Expectation

[cat_fanatic]

This time last year the expectation was that Geelong would definitely play finals in 2006. Therefore we had massive membership increases coming into last year. This year there is none of that. No expectation. We will be able to sneak up the ladder without the footy world making too much of a fuss and hopefully when we make the finals, we will pounce.

I have a copy of John Harms (The Fan) article that he wrote at the end of the season in The Age. He said “Before the opening bounce of the Hawthorn game… Geelong was the talk of the competition” but failed dismally because it couldn’t handle the expectation: “we still want to know why a talented group hasn’t dealt well with expectation”. I believe this is the reason why we will do much better this year. There is no expectation. We are the laughing stock of the comp (after Carlton). Things couldn’t be much worse. That’s why we will make the eight comfortably this year.

Interested in peoples thoughts on this theory.

 

[RememberMe]

That guy stole my idea. Poaching stories off bigfooty forums. tsk tsk. lol

 

[RememberMe]

which forum?

Only joking mate. But yes, I agree. Geelong perform much better when they are not weighed down by expectation.

 

[cat_fanatic]

Only joking mate. But yes, I agree. Geelong perform much better when they are not weighed down by expectation.

Yeah, realised that after a quick reply , is why i deleted that post. But seriously it wouldnt supprise me.

 

[pezza76]

Unfortunately i too believe this theory to be perfectly accurate for Geelong. I say unfortunately because at some point to be successful there has to be some amount of expectation even if it is only the diehard followers. The clubs inability to handle this pressure was a telling factor in its demise. Back to my point though to win a premiership there has got to be some expectation of the group.

 

[CF]

as a very long time supporter and member I have seen it all too many times. We play against a side noone expects us to win...we knock them over easily....we then play a game against a side everyone expects us to win....we get beaten. I call it the Geelong Curse.

If we are ever to win a flag then the team has to learn to put expectation aside and get on with playing footy. Let's face it, in grand final week the weight of expectation is pretty intense. Sounds easy sitting in your loungeroom, but not so easy when your the one running out on the field.

 

[bashar]

last year, we lost too many close games and we narrowly missed out on the 8. this year players have had a good pre season and are looking sharper. im not going to write the season off before the ball has been bounced. we de listed some dud's
kelly and sj have been given a shake up
and kingy and ottens have had a full pre season underthem.
also leadership group has handeld the sj issue pretty well and there is evidence of leadership there.
im going to ignor 2006 and have the same expectations i had of geelong at the end of 2005, im expecting a flag (hehehe i know im crazy but yeh...if they didnt stand a chance i wouldnt b as optomistic)
btw hows hawkins doing? has he lost his puppy fat yet?

 

[Mooney_d'King]

...im going to ignor 2006 and have the same expectations i had of geelong at the end of 2005, im expecting a flag (hehehe i know im crazy but yeh...if they didnt stand a chance i wouldnt b as optomistic)

Wow, you must be mentally strong. I'm scarred and spurred by last season and will not be able to forget it. I'll probably be worried at every game that we're gonna fall back into that slump. Although, as someone said above, that does seem to be the Geelong curse (or perhaps the Geelong supporter's curse).

I still have a lot of hope for this year and hope that we surprise a lot of people with what will be a more die-hard attitude. G.I. Geelong.

 

[DanA]

To me every things seems to be right for us to have a successful 07. There are a few things I think will change that make me think 2006 will be an anomoly.

In 06 our forwardline was too unsettled and not functioning well.
I think it will be very different in 07. I'm hoping only 4 key forwards are tried in 07 (Ottens, Mooney, Nathan Ablett and Hawkins). Compare that to the 9 tried in 06; Gardiner, Playfair, Kingsly, McCarthy, Lonergan, N.Ablett, Ottens, Mooney and even Scarlett.

The new kick in rule was poorly exploited
In particular that set play kicking in to Ling around 50 was killing off our run from the backline. Hopefully we can improve those set plays.

Midfield depth
In 06 Prismall only appeared in the second half of the season, Kelly was playing poorly. Tenace & Byrnes did not step up. Chapman & Ablett were need in the forwardline as our only productive forwards. Mackie was only discovered as a winger late in the year.

In 07 hopefully Prismall and Mackie can continue to improve. One of Kelly, Tenace and Byrnes can have a standout year. More goals can come from forwards other than Chapman and Jnr freeing them up. We also have Stokes, Selwood, Djerrkurra, Reynolds, Davenport and Varcoe as backup options unavailable to us in 06.

Fitness was terrible
Most brutally highlighted against West Coast. I am certain that will be fixed.

Our ruck division was weak,
We relyed on only Ottens pretty much until King return against Fremantle. King and Ottens both missed preseason. Blake and West have a year more development under their belt which should make our ruck division look significantly stronger in 07.

These are all significant improvement which should see us more successful in 07.

 

[Mooney_d'King]

To me every things seems to be right for us to have a successful 07. There are a few things I think will change that make me think 2006 will be an anomoly.

In 06 our forwardline was too unsettled and not functioning well.
I think it will be very different in 07. I'm hoping only 4 key forwards are tried in 07 (Ottens, Mooney, Nathan Ablett and Hawkins). Compare that to the 9 tried in 06; Gardiner, Playfair, Kingsly, McCarthy, Lonergan, N.Ablett, Ottens, Mooney and even Scarlett.

The new kick in rule was poorly exploited
In particular that set play kicking in to Ling around 50 was killing off our run from the backline. Hopefully we can improve those set plays.

Midfield depth
In 06 Prismall only appeared in the second half of the season, Kelly was playing poorly. Tenace & Byrnes did not step up. Chapman & Ablett were need in the forwardline as our only productive forwards. Mackie was only discovered as a winger late in the year.

In 07 hopefully Prismall and Mackie can continue to improve. One of Kelly, Tenace and Byrnes can have a standout year. More goals can come from forwards other than Chapman and Jnr freeing them up. We also have Stokes, Selwood, Djerrkurra, Reynolds, Davenport and Varcoe as backup options unavailable to us in 06.

Fitness was terrible
Most brutally highlighted against West Coast. I am certain that will be fixed.

Our ruck division was weak,
We relyed on only Ottens pretty much until King return against Fremantle. King and Ottens both missed preseason. Blake and West have a year more development under their belt which should make our ruck division look significantly stronger in 07.

These are all significant improvement which should see us more successful in 07.

Check out this good post from Catnip:

Greetings fellow Catters. I am now into my 5th decade and have supported the GFC for many fruitless years. I regretfully announce that I have never been less enthused at the prospect of the coming football season as I am this year.

For all of those supporters who state that we aren't ready yet, but will be 'cherry ripe' in 2009-11, I say, 'hang on...we were supposed to be cherry ripe about now'. We've heard all of this tripe before my friends.

Deja-Vu abounds in this thread. We are still hoping and praying for players like Mackie, Tenace, Playfair and Byrnes to deliver. The 'kick in the pants' that Dog got from nearly been given the ar5e at the end of last season doesn't seem to have registered with his rear end or interferred with his love of Vodka Redbulls..although the leadership response has been encouraging.

Yes, the review did get rid of Lovell and we will be without Kingsley and McCarthy but from this outsiders' (as in outside the inner sanctum of the football club) point of view, player power is still an overriding force and we remain with the same coach who fiddled while Rome burned again and again last season (and he rates Chauncey Gardiner ). Finishing below Richmond and losing to the underwhelming Hawthorn not once, but twice in a year when the draw was favourable and we finally got off our ar5e and won some interstate games is totally unforgivable. The kick in the arse was Round 2 2004 at Craptus Oval.

How many times are we going to harp on about getting a kick within a GF in 2004? We didn't believe in ourselves in a game we shouldn't have hosted and recalling that embarrassing exit as irrefutable proof of our quality is a shameful example of the 'near enough is good enough' culture of our club, we might as well have all lined up and clapped the boys off after the Cat park capitulation against the scum last year. The fact remains that we have now gone backwards for two consecutive years.

As one eyed supporters it seems to be our duty to rate players such as James Kelly and Josh Hunt..for the life of me I can't remember what they have ever done..perhaps my memory is fading in my dotage. We need big years from both and from Cameron Ling who's stocks fell dramatically last season..has he been 'worked out'?

For the record, I love the Cats and always will. I'll be cheering on the boys every match and bragging when we win and banging my head on the table in frustration whenever we lose. I know I am going to cop heaps from my fellow Catters due to the negative tone of this post but my guarded prediction is that we might be able to regain some of the lost ground from last year (which may or may not equate to making the top eight) but it is most unrealistic to conclude that we are a top four combination.

I am more than happy to be proven wrong by anyone associated with the club or any fellow posters. A lot of the more positive posts (LOL, that would be all of them) have left me thinking 'haven't I heard this before?' and that the Geelong Deja Poo might just be heading our way again this season. Same 5hit, different year.

 

[DanA]

Check out this good post from Catnip:

Greetings fellow Catters. I am now into my 5th decade and have supported the GFC for many fruitless years. I regretfully announce that I have never been less enthused at the prospect of the coming football season as I am this year.

For all of those supporters who state that we aren't ready yet, but will be 'cherry ripe' in 2009-11, I say, 'hang on...we were supposed to be cherry ripe about now'. We've heard all of this tripe before my friends.

Deja-Vu abounds in this thread. We are still hoping and praying for players like Mackie, Tenace, Playfair and Byrnes to deliver. The 'kick in the pants' that Dog got from nearly been given the ar5e at the end of last season doesn't seem to have registered with his rear end or interferred with his love of Vodka Redbulls..although the leadership response has been encouraging.

Yes, the review did get rid of Lovell and we will be without Kingsley and McCarthy but from this outsiders' (as in outside the inner sanctum of the football club) point of view, player power is still an overriding force and we remain with the same coach who fiddled while Rome burned again and again last season (and he rates Chauncey Gardiner ). Finishing below Richmond and losing to the underwhelming Hawthorn not once, but twice in a year when the draw was favourable and we finally got off our ar5e and won some interstate games is totally unforgivable. The kick in the arse was Round 2 2004 at Craptus Oval.

How many times are we going to harp on about getting a kick within a GF in 2004? We didn't believe in ourselves in a game we shouldn't have hosted and recalling that embarrassing exit as irrefutable proof of our quality is a shameful example of the 'near enough is good enough' culture of our club, we might as well have all lined up and clapped the boys off after the Cat park capitulation against the scum last year. The fact remains that we have now gone backwards for two consecutive years.

As one eyed supporters it seems to be our duty to rate players such as James Kelly and Josh Hunt..for the life of me I can't remember what they have ever done..perhaps my memory is fading in my dotage. We need big years from both and from Cameron Ling who's stocks fell dramatically last season..has he been 'worked out'?

For the record, I love the Cats and always will. I'll be cheering on the boys every match and bragging when we win and banging my head on the table in frustration whenever we lose. I know I am going to cop heaps from my fellow Catters due to the negative tone of this post but my guarded prediction is that we might be able to regain some of the lost ground from last year (which may or may not equate to making the top eight) but it is most unrealistic to conclude that we are a top four combination.

I am more than happy to be proven wrong by anyone associated with the club or any fellow posters. A lot of the more positive posts (LOL, that would be all of them) have left me thinking 'haven't I heard this before?' and that the Geelong Deja Poo might just be heading our way again this season. Same 5hit, different year.

Yeah I think that is absolutre trite.

He can't remeber what Josh Hunt & James Kelly did for us to rate them?
Josh Hunt- Most Improved Player 2005
James Kelly - 8th in B&F 2005
Cameron Lings stocks fell because Cameron Lings role change in 2006. They tried to make him a play maker.

I don't see why it is unrealistic to think we could be a top 4 side either. We were a top 6 side in 04 & 05. We now have many more players at the 100 + game mark and a better lot of first year players than ever. Besides Ricco who have we lost?

 

[Partridge]

I don't see why it is unrealistic to think we could be a top 4 side either. We were a top 6 side in 04 & 05. We now have many more players at the 100 + game mark and a better lot of first year players than ever. Besides Ricco who have we lost?

Kingsley and McCarthy - thank God! I'm not automatically thinking we'll be top 4, but I still maintain a couple of tweaks in the right areas and we could be very, very competitive. Wait and see.

 

[Turbocat]

Expectation? Yes we had a membership increase , yes we won a Cup , yes we expected our team to be close to the mark. Why shouldn’t we , after all its been over 10 years since we last played in a GF and if supporters expectation is something that any player feels made their job of performing on the field harder then they have serious short comings as AFL players.

Pressure or expectation is only a product of a self induced performance parameter. Externals should have no effect if you are mentally tuned. Truly great sportsmen not only have an expectation of performance , they have a pride that over rides any externals and it demands them to reach what they see as their true level. It pushes them when they are ahead to continue and dominatate. It pushes them to reach down and find something when they are down and almost out. Does anyone think that Tiger Woods is negatively effected by public expectation? What about Michael Jordan?

So is it fair for us as supporters have high expectations? Why not. Thru our recent history , we have been thru an era of gut wrenching deconstruction of everything that was Geelong in the faint hope that Ayres was our panacea to our ills. We have stood by the club when it was announced that we were only ****tenth off going down the gurgler and understood that hard choices had to be made. We have endured the misery of the rebuild under Thompson , watching him blood players that weren’t really ready but with the constant reassurance that things will turn when the players were more experienced. Give them time they/he said , and so we did but now as we approach the “right time” this strategy was always going to increase the expectation of all supporters of the club.

Why shouldn’t there be expectations on the club? I don’t know about anyone else but I expect my team to be winners. Am I used to them being winners? No. , just like some other seasoned posters ,I have seen far too many stuffed games , far too may big game losses to be anything like person who is used to being a supporter of a dominant club but still , I expect my team to be winners. And , If anyone thinks my expectation are lower due to me having to endure that debacle of a year they are gravely mistaken .One bad year , gees ,I have a lifetime of built up expectations that puts one year into perspective.

My point of view is if anyone at the club feels that they have less pressure on them after last year , they really don’t grasp the big picture and they really are not the people worthy of wearing the hoops or being associated with the club.

 

[CF]

good post turbo

 

[Mooney_d'King]

... and if supporter expectation is something that any player feels made their job of performing on the field harder then they have serious short comings as AFL players.

Pressure or expectation is only a product of a self induced performance parameter. Externals should have no effect if you are mentally tuned.

So is it fair for us as supporters have high expectations? Why not....
My point of view is if anyone at the club feels that they have less pressure on them after last year , they really don’t grasp the big picture and they really are not the people worthy of wearing the hoops or being associated with the club.

Very good thinking Turbocat. Make those that don't stay focused. Imagine having a team that consistently had Chappie's attitude - we'd be winners.

EDIT: In hindsight, I may have contradicted myself a bit, but it's a forum and that's the power of sharing insight and opinion - you can review and learn.

 

[thegerman]

Yeah I think that is absolutre trite.

He can't remeber what Josh Hunt & James Kelly did for us to rate them?
Josh Hunt- Most Improved Player 2005
James Kelly - 8th in B&F 2005
Cameron Lings stocks fell because Cameron Lings role change in 2006. They tried to make him a play maker.


Great post Dan. Ling is not a playmaker, never has been. Rooke is a better playmaker and he tags to boot. Ling can only tag, because he is a guy who can run all day. Leave him with that, become one of our best taggers again.

I remember when Buckley had to wipe blood on Lings jumper to get him off the ground because he got under his skin, that is what Ling is about. Let him do that, and don't play him in a match winner role, not his style.

 

[WE Are Geelong]

Geelong will improve, thats my expectation. From 10.5 wins in 2006 I expect to win 12-15 games in 2007 which could see us anywhere between 4-8 on the ladder.

Too many variables at the moment to cover definitive reasons why...but generally I expect fitness will improve, skills to a degree will improve naturally as a result of that, Geelong will have a better game plan against certain sides who flogged us last year and I think we wont be as predictable up forward. We will have good size about us, enough experience now and we should be introducing a few good talented kids who can run and kick quite well.

To me improvement is the only thing I am certain about going into 2007 and after 2006 thats really not as hard as it sounds...and should see us into the 8 as a result.