Review Cats defeat gallant Pies by 6 points to get into another PF

[Gavin Excell]

One of your star players is in a Cash Converters add.
Good omen for winning the flag.

Important analysis

 

[Pollywaffle]

Nah.
Pies fans are morons so screaming "BAAWWLLLL!!!!" 10,000 times a game makes them feel hard done by.
Over all probably favoured us slightly (deliberate out of bounds, 1 or 2 dubious non calls) but nothing that effected the result.

Umps were good. Didn’t notice them.

 

[Spearman]

I liked the little smile he made before getting into his mental routine on that kick. Clearly hearing and enjoying his 'interaction' with the Pies fans.

 

[Stumpy Pete]

Well played cats. Great game. Shit down out corridor game when it mattered.

Hopefully we see you again in three weeks.

Regards

S. Pete

 

[Cursed Cat]

Well done cats, might have been the close one you needed to get over to go on with it this year.
Shades of the 07 prelim.
I knew Selwood and Cameron would give us headaches all night but I didn't see Gary Rohan coming.
Good luck for the prelim, hope to meet you again this year.

Roll of the dice as to who won this one - of course we are up and about tonight, but it could easily have gone your way.

 

[Chinacats]

Weren’t ready for a finals week 1 contest again. Jittery , fumbly typical Geelong finals game. However we got the win, so we can get to work on a few things! Stanley Needs to train up. Did Elliot stink because Bews just left him alone or got lost on the lead on multiple occasions. Prelim looks unlikely off that game but luckily we have two weeks…

 

[Finknottle]

Well done to Geelong, cracker of a game. Selwood huge. Hope KK's knee is ok and he can get up for the prelim. Too good for us today

The Pies were superb, very unlucky to lose. Still don't know how the Cats won it.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I think you're right about Parf, but part of me wonders if we'd be talking about it if Stanley didn't have such a putrid showing. He basically put his inside mids under a searing amount of heat for the entire game. We had 17 men on the field all night because of Rhys.

If stanley had have played well yes it probably would have covered it but still its the wrong structure our midfield lacks balance which is the issue.

 

[cats_09]

He's been a much maligned player across his career to date, but I'm an unashamed Guthrie Jnr fan from early on, and like he did in last year's prelim he just presents as a player who wants to be playing at this time of year

Thought he was our best on early and through to half time - he was taking intercept marks, there was a willingness to back himself and take the game on when others were maybe a bit more hesitant or still trying to get a feel for the game

But there's two passages I really loved from tonight, and neither is likely to have been shown during the coverage or make the highlights reel:
- 2nd quarter Holmes makes the run down tackle on Daicos, there's a little bit afterwards there's a 50m penalty to go with it. Holmes gets up & gets on his bike, at the same time Guthrie comes from the defensive 50 to make sure Daicos knows what he's just done - he didn't cross the line or risk an overturned free kick, but made his presence felt

- 4th quarter, probably about 10 minutes to go and he starts directing traffic in the backline; could see him being vocal with teammates and pointing with where teammates needed to go or an option to kick to and there was a real maturity to it

This is a player who's not long played 50 games which took him 6 seasons to do, and has long been seen by many as being on the fringes - even during the first quarter I swear someone called for him to be dropped

To me, there's a composure to his game, a level of maturity we don't always see from 50 gamers and a little something that makes him more valuable than just a fringe player - a leader in the making, while already displaying some of those intangible things you just want to see

 

[Spearman]

Nahhh...umps were fine.

very much a put the whistle away game.

 

[benrushbrook]

Stanley had just about his worst game ever. Zero marks. Hopefully he just played his last game. Ceglar or Rat are so much more worthy.

 

[David the Cat]

Not enough credit given to the Pies here...they were awesome from the get go and played a great running high pressure performance.

It took a very good, resilient side to beat them.

Well done Cats.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

They're beating up on a finals minnow with only 4 players with finals experience. Most of the Dockers have stage fright at the moment.

We would have had a very different QF against the dockers compared to the pies.

 

[cats_09]

What were Tom Atkins' last quarter stats? At the ground it felt like he really lifted, but not sure whether that's an illusion due to his sheer physical presence and attack on the ball. I was disappointed with his first half but to be fair he seemed to grow into it.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

His replacement today is the logical addition, MOC is a good 191 cm, and we have Henry 194 cm, and DeK, as well as Blic or Sav!!!! IF NEEDED.
We are fine for talls in defence.

Moc was ok but we have enough defenders and more critical holes to fill. I would bring parfitt in and blicavs back over picking moc.

 

[Spearman]

He was matched up on DeGoey.

I remember DeGoey tearing us up a couple years ago in the West, aside from touching the ball, did he hurt us a lot?

 

[CatsDoItBetter]

Well that was a stressful evening but well worth it. Huge atmosphere at the ground. The Pies fans absolutely feral at the game blaming umpires from first bounce to last. Nice to stick it up them at the siren.

 

[FredLeDeux]

I remember DeGoey tearing us up a couple years ago in the West, aside from touching the ball, did he hurt us a lot?

His 2 goals in Q4 were fairly important.

 

[Gavin Excell]

He's been a much maligned player across his career to date, but I'm an unashamed Guthrie Jnr fan from early on, and like he did in last year's prelim he just presents as a player who wants to be playing at this time of year

Thought he was our best on early and through to half time - he was taking intercept marks, there was a willingness to back himself and take the game on when others were maybe a bit more hesitant or still trying to get a feel for the game

But there's two passages I really loved from tonight, and neither is likely to have been shown during the coverage or make the highlights reel:
- 2nd quarter Holmes makes the run down tackle on Daicos, there's a little bit afterwards there's a 50m penalty to go with it. Holmes gets up & gets on his bike, at the same time Guthrie comes from the defensive 50 to make sure Daicos knows what he's just done - he didn't cross the line or risk an overturned free kick, but made his presence felt

- 4th quarter, probably about 10 minutes to go and he starts directing traffic in the backline; could see him being vocal with teammates and pointing with where teammates needed to go or an option to kick to and there was a real maturity to it

This is a player who's not long played 50 games which took him 6 seasons to do, and has long been seen by many as being on the fringes - even during the first quarter I swear someone called for him to be dropped

To me, there's a composure to his game, a level of maturity we don't always see from 50 gamers and a little something that makes him more valuable than just a fringe player - a leader in the making, while already displaying some of those intangible things you just want to see

Daisy who I reckon is a v good analyst talked about courage
Nor necessarily backing back and getting hurt but the courage to back yourself on and take a risk and go in board.

See that from Z

 

[winty]

Bloody hell.

 

[Zouz Kitty]

What’s peoples thoughts on having Selwood and danger riding the bench at the start of every quarter? Pies got a hold of us at each start and we really only starting getting ahead in there when Selwood wound back the clock and did his thing.

Needed Danger to help win CC

 

[Vdubs]

Moc was ok but we have enough defenders and more critical holes to fill. I would bring parfitt in and blicavs back over picking moc.

You just said we lacked height in defence, and MOC is a defender who knows how to play there.
Parfitt gets in now as a sub as a minimum.
Maybe comes in for Miers who could be the sub. Miers was pretty ordinary
We will most likely play Melbourne, and Stanley would want to pull his finger out.

 

[cats_09]

Thoughts?
Sounds a little like something Clarkson would say

 

[CatsDoItBetter]

O’Connor has to come out for the next game he was terrible. Would surely bring in Parfitt or Menegola and shift another player like Tuohy back if needed.
Also stop playing Henry forward, he’s really important down back.
A lot of issues tonight and one of them again is Stanley. His efforts around the ground were old school Stanley. Would need to think hard about his place in the team. Pathetic efforts to impact the game and can’t help but think Ceglar would offer more.

Duncan needs to move up the ground as well. He was caught out many times down back but impactful when shifter up the ground. It’s worked at times having him down back but I don’t think that’s a permanent move that works in finals because he has to actually defend.

 

[Finknottle]

Rohan, Atkins, Zuthrie just guaranteed their selection for the Prelim. Henry is lucky because it's very unlikely Kolo plays after another injury. Miers had a poor game which could see Parfitt come in. I'd prefer Parfitt to Dangerfield to be honest. Danger's disposal is woeful. Stanley had a shocker which might make a case for playing Ceglar and Stanley if Melbourne gets through to the prelim. O'Connor did enough to either come into the 22 or remain as Sub.