Preview Breaking the final hoodoo - Geelong v Brisbane Lions (Friday, 20 June 2025, 740pm)

[twhowler]

A few people have said that it might be an injury for Lohman but its affecting both his offensive and defensive game. We do struggle with maintaining the pressure in the forward line across a full season and it has such massive flow on effects for the whole ground. At the moment we have Charlie and Lohman starting the rot with not wanting to or not able to chase and pressure enough. There are others like Rayner that also tend to walk out of the forward line a little too much.

I think we are in need of the rest badly but also need a few players to ask them selves hard questions if they want it enough right now. Lohman through injury or other reasons should be asking if he is fit enough to be out there.

Yeah this is the thing isn't it.

We are limping to the bye.

We knew it was coming and we missed our break cause of the cyclone

but zero rest / rotation from the MC even though we are an old side

 

[M Malice]

I will put this here as it has a bit of traffic.

Members should have received a club email about getting free (GA) tickets for the Suns game.
If posters are like me and only travel to Carrara on a free ticket you maybe best getting in soon
Got my 2 so all sorted for Round 20

View attachment 2344018

Did you get them through the Lions membership portal S5? I just went on and it came up as "available soon".

 

[Nathan Barley]

Yeah this is the thing isn't it.

We are limping to the bye.

We knew it was coming and we missed our break cause of the cyclone

but zero rest / rotation from the MC even though we are an old side

So Geelong would be in the same position this weekend?

 

[twhowler]

So Geelong would be in the same position this weekend?

Well yes but they do manage players so no

 

[Nathan Barley]

Well yes but they do manage players so no

And this assumption is based on?

Plenty on here were calling Chris Scott a genius last year for rotating his team but which side ran the year out stronger?

 

[Section 5]

Did you get them through the Lions membership portal S5? I just went on and it came up as "available soon".

I sent my email to my daughter who was working, and she did it in her break.
So, i don't know how she did it but i would assume she did it via the link in the email

Go to your email
Click on redeem "here" on the email.
I just tried it and you get through. I did not continue so i don't know if there is an issue.
Try that and hopefully it works.

If your are getting more than one you will need the others barcode numbers, or they do their own. Its GA so no allocated seat numbers

Or go via the below "HERE" will work also
.........................
Redeem HERE by entering your member barcode in the 'Please enter your password here' text box, clicking Unlock tickets and then selecting Find Best available.

 

[twhowler]

And this assumption is based on?

Plenty on here were calling Chris Scott a genius last year for rotating his team but which side ran the year out stronger?

Hmm i am struggling to find many instances this year, other than always having Dangerfield in cotton wool. Perhaps this year is not the best example yet, they have spoken in an article of planning to rest https://www.zerohanger.com/cats-to-...talent-as-captain-closes-in-on-return-163327/

They were far from the best side in it in 2023 and got pretty damn close. I'd say that was a success

They went on an aggressive management of players when they were old in 2022 and it seemed to go okay

 

[StevoJenkins]

Not expecting much from this game. If we win, great. If we lose, it's to be expected.

This game will most likely be a tryout for who gets played further into the season. Pretty much every player will need to justify their spot.

Will see Gardiner come in, then probably play Bruce as the sub/impact player.

If Bruce comes in, then Kai goes out as he needs a rest. Could drop Charlie for Shagga but won't happen this week. Hoping Gallop or Lloyd do well this week in the VFL and press for Day's spot, but that won't happen either. Not that they will fix the goal kicking issue.

 

[Section 5]

Another 8-point game.
Win and we take second position again.
Thats all i want to think about at this stage.

We have played them 10 times since 2020. Cats 6 Lions 4
Only 2 games at GMHBA and they were close games, but we lost them both.
R4 2022 80-70
R20 2021 81-80

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

The year is 2017. Chris Fagan is taking the Lions through their first preseason. One day he devises a list of hoodoos that the Lions would aim to tick off as they work towards becoming a powerhouse of the competition once again.

And so the Lions set off on their journey slowly ticking off hoodoo after hoodoo. At the start of the 2025 season we had three hoodoos remaining. Beats the Hawks and Tigers at the MCG and Geelong at Pork Barrel Park.

With the Lions beating the Hawks and the Tigers at the MCG, only the Geelong hoodoo remains. The toughest of them all.

Now I can hear you yelling - ‘Elixuh, Elixuh, you’re one of the smartest posters on this website, surely winning a flag is more difficult than beating Geelong at Pork Barrel Park!’. Unfortunately, you are mistaken. Beating Geelong at Pork Barrel Park is the toughest test of them all due to the number of barriers you need to overcome to be successful.

In the past, my sense is that we have focused too much on things which are in our control - contested ball, clearances, limiting intercept marks. No matter what we do, it doesn’t matter the outcome is still a loss.

What I am proposing is that we instead focus on what is outside of our control this week. My plan for this preview is to take you on a journey and to show you what we are up against. If you’ve come to this preview for statistics, analysis or comments like ‘this game will be won in the midfield’, you’ve come to the wrong place. It will then be up to you to think about how we can overcome these hurdles and be successful on Friday night.

Lets get started…

Disclaimer: I haven’t watched a Lions game since our loss to Collingwood. So I have no idea what form we are in or how we are tracking. I am also severely jet lagged and have rushed to put this together so not my best!

The ground - Pork Barrel Park

Pork Barrel Park or Victorian Norwood Oval is a peculiar ground that teams struggle to play. With dimensions more akin to a rugby league field, minus the try lines, the ground really sets up for more direct corridor play.

It is something that I thought might be rectified when Geelong commenced the worlds longest and costliest mini extension to the ground, funded by the tax payer. But alas the advantage of playing on mangled dimensions was too great to spoil.

Will our game stack up on the mangled dimensions of Pork Barrel Park? Will Geelong look to clog up the corridor and prevent us from controlling the ball and hitting that dangerous inboard chip?

The hardest working coach in the league

Chris Scott, the self proclaimed hardest working coach in all of footy, is a highly regarded coach and tactician having guided Geelong to two flags and many finals campaigns since 2011.

Despite working seven jobs to put food on the table and transcend the traditional sponsorship model, Chris always seems to be able to tweak Geelong’s gameplan to suit the opposition week in week out and, I would argue, is the best in the business at taking away an oppositions strengths.

The best we can hope for this week is that Chris has some deadlines to meet at Morris Finance and can’t attend to his usual coaching duties and is unprepared.

Geelong’s list

Built off the back of farmland and moggs creek estates for cents on the dollar, Cotton On fashion lines and Ford Rangers, Geelong has built a formidable list that has allowed it to stay at the pointy end of the ladder for over a decade.

Hard to know where to start this week. Geelong are in excellent form and have a largely healthy list in terms of the players they would want to be rolling out each week. Brisbane on the other hand is in a form slump. Despite this, we have done enough to be in a position to win every game this season except for the Pies who beat us convincingly. However, I fear that if we roll out the same level of application and execution as we have the past few weeks, Geelong will take care of us with relative ease.

With this in mind there isn’t really much analysis needed. We are a hardened group, we know the style of football we want to play. It is all about our mentality and if we turn up with the right intent and effort. If we do, Geelong’s rorts and midfield from Temu will be irrelevant.

The AFL administration and umpires

Geelong people are deeply imbedded in the AFL. They make rules which favour Geelong and their gamestyle. The umpires are also afraid of Geelong and its reach.

2021 was the closest we have come to breaking the Geelong hoodoo. With a few minutes left Bailey laid a beautiful tackle on the steeple jumper right in front of goal. A textbook holding the ball. Not paid. A goal would have put us in front and put this hoodoo to bed. It wasn’t to be.

Final thoughts

So will we break the Hoodoo on Friday night? This is something only the AFL and Steve Hocking can answer at this stage.

However, and I said this above, but I think things are pretty simple for us at the moment. Yes we have lost Joe, yes we have players who are out of form…but…We are an experienced and hardened team, we know the style of football we want to play. 90% of it IMO is mentality, intent and effort at the moment while we are in this slump. The finer mechanics of the game and tactics are largely irrelevant if these non-negotiables don’t exist. We have seen the last few weeks we can still give ourselves a chance to win games even when not executing to our best abilities. So time to go to work and beat these rorting catters.

Prediction

Lions by plenty. Go Lions.

I have seen many wins down there including Akers break out game where my twin boys and I jumped the bench before the second siren, to celebrate the win and spent time kicking the footy around after the players got out of the way.
These lads of mine have been the team mascots (the club made me pay twice )running out with the senior team before an another Lions win down at the Cattery.
My 3.5 year old grand son can already sing the Lions song so I reckon we will smack Chris Scott's lot into next week but I cannot wait for him to run out with the senior team.

 

[Saucery]

Just throwing this out there, was really bored at work today, but as the small forwards are kinda stinking it up ATM how about if we were to bring in Beecken, play him as a small back, move Fletch to the forward line and Charlie goes to sub? I am against moving Fletch around so much as this usually causes issues with players ever settling into one role but hell, the kid can take a mark and kick like an arrow.

 

[mpal6]

2 word preview .

We're ****ed.

Gonna win this one.
Comfortably.
Confuse the pundits time.

 

[Sunny Land]

Just throwing this out there, was really bored at work today, but as the small forwards are kinda stinking it up ATM how about if we were to bring in Beecken, play him as a small back, move Fletch to the forward line and Charlie goes to sub? I am against moving Fletch around so much as this usually causes issues with players ever settling into one role but hell, the kid can take a mark and kick like an arrow.

I like it but Charlie has too much credit in the bank to be the sub just yet.

 

[Saucery]

I like it but Charlie has too much credit in the bank to be the sub just yet.

True, he's too good for the two's but we all need a kick in the arse occasionally. Maybe give him a mid-season training block ala Rich/Gunston.

 

[Harris Specter]

 

[Toffee Lion]

View attachment 2344467

It really shows how teams circle us in the calender this year, comes with the terrority of being hunted. Kingsley himself even said they got themselves up for our game.

In saying that, I hope the group starts to relish these sort of challenges. If we weren't in a slump right now, I'd feel pretty confident in our ability to knock off another hoodoo but not sure it'll happen this time.

Time to find a way to amp ourselves to go down there, win and head into the bye by sending a warning to the comp that we're still the team to beat come September.

 

[Mr Meow]

The Cats have 2 elite endurance ball runners on the wings in Bailey Smith and Max Holmes, we need to match that run, we need to have Jarrod Berry and Jaspa Fletcher as our 2 biggest minutes wingers, Levi will not be able to keep up with that run IMO.

Holmes and Smith are on-ballers in the McCluggage mould. Similar kind of running power and link up play on transition. You'll need to have your stoppage midfielders accountable for them. The wingmen could roll onto them but then our actual wingmen Dempsey and Blicavs (sometimes Miers) would be unopposed.

The best method is probably just getting Neale, Dunkley, Berry and Ashcroft to dominate in the scrimmages and create a really scrappy contested game.

 

[Clarkythelion]

We have seen over the years Fagan plays his best team, his perception of his best team, he doesn't make a lot of changes and has trust in his players when they are down on form. I get it, I don't necessarily disagree, we watched him stay loyal to players like Rayner, Hippy, Lester etc when almost unanimously punters on here were calling for them to have a stint in the reserves. I've no doubt thats why the players love him, and play for him, they trust him and he is consistent. Fagan has also been able to bring in kids and develop and for the ones he identifies as the future of the club he sticks with them.

However, I think when, and other than injuries, you should drop a player is when when you have another in the reserve grade banging the door down consistently. Will McLaughlin has been playing across half forward, he kinda plays a quasi centre half forward in the reserves and he has been kicking bags of goals and he is accurate. The knock on him is the defence ability to switch from attack to defence quick enough but compared to Kai Lohman, the version we currently have, not having his attacking output and all at sea in defence, Will is a better version. Will is as quick as Lohman but probably doesn't have the X factor Lohman does when at his best. Will is not a Charlie, different player, different position, different skills but Will is most definitely a Lohman and currently a better version demanding a game through performances.

This is the unforced change I'd like to see, let Lohman go back to the Ressies, sit up on a few heads and kick a few goals then bring the 'high end' model back all turned up and purring.

 

[mpal6]

We have seen over the years Fagan plays his best team, his perception of his best team, he doesn't make a lot of changes and has trust in his players when they are down on form. I get it, I don't necessarily disagree, we watched him stay loyal to players like Rayner, Hippy, Lester etc when almost unanimously punters on here were calling for them to have a stint in the reserves. I've no doubt thats why the players love him, and play for him, they trust him and he is consistent. Fagan has also been able to bring in kids and develop and for the ones he identifies as the future of the club he sticks with them.

However, I think when, and other than injuries, you should drop a player is when when you have another in the reserve grade banging the door down consistently. Will McLaughlin has been playing across half forward, he kinda plays a quasi centre half forward in the reserves and he has been kicking bags of goals and he is accurate. The knock on him is the defence ability to switch from attack to defence quick enough but compared to Kai Lohman, the version we currently have, not having his attacking output and all at sea in defence, Will is a better version. Will is as quick as Lohman but probably doesn't have the X factor Lohman does when at his best. Will is not a Charlie, different player, different position, different skills but Will is most definitely a Lohman and currently a better version demanding a game through performances.

This is the unforced change I'd like to see, let Lohman go back to the Ressies, sit up on a few heads and kick a few goals then bring the 'high end' model back all turned up and purring.

I know what you're saying but this is where Fagan made his mark with existing group. He'll back them at their lowest so when the highs come later it'll be beyond the highs we imagined for the player. Ah Chee, Rayner to name a few.

Lohmann was sub last week so borderline in the drop zone. We may see the change you've asked for here after all.

 

[Sunny Land]

I know what you're saying but this is where Fagan made his mark with existing group. He'll back them at their lowest so when the highs come later it'll be beyond the highs we imagined for the player. Ah Chee, Rayner to name a few.

Lohmann was sub last week so borderline in the drop zone. We may see the change you've asked for here after all.

You might be right about Kai going back to the ressies but should it be Kai or Charlie that go back?

 

[Gadzorks]

We have seen over the years Fagan plays his best team, his perception of his best team, he doesn't make a lot of changes and has trust in his players when they are down on form. I get it, I don't necessarily disagree, we watched him stay loyal to players like Rayner, Hippy, Lester etc when almost unanimously punters on here were calling for them to have a stint in the reserves. I've no doubt thats why the players love him, and play for him, they trust him and he is consistent. Fagan has also been able to bring in kids and develop and for the ones he identifies as the future of the club he sticks with them.

However, I think when, and other than injuries, you should drop a player is when when you have another in the reserve grade banging the door down consistently. Will McLaughlin has been playing across half forward, he kinda plays a quasi centre half forward in the reserves and he has been kicking bags of goals and he is accurate. The knock on him is the defence ability to switch from attack to defence quick enough but compared to Kai Lohman, the version we currently have, not having his attacking output and all at sea in defence, Will is a better version. Will is as quick as Lohman but probably doesn't have the X factor Lohman does when at his best. Will is not a Charlie, different player, different position, different skills but Will is most definitely a Lohman and currently a better version demanding a game through performances.

This is the unforced change I'd like to see, let Lohman go back to the Ressies, sit up on a few heads and kick a few goals then bring the 'high end' model back all turned up and purring.

Given our recent accuracy issues Will should be a priority inclusion ASAP.

 

[BuntonRules]

With their running power, Sam Marshall must be in the mix.

 

[Monkey Daniel]

Anyone got any tips for parking around GMHBA?

Park at Haymarket car park, located Myers St Geelong, then walk along Moorabool St to Kardinia Park
Free parking after 5pm

 

[Tom14]

With their running power, Sam Marshall must be in the mix.

I've missed the last few VFL games but has he been any better? Not really seeing a role when Bez, Fletcher and Bailey have all been part of our better players this year rotating through the wing.

Bailey's dropped off a bit but really part of that is he's started missing shots on goal more.

 

[Sunny Land]

Given our recent accuracy issues Will should be a priority inclusion ASAP.

McLaughlin's inclusion is not the answer to our accuracy in front of goal.