Autopsy Geelong defeated by Port by 16 points.

[My Tilly]

Even if Ratugolea was pushing those numbers, he offers almost nothing defensively, which is Rohan's primary role (apart from creating space for Hawkins, which Ratugolea also doesn't do).

I don't disagree with that.
But I'm not exactly sure Rohan's defensive accountability is all it is pumped up to be.
He's good in spurts and how many defensive roll players do you want in a team?
Dahlhaus, Atkins are already clogging up the forward line and midfield without offering us anything offensively and creatively. Rohan has creativity but he doesn't mark the ball and he's no longer hitting the scoreboard and that is a worry.

Ratugolea's last game was as poor as Rohan's last night. 4 touches, 2 marks no score but did play ruck as well.
If we are playing West Coast, do you really put your faith in Rohan and Hawkins as the talls with Stanley drifting forward (which will not be happening against a dominant ruckman like Naitanui)?
Remembering, West Coast have a very solid back six comprised of 3 talls.

 

[son of meto]

No, I'm not assuming that, I was simply responding to a comment about Rohan's numbers. Rohan is a medium sized tall with a fantastic leap.

How does your forward line setup look including Esava?

FF - Rohan, Hawkins, Miers
HF - Ablett, Ratugolea, Dahlhaus (Narkle)

Or any combination of the above (you could swap in Narkle for Dahlhaus to to add more midfield grunt to boot). I'd encourage Gary to play higher in order to get involved in the midfield more often...his class is golden in traffic and under duress.

 

[frggr]

Could have been just that the Power were up an about but they also really looked to play for each other and getting to team mates for the smallest things and just getting the ball froward at any cost (which seems to be currently the crux of modern footy). Hell, even Stevie Motlop knocked/tapped on a ball for a goal.

Think that also has a lot to do with the Tigers success, no Geelong 2008 but every player knows his role and what the TEAM needs.

I could be wrong but sometimes I feel we don’t play as a cohesive unit, more like silo’s, like misfits or Wolfpack or whatever the mids call themselves.

Yep. I feel this too sometimes. Too many individual superstars, no superstar team

 

[Live in hope]

Scott has been extremely good this year, particularly with background of Covid, but ...

Shame he is so utterly convicted of the game style to the extent of angry denial. Yes, Geelong probably was the better team in the first half but the level that Port played at in the third is the level that the Tigers are capable for four quarters - and will beat a passing game every day.

 

[Ratcat]

Why are you assuming it's Rohan or Esava? Play them BOTH!!!! Rohan is NOT A TALL for crying out loud.

Lol they actually think he is!

 

[Finknottle]

Could have been just that the Power were up an about but they also really looked to play for each other and getting to team mates for the smallest things and just getting the ball froward at any cost (which seems to be currently the crux of modern footy). Hell, even Stevie Motlop knocked/tapped on a ball for a goal.

Think that also has a lot to do with the Tigers success, no Geelong 2008 but every player knows his role and what the TEAM needs.

I could be wrong but sometimes I feel we don’t play as a cohesive unit, more like silo’s, like misfits or Wolfpack or whatever the mids call themselves.

That little tap on by Motlop is something the Richmond players do instinctively and it more often than not is successful. It's not something you see this Geelong team do. They have lost their flair. Remember Scarlett's toe-poke to Ablett which ended in a Chapman goal in the 2009 grand final against St Kilda. We need to encourage that stuff.

 

[someday-somehow]

If you look at last year and last nights game as any indicator you would be mad to throw out and do a clean out. We were 19 points off Richmond last year. That’s hardly a concern.

just continue to push and push hard while we are a quality side, which means any avenue for improvement we can. Whether it’s draft trading or free agents we need to continue to push hard to bridge the small gap between us and the best, which based off last year was 19 points.

in terms of strategy we just need to figure out a way to be a bit sharper and fluent around stoppages during games. I’d say everything else is very rock solid. It’s no major issues but advancements and tweaks.

I get it if some supporters can’t stomach being almost good enough but just not good enough for many years, I get it. Just need to take emotion out of it and look objectively at it. We do way way more right than we do wrong and all up it’s a fantastic system. Just need to incrementally improve.

specifically I would probably go after viney crouch who would add a lot of depth to our midfield and are the right age. Take our picks to the draft and continue developing.

work hard over the summer on trying to improve ball movement at stoppages and contests. The one area I feel other teams are a bit better than we are. It’s not just solely a midfield thing but an entire 18 on the field getting involved to move it more effectively.

95% we are doing right, and I’d only say marginal things to improve on that will take us from 3-5th range to 1-2 range and hopefully a flag.

that’s the serious answer if you actually wanted one, or you just wanted to obsess over our coach more not sure. But that’s my two cents regardless

Thanks for the genuine reply - appreciate it. And yes I did want it. I personally think we are past doing what you've suggested and have been for a while.

 

[My Tilly]

Lol they actually think he is!

They seem to think Blicavs and Kolodjashnij are smalls too.

 

[Ratcat]

They seem to think Blicavs and Kolodjashnij are smalls too.

I'd believe anything's possible on here.

 

[son of meto]

Lol they actually think he is!

It's staggering isn't Ratcat?! Blind freddy can see this...why are Geelong supporters sooooo......?

Rohan is NOT and NEVER will be a key position player!!!

 

[frggr]

Lol they actually think he is!

I can't see anyone saying Rohan is a tall. He plays fairly tall for a 6'2 bloke has a great leap and takes a defender, but he's firmly in the medium category.

 

[frggr]

Imagine my surprise when a guy sporting a Donald Trump av behaves in a condescending manner and cops a holiday for his trouble :/

 

[Ratcat]

I can't see anyone saying Rohan is a tall. He plays fairly tall for a 6'2 bloke has a great leap and takes a defender, but he's firmly in the medium category.

Well they do, carn't have him and Ratugolea in the same forwardline.
Seriously this club is paranoid.

 

[xtatik222k]

View attachment 975703

Imagine my surprise when a guy sporting a Donald Trump av behaves in a condescending manner and cops a holiday for his trouble :/

What post got him banned?

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Thanks for the genuine reply - appreciate it. And yes I did want it. I personally think we are past doing what you've suggested and have been for a while.

If you look at last nights game we didn’t play poorly. We had great opportunities to win it and didn’t convert. Never seen hawkins choke like that and Duncan stuffed up some very basics which cost us.

I genuinely do think if we got them again in a grand final on neutral turf we will beat them. I don’t think they would be all that comfortable playing us again away from Adelaide either off the back of that game and relying on us to miss chances like that again and them to take theirs

 

[Catman]

Despite it being a season like no other, with all the uncertainty and upheaval, there's always one thing that remains - Geelong letting it's supporters down in the first week of a finals series.

Usually it's two choices. This time it wasn't the first quarter disappearance act that we've seen all too often, but the second option of a failure to take advantage of your opportunities when you have momentum. Something crucial in any year, more so this year with the reduced quarter durations. We saw it in the PF last year and we saw it again last night. The fact we went in to HT trailing, after dominating that first half was the ball game right there. We kept them to 4 I50 for the entire second quarter, yet they kicked two goals from those entries, including one on HT, just after we had regained the lead. Don't get me started on the times we allow sides to do that at the end of quarters. Port go in at HT with their tails up knowing they've been outplayed, all the momentum is with them and all our hard work counted for nothing.

Chief culprit was the current Coleman Medallist, who completely went to water when we need him to stand up. Unfortunately it's become a common occurrence for Tom to do this. Be it having the yips, or deciding to belt an opponent off the ball, he's as much to blame as anybody for our recent poor finals record. Is that unfair? Possibly. But as our number one man he has let his team down too often when we've needed him to stand up.

Speaking of taking your chances. I did some research on our goalkicking in finals. In particular, our embarrassing first week performances. Since the 2011 flag, here is our scores in the first week...

2012 EF v Fremantle - 11.14 to 14.12 - 44%
2013 QF v Fremantle - 9.18 to 12.15 - 33%
2014 QF v Hawthorn - 10.8 to 15.14 - 56%
2016 QF v Hawthorn - 12.13 to 12.11 - 48%
2017 QF v Richmond - 5.10 to 13.13 - 33%
2018 EF v Melbourne - 6.10 to 10.15 - 38%
2019 QF v Collingwood - 7.9 to 9.7 - 44%
2020 QF v Port Adelaide - 5.12 to 9.4 - 29%

An average of 41% accuracy. Ironically our most accurate game was a comprehensive loss. It's the classic, bad kicking is bad football cliche. The last four finals are damning for our inability to score full stop. 7.9 our best return is frankly unacceptable. No wonder our record is as bad as it is.

In fact, in our 16 finals since 2011, only four times have we kicked more goals than points. We are 2-2 in those matches.

This side cracks under pressure and it is throughout the team, from senior players to inexperienced players. There is no composure at crucial moments all across the ground, and more importantly in front of the sticks. Now this group is so mature, so seasoned, that this is what they are. There's no sugar coating it, there isn't the room for further development. It's not a group of young blokes learning their craft we saw in the early 2000's who could learn from their mistakes.

This group has gone as far as it can, and it's fallen short. They are just not up to it, mentally. They've shown that time and time again.

 

[frggr]

What post got him banned?

No idea - could have just been 'the vibe'

 

[My Tilly]

I can't see anyone saying Rohan is a tall. He plays fairly tall for a 6'2 bloke has a great leap and takes a defender, but he's firmly in the medium category.

Who only plays one key forward then?
Look at every team in the finals, they all have two key forwards.

Port had Marshall and Dixon.
Richmond have Riewoldt and Chol.
Brisbane have McStay and Hipwood
Collingwood have Mihocek and Cox.
Bulldogs have Bruce and Naughton

Geelong and St Kilda are the only teams who will play one tall forward and one mid sized forward. Even St Kilda are playing Ryder as their no.1 ruck and playing Marshall from the goal square.

 

[darren forssman]

Yep. I feel this too sometimes. Too many individual superstars, no superstar team

not just them, but role players, like Henry for instance, should have either been a handball or a dirty kick forward for our players to run onto or create something.

 

[Ratcat]

View attachment 975703

Imagine my surprise when a guy sporting a Donald Trump av behaves in a condescending manner and cops a holiday for his trouble :/

And you never do? Common man up it's just a different opinion.

 

[frggr]

And you never do? Common man up it's just a different opinion.

Not usually, no. And I've got no reason why he copped the holiday - just thought the timing was funny

 

[frggr]

not just them, but role players, like Henry for instance, should have either been a handball or a dirty kick forward for our players to run onto or create something.

Absolutely!

It feels like the 'flair' aspect isn't there. As if they don't have a licence to just play the game on instinct. Or maybe players like Henry just don't *have* that instinct and that's a worry all on its own

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Scott has been extremely good this year, particularly with background of Covid, but ...

Shame he is so utterly convicted of the game style to the extent of angry denial. Yes, Geelong probably was the better team in the first half but the level that Port played at in the third is the level that the Tigers are capable for four quarters - and will beat a passing game every day.

Yeah, I agree. Scott totally believes in what he's doing and good luck to him. But the proof doesn't stack up. He's created a good H&A side that can make finals, to his credit. But the game plan just won't succeed with finals pressure. The Cats won't win another flag until Scott leaves, I suspect. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Yeah, I agree. Scott totally believes in what he's doing and good luck to him. But the proof doesn't stack up. He's created a good H&A side that can make finals, to his credit. But the game plan just won't succeed with finals pressure. The Cats won't win another flag until Scott leaves, I suspect. I hope I'm wrong.

To be fair it helps when his opponents are enititled to actual finals home games. Give Geelong the same allowances and his record would be far greater.

 

[Ratcat]

Yeah, I agree. Scott totally believes in what he's doing and good luck to him. But the proof doesn't stack up. He's created a good H&A side that can make finals, to his credit. But the game plan just won't succeed with finals pressure. The Cats won't win another flag until Scott leaves, I suspect. I hope I'm wrong.

Nuh, you're 100% right.
.