Review Cats back in business after smashing Hawks by 82 points at the G

[Munich]

My final contribution to this thread will be: The reports of Geelong's demise are greatly exaggerated.

I wouldn't be giving them away just yet. History says it's bloody difficult for any team to win B2B flags, and it would be understandable for this Geelong team to lose a little bit of the hunger and desire which drove them on from 2020 to 2022.

If you held a gun to my head and asked me to pick this year's Grand Final result, I would say Melbourne defeats Collingwood by 6 goals

But I reckon all the other teams in finals contention are total pretenders: Brisbane, Sydney, Carlton, Richmond, Bulldogs, Saints, Port
None of them are really up to scratch. It's gonna be a log-jam of teams on 13/14 wins. The Blues will probably manage 15 wins with their easy draw and protected species status.

Geelong are really the only team capable of knocking over the Dees or Pies this September. So you just have to hang in there, keep chipping away, bank the wins and get there to be a chance. You guys have undeniably the league's home ground advantage with all 9 home games at KP yet to come. That's 7 or 8 wins right there. Plus the 2 victories in Rounds 4/5 over the AFL chopping blocks, which makes 9, 10 wins...

You just need to split the remaining games to be right in the mix: Win 3 of [Ess, Rich, Coll, St K, WB] and win 2 of [Freo, Port, Syd, Bris]

That's very do-able.

The Cats proved what a great team they were in 2021 without a massive contribution from Selwood, Danger or Duncan. It was Geelong's evenness all around the ground and superior coaching which got the job done for 16 successive weeks.. It was their team's discipline, structure and unshakeable belief in what they were doing. You don't lose that over one summer.

Probably also helps your cause to have the league's best player, Cameron working alongside the wily old behemoth, Hawkins.

Are you sure you're not one of us?

 

[Finknottle]

Cameron rightly takes a lot of credit but Miers and O'Connor deserve big shout outs for stepping up when the going was tough. They've both been outstanding this year, Miers one of the only ones giving us creativity going forward and O'Connor holding back an avalanche down back. Great to see some others jump on in the second half today.

Glad you mentiin Miers and O'Connor, both have started the year well. O'Connor is getting better with experience and he rarely gets beaten in 1 on 1s now.

 

[Mr Meow]

My final contribution to this thread will be: The reports of Geelong's demise are greatly exaggerated.

I wouldn't be giving them away just yet. History says it's bloody difficult for any team to win B2B flags, and it would be understandable for this Geelong team to lose a little bit of the hunger and desire which drove them on from 2020 to 2022.

If you held a gun to my head and asked me to pick this year's Grand Final result, I would say Melbourne defeats Collingwood by 6 goals

But I reckon all the other teams in finals contention are total pretenders: Brisbane, Sydney, Carlton, Richmond, Bulldogs, Saints, Port
None of them are really up to scratch. It's gonna be a log-jam of teams on 13/14 wins. The Blues will probably manage 15 wins with their easy draw and protected species status.

Geelong are really the only team capable of knocking over the Dees or Pies this September. So you just have to hang in there, keep chipping away, bank the wins and get there to be a chance. You guys have undeniably the league's home ground advantage with all 9 home games at KP yet to come. That's 7 or 8 wins right there. Plus the 2 victories in Rounds 4/5 over the AFL chopping blocks, which makes 9, 10 wins...

You just need to split the remaining games to be right in the mix: Win 3 of [Ess, Rich, Coll, St K, WB] and win 2 of [Freo, Port, Syd, Bris]

That's very do-able.

The Cats proved what a great team they were in 2021 without a massive contribution from Selwood, Danger or Duncan. It was Geelong's evenness all around the ground and superior coaching which got the job done for 16 successive weeks.. It was their team's discipline, structure, 2-way run, rock solid defence and unshakeable belief in what they were doing. You don't lose that over one summer.

Probably also helps your cause to have the league's best player, Cameron working alongside the wily old behemoth, Hawkins.

Don't worry, the guy you're replying to had already written Geelong off and said it was playing at its very best rounds 1-3 (just beaten by stronger teams each time). And anyone would be complacent in thinking their form could improve.

The 3rd quarter at least reminded a few people it's a long season and it's far from over - no matter the "It was only Hawthorn" screeches. Collingwood and Melbourne should be the standouts earning top 2 this season but then it'll be a dogfight between a bunch of teams for the other top 4 spots, let alone top 8. Win the next two and Geelong would be right amongst that pack.

 

[Mr Meow]

Are you sure you're not one of us?

I'd happily trade them for one of our "wooden spooners" so to speak.

 

[Munich]

I'd happily trade them for one of our "wooden spooners" so to speak.

Can we keep him

 

[Finknottle]

Buckley saying that w***er ruckman was protecting himself against Blitz.

Yeah figjam.

Yes, I thought Buckley's defence of Meek's action was disingenuous. He was playing bad cop because he's been told he needs to be more controversial. A bit like me making that statement . Both DeKonning and Meek should have been given a week off. As usual it will take a serious injury before the AFL gets serious about it. The DeKonning knee into Stanley put him out of the Carlton game and probably help Carlton to win.

 

[Munich]

Yes, I thought Buckley's defence of Meek's action was disingenuous. He was playing bad cop because he's been told he needs to be more controversial. A bit like me making that statement . Both DeKonning and Meek should have been given a week off. As usual it will take a serious injury before the AFL gets serious about it. The DeKonning knee into Stanley put him out of the Carlton game and probably help Carlton to win.

Exactly why do you think DeKoning did it.

 

[Finknottle]

They showed this and C Scott reaction on Fox, but I have no audio.

What did he say? Seemed something like "it's not allowed" or similar.

Should be suspended along with the sniper coach campaigner who put him up to it

Sammy Sniper Mitchell. It's pretty obvious where it comes from. Clarkson's motto was if you can't win the contest at least try to hurt your opponent. Slide knees first into your opponent and stick your knees into your opponent's back if he beats you to mark the ball. Hodge was the master of the latter.

 

[Munich]

Sammy Sniper Mitchell. It's pretty obvious where it comes from. Clarkson's motto was if you can't win the contest at least try to hurt your opponent. Slide knees first into your opponent and stick your knees into your opponent's back if he beats you to mark the ball. Hodge was the master of the latter.

And bashing heads into goal posts.

They truly were a disgusting team.

 

[Finknottle]

The comic relief of the day for me was pre-game reading someone say they couldn't see how we could beat the Hawks today. It was as simple what would have been true for the Gold Coast or Carlton games, a slight mean reversion of form to 2022 for a good chunk of the game and this side can get the job done. We just didn't click into gear for those games but bad form doesn't last forever. This is what I meant by Geelong getting back close to their best making us a completely different proposition. Bring the second half stuff and even against good sides we will be right in matches.

I was at the game surrounded by Hawthorn supporters. They were at their obnoxious best early on. 10 minutes into the 3rd quarter they were slinking into their seats and the only time they piped up was to boo Isaac Smith when he got the ball. A girl behind was very amusing giving a running commentary. "Just catch the ball, oh my God, pick it up, kick it, I told you to kick it, why didn't he kick it?"

 

[Footy Smarts]

I was at the game surrounded by Hawthorn supporters. They were at their obnoxious best early on. 10 minutes into the 3rd quarter they were slinking into their seats and the only time they piped up was to boo Isaac Smith when he got the ball. A girl behind was very amusing giving a running commentary. "Just catch the ball, oh my God, pick it up, kick it, I told you to kick it, why didn't he kick it?"

The booing of Isaac Smith was really poor I thought. I would've hated to see us boo Kelly, Chapman, Stokes, Ablett, Stevie J, etc after they moved clubs. I get that he's moved to your rivals and had success but surely a triple premiership player deserves a bit more respect than that.

 

[Finknottle]

Dogs are nice animals.

Hawks are scum

He meant to say feral dogs

 

[Finknottle]

Was I imagining things or did Bews come back onto the ground after the head clash before being subbed? I’m sure I saw him impact a contest and get the ball.

To be honest Bews was having an absolute Barry Crocker before the head clash. He looked buggered early on in the game and struggled to chase players not known for their speed. He looked really unfit, might be carrying an injury.

 

[Mr Meow]

To be honest Bews was having an absolute Barry Crocker before the head clash. He looked buggered early on in the game and struggled to chase players not known for their speed. He looked really unfit, might be carrying an injury.

Agreed, MOC looks in better shape and is reacting to situations quicker. Week off might do Jed some good.

 

[Finknottle]

If my aunty had balls she'd be my uncle.

And if you had if you could put your arse in a bottle

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Cleary Back One Out needs to create an alt account (I suggest "suck it back in"...) as a Geelong supporter....
You know you want to..

 

[foxdog50]

Against tin pot opposition? Wait a bit!

I know it is, but it may thats all it needed

 

[Catman]

The hunted became the hunter again after HT. We started to force the issue instead of being dictated to and everything quickly fell into place as a result. You could see the confidence lift with every goal and players who'd barely got near it all year all of a sudden looked lively and involved.

It was against a young Hawthorn team, so the jury is still out, but it looked like their appetite for the contest returned in the second half, so as others have said, we need to see if it was an exception or that we've finally decided to turn up for 2023.

 

[calder_daddy]

Agree

On a related topic…who replaces Rohan? I assume Henry comes into the 22 but then we need a sub

(Assuming SDK comes in for Bews)…. Do they go for a MF as sub (Parf/Bruhn) or a foward replacement (Simpson/Dempsey?)

My bet is Simpson comes in as sub…. Thoughts?

Wouldn’t be surprised if SDK didn’t come back this week and either Simpson and Parfitt come into the 22 and the other is the sub

 

[Generalissimo]

Agree

On a related topic…who replaces Rohan? I assume Henry comes into the 22 but then we need a sub

(Assuming SDK comes in for Bews)…. Do they go for a MF as sub (Parf/Bruhn) or a foward replacement (Simpson/Dempsey?)

My bet is Simpson comes in as sub…. Thoughts?

My guess would be

OUT: Rohan (susp), Bews (inj)
IN: O. Henry, Bruhn, Parfitt (sub)

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Yeah... the Rohan grading seems a little effed up when you look at it like that. I just meant there was more 'intent' behind it than Day's tackle. Cj didn't even have the footy, the ball had popped out, so it was a 'late' tackle too.

There was element of "dangerous" with the Day tackle. I can understand the umpire penalising him. It looks bad on TV. But I really think it was just awkward, more than anything else. It's bewildering how he gets a 2 match ban when you consider Pickett got 2 matches for lining up Bailey Smith and doing a fair imitation of his Uncle Byron... Or even last week, when Griffin Logue ran past the ball and deliberately smashed Day in the head and only got 1 match.

I just don't understand the reasoning... "High" level of contact..? Based on what? Close was unhurt.

I don't want Day suspended any more than you do, the kid was outstanding in the first half. Where's he from? Maybe we can "get him home" to Geelong one day

But it was a dump tackle. I'd want a cat suspended too. Maybe one week over two.

Rohan I'm happy to give a week to. Yes CJs head didn't hit the ground but that was luck over technique. Rohan had a brain failure and acted in anger after CJs actions on the boundary 30 seconds earlier. Can't have that.

 

[Generalissimo]

The Rohan one was weird because he was airborne for a lot of it, and one can legitimately ask how much of a sling you can actually physically do when your feet aren't planted.

 

[Pollywaffle]

O'Connor is getting better with experience and he rarely gets beaten in 1 on 1s now.

Getting more trust from teammates and more confidence with ball in hand.
Probably last year might not have taken that shot on goal.

 

[Partridge]

The Rohan one was weird because he was airborne for a lot of it, and one can legitimately ask how much of a sling you can actually physically do when your feet aren't planted.

It's really ridiculous. He might have been frustrated, but there's no way he was looking to injure him.

You're fighting a losing battle arguing for anything but suspensions now. For anything.

 

[D BRIDGE]

Hopefully another game = another boost in fitness and confidence.

Same thing V West Coast.

Maybe we will be rolling by R6 against some real opposition.

We certainly weren’t fully ready to roll after preseason.

5 games should be about right to catching up a bit to the pack.

Injuries aside I don’t think there’s any short preseason or flag hangover excuses after next weeks game.