Blast from the past

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Catsace

Catsace

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Apr 15, 2007
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Was reading this article in the Geelong Advertiser about former Cat (and obviously esteemed poster by the same name) Darren Forssman stepping in to play a game with Geelong West/St Peters this week at age 45, and there was a picture captioned showing the Geelong recruits of that year. It's a pretty handy bunch to be frank, with some excellent players among that lot, and compared to some pretty mediocre hits with drafting early doors, was probably one that helped the Cats become quite a solid side.

Certainly Peter Riccardi, Mick Mansfield and David Mensch were long time players, and one not pictured being Tim McGrath also joined the Cats that season too. Would be very handy if Geelong could get a strike rate like that from most drafts they participate in, although back in that era team lists were not restricted like they are now to just 38 plus a few rookies.

Just thought it was good to see those old faces again as fresh-faced recruits.

a84690bab5a22b48bec1f72af0f2a653
 
Catsace said:
Was reading this article in the Geelong Advertiser about former Cat (and obviously esteemed poster by the same name) Darren Forssman stepping in to play a game with Geelong West/St Peters this week at age 45, and there was a picture captioned showing the Geelong recruits of that year. It's a pretty handy bunch to be frank, with some excellent players among that lot, and compared to some pretty mediocre hits with drafting early doors, was probably one that helped the Cats become quite a solid side.

Certainly Peter Riccardi, Mick Mansfield and David Mensch were long time players, and one not pictured being Tim McGrath also joined the Cats that season too. Would be very handy if Geelong could get a strike rate like that from most drafts they participate in, although back in that era team lists were not restricted like they are now to just 38 plus a few rookies.

Just thought it was good to see those old faces again as fresh-faced recruits.

a84690bab5a22b48bec1f72af0f2a653
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Is that a young Andy Wills with hair third from left and a young Mark Neeld in the middle?
 
Boxhead_31 said:
Is that a young Andy Wills with hair third from left and a young Mark Neeld in the middle?
Click to expand...

Yes....actually i didn't realise the pic doesn't show the names. From left to right it's Riccardi, Merriman, Wills, Brown, Heffernan, Neeld, Handley, Mensch and Mansfield. Oddly enough, my brother played in the Big M Little League (winning) Grand Final played on preliminary Final day 1983 with Wills and Mensch who each played in that match too.
 

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Catsace said:
Yes....actually i didn't realise the pic doesn't show the names. From left to right it's Riccardi, Merriman, Wills, Brown, Heffernan, Neeld, Handley, Mensch and Mansfield. Oddly enough, my brother played in the Big M Little League (winning) Grand Final played on preliminary Final day 1983 with Wills and Mensch who each played in that match too.
Click to expand...
So, who is that between Neeld and Handley?
 
Lol Handley.... whenever I thought Mensch looked awkward I would look at Handley who resembled a baby giraffe at times and smile.
 
Sttew said:
Of course! I didn't recognise him. I thought he had long blonde hair
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Had red hair didn't he? I remember early games in the year he would wear zinc!
 
Willo_ said:
Had red hair didn't he? I remember early games in the year he would wear zinc!
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My bad. Confusing Darren Morgan for Darren F!
 
Wills, Mensch, Handley . . . . it is no wonder we were never a chance in some of those finals/grand finals. We had a team very similar to Fremantle where our coach got the best out of blokes were battlers. Paul Brown was another one but he had to switch between two positions forward and back which highlighted our defensive frailty.

Riccardi was a champion. Similar to Motlop though, tended to go missing in the 'big games'.
 

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Bobby_ said:
Wills, Mensch, Handley . . . . it is no wonder we were never a chance in some of those finals/grand finals. We had a team very similar to Fremantle where our coach got the best out of blokes were battlers. Paul Brown was another one but he had to switch between two positions forward and back which highlighted our defensive frailty.

Riccardi was a champion. Similar to Motlop though, tended to go missing in the 'big games'.
Click to expand...
His defensive game left a little to be desired Matera burnt him grand final day
 
Bobby_ said:
Wills, Mensch, Handley . . . . it is no wonder we were never a chance in some of those finals/grand finals. We had a team very similar to Fremantle where our coach got the best out of blokes were battlers. Paul Brown was another one but he had to switch between two positions forward and back which highlighted our defensive frailty.

Riccardi was a champion. Similar to Motlop though, tended to go missing in the 'big games'.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. We run up against absolutely gun sides in the years we got there..and failed to get there in the years we could have won it. 1993 was just a waste. Very similar to this year in a way ..so even.. but now there is a final 8. To not get to the finals when Ablett was in such form was a travesty.

I think we failed to have enough talent at the def end.. we should have traded a player out to get a better KPD in. Probably BillyB.

But on the players mentioned , Im not even sure how we obtained them and for what. I do know gained little from the only #1 draft pick we had so , perhaps that as much as anything cost us a chance.
 
Bobby_ said:
1994?
I was sure Bairstow played on Matera in 1992
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Maybe my memory is bad but I thought I remembered them playing on the wing and Matera kicking goals or setting them up all day. I've tried to block out the losing grand finals (except 89 as that was an amazing game) but I see flashes of eagles or blues when someone mentions them.
 
CatsDoItBetter said:
Maybe my memory is bad but I thought I remembered them playing on the wing and Matera kicking goals or setting them up all day. I've tried to block out the losing grand finals (except 89 as that was an amazing game) but I see flashes of eagles or blues when someone mentions them.
Click to expand...

I've edited that game once before and can remember watching Bairstow trailing Matera in that third quarter. You almost get to the point where you start talking to yourself "ffs Blight, switch someone else onto him already". The fact Matera was one of the quickest players in the game also made it a tough ask. Bairstow had obviously done the job previously but Matera was hot, and at the very peak of his powers.
We didn't have many options though, perhaps Ablett? He had been given defensive jobs that year already.
 
Bobby_ said:
I've edited that game once before and can remember watching Bairstow trailing Matera in that third quarter. You almost get to the point where you start talking to yourself "ffs Blight, switch someone else onto him already". The fact Matera was one of the quickest players in the game also made it a tough ask. Bairstow had obviously done the job previously but Matera was hot, and at the very peak of his powers.
We didn't have many options though, perhaps Ablett? He had been given defensive jobs that year already.
Click to expand...

Matera blitzed Bairstow, but was persistently aided by his team-mates taking out the chasing Bairstow who, conversely, got no help from his own team-mates.
 
Turbocat said:
1993 was just a waste. Very similar to this year in a way ..so even.. but now there is a final 8. To not get to the finals when Ablett was in such form was a travesty.
Click to expand...
Not often the 2nd best attack misses finals. Leaked over 100pts per game though.

Very even season when we were 6pts off top and only 4 off bottom 4 :drunk:
 
Bobby_ said:
I've edited that game once before and can remember watching Bairstow trailing Matera in that third quarter. You almost get to the point where you start talking to yourself "ffs Blight, switch someone else onto him already". The fact Matera was one of the quickest players in the game also made it a tough ask. Bairstow had obviously done the job previously but Matera was hot, and at the very peak of his powers.
We didn't have many options though, perhaps Ablett? He had been given defensive jobs that year already.
Click to expand...
The speed difference made even worse by the fact that bairstow was lame after being kicked by a horse in the week before the game. Bairstow on matera in 92 is one of the all time howlers of a coaching decision in grand finals.
 
FredLeDeux said:
Man for man they were simply a much. much better side. There was an absolutely glaring difference in the bottom 6.
Click to expand...
WCE in 92-94 was essentially a best of WA team.
 
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