L
Hawthorn - W
Bulldogs - W
Norf - W
At Brisbane - L

That's 4-2, and well within the realms of possibility. Some might even argue it's likely.

You've said yourself that the defence and forward line will hold up, and I'd go as far as to say they'll improve.

Jack Henry back, SDK fit and settled sans Sav, Ollie Henry with another pre-season of development under his belt, Jezza fit and firing, and Stengle, Miers & Close all fit and determined to improve.

That's without mentioning Hawkins & Stewart, who we've become accustomed to just performing at an elite level now.

The sole question is the midfield, so let's go through that:

Dangerfield - Supposedly, as fit as he's been in years.

Duncan - Likewise, and finally fit to start the season.

Holmes - Blue chip talent, beginning to enter his best football years.

Bruhn - Likewise.

Atkins - Grunt and pressure at the peak of his powers.

Bowes - Looks ready for a Will Brodie esque renaissance in his natural position, after a pre-season to get fit, and actually learn our system.

Blicavs - Most versatile player in the competition, and when he and Stanley are fit and firing, we don't lose many games.

N/A: Clark, Stevens, Hardie, Mannagh, Willis, Dempsey, Knevitt, who all could surprise.

Is it elite? No...but could we get by with it for a few weeks? Absolutely.
A little disclaimer: Baudy does not enjoy being told not to panic. :p

Most people think that, at best, we might scrape into finals anyway. So we might as well see how some players who will be here in 5 years are tracking.
 
Losing CGuthrie is a loss. But IF (and it’s a big IF) we don’t get any other serious injury there, we can cope early as our defence and our attack are our strengths and the mids are good, not great.

I mean look at the premier of 2018, and their rucks/mids rotations : Lycette, Vardy, Shuey, Yeo, Redden, Masten, Sheed.

One champ there in Shuey. Yeo was pretty good and these rest are just good to average players. But their defence and attack were elite.


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A little disclaimer: Baudy does not enjoy being told not to panic. :p

Most people think that, at best, we might scrape into finals anyway. So we might as well see how some players who will be here in 5 years are tracking.
Hopefully the sun rises tomorrow then for his sake.
 

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