Are we ruthless enough?

[iameviljez]

The AFL has just blunted the need to be super competitive by giving all but 8 teams a free pass into the finals.

I both agree and disagree. I think it's utter horseshit that 10th gets in - that's ridiculous - but it will make the pathway from 7th/8th harder.

 

[Ratcat]

I think we have lacked that "violent aggression" most Premiership teams have, I think many times we've had the talent, but at times were a bit limited when it came to the thuggery!!! …that edge counts in finals.

 

[Lana]

 

[The rabbi]

But the difference is that footy is real.

 

[Cursed Cat]

2 poor
1 decent
1 outstanding

But we are into semantics now

He was a hero of mine for a long time there - but that is a fair assessment.

Worth celebrating the fact that his 1989 Finals series was an incredible body of work in itself, and the ol' nutter had plenty of influential games in Finals and in the proverbial Big H+A games.
But the Grand Final record shows the limitations of the individual over that of the better team, no matter how much of a deity or superhero they are.

 

[Cursed Cat]

I think we have lacked that "violent aggression" most Premiership teams have, I think many times we've had the talent, but at times were a bit limited when it came to the thuggery!!! …that edge counts in finals.

Cost us in '08. Hawthorn were talking up a physical game in the lead-up to the GF, Geelong were hosing it down.

In the end a physical battle would have worked to our advantage imo, but we seemed unwilling to play the villain and Hawthorn loved the wide open spaces of the 'G.

Two of our most likely firestarters in Scarlett and Chapman were a curtailed for different reasons; Scarlett had his hands full and Chapman wasn't fully fit.

Cam Mooney has talked about his mindset prior to shanking that crucial set shot in the 2nd quarter. He was already thinking ahead to the fight he was planning to start. But he missed, badly, and we never really explored that ruthless angle.
In a way Hawthorn double-bluffed us in the lead-up by implying the violence to come; we didn't think we needed to get that dirty to win it.

Some of us are old enough to remember the other side of the coi,n when the 1989 Cats lost their focus in the 1st quarter of the Grand Final - again against the Hawks of course of course - by trying to be to physically ''ruthless''. It cost us on the scoreboard.

Those 2009 and 2011 Premiership sides had ruthlessness in spades, but they also had experience, discipline and attention to detail ground into their psyches.

Like many of my vintage, I've watched our club fail 7 times on Grand Final day. Just devastating. Then there's 1993. 2013. 1997. 2024.

I often say that after the 1995 Grand Final I was fairly resigned to the possibility that I wouldn't see a Geelong flag in my lifetime.

4 is pretty good.

Chris Scott makes the valid point that every year is different, that each season should be discretely assessed.
But I dunno; as a supporter sometimes it feels as though there are certain characteristics inherent in the clubs and teams we choose to support that are either difficult to overcome - or sometimes righteously upheld.

 

[iameviljez]

I think we have lacked that "violent aggression" most Premiership teams have, I think many times we've had the talent, but at times were a bit limited when it came to the thuggery!!! …that edge counts in finals.

I think that's a bit overstated in the modern era. The last GF I can remember where "violent" brutality really mattered was Hawthorn's steamrolling of Sydney, but even then it was fairly restrained.

It's not the 1980s, where Brereton basically turned the semi-final by himself by ironing out two opponents.

 

[jim boy]

I think other parts of the club aren't ruthless enough.
Lowther and Corrigan are both seriously underperforming with the AFLW and VFL programs.

Happy now?

 

[Ratcat]

I think that's a bit overstated in the modern era. The last GF I can remember where "violent" brutality really mattered was Hawthorn's steamrolling of Sydney, but even then it was fairly restrained.

It's not the 1980s, where Brereton basically turned the semi-final by himself by ironing out two opponents.

Maybe a bit of overstatement on my part there. Probably should have said, Physicality!

 

[Vdubs]

Cost us in '08. Hawthorn were talking up a physical game in the lead-up to the GF, Geelong were hosing it down.

In the end a physical battle would have worked to our advantage imo, but we seemed unwilling to play the villain and Hawthorn loved the wide open spaces of the 'G.

Two of our most likely firestarters in Scarlett and Chapman were a curtailed for different reasons; Scarlett had his hands full and Chapman wasn't fully fit.

Cam Mooney has talked about his mindset prior to shanking that crucial set shot in the 2nd quarter. He was already thinking ahead to the fight he was planning to start. But he missed, badly, and we never really explored that ruthless angle.
In a way Hawthorn double-bluffed us in the lead-up by implying the violence to come; we didn't think we needed to get that dirty to win it.

Some of us are old enough to remember the other side of the coi,n when the 1989 Cats lost their focus in the 1st quarter of the Grand Final - again against the Hawks of course of course - by trying to be to physically ''ruthless''. It cost us on the scoreboard.

Those 2009 and 2011 Premiership sides had ruthlessness in spades, but they also had experience, discipline and attention to detail ground into their psyches.

Like many of my vintage, I've watched our club fail 7 times on Grand Final day. Just devastating. Then there's 1993. 2013. 1997. 2024.

I often say that after the 1995 Grand Final I was fairly resigned to the possibility that I wouldn't see a Geelong flag in my lifetime.

4 is pretty good.

Chris Scott makes the valid point that every year is different, that each season should be discretely assessed.
But I dunno; as a supporter sometimes it feels as though there are certain characteristics inherent in the clubs and teams we choose to support that are either difficult to overcome - or sometimes righteously upheld.

Agree with ALL of your excellent post, BUT,
-the 07 finals v NM, Pies leading to the GF put that to rest a bit.
-09 was the epitome of ruthlessness, beating a similarly success-starved opponent in StK
-11, beating Hawks and Pies 3x each, and also another September nemesis in WCE, and I am putting aside the losses of 67, 89, 92, 94, 95, 2008
-2022, utterly brilliant and ruthless, icing on the cake, I am actually satiated.
Even if no more flags in my lifetime, which is not unrealistic, I think these years from 07 to 25 have been thearpeutic, unexpected and I am grateful.
As many have said, some of our kids, grandkids have only grown up supporrting a team that is despised because they are always in contention.
That said, Bruhn, Ollie Henry, and Danger are all going to be playing with greater freedom and less burden next year, and will put us right up there again with the rest of our list.
The impact of Bruhn and sequelae on OH and Danger was massive this year, and hopefully we will not need to discuss that again.

 

[Cataholic]

But the difference is that footy is real.

I'll never understand why the Yanks go so damn silly over fake, choreographed 'brawls' with scripted outcomes.