Review Cats down Blues by 13 points.

[you pick one]

Hawkins has had a very slow start to the season. Heresy I know but this year Neale has looked better in his limited time than Tommy. Massive Kudos to the coaching team, we are playing such amazing team ball this year. The bottom 6 are all contributing big time and more than covering from reduced output from some of the seniors. Go cats.

We have a bottom 6?

 

[00VicWard001]

Someone has probably already said it but the cats 2024 side is the definition of a champion team beats a team of champions. Every win has been a team effort.

Look I know it's April but our problem in a lot of those disastrous finals losses is that we were relying on our stars like Danger and Selwood far too much. Then we got found out.

I don't see that being a problem come September 2024.

And this is a huge issue for the opposition who have star players who usually carry them. A quiet game from Degoey or Daicos means game over for the Pies.

For most teams, the guys that accumulate or the guys that can create distance or inside 50s are the ones you stop. With us, everyone has a turn. Someone is quiet, no problem, someone else will step in.

Last week showed what happens when Cameron and Hawkins don’t score.

And we have a lot of hungry capable guys in the VFL that would love to come in and perform.

 

[catstragic]

Agree. That is the way the AFL want players to play now. If you aren’t going to get there first you owe duty of care. So I have no issue with the contest bit - however he would have been embarrassed by being ragdolled a bit by the push off. If he had of stuck the tackle it would have been lauded as a smart play

I think this also applies to the JK tackle on Cottrel before he kicked a goal- JK had both his arms pinned, if JK swings him down then high chance its a dangerous tackle. 5 years ago cottrell would have ended getting slammed.

 

[catstragic]

We have a bottom 6?

I know what you mean. No passengers at catland this year.

 

[Tony Barber]

I was going to come one here and mention the 3aw commentary and all ive read is the opposite about commentators.

On 3aw yesterday you pretty much wouldn't have known Carlton were playing. Until that last 7 minutes when they came at us but all commentators do that.

Even Tim Lane (who I don't like) only said this "This Geelong team is incredible. 5 minutes ago I thought the blues were going to win and in a split second the cats have put a gap on them"

Listening to the radio I never for one second thought we'd lose.

 

[iameviljez]

Last week showed what happens when Cameron and Hawkins don’t score.

Last week was a bit of an anomaly due to the appalling rain.

Most weeks, if we don't get a few goals out of the big boys, we are still in some trouble.

 

[iameviljez]

Even Tim Lane (who I don't like) only said this "This Geelong team is incredible. 5 minutes ago I thought the blues were going to win and in a split second the cats have put a gap on them"

Tim Lane, ironically, being a mad Carlton fan.

 

[catstragic]

Kane Cornes raised a good point this morning on the AFL website roundup video that Danger might need to stop with the sprinting/hard running side of his game, slow his pace down, and become more of an endurance runner to protect his hamstrings.

Yeah. He can fall back on precise kicking. . Dangers a bull. Its amazing he's still playing TBH given his skillset and your on meth if you think hes gonna turn into Gaff to eek out a little but more.

 

[00VicWard001]

Stupid internet earlier didn't save my full text before posting

I don't mind us being the underdog & continuing to do the hunting in matches, but it would be nice for the players and coaches to start getting some recognition for what they've come out & done to date this season

This is the weirdest year ever with reporting of the Cats.

We are completely forgotten despite being on top with a 7 game win streak. If it was Brisbane or the Pies, there would be articles about redemption and premierships or back to back etc.

The expectations are so low from the outside for this Cats team that they are just treating us as the pace setter. Voss struggled to say we were a good team. He just wanted to say they were poor. Likewise every coach we’ve come up against. They are all assuming we’re just hanging on and winning and it’s just a bit of luck (maybe this is how the Pies felt like in 2022).

I also think that coaches and media are struggling to analyse what’s going on with our coaching. There’s not much of a set play or specific style at the moment. They go on about roaming Jeremy - but that move isn’t really winning games. It’s confusing everyone tbh. Especially since we are losing alot of ‘key’ metrics.

I wonder what the key metrics are that our coaching group are looking at?

 

[CatToTheFuture]

The whole he was targeted 4 times line is rubbish, what about the 20 times he was completely out of position and Weitering either marked the ball or spoiled it lol, that's hardly making your man accountable.

This is it for me, feels like most of our scoring shots were fast transitions from defence and he just couldn't make up the ground.

 

[iameviljez]

This is the weirdest year ever with reporting of the Cats.

We are completely forgotten despite being on top with a 7 game win streak. If it was Brisbane or the Pies, there would be articles about redemption and premierships or back to back etc.

We're certainly not forgotten, but the media is cautious. I do get it - there are some games (like this one) where conventional wisdom says we should probably have lost, and yet we've managed a solid-but-not-quite-comfortable win.

Pundits don't quite know what to make of us, because we are winning in relatively unorthodox ways. No midfield stars, getting beaten at the coalface on a semi-regular basis, losing the i50 battle sometimes... and yet still winning.

I think it's a bit like Collingwood in 2022 - people were a bit reserved on their premiership chances on the basis of whether their close, close wins were a sustainable thing. Turns out they weren't, but not for long.

 

[giggler99]

Such a good feeling sitting on top undefeated while literally all other supporters and journos are scratching their heads as to why. They all seem to forget we won a premiership some 18 months ago.

 

[D BRIDGE]

This is it for me, feels like most of our scoring shots were fast transitions from defence and he just couldn't make up the ground.

He can't get any separation from his opponent... It'll be similar v May next week.

At least Neale has a chance to take an overhead mark.

Hawkins will need to play the decoy once again.

 

[cats_09]

Would love Blitz to be captain for a day

He's done it before - I remember him afterwards talking about it and how he totally fluffed the pre-match address to the team just before coming out onto the ground

I'm hoping he'd be less nervous about those things now

 

[catempire]

That is the most basic standard for a forward. I seem to recall that even being used to justify Shane Kersten’s selection in the past.

True, but worry when it doesn’t work, not when it does.

 

[iameviljez]

The whole he was targeted 4 times line is rubbish, what about the 20 times he was completely out of position and Weitering either marked the ball or spoiled it lol, that's hardly making your man accountable.

I think that there's a broader issue with Hawkins now being invisible in a hell of a lot of games since the middle of last year.

I don't like always going back to statistics to prove a point, but it's a slightly more objective method than "I reckon", and... there are a hell of a lot of games where he has kicked fewer than three goals and had 10 or fewer touches. The goal assists have dried right up, as well.

It is never obvious when the cliff comes except in hindsight. I think we're starting to get to that point now, where it's not whether the cliff has come, but it's how long it's been there.

 

[Strange Cat]

Injuries, umpiring , bad kicking geez the blues have a whole range of excuses ready to throw at anyone that cares to listen

 

[iameviljez]

True, but worry when it doesn’t work, not when it does.

It hasn't been working.

Players have zoned off him with relative impunity for a while now.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Voss struggled to say we were a good team. He just wanted to say they were poor. Likewise every coach we’ve come up against. They are all assuming we’re just hanging on and winning and it’s just a bit of luck (maybe this is how the Pies felt like in 2022).

I think this is how I viewed Richmond up until half way through 2018. We're so used to seeing the dominant teams have dominant contested possession winners that when they don't we can't reconcile them consistently winning games

 

[catempire]

So are you allowed to swap on the mark or not? I thought as long as one player is standing the mark that's ok. Has the umpire got to call the name of the player who needs to stand each time?

You are not allowed to swap once called to stand. I think it’s clear here that McKay thought Cripps was being called to stand so he moved and so was somewhat unfortunate but that’s the risk of two players not coordinating properly on who is standing the mark.

 

[Gunf]

So are you allowed to swap on the mark or not? I thought as long as one player is standing the mark that's ok. Has the umpire got to call the name of the player who needs to stand each time?

Once the ump has called stand no

 

[catempire]

I think that at some point it just comes down to the question: who is the better ruckman for the game?

That’s the only question I’m asking and until Conway can play full minutes I won’t hesitate in answering Stanley.

 

[catempire]

So hypothetically if Stewart isn’t right this week who do we appoint as el capitano?

It’s Blicavs.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

True, but worry when it doesn’t work, not when it does.

Wins paper over cracks. But if you're winning and can still see the cracks then there's a chance the cracks are wide

 

[catempire]

I feel we definitely need to put more time into Conway before finals. Stanley was owned, hopefully he can bounce back.

Conway will get plenty of games if he stays upright. This is a big and important year for him to build his tank, get 10-12 games of AFL experience, so Stanley can hand him the reins for 2025 and beyond.