Opinion Do we need to have a loss pre finals?

[catters05]

I’m more worried about the week between end of H&A and first final.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

On evidence so far we certainly don't look like we need a loss to let's say, recalibrate. The patches where sides kick multiple unanswered goals is a worry, but our responses have been so emphatic compared to anything in the past, that it's not as a pressing concern as it may have been.

On the other hand, I won't be overly disappointed if we do have one. I do feel a little uneasy about a long winning streak heading in to September. It's additional pressure we probably don't need.

See, I look at this as a huge positive, previous years if we gave up similar runs against we'd have lost the game, almost entirely due to the system we played requiring perfect football where we control the game from start to finish.
We saw it in the 19 PF, the 2020 GF and plenty of other games similar to those, or where we gave up early leads and spent 2 or more quarters pegging them back, only to give up a poor goal or turn over to lose by a kick (we ALL know plenty of games like that!).
This season is different because we don't need to control the game start to finish, we can play flashes and completely destroy teams, or hold teams momentum back then slingshot it when it turns our way, it reminds me so much of the 09-11 team where 20 minutes of Cats football was enough to kill a game.
Even this year we've seen it multiple times, sometimes resulting in massive wins (the North game was pretty close all the way up to half time IIRC, before we won by 19 goals).

David King (eww) mentioned a stat, that Geelong is currently the number 1 team for converting possessions into goals, and the number 1 team for reducing scores against, which hasn't been seen for a long, long time (no other team is top 6 in both).

Although having runs against you is something to be concerned about and look to rectify, it's a MASSIVE positive that we still win those games.

Edit: Actually, reading the rest of the sentence, you essentially say what I said... so... uhh... Go Cats?

 

[goyoucatters]

I’m more worried about the week between end of H&A and first final.

I guarantee we won't lose that week...

 

[SkittleCats]

David King has talked us up on SEN today so after that i've lost all hope of winning it this year regardless of if we lose before the finals.

 

[Sire of Claude]

No, we should keep winning. The biggest concern is that while we recovered from big momentum shifts versus the Pies and Port, it will be harder to do so in a final. And of course momentum shifts are brought about by one team getting control of the centre for a period - decisive clearances and quick goals ( see Dees in the last GF). That is the only thing concerning me at this point. We need one P Dangerfield fit and firing in the middle, supported by the hard tackling of Atkins and Parfitt and the breakaway speed of the exciting M. Holmes.

 

[Chinacats]

13 on the trot going into the QF. Favourites for the cup.. pressure building….

 

[Mr Meow]

13 on the trot going into the QF. Favourites for the cup.. pressure building….

A really encouraging stat is that favourites for the cup win the cup more often than non favourites. The more favouritism for Geelong grows from here, the more likely it is they get the job done. So let's not pretend "expectation" is some kind of curse. It means the football being played is to a higher level than previous (failing) Geelong sides.

 

[Chinacats]

A really encouraging stat is that favourites for the cup win the cup more often than non favourites. The more favouritism for Geelong grows from here, the more likely it is they get the job done. So let's not pretend "expectation" is some kind of curse. It means the football being played is to a higher level than previous (failing) Geelong sides.

Pretty sure we were favourites in the QF IN 13, 17, 19 and even 2020 probably. Underdogs got hold of us… pressure coming …

 

[Mr Meow]

Pretty sure we were favourites in the QF IN 13, 17, 19 and even 2020 probably. Underdogs got hold of us… pressure coming …

13 you can have as comfortable favourites. That was the big choke.

17 and 19 it was close to even money - $1.77/1.80 to Cats, $2.05/2.10 to Tigers/Pies. Favourites by a whisker at best.

20 Port were favourites by about the same margin.

16 we were favourites and won. 14, 18 and 21 we were not favourites, and lost.

Seems being a comfortable QF favourite, like in our flag years, is actually the best option of all.

 

[Vdubs]

If anything, the "loss" could well be the bye, where our winning streak has a week off, loss of momentum, but even that does not appear to be insurmountable for us this year. There are a lot of very hungry non Premiership players in our 25 who are desperate to taste success, and winning every week leads to that.

 

[Chinacats]

13 you can have as comfortable favourites. That was the big choke.

17 and 19 it was close to even money - $1.77/1.80 to Cats, $2.05/2.10 to Tigers/Pies. Favourites by a whisker at best.

20 Port were favourites by about the same margin.

16 we were favourites and won. 14, 18 and 21 we were not favourites, and lost.

Seems being a comfortable QF favourite, like in our flag years, is actually the best option of all.

flag years long time ago.
17, 19 favourites and lost. This time we could be going in with a 13 game winning streak.. I think there will be some pressure given we have failed dismally in finals the last 5 years...
BTW 2018 wasn't a QF game

 

[Hinkley29]

No

I won’t be jumping off if we did have a loss in the next 2 weeks, but it isn’t happening.

 

[Hinkley29]

flag years long time ago.
17, 19 favourites and lost. This time we could be going in with a 13 game winning streak.. I think there will be some pressure given we have failed dismally in finals the last 5 years...
BTW 2018 wasn't a QF game

This year’s team is way better than any of those teams.

The way we dismantle teams with quick hands and spread from contested situations is breathtaking.

This team reminds me of 2007, when we were clearly the best team in it, but no-one (myself included) wanted to fully believe because of our history. This year is the same.

And we all know how 2007 ended….

 

[FredLeDeux]

We don't need a loss; it's just stupid to flirt with form, and none of the 25 contenders for the final team will be going anything less than flat out.

On the other hand, it's a football truism that good sides learn more from a loss than from a win; just witness the very high proportion of times in local footy that the loser of the second semi gets through the prelim and reverses the SS result in the GF.

 

[iameviljez]

13 you can have as comfortable favourites. That was the big choke.

17 and 19 it was close to even money - $1.77/1.80 to Cats, $2.05/2.10 to Tigers/Pies. Favourites by a whisker at best.

20 Port were favourites by about the same margin.

16 we were favourites and won. 14, 18 and 21 we were not favourites, and lost.

Seems being a comfortable QF favourite, like in our flag years, is actually the best option of all.

In retrospect, the 2017 loss wasn’t bad. That Tigers side proved awesome.

TheCollingwood loss in 2019 was the awful one for mine.

 

[kickazz]

No.

The only reason you 'need' a loss is to expose a weakness that may be there but not obvious, so you can learn from it.

I think we have had enough quarters of footy in the last two months where we have been, frankly, dominated. Surely we have learned something from those.

 

[Mr Meow]

flag years long time ago.
17, 19 favourites and lost. This time we could be going in with a 13 game winning streak.. I think there will be some pressure given we have failed dismally in finals the last 5 years...
BTW 2018 wasn't a QF game

Anywhere behind 19 is ancient history given the changes to the team. We had 10 different players in 2017. So of relevance, you get 19 as slight favourites in the QF and losing. 20 and 21 not favourites and losing. It's irrelevant. Being a better side is what matters.