No Oppo Supporters Geelong defeated by Richmond in PF by 19 points

[Vdubs]

We should at least have a GF appearance for all the work of getting so deep in finals in recent years but I don't really look at any of the years as a wasted opportunity for a flag like I do with 2008. I look at last night and say we were the 2nd best team in the comp this year, we should have beaten Collingwood in the QF, we should have got through to the GF but Richmond are the best side this year. In 2013 I really think we would have lost to Freo in that GF, Freo actually should have beaten Hawthorn if they didn't waste their opportunities in the 1st half. 2016 was a bit of a bugger because GWS beating the Swans moved the Swans (who were the best team that year) to our side of the draw for the prelim. We weren't really up to the task in 2017, Richmond and Adelaide were better sides. But as a whole we should have got through to a grand final and the thing is once you get there anything can happen on the day and we could have had another flag to our name.

Good post, and agree with 08, absolute misery as we were so far the best team that year, but not so this year. The top spot fell in our laps in rd 23 (yes, we were on top all year)but really all teams down to #6 were as good or better than us, and #7 beat us as well.
Unless we get to the GF, we do not deserve to be there.
When we were flying this year, GWS made us look ordinary. I recall thinking they would not be great to meet at a more neutral larger venue like the G.
WCE have been up and down all year, and we pipped them; a very good result. But Pies were way better than us 2weeks ago. They ran out of legs in the last Q, and made us look closer.And it seems Richmond has every team's measure.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

That's it - yes it's disappointing to not be making it past preliminary finals, but I'm damn proud of the club for continually being in the position to compete each year. There are supporters of teams that would love to be playing finals year after year and just have that bit of hope the may actually compete for a premiership.

Geelong won't always be in such a position, and when they no longer are, you'll be looking back at this period and wondering what could have been.

 

[Moley Russels Wart]

Abuse is not on....have a day to cool off.

That's abuse is it? You dont work in AFL house by anychance?

 

[Live in hope]

Bit late, but here’s my wrap -

Firstly - I’m disappointed. But not gutted.

Richmond has been clearly been the stand out team over the last three years. Yes, they didn’t win last year and could well be beaten by GWS next Saturday. But when they are on song they are clearly the best. Dusty etc get the plaudits but their bottom 6 are very good and probably be top 12 in most other teams. Most of the talk about Richmond is their contest, but their spread and foot skills are massively underrated - two areas we need to significantly improve in.

As for us - great first half but with a challenging game against Weagles followed by a game against a rested form team in Richmond it was always going to be very tough in the second half, once they got the right structure and some impetus. I suspect that Danger and Ablett are carrying injuries and pretty much seized up in the second half which was always going to make it incredibly difficult to counter punch against a rampant midfield.

Thoughts on some others -

• Joel - wound back the clock. Get his body right and on right program for 2020 with some games off. Will need him if Ablett and Kelly go.
• Blitz - absolute shocker of a game and a poor finals series. Scott must take the blame for this - it was not Blitz’ decision to play on the wing last two games. Unlikely to be that bad again- if Taylor retires it will remove the structural problem that pushed him out of FB, his best position.
• Meirs - very good game and season and going to get better. Potential A grader.
• MOC - developed so quickly into a very good all round player.
• Kolo - Reiwolt a very good scalp capping off a very good year (with small down patch). His decision making has improved immensely.
• Guthrie - shown that when played as a mid and given licence to attack can be a massive asset, even in big games. Went missing 2nd half, but nearly all of our mids were routed so not sure can single out.
• Stanley - his effort was great, just needed to take more first options. We must get a real first ruck but wouldn’t be upset if stays and is our backup.
• Parfitt- don’t know- a real tease. Will watch closely in 2020. Think he might be one skill short of being an A grader.
• Menegola - same again. Good second half but we need him to be better through out big games, particularly when it is usually hot early.

Overall for 2019 -
My expectations were for a 7 to 12 finish so exceeded. Like a lot of people I think our top of table finish flattered us but a great effort nonetheless. Atkins, MOC, Meirs, Sav, Clark and Constable gives so much hope for future. I’ve also got hopes Freddie and Simpson. I wouldn’t write off Fort either.

Next year-
Another finals campaign is possible but going to be hard without Kelly and unlikely to get the sort of quality again we got from Rohan and Ablett in first half of 2019.
For me the key for 2020 is to build a side for big games at the ‘G and it starts with nailing the right trades for Kelly and having an optimal ND. Must get a resilient and effective first ruck, a KPF, a contested mid with speed and a outside mid/forward. Good to elite footskills must become a not negotiable for our draft picks. Get all this right and I think we will be good in 2020 and possibly great in 2021 onward.

 

[Partridge]

Scott's a genius. You just don't get his brilliance. This is all part of his plan.
*smug grin, wink*

He also knows what the problems are.

But he's not going to tell you.

 

[Gee Class Loco]

Too many piss & moaners to mention on here today...
Been watching the Cats since 1975.
Too many expect to win all the time. So when it doesn’t they need to lay blame... yep you know the ones. They are on here today in all their glory. We are members supporters watchers and voyeurs... who love a victory but sook it like babies when for whatever reason they lose. I guess a few of the good folk on here need to experience very little success for a decade or two so to lose that part of their character.
So if I’ve hit a nerve with some of you... build a bridge get over it as with every seasons end we all come again for more the following seasons.
We are Geelong!!
Cheers and Go Catters!!


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[RegHickeyStand]

For anyone satisfied with getting to the prelim (again) and admitting we were never going further, but being happy with that, I've got some hard advice: go to the pies board and tell them they should be happy with what they have achieved. Come back and tell me how it went for you. I wouldn't have that attitude in 2013, but I do now.

I view our 90's team as a failure. '89 to '97. And stories leaked out since have told a tale of some cultural weaknesses that were very telling. We should have grabbed the cup one of those years. We had the team.

We were lucky to build the 2007-2011 team. But once we had it, we should have piggy-backed a cup since then. Once, at least. You can look to the successes in this time, but don't ignore that failure. Scott is a mystery. He has to be a good coach just looking at his record. But so is Ross Lyon. We don't know what goes on behind closed dooors, but we see the results of just falling short year after year. The thing that bites is as we approach the prelim each year, we never look like a real threat.

And the window is only open so long. The next coach may not be given such a dream run.

 

[steady2]

He got sanctioned...move on....

I did not realise that when I posted the above. I am intending to remove it.

 

[you pick one]

Too many piss & moaners to mention on here today...
Been watching the Cats since 1975.
Too many expect to win all the time. So when it doesn’t they need to lay blame... yep you know the ones. They are on here today in all their glory. We are members supporters watchers and voyeurs... who love a victory but sook it like babies when for whatever reason they lose. I guess a few of the good folk on here need to experience very little success for a decade or two so to lose that part of their character.
So if I’ve hit a nerve with some of you... build a bridge get over it as with every seasons end we all come again for more the following seasons.
We are Geelong!!
Cheers and Go Catters!!


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Welcome newbe.

 

[you pick one]

He also knows what the problems are.

But he's not going to tell you.

Or the club or team for that matter.

 

[hoopla]

Disgusting to read about the behaviour of some of our supporters:

Geelong president slams 'disrespectful' comments from minority of Cats fans

Geelong president Colin Carter says he’s “amazed” with a minority of fans who have sent “foul” letters to players and officials in previous weeks. The Cats lost their third preliminary final in four years last night, going down to the Tigers by 19 points. And in the aftermath, Carter revealed to...

www.3aw.com.au

I hope it’s not from supporters on this board.

 

[Catman]

Genuine question :

Do you consider Collingwood a better side?

Every team is a better side than us to him.

 

[allrighty]

We all wanted to beat Collingwood so we got the ‘easier’ side of the draw but based on the conditions and the hunger and aggression of GWS we would not have been certainties to beat them today, Hawkins or no Hawkins.

Now for the next seven days, we are all Toby Greene fans.

That's a no for me. He is a tool, and I don't care who wins next week except if it's Richmound. I will not be watching as I could not give a rat's about chaos football crap. Hardwick however deserves a win, he's done a bloody good job and is WAY ahead of our man.

 

[romeohwho]

Genuine question :

Do you consider Collingwood a better side?

Nope-they aren’t.
The ‘famed’ bottom 6 measure- not better than ours.
We blew the final against them with stupid ruckman decision and shocking slow mo game plan.
Richmond is a bit better than us. Though even their bottom 6 are pretty similar to ours. Maybe it’s not such a key factor in this ‘systems age’? And they lose plenty of the stat measures of a game. That’s some game plan they have developed.

 

[allrighty]

Disgusting to read about the behaviour of some of our supporters:

Geelong president slams 'disrespectful' comments from minority of Cats fans

Geelong president Colin Carter says he’s “amazed” with a minority of fans who have sent “foul” letters to players and officials in previous weeks. The Cats lost their third preliminary final in four years last night, going down to the Tigers by 19 points. And in the aftermath, Carter revealed to...

www.3aw.com.au

I hope it’s not from supporters on this board.

Agree, but when I heard him say that I thought it was a classical political diversion. Creating outrage but away from the main point. That being we tanked again under CS, and what the **** is going to be done about it.

 

[BotsMaster]

Go in with half a team consisting of tall defenders and let Lynch kick 5 goals.

Is that the plan next season too?

 

[Ray Donovan]

Seemed that Richmond also held their structures better - there forwards didn't get sucked up the ground as much as our defenders did and that meant on a turn over, if we couldn't lock things up quickly & they got to the ball over the top, we couldn't stop them. Our defenders were playing catch up to their forwards.

During the second half it also felt like they had 2 players ready to pressure our guys and on a turn over they then had like half-a-dozen free options.

I'm not sure where our players were at times because it seemed we struggled for open options ahead of the ball but then lack of players behind the ball on a turnover.

It's just super frustrating because we had all the running in the first half, failed to really break the game open and then couldn't maintain our pressure & composure in the second half

Pretty much the game in a nutshell. I totally agree with all those points I am also a bit frustrated with Geelongs systematic defence or regard to individual matchups.

I am a bit old school in my theories that in finals quality players need a matchup you are happy to run with for a large majority of the game. It's not going to be the whole game with all the interchanges etc but go in with a plan for the key guys like Kolo on Riewoldt. Prepare the role players all week for the task at hand. Sometimes you need to try and negate players.

Run through our finals series a bit vs collingwood

Sidebottom ( 33 touches 1 goal) destroyed us ran around by himself in defence Duncan got injured they probably would of played side by side a touch. But I would much prefer you throw atkins, parfitt, Menegola who ever it is at him and say that's your job all night harass tackle and stop him.

Brody Grundy say no more they threw blicavs and sav at him.

Taylor Adams got off the chain as well very similar to what prestia did in the prelim. Nobody really went near him we just went head to head via Kelly, danger, Selwood.

Vs west Coast listen they played well the plans worked that night blicavs on a wing Gaff had a lot of it but by in large you look through the list very even performance.

Richmond a handful of players when you look at this athletic quick Richmond side you want to stop. Martin kicked 6 vs Brisbane forward so pretty confident he plays majority of the game in that spot.

It was a rotation of players going through him I saw henry, Stewart, MOC, Bews all rotating through him. He didn't have an enormous impact but going back to Dazs point about getting caught over the back if geelong is looking for a switch handover defence it's almost impossible to have a martin roaming around doing what he wants. He is too good and he will play havoc with your defence because he can draw players away from Lynch or Riewoldt and beat all those guys 1 v 1 when he gets the matchup he wants takes them to the goal square or if he draws Stewart he effectively takes him away from where is he dangerous deep full back. So for mine that's the kolo matchup.

Lynch beat Taylor too athletic we know blicavs shouldn't have been on a wing.

Taylor should of gone to riewoldt obviously the match committee know best but try explaining that decision to the general public a guy who was in AA convo down back played 18 games in that slot was on a wing vs a 60 goal forward sitting deep forward 50.

Im not sure who was on houli perhaps he just played well but I'm pretty confident that's a lock down matchup.

Prestia enough said was paid zero respect and sliced us apart. He kicked two amongst 28 touches but from memory he had one that went for a direct goal from a centre bounce. And another to Martin so he was involved in 4 of the 12 kicked minimum.

Richmond's forwards kicked 10 between them compared to geelongs 4.

But I watched GWS game vs Collingwood very similar game scoreboard wise to geelong slippery night low scoring behind at half time sidebottom tagged all night by Kennedy (16) touches. Pendlebury (18) Deboer. & they shut down Phillips who is by metres gained one of the most important guys they have who had (29) vs the cats. Had (18) at around at 44%.

Only a four point win to the giants but you look at the names out for this Giants side and they competed through a mixture of stopping or attempting to slow down collingwoods best guys with a mixture of offense on the back of that.

That slight difference in preparation means they are in a grand final. Geelong supporters can complain all we want we lost to the pies with 2 down after the first quarter a really winnable game so the giants deserve to be where they are. And that slight difference compared to geelongs disrespect for key opposition players means geelong is out of the finals.

So in two games Cats lost Grundy, Sidebottom got off the chain.

Lynch, Martin, Prestia, Houli vs Richmond the key guys you plan for.

And I know I am knit picking so to speak but that 5-10% as shown by GWS could be the difference to being in a grand final when you get busted out from 5 prelims in however many years. You need to look about how your defending opposition teams.

Big rant lol but I needed to get it off the chest

 

[hoopla]

Agree, but when I heard him say that I thought it was a classical political diversion. Creating outrage but away from the main point. That being we tanked again under CS, and what the fu** is going to be done about it.

View attachment 750655

Yeah, the cynic in me says that too, but I do think people should get some perspective on things regarding the football team they support.

Anyway just my thoughts, even if they are a bit patronising. I still suffer from the same delusions of many supporters that football is life / death during a game, so I am really not one to lecture on this.

 

[Tony Barber]

For some reason I'm not flat all.
Thought we were great early. I can't remember the last time we were that classy with disposal.

The Tigers lifted and we couldn't handle it.
They looked like they were going to score with every entry. Made our smaller defenders (including Stewart) look VFL level.

And Henderson did exactly what I thought he'd do. Just stand at the top of the square.
A real forward leads to pockets to create width or up the guts to create depth.

 

[Pollywaffle]

GWS would have beaten us with today's form.

Yep, they were up for it. Good luck to them.
Gives me a 'team' to barrack for next week despite Toby Knobhead.
Hard to bring myself to going for the Pies.
More about stopping tigers getting another and making their fans even more insufferable..

 

[Ratcat]

Disgusting to read about the behaviour of some of our supporters:

Geelong president slams 'disrespectful' comments from minority of Cats fans

Geelong president Colin Carter says he’s “amazed” with a minority of fans who have sent “foul” letters to players and officials in previous weeks. The Cats lost their third preliminary final in four years last night, going down to the Tigers by 19 points. And in the aftermath, Carter revealed to...

www.3aw.com.au

I hope it’s not from supporters on this board.

Yeah but they're on the big money, they have the power to pick the team and position the players.
People spend their money on all this and these guys carn't handle being called out for another disappointing result.
Typical of GFC leadership altogether to precious they're just not up to it.

 

[Sticksman]

When we were flying this year, GWS made us look ordinary. I recall thinking they would not be great to meet at a more neutral larger venue like the G.

I was in my usual seat at KP and I remember thinking how good will our kids be once they've gained more experience. I saw a glass half full.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Yeah but they're on the big money, they have the power to pick the team and position the players.
Typical of GFC leadership altogether to precious they're just not up to it.

'Corporate' style response. Not entirely unexpected for them to close ranks. From a business point of view they will see this season as another success. 'There or therabouts'.
Maybe our new club motto

 

[Vdubs]

I was in my usual seat at KP and I remember thinking how good will our kids be once they've gained more experience. I saw a glass half full.

Our kids that day were not the issue.
Anyway, we wait til 2020 to play them again, but they have a Doggies 16 feel about them. How great if they could win next week.

 

[Sticksman]

Our kids that day were not the issue.
Anyway, we wait til 2020 to play them again, but they have a Doggies 16 feel about them. How great if they could win next week.

I'd love to see them win the GF. ABR* all the way


ABR = Anyone But Richmond.