Cameron Mooney - perspective

[Gavin Excell]

Unpopular opinion forthcoming.
Cameron Mooney gets a bad rap - perhaps not this board but certainly the main board.

General consensus is that Mooney was an average player who prospered greatly from a stellar midfield.

I remember being asked midway through 07 who we could ill afford to lose to injury. I nominated Mooney to some derision. While there were better midfield players, reality was Mooney straightened the team up and provided a target that until then wasnt obvious. Played a selfless role. Was absolutely pivotal in teams success 2007 and 09.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Unpopular opinion forthcoming.
Cameron Mooney gets a bad rap - perhaps not this board but certainly the main board.

General consensus is that Mooney was an average player who prospered greatly from a stellar midfield.

I remember being asked midway through 07 who we could ill afford to lose to injury. I nominated Mooney to some derision. While there were better midfield players, reality was Mooney straightened the team up and provided a target that until then wasnt obvious. Played a selfless role. Was absolutely pivotal in teams success 2007 and 09.

I said exactly the same thing to my brothers at about the same time. They are also mad keen supporters, and they agreed.
None of us, of course, thought he was anywhere near our best, just the one we could least afford to lose.

 

[JUBJUB]

Unpopular opinion forthcoming.
Cameron Mooney gets a bad rap - perhaps not this board but certainly the main board.

Couldn't give a fat rats what the nuffies on the main board say.Moons is a f***ing legend.

 

[Turbocat]

Unpopular opinion forthcoming.
Cameron Mooney gets a bad rap - perhaps not this board but certainly the main board.

General consensus is that Mooney was an average player who prospered greatly from a stellar midfield.

I remember being asked midway through 07 who we could ill afford to lose to injury. I nominated Mooney to some derision. While there were better midfield players, reality was Mooney straightened the team up and provided a target that until then wasnt obvious. Played a selfless role. Was absolutely pivotal in teams success 2007 and 09.

Have a look at his 2006 , and one gains a perspective of his worth.. I can remember writing an assessment of his season.. and he was just wasting his talent. Yes talent...cause he was a better player than some rate...
Then I looked at him again after our flags...

EDIT...found it

>>>>>>>>>>>

Cam Mooney , 23/9/2006


Cam’s season was probably a template for the Cats. In general it was a blend of spasmodic highs and lows that in the end it was a disappointment because of the expectation we all had pre-season.


The man Rex call’s “The Big Hairy Cat” is the type of player we all love to love and all love to hate. He can be great but he is also flawed He is very close to the full package but on occasions one has to wonder just what that package is full of. Like the girl with the curl when he is good he is very, very good but when he is bad he is horrid. He is like a cross between a Russian Doll and a Rubik’s cube, just when you think you may one may have finally solved the conundrum , you find there is another frustrating challenge deep inside.


He can take a strong mark, excellent in a contest or on the lead and has a body that can protect the ball from a defender. Generally he is a very good kick although his set shot seemed to go off a little towards the end of this year; he normally strikes the ball well and can strike the ball with a nice penetrating trajectory on the run. He has a physical presence on the field that demands respect; one can only wonder what a player like him would have done in the 70’s. I can just try to imagine him running riot in that era which had a far more lenient attitude to what happened on the field. He has good mobility for a man his size previously demonstrating this by running in the middle He has character, the enjoyment the pain that is apparent after a win or a loss is all their to see, he hides nothing and in this is probably endears himself even more to the supporters .He appeals to young and old alike so why isn’t this guys a superstar? We all know he has on major flaw, he at times acts like a dill.


He may be big, hard man but tempered he is not. The man with the cool hair just is not that cool at times in fact at times, he can be a real a nut job. This hardly is a secret, I’m sure every player in the AFL knows that Cam has a hair trigger. It’s not so much a White Line Fever situation as he, at times, just sees red. The funny thing is I don’t mind this too much, there is a degree of unpredictability with Cam that you get with very few other players. If you want to play the “Jumper Punch” game with Cam, pretending to be the big tough footballer, then you risk getting a response well beyond what you thought you were buying into. The trouble is Cam really does this Nutjob act without any real benefit to the team , like his little love taps how does he think this help the team?. One really has to wonder how many times the man has to be done over before he gets it. The man who could have been Captain has blown that chance for totally stupid unreasoned acts that helped the team, not one jot.


For 07. As I’ve previously said Cam is one our best players and for him and us to reach our potential we have to work out a way to channel his personality in a proactive manner. So do we send him of to Swami , to find in peace thru meditation? One idea, from way out ,there is putting him on the other side of the fence. Id would be interesting to see him coaching some kids in footy, U12, U14 , maybe him being the one watching without have total control would enable him to see the light. Maybe a more realistic option would be to have him mentor a couple of young kids when they come onto our list. Just to thrust some duties that are given to senior upon him and he may just settle into a more mature player. As far as on the field, I think he will probably continue to be our gap filler. He plays well as a sweeper down back as long as he doesn’t have to worry too much about an opponent. He can be devastating on the forwardline and as a super mid he can break games. I think I prefer him in the last role best of all, running hard being unobstructed in his approach to the ball and helping out either end, and maybe if he does run himself hard he just may to stuffed to do this silly little acts that are the only reason this guy isn’t in the best 50 players in the AFL



Cam Mooney , 13/10/2011


So here we are nearly 5 years later to the day. So much has changed and so much of it can be directly be related to our Cam. What a journey he has taken us on.


I look at review of him I did post 06 and I really did feel that he was yet another talented player that was doomed to having a wasted career in the Hoops. To be honest I don’t think he was too happy either. It came out much later he was only a breath away from playing elsewhere I suppose the vibe at the Cats wouldn’t have been that great back then.


I still think one of the best personal games I saw him play was against Melbourne in the finals of 05. On ball , he was an awesome rolling tank of a player but having so much midfield talent we really did need him elsewhere. That he held down the role of being our main target for the majority of this time shouldn’t be under estimated. Simply , I doubt our era could have been without him as a key forward. We have be underwhelmed with tall forward talent and over this time , as he matured as a man and player he has gone from a one time lucky North Melbourne Premiership player to a 3 times Premiership player and a legend of the Geelong Football Club.



Sure the 08 GF probably created a little Monkey that never really left his shoulder , that kick before half time is just so typical of Cam. He is far from perfect. He has admitted that he was already think about doing a Dermie, kicking the goal running thru some Hawk players as they went in for the break.


Cam is flawed but its these flaws that have enamoured him to the Cats faithful.

After that loss, along with Chappy, he declared that we would do everything they could to never lose to the Hawks again. And they didn’t


Most thought he was going to retire after 2010 but because he didn’t , we got a ringside view of how far he has come. The many games he played in the VFL working his A off for the chance to get back to fitness. As TomH struggled thru the season , he looked assured of a place in the side but just on the cusp of his last final series , big Tom hit form. How easy would it have be for him to spit the dummy yet on Grand Final day , when Pods went down , and we seemed in trouble , there he was Moons talking , encouraging , rousing the Tomahawk. And sure enough Tom lifted on the back of Moons talk.


To listen to him on the B&F night say he was proud and happy to see Tom play that way because knew he could have done it. Now thats a true clubman.


Cam along with several others will leave this year. The immaturity that he sort of showed when frustrated is really gone. He not only focus’s on his own form , he has become the paragon of a clubman.I hope he is proud of himself , he should be. I hope he leave contented. He came to an ordinary club , he leaves us when the club is a power and he had a lot to do with it. Well dome Cam.

 

[Partridge]

Unpopular opinion forthcoming.
Cameron Mooney gets a bad rap - perhaps not this board but certainly the main board.

General consensus is that Mooney was an average player who prospered greatly from a stellar midfield.

I remember being asked midway through 07 who we could ill afford to lose to injury. I nominated Mooney to some derision. While there were better midfield players, reality was Mooney straightened the team up and provided a target that until then wasnt obvious. Played a selfless role. Was absolutely pivotal in teams success 2007 and 09.

Very, very well said.

For his overall career, I would say a good player would be a fair description. From 2005 until probably 2010, I'd upgrade it to very good.

But from 2006 to 2009, I would unhesitatingly say an absolutely top drawer key forward. He was consistently excellent for most of that time. And anyone who can take 13 marks and kick 5 goals in a grand final can seriously play.

Great post.

 

[SydneyMalakellis]

Champion of the club, and legend of the AFL for this:

 

[catempire]

He was unexceptional at any particular skill of the game (and quite flawed in one or two) but a very good player at his peak and unequivocally a critical part of the 2007-2011 success (yes I include 2011).

 

[son of meto]

Very good player and brought this to the table too...

 

[manboob]

What his level of perceived talent he really straightened the side up. That alone was worth his inclusion for most games.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

Unpopular opinion forthcoming.


I remember being asked midway through 07 who we could ill afford to lose to injury. I nominated Mooney to some derision. While there were better midfield players, reality was Mooney straightened the team up and provided a target that until then wasnt obvious. Played a selfless role. Was absolutely pivotal in teams success 2007 and 09.

Brilliantly said - huge rap - when you say straightened up the team - when Dean Laidley was a special comments commentator he use to say often - Mooney isnt Geelongs best player - but he is one of their most important - because he gave them structure . Mooney was allways very quick off the mark - 1st 5-10 metres which i think is critical for a key forward

I think Malthouse paid Mooney the ultimate compliment - when Geelong got beaten pretty easily in that away semi final to Port Adelaide in about 2004 - Malthouse who was a guest commentator - said - you would love to coach Cam Mooney - he then said you would love to have 18 Cam Mooneys in your saide - that is a massive rap coming from an opposition coach

Do reckon Mick Malthouse would ever say - youd love to have 18 Bill Brownless or 18 Peter Ricardis in your side - no Blooody Way !

 

[Catgirl]

Finally a thread about my beloved Moondog, eternal favourite of all time.

By no means was he one of the greatest players of all time, but he was an integral part of all our premiership sides; I don't want to know where we'd be if we weren't blessed with Mooney's influence. He was the heart, soul and grunt of our club, and this carried onto all who had the opportunity to play with him. In terms of playing ability, really think his set shot let him down. He was notorious for his inaccuracy, and I feel he would have a lot more respect from Cats and opposition supporters alike if he had cleaned that up. Did also have a tendency to get suspended throughout his career, which annoyed me as he was the reason I started supporting Geelong from a young age. Was and always will be a club icon - the big curls, the 21 tattoo, the Didak jumper grab - this man, without the captaincy, led our club to greatness. For 44 years our club screamed for a leader embodying loyalty, passion and unconditional love for the club and he arrived in the form of Dogga. Forever a legend in my eyes [emoji173]️

 

[BlightysCats]

Unpopular opinion forthcoming.
Cameron Mooney gets a bad rap - perhaps not this board but certainly the main board.

General consensus is that Mooney was an average player who prospered greatly from a stellar midfield.

I remember being asked midway through 07 who we could ill afford to lose to injury. I nominated Mooney to some derision. While there were better midfield players, reality was Mooney straightened the team up and provided a target that until then wasnt obvious. Played a selfless role. Was absolutely pivotal in teams success 2007 and 09.

I don't really think anyone who understood the importance of the defensive as well as offensive side of the modern forward line player could disagree.

 

[Vdubs]

Great thread Gavin.
Mooney dobbed himself in to be our CHF, previously our most hard to fill spot, and I think he did it superbly. Fully deserved his 07 AA. I think he was a lot more skilled than he is given credit for.
I have had a lot of derision for supporting Cam on that main board, hence I rarely venture there, and although he is not the sort of player I really warm to, I certainly did warm to him. Even after he abused the living daylights out of us in a carpark at KP, when we were in his way at a preseason function!
That would have been BC, Cam says he mellowed somewhat after kids.
Best Game- I agree Turbo, that amazing finals performance v Melbourne in defence 2005. We kiled them, and that is the game where Kingy nearly kicked Jeff White's head off, accidentally.
But I will have long term memories of his desperate full length dives to secure a mark deep on our fwd line. He definitely straightened us up and gave our mids the confidence that we had a target up forward.

 

[Whit3y]

mooney is like harley

will never be regarded as elite but were pivotol to our success

 

[Sezz]

There are 3 reasons why I love Mooney:

1) He is sexy


2) He loved his mates - and that went a long way towards the success we had as a unit.


3) He fired up - could lift the team with a single fist pump


It takes more than being a good footballer to be the heart of a team. That's what he was.

 

[Bobby_]

I miss that father-figure side to his game. He really mentored young players trying to learn their craft. He was in fact, probably one of the most unselfish footballers, unselfish in the respect he would sacrifice an area of his own (goals) just to provide for others.

I often wonder what Vardy, Brown or Walker would be today had Mooney been a few years younger and still running around. Walker in particular, no doubt Mooney would have related to his game and helped him develop into a much better player.
That was the big hairy cat in a nutshell.

 

[ChookNorris]

Great post, I Think most of the main board hatred came from his selection as an all Australian in 2007. Ahead of say Reiwoldt or Richardson.

 

[CarAttack]

I get the feeling the MoonDog couldnt care less what some tools on the main board say............... And either do I
Its a beautiful thing.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

The only knock on him was that his kicking for goal was too heavily weighted with his confidence on the day, otherwise you knew he was never leaving anything in the tank. Also a very frank and honest player in interviews, didn't trot out the usual cliches or play down the significance of an event. Felt for him that he didn't get a grand final send off but as he himself acknowledged, he knew he was cooked and Scott made the right decision.

 

[dazbroncos]

I get the feeling the MoonDog couldnt care less what some tools on the main board say............... And either do I
Its a beautiful thing.

Sometimes there are more intrinsic things that players bring to the table than stuff the Champion data lot can put on a page. Moons brought intensity, and edge and often too much of it. Leadership as he got older, an assist competition with SJ, and a face for the identity of the GFC that moved from the easy beats and never good enough to the best in the business - something he shared with Bartel, Ablett, Harley, Ling and Scarlo.

Go Catters

 

[The rabbi]

Great post, I Think most of the main board hatred came from his selection as an all Australian in 2007. Ahead of say Reiwoldt or Richardson.

Reiwoldt or Richardson never got to hold one of these aloft on Grand Final day.

 

[ChookNorris]

Reiwoldt or Richardson never got to hold one of these aloft on Grand Final day.

This is true, maybe the selection pannel should have thrown them a bone.

 

[The rabbi]

Moons was pretty passionate about his footy.
I remember when he confronted Robbo last year about the Dank drug story and he was furious because Robbo had slighted "my club".

 

[you pick one]

Heart soul and spiritual leader,Long live the Big Hairy Cat.

 

[winty]

Still maintain the game we lost against the Eagles in 2006 from 9 goals up was a direct result of Harley being injured just after half time and Moons being moved from CHF to CHB. He was on fire at CHF in the first half, and once he went back we had absolutely no key targets to kick too when going forward.