AFLW AFLW Season 4, 2020 - Mega Thread

[winty]

A look back at our history

Can watch the whole game here...



Was at that game too. Always good to see us give the Hawks a touch-up, regardless of what level or competition it's in. Can still remember the sound of the hit at 20:58 of the above clip as it happened right in front of me. Kudos to both girls for getting up and playing out the rest of the game after that.

Fair goal by my girl Jordan Ivey at 1:40:10 in that clip too just quietly.

 

[cats_09]

Guessing it will soon be time to start a season 5 thread - but until then...

 

[Cursed Cat]

Guessing it will soon be time to start a season 5 thread - but until then...

AFLW draft is a funny one for Geelong; we can be completely locked out due to the nomination process, and last year our talent pool from which to draw was pretty narrow - fortunately the region is reasonably strong in terms of junior girl participation rates driving a successful program at u/18 level.

I've been a bit burnt by the past couple of AFLW drafts; firstly supporters were left in the dark about the whole nomination process prior to the 2018 draft up until the last minute - suddenly Geelong, who could easily have nabbed the best 2 juniors in the country, were unable to access standout (and 2020 MVP winner) Maddy Prespakis.
It wasn't a total loss as Nina Morrison was undoubted quality and a worthy #1 pick, but we could have had both but for a last minute change in drafting adjudication. Prespakis would have made a big difference to our fortunes.

For the record I am not necessarily against the draft nomination process, I understand why it is necessary.

But then again last year, the same thing basically happened, but this time it was somehow worse; #2 pick Lucy McEvoy could easily have been a Cat had she nominated Geelong - and she'd captained the Falcon's girls team to a flag, no less - but due to Uni preferences she ended up at Carlton.

I'm guessing it will be more of the same this year - you can all but bet that no girl from Interstate is going to get adventurous and nominate any Victorian team, for starters ...

 

[dazbroncos]

Pick 5... should get some good help for Liv, Nina, Rocky and Co.

Go Catters

 

[winty]

Unfortunate news.

'Heartbreaking': Cats women's footy chief a victim of COVID cuts

The coronavirus crisis has claimed another victim in the female game, with Simone Bellears being let go at Geelong.

www.smh.com.au

 

[cats_09]

Bec Goddard not happy with that decision - I highly doubt it was an easy decision for the club to make, especially when you consider that Simone had been an employee for 9 years

Before jumping on any club for decisions made in regards to staffing during this period - I want to see what long term plan they have, and how they go about things

These aren't easy times for anyone, and not sure being so simplistic in our views during this period as we would have been say 12 months ago, is beneficial to anyone

 

[dazbroncos]

Bec Goddard not happy with that decision - I highly doubt it was an easy decision for the club to make, especially when you consider that Simone had been an employee for 9 years

Before jumping on any club for decisions made in regards to staffing during this period - I want to see what long term plan they have, and how they go about things

These aren't easy times for anyone, and not sure being so simplistic in our views during this period as we would have been say 12 months ago, is beneficial to anyone

bit harsh i reckon.. wtf are they supposed to do? They want to keep the AFLW team in place and develop it

Rather have the team and the coaches than not team at all

GO CAtters

 

[dazbroncos]

Bec Goddard not happy with that decision - I highly doubt it was an easy decision for the club to make, especially when you consider that Simone had been an employee for 9 years

Before jumping on any club for decisions made in regards to staffing during this period - I want to see what long term plan they have, and how they go about things

These aren't easy times for anyone, and not sure being so simplistic in our views during this period as we would have been say 12 months ago, is beneficial to anyone

bit harsh i reckon.. wtf are they supposed to do? They want to keep the AFLW team in place and develop it

Rather have the team and the coaches than not team at all

GO CAtters

 

[goyoucatters]

bit harsh i reckon.. wtf are they supposed to do? They want to keep the AFLW team in place and develop it

Rather have the team and the coaches than not team at all

GO CAtters

The club becomes an easy target in this respect. If the AFL truly wants the women's game to succeed and get some traction, they have to properly invest in it. The current model (where the game is run on a smallish budget, with no meaningful revenue stream as a foundation) means that any financial 'shocks' cannot possibly be absorbed by the participating clubs.

The AFL has been trying to have it both ways with the women's game, by investing a little and praying for rapid take-up by the community at large to 'justify' their investment. And all the while they've been allowing rampant spending on bloated football departments and anything that moves or looks shiny in the men's game.

So it's hardly a GFC-specific issue that there's little money for women's footy when the rivers of gold stop flowing to the bureaucratic behemoth that is the AFL.

 

[cats_09]

Not GFC related, but still really cool

 

[cats_09]

And we get active at the trade table

Geelong has strengthened its position in the 2020 NAB AFLW draft after agreeing to swap a number of selections with Melbourne.

The Cats will receive picks 10, 20, 27 and 39 in exchange for picks 5, 35 and a fourth round pick.

With Geelong also holding selection 21, the Cats now have four picks inside the top 27.

“We believe we have strengthened our position heading into the upcoming draft,” Geelong AFLW operations and recruiting manager Ben Waller said.

“Obviously this draft has presented a number of challenges, but we are very excited by the level of talent that was on show last year and the early part of this year.”

AFLW: Cats strengthen draft hand

Geelong has completed a swap of picks with Melbourne

www.geelongcats.com.au

 

[Cursed Cat]

And we get active at the trade table

Geelong has strengthened its position in the 2020 NAB AFLW draft after agreeing to swap a number of selections with Melbourne.

The Cats will receive picks 10, 20, 27 and 39 in exchange for picks 5, 35 and a fourth round pick.

With Geelong also holding selection 21, the Cats now have four picks inside the top 27.

“We believe we have strengthened our position heading into the upcoming draft,” Geelong AFLW operations and recruiting manager Ben Waller said.

“Obviously this draft has presented a number of challenges, but we are very excited by the level of talent that was on show last year and the early part of this year.”

AFLW: Cats strengthen draft hand

Geelong has completed a swap of picks with Melbourne

www.geelongcats.com.au

hmm, really interesting - I've spoken previously about Geelong's unique position at the AFLW draft; perhaps they have a better knowledge of who will nominate for which zone than they have in the past - otherwise, with Geelong's advantages and disadvantages, one pick is pretty much as good as another; e.g. if the best girl in the country nominates Geelong and Geelong only, it doesn't matter if we take her with #50. Conversely, as we have actually seen, it doesn't matter if we have the #1 pick, if the best player in the country freezes us out of the nomination process then it is useless ..

 

[Podsnap]

Bec Goddard not happy with that decision - I highly doubt it was an easy decision for the club to make, especially when you consider that Simone had been an employee for 9 years

Before jumping on any club for decisions made in regards to staffing during this period - I want to see what long term plan they have, and how they go about things

These aren't easy times for anyone, and not sure being so simplistic in our views during this period as we would have been say 12 months ago, is beneficial to anyone

Agree with you and GoYouCatters that the club can be an easy target here. But if we've decided that not investing in a womens Head of Football is the best way to cut costs then we've clearly indicated where our priorities lie. The Kangeroos are just as disgraceful in cutting their successful coach. Its s**t like this that reinforces that the AFLW really isn't something the AFL take seriously.

 

[dazbroncos]

Agree with you and GoYouCatters that the club can be an easy target here. But if we've decided that not investing in a womens Head of Football is the best way to cut costs then we've clearly indicated where our priorities lie. The Kangeroos are just as disgraceful in cutting their successful coach. Its sh*t like this that reinforces that the AFLW really isn't something the AFL take seriously.

im just curious with the cost cutting and 3.5 million losses projected - given that we are maintaining the AFLW team and coaches to continue it going - and that the AFL coaches have cut and taken pay reductions -

What exactly would you do to keep the program going?

Youd rather keep the head position and cut 5 players from the list?
Close some facilities? Cut the training staff?

GO Catters

 

[cats_09]

With the club updates over the past 24 hours thought it was time to move focus to a thread dedicated to the new season

Said thread can be found here -https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/aflw-season-5-mega-thread.1245050/

 

[Podsnap]

im just curious with the cost cutting and 3.5 million losses projected - given that we are maintaining the AFLW team and coaches to continue it going - and that the AFL coaches have cut and taken pay reductions -

What exactly would you do to keep the program going?

Youd rather keep the head position and cut 5 players from the list?
Close some facilities? Cut the training staff?

GO Catters

I don’t think those comparisons should be placed in the same bracket.

If we can find money to bring every family member to the Gold Coast (AFL only payed $100 000 and we took over the predicted amount of people and pay the difference) then they can find the $ to pay for Head of Football. Like suggested in the thread this is also an AFL problem. They’re happy to fork out to keep the mens game going and haven’t put in anything extra for the women’s.