Review Geelong defeat Hawks "when it matters" by 6 goals to make another Grand Final

[Strange Cat]

What a glorious morning to wake up knowing we are the grand final!!!

 

[sleep]

Potentially unpopular opinion - I'm also really happy for Bailey Smith. I think the media are protecting their own in relation to him. Even in the final minutes Ben Casanelia (who called him a "dickhead" on X whilst simultaneously mouthing off about how professional should use professional language) was describing his goal in terms which lingered on how unfortunate it was that Geelong fans couldn't truly celebrate the goal with him.

So happy for this mob. Each iteration of the side is a bit different.

Ben is a ****wit

 

[standupand]

What a glorious morning to wake up knowing we are the grand final!!!

I guess until we have an opponent, you're right, right now we are the grand final!

 

[BotsMaster]

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Clark >>> Newcomb.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

I think the thought of just clinching a brand new Ford Mustang would would make one a little emotional as well brummmm brummmm.

Yep he’s got the 3 votes for sure. Deserves 10 after that game. Never seen anything quite like it.

 

[MacStradbroke]

That Bowes/Clark trade that many thought was a bust is looking ok about now

 

[No Quarter]

What a roller coaster of emotion..!

I think I'm feeling it a little more this morning than last night.

Attended the game with my old fella and my brother, which was a great treat.

A couple of pre game pints got the body loose. I'd brought a hoody and a jacket and my Cats scarf, and was a tad regretful. I was basically sweating walking in to the G. Fast forward to Q4, freezing my nads off, refusing to retreat from the rain as it came down harder and harder due to the upcoming realisation of Geelong making it to the 2025 GRAND FINAL!

Now, with those beers in the system early, I shit you not, mid way through the first quarter I said "We're cooked!" and legit thought we might need to depart early. This game early had signs of an absolute capitulation. Embarrassment that would prevent me from leaving the Geelong BF board any time soon. Shades of 2008.

But I think there's something so different about the Cats in the past year or so.

During the Brisbane game, I commented that our teams around the mid teens era, would have absolutely fallen to pieces after the dual free kicks were paid and Brisbane started to get back on top. But Geelong has found a sense of maturity, composure and real leadership in finding the ability to regroup, sure their processes up and stick to the plan.

This happened once again last night. Emphatically.

That we were able to dig in, get the game back on our terms and then get away with a 5 goal lead, did not reflect the "wasted years" where our game plan did not stack up during finals. This is a different team. Kudos must go to the way that our coaching, management and anyone else responsible for how our team and approach has been finessed, reshaped, etc.

And, with all that said, I still won't go in to next week with supreme confidence, but reaching yet another grand final in itself has delivered a sense of relief that will keep my contentment levels high enough.

The belief if is there... PREMIERS 25!

 

[Mr Meow]

Hands up - who else said "we're f***ed" when we were down 21-1, fumbling all over the place, with Stewart and Henry injured?

Never in doubt!

 

[No Quarter]

Hands up - who else said "we're f***ed" when we were down 21-1, fumbling all over the place, with Stewart and Henry injured?

Never in doubt!

Honestly had pretty well thrown the towel in.
Wasn't sooking, thought I was being realistic.
Boy was I wrong.

 

[Commando]

Hands up - who else said "we're f***ed" when we were down 21-1, fumbling all over the place, with Stewart and Henry injured?

Never in doubt!

Right at the point I tuned it

 

[No Quarter]

FWIW, I watched the first quarter again on TV when I got home last night. I feel that quarter looked far worse at the ground than it did on TV.

 

[#6 Thorp #7 Selwood LOL]

Does anybody know where I can find the channel 7 post match content? On 7plus the replay cuts out immediately after the siren and I can’t find a separate video.

 

[Mr Meow]

20 to 5 centre clearances
Total domination in what was recently a weakness

Return of the King
Blicavs: Inspector Gadget
Atkins levelling up x5
Bazlenka boost
Maximum Holmes
"Danger Zone" fresh for finals

Our scores from stoppage differential has exploded this year. 11.6.72 to 7.2.44 from that source last night. Only their accuracy stopped that being even more of a domination.

 

[The_Koulouriotis_Fan]

I still think he can be a 200 gamer. The issue is he has neither the endurance nor the size strength for the inside mid role (yet) but theres a tenacious player and good football brain in there. Needs time to develop physically but he has the will to get there. Hes harshly judged around here

At the lions game I saw him close up and was surprised how tall he is, he looks like he has the frame to build that size on. We forget that Atkins didn’t get drafted until he was 23 and then took 4 seasons to find his place.
I think Clark will be a beauty and his composure, will and quick thinking in a big game (aside from one howler) was exceptional

 

[Commando]

Does anybody know where I can find the channel 7 post match content? On 7plus the replay cuts out immediately after the siren and I can’t find a separate video.

Try searching AFL post game

 

[Commando]

Watching Sam Mitchell sook it up in that press conference was the sweetest thing of all. What a flog that bloke is.

Sam Mitchell was the kid who took his bat and went home when he went out playing cricket in the street...

 

[Reg Hickey]

Holmes, said in the post match interview, when he was recruited by Geelong, he thought he’d really have to work hard to be fitter, bigger + stronger. The coaches said they would come later + their focus was on his strengths + tweaking aspects of his game to improve.

I believe they did that with Zuthrie + now Clark.

I think this is the genius of our development program, led right now by Nigel Lappin.

Wellsy and the recruitment team have deservedly gotten a lot of praise over the years for their ability to find diamonds in the rough, but I honestly believe that just as much more credit has to go to the development program. We hit gold so often partly because of who we pick, but also because of what we do with them when they get to the club.

Blicavs, O'Connor, Mullin, Dempsey, Close, Zuthrie, Miers, Atkins... the list of players who have way outperformed what you might have expected when they were recruited is long, and I believe it's because we don't try to turn them into something they're not, but instead we take what they're already good at and make it absolutely elite.

 

[TomsBulgingDisc]

Thank you. Finally, people are starting to see Clark's potential. These little signs of class have been there all along. Give the lad another pre-season to build his fitness and strength and he will become an important part of the team. And then I look forward to seeing plenty of folks over in the 'I Was Wrong' thread. Go Cats!

Watching him talk after the game you realise how young/immature he is. He has lots of room to mature and grow. He'll be a fine player for us

 

[nomoreklondikes]

That dummy from Stengle for his second goal was a thing of beauty. Same with Dempsey’s ludicrous handball for Stengle’s first.

 

[GlenMiddlemissed]

Hands up - who else said "we're f***ed" when we were down 21-1, fumbling all over the place, with Stewart and Henry injured?

Never in doubt!

Actually, I never did. This team problem solves on the run. And they only kicked 3 goals for all their dominance. I was much more nervous with 10 minutes to go in the 4th, to the extent that I did what I never do, turned the volume on the TV down and left the room and only came back for the last 3 minutes!

 

[STPer18]

Jhye Clark's best game of his career coming on as a sub when shit was hitting the fan with Stewart & Henry in a Prelim. Well done young man.

 

[BotsMaster]

Hands up - who else said "we're f***ed" when we were down 21-1, fumbling all over the place, with Stewart and Henry injured?

Never in doubt!

Certainly was concerning . I was shaking with nerves for the entire first half despite seeing moments of our usual selves towards the end of the of the first and parts of the second

 

[#6 Thorp #7 Selwood LOL]

Try searching AFL post game

Got it! Thanks you bloody legend.

 

[GlenMiddlemissed]

The performances of 3 players last night only reinforces what I have long thought; you shouldn’t recruit Worpel types, instead you use your picks and salary cap to develop your own players like Clark (or Guthrie or Miers), but you do everything you can to recruit the Dangers (or Jezzas or Bazlenkas).