Are we ruthless enough?

[TomsBulgingDisc]

The hardest nut we had through those times was Pops Kelly a genuine take no prisoners player

You're forgetting Chapman

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Good start for ruthlessness would be barring Catman from attending.
His take post-GF was an absolute disgrace and embarrassing for us all.

 

[iameviljez]

Good start for ruthlessness would be barring Catman from attending.
His take post-GF was an absolute disgrace and embarrassing for us all.

If you barred every nuff nuff from attending then you’d have to get 2/3s of the cheersquad to stay home

 

[PremierCatAttack]

I copped a few handbagger txts.

If im honest i had thought it myself.

Easy for me to say. I’m just a bloke. I’m not the man in the arena.

But if it’s not ruthlessness, we were off the mark in someway. Prep. Match committee. All of the above.

 

[The rabbi]

Beaten in 2008, Premiership in 2009.

Beaten in 2020, bounced back in 2022..

Beaten in 2025... ?

Will need to again be aggressive this offseason, but I really believe we have it in us to win another one in next 1-3 years.

GO CATS!

OK, but I wanted this one as a 100 year anniversary of our first VFL premiership.

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

No, we're not.

We don't have anyone that will throw their weight around.

The Brisbane side look like they're all on steroids tbh. Have a good look.

 

[iameviljez]

The Brisbane side look like they're all on steroids tbh. Have a good look.

The weather up here's pretty good mate, if I were in my 20s I'd be working on the rig full-time

 

[catsfootyfan89]

No, we're not, unfortunately. We don't quite have the mix right at the moment. Some things about this last week that really bothered me:

- Max Holmes speaking to the media about how he hated Chris Scott

Chris Scott

Age

50

Ht

182cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.6

4star

K

11.2

4star

HB

5.4

4star

M

5.1

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.2

4star

K

10.2

4star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

2.8

5star

G

0.4

3star

after being left out of the '22 side and almost wanted Geelong to lose that game. Now, I understand that he's just a kid. But I'd be pulling him into a closed room and laying it out for him. You don't ever speak about the club or the coach that way. Especially not on Grand Final week. For some time, I've believed he would eventually be a captain. But now I'm not sure. He's far more selfish than I realized. He's got no right to be upset with others, especially not after kicking helicopters all day in a grand final and sinking his own team. Huge learning experience for him. Hopefully he takes the right path forward.

- Dangerfield just dicking around and playing funny buggers the whole time. (Cue everyone rushing to his defense FFS) I'd take the stern, serious, death-stare mode of Selwood / Ling / Harley any day of the week over that shit. It had the stench of 'I've already got my flag, I don't mind if we lose'. I found it genuinely disrespectful of the jumper.

- The coach, making the wrong decision in a final, again. Scott has been a great coach for many years, but bloody hell has he made some howlers in selection in finals. This was 'Subbing Chappy in a final' levels of horrible.

 

[Commando]

It's easy to make those assessments in hindsight
But just as winning covers everything, losing amplifies everything

Not necessarily saying you're wrong though

 

[you pick one]

You're forgetting Chapman

No I'm not Kelly tackled with the intention to inflict pain.

 

[D BRIDGE]

Usually I'm a negative type and it would be easy to say we are not ruthless enough etc.

But we have done pretty well doing things the way we have done them.

If we had been more ruthless, would we have been more successful, less successful or the same? It's hard ot say... but we had done ok being exactly what we are... One more flag would feel perfect imo.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

No, we're not, unfortunately. We don't quite have the mix right at the moment. Some things about this last week that really bothered me:

- Max Holmes speaking to the media about how he hated Chris Scott after being left out of the '22 side and almost wanted Geelong to lose that game. Now, I understand that he's just a kid. But I'd be pulling him into a closed room and laying it out for him. You don't ever speak about the club or the coach that way. Especially not on Grand Final week. For some time, I've believed he would eventually be a captain. But now I'm not sure. He's far more selfish than I realized. He's got no right to be upset with others, especially not after kicking helicopters all day in a grand final and sinking his own team. Huge learning experience for him. Hopefully he takes the right path forward.

- Dangerfield just dicking around and playing funny buggers the whole time. (Cue everyone rushing to his defense FFS) I'd take the stern, serious, death-stare mode of Selwood / Ling / Harley any day of the week over that shit. It had the stench of 'I've already got my flag, I don't mind if we lose'. I found it genuinely disrespectful of the jumper.

- The coach, making the wrong decision in a final, again. Scott has been a great coach for many years, but bloody hell has he made some howlers in selection in finals. This was 'Subbing Chappy in a final' levels of horrible.

The Holmes stuff set the tone for me.

I remember hearing it, and thinking "F**k me, we better not lose" and more specifically that he better play well.

I'm not somebody who wants footballers to be robots, but there's a difference between showing you're a bit of a character, and basically outing yourself as a selfish campaigner.

It's completely fine to think what he did, you're only human. When you're going through a period of grief, things that you're not proud of will cross your mind.

But do you say it out loud during Grand Final week when the club, your teammates, etc need any 1% advantage they can get? It's a team sport, this is way bigger than just you.

Save it for your autobiography in 15 years Max, not now.

 

[Vdubs]

No, we're not.

We don't have anyone that will throw their weight around.

Danger does, but then he’s stuffed for a couple of weeks

 

[Cataholic]

Danger does, but then he’s stuffed for a couple of weeks

He does, but I'm not counting him because he just can't back up, as you say.

Atkins goes in hard, but he's just one man, and Clark is hard too but he isn't on the ground long.

 

[iameviljez]

Max Holmes speaking to the media about how he hated Chris Scott after being left out of the '22 side and almost wanted Geelong to lose that game. Now, I understand that he's just a kid. But I'd be pulling him into a closed room and laying it out for him. You don't ever speak about the club or the coach that way. Especially not on Grand Final week.

I haven't actually heard his quote in full, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think sometimes people put way too much store in what is said by footballers and coaches in the lead-up/aftermath of a game.

I don't think any of what is said by Holmes, Scott, Dangerfield, whoever, has any kind of material effect on outcomes, tbh.

 

[cats_09]

To help clarify things, here's what Holmes said last week in regards to missing the 2022 Grand Final, and while he admits to being "pissed" at Scott, at no stage does he cross the line into "hating" Scott - think it's important to differentiate between the two:

It ultimately cost the then 20-year-old a premiership in his second season, and what little bond he had with Scott needed repairing.

"With the same injury this week I'd play," Holmes said ahead of Saturday's grand final against the Brisbane Lions.

"I was a younger player who wasn't as influential in the team, and at the time I was pissed with Scotty.

"Now I can understand why he did what he did, and I respect that decision.

"But today I would've played, so it was very close and it was just a matter of where I was at at the time."

A series of coffee meetings with Scott over the 2023 pre-season allowed the coach and his player to connect, and helped set Holmes on the path to becoming a star.

"We talked about everything and nothing at the same time and formed a relationship," Holmes said.

"To an extent, I didn't have much of a relationship with Scotty at that stage anyway.

"But now I feel like we're quite close together and we've got a good relationship despite what's happened.

"It's all in the past and, as I said, I understand the decision now. At the time you don't, but it makes sense to me and there's no judgement on it.

And this is also what he spoke about in regards to missing the 2022 Grand Final with this taken a bit of our context with a focus on the negative rather than the whole context

But he was crushed.

“There’s a dark part of you that almost hopes they lose the grand final,” Holmes admitted this week.

“As much as I didn’t want them to lose, there was a little bit of ‘it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they do (lose)’.

“I was so pumped that the boys did end up winning and I got to see all my mates get up, but it was really tough.

Quote 1 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...otty-cats-star-holmes-eyes-afl-flag/105802834


Quote 2 - https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/m...e/news-story/5b1269a186b367ccf563501a91920b91

 

[And_ROOS]

No excuses for Danger but I felt the whole "eating a souva" on the bench thing to be really disrespectful, and the pre-GF coffee was a horrendously bad look.

It looked like he was there for a preseason game.

We very much looked like a team just happy to get there, which considering we beat the Lions weeks earlier to put out that performance was humiliating.

Smith on Triple M said pre-game that Scotty lets the players find their motivations before matches, and then gives Danger the message to pass onto the group. Danger looked very comfortable in the lead up to the GF and so its no surprise we looked like a team that didn't give a **** after HT where as the Lions pressured and looked like they wanted it more.

The lack of tackling, pressure, absolutely inexcusable in such a big game.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

No excuses for Danger but I felt the whole "eating a souva" on the bench thing to be really disrespectful, and the pre-GF coffee was a horrendously bad look.

It looked like he was there for a preseason game.

We very much looked like a team just happy to get there, which considering we beat the Lions weeks earlier to put out that performance was humiliating.

Smith on Triple M said pre-game that Scotty lets the players find their motivations before matches, and then gives Danger the message to pass onto the group. Danger looked very comfortable in the lead up to the GF and so its no surprise we looked like a team that didn't give a **** after HT where as the Lions pressured and looked like they wanted it more.

The lack of tackling, pressure, absolutely inexcusable in such a big game.

Had the same lead up to the 22 GF too. Cats are generally a pretty relaxed kind of group.
Anyone reading more into it than that are just trying to find something that isn't there.

 

[Vdubs]

Ye

Had the same lead up to the 22 GF too. Cats are generally a pretty relaxed kind of group.
Anyone reading more into it than that are just trying to find something that isn't there.

Yes lots of experts with retrospectoscopes

 

[ninjahcat]

Hmmm. I'll have to think about this.

And I have. Frankly I am sick to death of the BS that modern sport dishes up of in your face bravado - I will cite frikken Ginnivan as an example - when a team is on top. The frikken tongue sticking out shits me to tears.

I prefer steely silence to BS bravado any day. Just give them stare and get on with it. And we do that as well as any team.

As for laughing along with the oppo players, yes that needs to go. For example Danger was having a nice chat with opponent (not sure who) just before the GF bounce and I thought WTF? Give them nothing, and so it went. A total ignore goes a LONG way believe me.

So I agree they need a reset (but no power stance please) but leave the arseholey stuff to the others - we can win without it.

Needs to be the way Allan Border reformed the Ashes squad with a no more Mr Nice Guy killer instinct, forget having beers with the opposition afterwards, they are the enemy.

There is no doubt Fagan put them up to sticking the knife into our players when we made mistakes, that is the mental side of getting an advantage on your opponent and it definitely made it harder for us to get back in the game. I don't want our players to be a-holes, but a bit more tough guy stuff wouldn't go astray.

He comes across as a nice guy but look at all the scragging that went on in the GF.

I had a picture on my hard drive of Ling and Mooney standing over Brad Johnson smiling when Mooney ran through Johnson. I doubt it was a deliberate hit, but in the photo they are not concerned for him. I don't want our players to be thugs like Hawthorn but at least let the oppo know we ain't pushovers.

 

[And_ROOS]

Had the same lead up to the 22 GF too. Cats are generally a pretty relaxed kind of group.
Anyone reading more into it than that are just trying to find something that isn't there.

Joel wouldn't have been on the field pre-game having a giggle and a coffee though.

 

[Vdubs]

Joel wouldn't have been on the field pre-game having a giggle and a coffee though.

And he has not been bog in his last prelim with 31 possessions and 3 goals.
Different player, different man, different body.
How do we know it was a coffee btw?

 

[Vdubs]

No excuses for Danger but I felt the whole "eating a souva" on the bench thing to be really disrespectful, and the pre-GF coffee was a horrendously bad look.

It looked like he was there for a preseason game.

We very much looked like a team just happy to get there, which considering we beat the Lions weeks earlier to put out that performance was humiliating.

Smith on Triple M said pre-game that Scotty lets the players find their motivations before matches, and then gives Danger the message to pass onto the group. Danger looked very comfortable in the lead up to the GF and so its no surprise we looked like a team that didn't give a **** after HT where as the Lions pressured and looked like they wanted it more.

The lack of tackling, pressure, absolutely inexcusable in such a big game.

That's a bit over the top. If you think we're hurting, how do you think they feel? They just spent the whole year including the hot summer preseason trying to get that opportunity to be in the GF. It's depressing that their first loss in 10 weeks is that GF. Beating Brisbane before the GF helped Brisbane a hell of a lot more than us, apart from getting that vital week off so our oldies could reenergise enough to beat the Hawks.
These perceptions of Danger are so reactive. On balance, he is still the second or third best player we have been privileged to witness at Geelong. He is who he is, and there was nothing but ecstatic admiration for him after the prelim. It was always going to be an impossible task for him to reproduce that for the GF, and ordinarily, he probably would have been managed the week after.

 

[joe444]

Whatever it's comparative merits, and the fact that it seems to come with its fair share of being bundled out of finals, I'm convinced that our "always contend" approach means we won the 2022 flag. And in good time, too. We snuck it in just before the Lions era - the last team to prevent them from playing in a Grand Final.

I don't think ruthlessness is the issue. Exhaustion, maybe.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Whatever it's comparative merits, and the fact that it seems to come with its fair share of being bundled out of finals, I'm convinced that our "always contend" approach means we won the 2022 flag. And in good time, too. We snuck it in just before the Lions era - the last team to prevent them from playing in a Grand Final.

I don't think ruthlessness is the issue. Exhaustion, maybe.

At the end of the day, it's either that, or hating football for 6 months of the year. We're hurting right now, but neither is a lot of fun.

I try to take a holistic approach, where no matter who you support, the vast majority of your years watching footy aren't going to end in a premiership.

When that's obviously the case, would you rather at least still enjoy the sport week to week? Or genuinely hate it for years on end? There's no guarantee of the ultimate reward in either method either.

Not having a go at you btw, just putting the though bubble out there.