Review Cats defeat the Blues at MCG by 30 points.

[00VicWard001]

I'm far from a tactical expert, but in the past when we won, it was heavily due to Contested Possession dominance. Usually when we won, we would lead the CP and when we lost the reverse was true. As catempire would say, it was our bellwether.

But this year we've almost seen a complete reversal of that. Of our 13 wins, only in 7 of them have we won the CP. So there is no doubt an element of the Richmond playbook (the Shaun Grigg influence?), where our game is more based on creating turnovers and hurting sides in transition. We're not as worried with the contest as much as we used to be and now focus on backing ourselves to force the turnover through our defensive structure and much improved defensive pressure, and then create our scoring opportunities through slick ball movement.

Well picked out. I was reading that pressure and turnovers are our game now. Needs a whole of team buy-in and high skills/composure and aggressive attack when it's in our possession. In the second quarter, we saw aggressive front on attack from our defenders and mids while they tried to take the ball through our zone. Yes, if they got through, we'd probably be one on one in their forward line, but on the other wing, while we are trying to slow them/turn it over, we see the a wingman, sprinting down the ground to provide support, while at the same time, we see our small forwards, sprinting down the Centre to provide cover if they try and switch.

 

[00VicWard001]

I'm far from a tactical expert, but in the past when we won, it was heavily due to Contested Possession wins. Usually when we won, we lead the CP and when we lost the reverse was true. As catempire would say, it was our bellwether.

Great observation gents- last week Melbourne beat us by 15 or so in CP.
In 2021 that would mean a defeat - yet we win by 28.
Playing the turnover game to perfection now with CP no longer our one wood.
The other elephant in the room is our huge inside 50 count but a poor conversion- look out in September if we start putting through the big sticks more efficiently

the misses on the weekend were due to blustery conditions, however, the flipside of our pressure and turnover game is that our players are fatigued on their repeat sprints up and down to provide support and then burst back through their zone to link up and to outnumber in our forward 50. It's probably a compromise they dont mind at this stage. A few thoughts on this.

1. This is why Miers remains in our team. He has the tank, ability to pressure and the footskills to execute our gameplan. Ditto Menegola and O'Connor. Huge tanks and can run all day and provide support up and down the ground.
2. This is probably why Stevens and Narkle can't get into the team - they dont have the tank (at the moment) to do what the team needs done.
3. Hats off the conditioning and fitness team. They have delivered what the coaches have asked for.
4. The team will get fitter over the year, now that it's working for them. And they'll be in even more synergy - sort of how the Richmond team used to intuitively know where the ball would be tapped forwar tod. That sort of connection is beyond training, it comes with winning and consistency across the team. They just read the play and trust each other.
5. Giving players breaks is because this style of play is taxing. If we had worse injuries, we'd likely not be able to do this sort of thing with only fit 25 players available. This year, across all the teams - Geelong has used the most amount of players out of it's list. We are very lucky that we have had a few very minor unjuries (even that suspension) as it has really allowed us to refresh the list (in terms of energy).
5. The end of season bye will work in our favour. We'll come out ridiculously fresh and it will suit our gamestyle this year. And I'd expect with the break/tapering off, we'd be far more accurate.
6. This is a team game, designed to be superior to a team of individuals (sorry Melbourne, but that's what you are). We have absolute jets (equivalent to most teams top 5) that are the icing on the cake.

Overall, things are very interesting right now and we are in a very strong position.

 

[00VicWard001]

This is true, and depends on player management and positioning because it's so energy sapping. It looks like we have this right, to the point where any of our player's errors are really shown up. Hence the dissatisfaction with MOC's seemingly cumbersome efforts over the ball when it happens more than once, but he runs all night, contests the air in D and feeds the forwards pretty well on occasion.

Gryan is out marked by giants, but goes in with quick hands, and is pretty savvy by foot, but we concentrate on his awkward kicking. He's still dangerous and seems to have developed a bond with Close and Guthrie. I'm just noting we are being spoiled with great flowing, hard at the packs and scoring football, so errors and missed shots rankle the passionate observer more. Danger's not starring but by God, how hard at the ball he still is, never stops smashing for the take, hand pass and second efforts.

There's still a few cries in the wilderness maligning the coach. Scott rang in the personnel changes, altering the coaching system to semi line management and concentrated on the individual's contribution to team (his words) rather than sections. His view has always been kinetic and inclusive, but it's never enough for the one eyed.

When I wrote what I wrote just then, I hadn't read this excellent post. It's great to see someone else identify exactly what I was thinking too!!

 

[BotsMaster]

Predictions made on Facebook don't count.

 

[dazbroncos]

Heard Bucks talking about the weekend and the win.

He very specifically used the word "athletes" when describing Geelong and their runners... " they recruit Athletes" Blitz, Holmes. MOC , Miers and Menegola that can run and play.

Athletes that can play footy...

Interesting. Pretty sure athletes had no place in footy footy according to some.

Guess things change.

GO Catters

 

[Generalissimo]

Of those, I reckon only Blicavs was an athlete first and footballer second. Holmes, Miers, and Menegola are footballers who also happen to be athletically gifted- ditto O'Connor, though he started with a different kind of football.

 

[Play it Sam]

the misses on the weekend were due to blustery conditions, however, the flipside of our pressure and turnover game is that our players are fatigued on their repeat sprints up and down to provide support and then burst back through their zone to link up and to outnumber in our forward 50. It's probably a compromise they dont mind at this stage. A few thoughts on this.

1. This is why Miers remains in our team. He has the tank, ability to pressure and the footskills to execute our gameplan. Ditto Menegola and O'Connor. Huge tanks and can run all day and provide support up and down the ground.
2. This is probably why Stevens and Narkle can't get into the team - they dont have the tank (at the moment) to do what the team needs done.
3. Hats off the conditioning and fitness team. They have delivered what the coaches have asked for.
4. The team will get fitter over the year, now that it's working for them. And they'll be in even more synergy - sort of how the Richmond team used to intuitively know where the ball would be tapped forwar tod. That sort of connection is beyond training, it comes with winning and consistency across the team. They just read the play and trust each other.
5. Giving players breaks is because this style of play is taxing. If we had worse injuries, we'd likely not be able to do this sort of thing with only fit 25 players available. This year, across all the teams - Geelong has used the most amount of players out of it's list. We are very lucky that we have had a few very minor unjuries (even that suspension) as it has really allowed us to refresh the list (in terms of energy).
5. The end of season bye will work in our favour. We'll come out ridiculously fresh and it will suit our gamestyle this year. And I'd expect with the break/tapering off, we'd be far more accurate.
6. This is a team game, designed to be superior to a team of individuals (sorry Melbourne, but that's what you are). We have absolute jets (equivalent to most teams top 5) that are the icing on the cake.

Overall, things are very interesting right now and we are in a very strong position.

Similar ideas, better written technically, and broader- the psych element influences me too much at times.
So here we are, and what's ironic is that the unified "pensioner" team has legs and pressure the others envy.
And away from our "cheat" ground, if you don't mind.
Stick it up em, Cats. So far, so good.

 

[fpm84]

Heard Bucks talking about the weekend and the win.

He very specifically used the word "athletes" when describing Geelong and their runners... " they recruit Athletes" Blitz, Holmes. MOC , Miers and Menegola that can run and play.

Athletes that can play footy...

Interesting. Pretty sure athletes had no place in footy footy according to some.

Guess things change.

GO Catters

I'd put Stanley in that category too... his aerobic capacity has always been insane. Glad he's having such a consistent season - massive to our chances in September.

 

[Gunf]

I see it as the best model available, just presented in an awful way.

There are things it like and things it doesn't look at.

Clearances, CP, Intercept possessions, goals from wide and far.

it hates turnovers and missing easy shots.

PA and other similar actions count for little individually but add up if a player does a lot of them.

Importance of actions are linked to the part of the ground they occur in, a turnover I50 costs less than a turnover in D50 (It would be good if there was 2nd model which weighted for current margin as well)

if a player is expected to complete an action it doesn't provide much value, while screwing up a expected action gets harshly punished.

So racking up 20 UP and 8 uncontested marks off half back get easily cancelled out by a few turnovers.

Which is why a few years back it hated Stewart, there was a period when he was playing as our primary rebounding defender but not winning much of the ball from an intercept or getting much contested possessions.

I group players by position, the system values the average ruckman and inside mids 50% higher than other smalls and KPPs. I also divide scores by game time.

I agree it is the best thing we have and yet it fails so badly sometimes it isn't funny.

 

[Finknottle]

Kolodjashnij - solid one on one defender, useful if playing a team with 3 tall forwards, Problems: on the slow side, turnovers by foot, doesn't handle pressure, slow to move the ball on.
Menegola - good engine, can impact the scoreboard, good mark. Problems: one paced, field kicking sometimes lets him down
Miers - great engine, gets to space, can chase down players, goal assists. Problems: no left side, runs around on the right to kick, struggles to kick over 35 metres.
O'Connor - good engine, agile for his size, versatile (can play on mid size and smalls and can tag). Problems: sometimes fumbles under pressure, kicking can result in turnovers.

I think Miers for all his faults is important on the MCG because of his ability to get to space and link up for quicker ball movement. So I think the other 3 will be fighting for 1 or 2 spots depending on injuries.

 

[Finknottle]

Of those, I reckon only Blicavs was an athlete first and footballer second. Holmes, Miers, and Menegola are footballers who also happen to be athletically gifted- ditto O'Connor, though he started with a different kind of football.

Holmes was an athlete, a runner like his mum.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

Credit to our fitness team. Never seen the players fitter and more up and about this time of the year under Scott. We have had fit and athletic players in he past - in the rehab rooms for months.

 

[Gunf]

After re-watching the game Danger wasn't anywhere near as bad as i first thought.

His disposal was horrible and was a little lazy at times but seeing him get in and under and force the ball out to Guthrie and others on multiple occasions is his one wood and boy did he do it well.

Still a bad game by his standards but considering the lack of football he has played this year i will cut him some slack for a few more weeks as he gets his touch back.

 

[Finknottle]

Holmes was an athlete, a runner like his mum.

And just noticed O'Connor ran a 9:56 3km time trial at the draft combine in 2016. That would place him in the top 2 or 3. Makes you suspect he had an athletic background.

 

[iameviljez]

We have absolute jets (equivalent to most teams top 5) that are the icing on the cake.

By my count we only have two (Cameron and Stewart), arguably three if you throw in Hawkins. As much as I love Dangerfield - and nobody has put in more to try and will us to a flag since 2016 - he's not quite the elite player he once was.

Interesting that none of those guys play in the middle, whereas Melbourne's three big guns (Petracca, Oliver, Gawn) all play there.

 

[fpm84]

AFLCA VOTES

9 - Mark Blicavs (GEEL)
6 - Joel Selwood (GEEL)
5 - Zach Tuohy (GEEL)
4 - Jeremy Cameron (GEEL)
3 - Sam De Koning (GEEL)
3 - Sam Walsh (CARL)

 

[Play it Sam]

By my count we only have two (Cameron and Stewart), arguably three if you throw in Hawkins. As much as I love Dangerfield - and nobody has put in more to try and will us to a flag since 2016 - he's not quite the elite player he once was.

Interesting that none of those guys play in the middle, whereas Melbourne's three big guns (Petracca, Oliver, Gawn) all play there.

I think you do a disservice there. Despite the lack of Danger flair, he is rarely beaten by his opponent on the day.
Guthrie and Blics are definite top 5. There is a case for Selwood.
Note the original post said MATCH others top 5.

 

[STPer18]

Sensible votes, hard to complain.

 

[cats_09]

AFLCA VOTES

9 - Mark Blicavs (GEEL)
6 - Joel Selwood (GEEL)
5 - Zach Tuohy (GEEL)
4 - Jeremy Cameron (GEEL)
3 - Sam De Koning (GEEL)
3 - Sam Walsh (CARL)

Blicavs - 5 & 4
Selwood - 3 & 3
Tuohy - 5
Cameron - 4
SDK - 2 & 1
Walsh - 1 & 2

Does that seem the right breakdown?

 

[00VicWard001]

I think you do a disservice there. Despite the lack of Danger flair, he is rarely beaten by his opponent on the day.
Guthrie and Blics are definite top 5. There is a case for Selwood.
Note the original post said MATCH others top 5.

My thought at the moment is - would you swap out Jez, Stewart, Danger, Blicavs and Hawkins (sorry Guthrie, Duncan, Stengle) for Gawn, Oliver, Trac, May and Lever? You'd not as the outcomes wouldnt be as useful in our team. We match other team's top 5 with our own top 5. Not head to head, but elite and useful in our own ways.

And if you stretch it to top 10, we'd really be up there. Alot of the other contenders really fall away after the top 3 to 5 players.

 

[winty]

Just a few similarities in these two goals...

 

[Sire of Claude]

Re the above exchange, i thought Menegola, never quick, looked very slow before he went off the other day.

O'Connor is quick enough once he gets going but has fumbled a bit over the last fortnight.

Mieirs is by no means a speed machine, as Buckenara observed when he was drafted, but he's quick thinking and evasive.

Personally i don't think we're a notably quick team, but Bomber Thompson used to say it's how quickly you move the ball that counts; and that is precisely what we're doing now - moving the ball quickly. And not before time.

In this context, I think Kolo is vulnerable once Stewart returns.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Re the above exchange, i thought Menegola, never quick, looked very slow before he went off the other day.

O'Connor is quick enough once he gets going but has fumbled a bit over the last fortnight.

Mieirs is by no means a speed machine, as Buckenara observed when he was drafted, but he's quick thinking and evasive.

Personally i don't think we're a notably quick team, but Bomber Thompson used to say it's how quickly you move the ball that counts; and that is precisely what we're doing now - moving the ball quickly. And not before time.

In this context, I think Kolo is vulnerable once Stewart returns.

Agreed, you cannot out run a kicked football.
Foot speed, while handy, doesn't equal fast ball movement, the very best EVER to move the ball quickly had very little genuine leg speed through the middle of the ground.
A midfield of Bartel, Ablett, Corey, Selwood and Ling wasn't quick by any stretch, but geez they moved it quicker than any other team ever.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

Kolodjashnij - solid one on one defender, useful if playing a team with 3 tall forwards, Problems: on the slow side, turnovers by foot, doesn't handle pressure, slow to move the ball on.
Menegola - good engine, can impact the scoreboard, good mark. Problems: one paced, field kicking sometimes lets him down
Miers - great engine, gets to space, can chase down players, goal assists. Problems: no left side, runs around on the right to kick, struggles to kick over 35 metres.
O'Connor - good engine, agile for his size, versatile (can play on mid size and smalls and can tag). Problems: sometimes fumbles under pressure, kicking can result in turnovers.

I think Miers for all his faults is important on the MCG because of his ability to get to space and link up for quicker ball movement. So I think the other 3 will be fighting for 1 or 2 spots depending on injuries.

Very good post that

Someone gave me a backhander re Bews - because they misread my post - but positions at the moment are very tight - and you cant pick 28 - which some supporters thinkyou can

To me - it is clearcut Stewart comes in for Kolo - i mean what did Kolo do Sat night - basically nothing - ( seeing it was against Carlton ) he played liked Robert Klomp when he won the TV - had 3 kicks and 1 handpass - thats about what Kolo did Sat night

Parfit comes in for Menegola - and then you basically toss a coin between OConnor and Bews- one of them starts - and the other one is the sub - and the point i was making about Bews- was he wasnt sore - they made him the sub - even though Carlton have got small forwards

So because its so tight in my opinion between Oconnor and Bews - then id go the Bews sub option - because he could be a matchwinner - if say he came on at h/t or 3qtr time - you could put him in the centre and he would give you tremendous run

 

[RegHickeyStand]

When Cameron does it on his wrong foot, then we can talk. Noice, though.