Unofficial Preview Changes and perspectives prior to Tigers 45th MCG home game this year

[dazbroncos]

Tigers had some issues with WHE and Cox (high marking) in the F 50.
Last time we played Tigers Hawkins wasnt in best form like now AND we dropped it on his head outnumbered too many times.

If Hawkins stays moving, we trouble them height wise, and our MF gets first use which V Nankervis is a possibility then we are a sniff.

But the MF MUST work harder than ever both ways.

GO Catters

 

[catstragic]

Stats for Jed Bews V Lions.

kicks 1
handball 1
tackles 3

Total 5 (awarding 1 point for each positive)

frees for 0
frees against 4
clangers 5

Total 9 ( awarding 1 point for each negative)

Net total -4 points (19 supercoach points)

It's official, Jed Bews played a better game for the Lions last week than for us.

Season: 196 poss @ 10.9
clangers 34 = 17.4 % of total possessions.

In this era of small quick backmen keeping an opponent down but also gaining high possession numbers, why is a low possession player
who makes lots of mistakes a walk up start every week?

He doesnt make alot of mistakes. and he very rarely makes mistakes in costly area's. His given away a few HTB's for score over the season but each time he's been sold into it so I don't blame him for them. Can lock down quality small forwards reliably, also can be relied on to leave his man and impact a contest upfield. Doesnt get exposed much. and more importantly who would you name in front of him for that role?

 

[JumpyHolden]

I genuinely believe we are an 8-12 team. No need to cover my arse. Wins against Demons , although the recent one full of merit, were very lucky, and every week we are unsettled.
Even this week, another first gamer against the highest pressure team in the comp. If we get within 6 goals, I think we've done well.
I have no issues with our top end talent- they are superb; ; I have no issues with our bottom 10- they are what we have and when they get selected by CS /MC, I support them.
But there is a reason we are 8th, behind Hawthorn, despite our 2 get out of jail wins.

Funny how they are now get out of jail wins but at the time they were fantastic comeback wins. Unsettled means nothing when you still win games, I see Richmond as unsettled this week without Prestia and you're declaring them 6 goal winners.
We may be 8th but if we had of won one of those games we were expected to win we could have been 4th. pretty sure we've beaten 6 out of the top 10 sides and you have us an 8-12 side, think you're the only person on this forum that thinks that.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Changes since last time.

Geelong:
Outs - Stewart, Z Guthrie, McCarthy, Gregson, Murdoch, Parsons
Ins - C Guthrie, Jones, Menzel, Abbott, S Selwood, Henderson

Richmond:
Outs - Broad, Graham, Garthwaite, Conca, Butler
Ins - Ashbury, Lloyd, Menadue, Townsend, Baker

I'd say both teams have improved but I think us more so than them.

 

[Mr Meow]

Funny how they are now get out of jail wins but at the time they were fantastic comeback wins. Unsettled means nothing when you still win games, I see Richmond as unsettled this week without Prestia and you're declaring them 6 goal winners.
We may be 8th but if we had of won one of those games we were expected to win we could have been 4th. pretty sure we've beaten 6 out of the top 10 sides and you have us an 8-12 side, think you're the only person on this forum that thinks that.

I like to believe Vdubs is at least a tiny bit tongue in cheek when he goes all out devil's advocate on Geelong's chances and ability. It's a nice coping mechanism for when the club slip up to poor teams or bomb out in finals, and positions him more strongly to defend the job Scott is doing. "He's in charge of a bunch of GFL footballers, and somehow he keeps them in the upper reaches of the ladder" etc.

That point of view doesn't offend me greatly, in fact I find the extreme version of those posts very amusing (intentional or not, it's one of the most effective trolling mechanisms on here), but otherwise, he speaks a bit of sense. We're not *that* great, and haven't been for a while. That doesn't mean we should go into every single week expecting to lose. But it hardly effects the team whether its fan base are extreme pessimists or optimists. They'll either get the job done or they won't - nothing to do with us.

 

[you pick one]

And if we do ..then fine. Scott will not be too burned by a loss now..but he has a responsibility to get it squared away so that if we meet them in the finals.. we are not wondering what or how to beat them.

That sounds very mission accomplished.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Who’s the other proper ruck?

Danger!

 

[iameviljez]

We may be 8th but if we had of won one of those games we were expected to win we could have been 4th. pretty sure we've beaten 6 out of the top 10 sides and you have us an 8-12 side, think you're the only person on this forum that thinks that.

I reckon we're probably around the 6 to 8 mark at the moment, though we were absolutely smashed by injury early on.

Losing Ratugolea has really, really hurt us IMO. I know he's just a kid and can't be relied upon to dominate, but we just haven't quite looked settled up forward yet.

 

[Turbocat]

That sounds very mission accomplished.

Im not saying its a plan to lose..just that its not the worst outcome. We have to walk away thinking we can beat them next time.like Haw and us in 08. They had at least lost some games..which probably makes them harder to beat. We were on a winning run so that when it started going wrong in the GF..I don't think were were mental prepared. In 09 we had played and won several tight games , we were not as good but we were tougher.
There is obviously the advantage of beating them if we can..as we did in 2011 to Pies. Ideally we have period where we worry them and perhaps display a chink.

 

[winty]

6 years ago today this happened.



Here's hoping for a repeat performance tonight!

 

[Seeds]

Abbott will smash the hell out of Griggs and break even with Nankervis. Scott said that they want to put Richmond's back half under pressure. Richmond keep it in their forward half by forcing other teams to turn it over and then just high pressure football and repeat inside 50s.

Our clearance numbers are starting to look dominant against other teams, I'd expect that we are looking to put pressure on Richmond;s backline by winning centre clearances and around the ground stoppages and kicking it forward.

So play football the old fashioned way. Revelation.

 

[Seeds]

Maybe no top 8. Hawks next week...

Yes we have win and keep winning.

 

[OddYears]

I'm confused - there seems to have been a push about a month ago for Abbott to debut and that we "need" to see what he can do because otherwise he was a wasted draft pick. But now that he is being given his chance at senior level there are complaints that he is debuting, questions being asked about why in such an "important" match (considering we need to keep winning not sure theres any non-"important" matches left) and that it means Stanley is in serious doubt.

How about we back in Abbott to debut and actually see how he goes rather than writing him off or questioning his selection before we have even given him a chance at senior level

Don't think anyone has 'written him off'. There was a big push for him to debut a month ago because that would've been the perfect time.

 

[catpremier 07]

6 years ago today this happened.



Here's hoping for a repeat performance tonight!

**** that, my heart cant take anymore after the siren finishes

 

[iameviljez]

Our clearance numbers are starting to look dominant against other teams, I'd expect that we are looking to put pressure on Richmond;s backline by winning centre clearances and around the ground stoppages and kicking it forward.

I'm not sure that we'll be going all that fast out of defence - teams now try and pick their way through Richmond rather than outpace them, for obvious reasons.

 

[Grimoz]

Just checked the hourly forecast and it seems there could possibly be rain and storms during the game, surely we wont play 2 rucks if its raining.

 

[ATSAM]

6 years ago today this happened.



Here's hoping for a repeat performance tonight!

Great kick but well done Billy Smedts for that move to get the ball to Hawkins for the second last goal. Smedts was a natural forward who found a coach determined to play him out of position in hos quest to have everyone able to play everywhere.

 

[Seeds]

Just checked the hourly forecast and it seems there could possibly be rain and storms during the game, surely we wont play 2 rucks if its raining.

Rucks are more valuable in the rain. Game is slowed down so their lack of pace isnt as much a weakness and there will be more ruck contests then in a dry game.

 

[Seeds]

Great kick but well done Billy Smedts for that move to get the ball to Hawkins for the second last goal. Smedts was a natural forward who found a coach determined to play him out of position in hos quest to have everyone able to play everywhere.

Smedts body broke down and at the age of 23 had shoulders that zac guthrie would make fun of. Thats why he didnt make it. Not positions. Its arugable that smedts was a better rebound defender then forward because of a poor turning circle.

 

[Grimoz]

Rucks are more valuable in the rain. Game is slowed down so their lack of pace isnt as much a weakness and there will be more ruck contests then in a dry game.

I was more thinking about the high and low ball situation, usually wet games are more contested around the ball where we need smaller ground players. The wet weather essentially takes the high ball option off the table. How effective can you see 2 rucks being against the Richmond smalls? Dont see it working myself.

 

[TigerTime_89]

I would love to believe this to be true but I’m not confident. Are you trying reverse physcology or genuine?

No. We are due for a loss. It will be either this week or next when we play Gold Coast.

 

[Partridge]

Smedts body broke down and at the age of 23 had shoulders that zac guthrie would make fun of. Thats why he didnt make it. Not positions. Its arugable that smedts was a better rebound defender then forward because of a poor turning circle.

He was also played out of position (from 2014 onwards) way more than he should have been. It didn't help.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Tomorrow night will be the night we will be found out. Mark my words. Our ruck system is terrible. You guys will win by six goals in my opinion and this will be your launching pad into September.

I would back your terrible system over our terrible system at the moment.

 

[year of the cat]

He was also played out of position (from 2014 onwards) way more than he should have been. It didn't help.

Thats true. Ultimately though I don't think Smedts had the required desire and dedication to make it at AFL level.

 

[joe444]

True.. but Menzel and Henry weren’t forward. I feel we may have over corrected

Either way, unless there's a late withdrawal, we're taller and slower than we have been in previous weeks. Personally, I think that is a massive mistake and one I'd hoped we'd stopped making. It seems a particularly bizarre move against a team like the Tigers.

For the past few seasons, we always seemed to pick one too many tall, meandering players who, regardless of ability, simply threw out the team's balance. Now, it seems we're going back to that. It will get even worse if Harry becomes available.

Might as well put cards on the table: I took one look at those changes and lost almost all hope of pulling off an upset. Hope I'm proved wrong.