Review Geelong defeats Essendon by 30 points @ MCG

[YY_Cat]

lets just take the four points! and never speak off or mention this game ever again!! EVER!!

I don't want to be that bird.

 

[YY_Cat]

didn't watch the match (so not quite stressful yet. Some personal feelings on our team overall:

Has the team had different altitude to different opponents? Looks for me, it is. We don't play OUR games, in contrast we play THEIR games (by saying this, actually I still can't understand how the footy plays in general). If we really want to be champion again, we should really compete ourselves and set the bar high for ourselves.

One point that Hawks impressed me in the last season is that they, in most of games, could find a way out and the game eventually fell in their way. They were quite consistent no matter who the opponent was. They played their own game. But we're not yet.

The positive one is that our 4th quarter looks quite countable by now. The players and 'cooks' started seriously thinking about the win and lose when this quarter started. Hmm, interesting.

 

[one eyed cat]

I wasn't far off my margin but was dead on with my prediction of their efforts. No fire power and a shitful effort yet again when we should've pummeled them. Glad Mitch came out and said what he said. The Power are gonna be pissed and fired up next week so we better be switched on then.

Was very strange and sad to see Stokesy in that Dons' jumper when he kicked that goal

Hi ciaobella, Its was also sad to see Stokes and Kelly playing that s**t style of footy, I bet they were hating it.
GO CATS.

 

[one eyed cat]

didn't watch the match (so not quite stressful yet. Some personal feelings on our team overall:

Has the team had different altitude to different opponents? Looks for me, it is. We don't play OUR games, in contrast we play THEIR games (by saying this, actually I still can't understand how the footy plays in general). If we really want to be champion again, we should really compete ourselves and set the bar high for ourselves.

One point that Hawks impressed me in the last season is that they, in most of games, could find a way out and the game eventually fell in their way. They were quite consistent no matter who the opponent was. They played their own game. But we're not yet.

The positive one is that our 4th quarter looks quite countable by now. The players and 'cooks' started seriously thinking about the win and lose when this quarter started. Hmm, interesting.

Hi YYCat, As much as it pains me to say this but The Hawks have been way above anyone else for talent, hopefully we can make improvements as the year goes on, and the get worse as the year go on.
GO CATS.

 

[candiehappy]

9 goals 18 - if it had been 18 goals 9 this would be a very different discussion. Bad kicking, bad footy.

 

[JUBJUB]

9 goals 18 - if it had been 18 goals 9 this would be a very different discussion. Bad kicking, bad footy.

Had Menzel kicked 3 or 4 of thoses misses,which he should've,maybe the DQ's might not have had such a meltdown.

 

[Gydafud]

On the booing thing, I thought Kelly had the ball and was being booed at one stage, but it was actually Cooney and the Essendon fans were "cooooning". They were sporting similar haircuts from my viewing position (nosebleeds).

Anyway, 4 points, no injuries, lessons learnt, move on to next week.

 

[Saint]

I thought our lot went overboard with defensive pressing and stifled the game. In the first half we were able to run hard to get the overlap happening and get a few goals, but as we tired, the whole game plan fell into Taylor, Henderson and Lonergan's hands. We ended up kicking long down the line too often. We rarely even had one crumber at the contest when that's Geelong's greatest weakness at the moment (though Ruggles continues to impress).

Geelong's problem again was their forward line, or more specifically, the half-forward line. Taylor, Lonergan and Henderson were getting the ball on half back and the lack of movement (as well as lots of Essendon bodies still behind the ball) meant long down-the line kicks to congested stoppages.

Geelong's kicks into the forward line weren't great, but one thing that stood out was the difference between Menzel and Hawkins. Menzel led to space, moved around and took a few marks. Hawkins jogged around behind his opponents with his hand in the air, hoping that not only could his teammate kick in the 60-70m required to clear the defenders, but spear it so other defenders couldn't create a pack and also that the person in congestion would be able to spot Hawkins' hand 60m away.

If Hawkins led during the game, ever, Geelong would be a 5 goal better side and he'd kick about 3-4 more goals per game. His opponent would have to work hard rather than being part of the rebound 9/10 times and would probably have to play about 5-10m ahead of where they currently play him and the kick over the top might become realistic.

 

[CatTricks]

Why do we play like crap everytime we wear a crappy novelty guernsey?

 

[Seeds]

That could be about to change. Teach has just been made Vice-President. Finally got someone who can make some noise leading the Cheer Squad.

Noise is one thing. But can they come up with some better chants.

 

[catempire]

Had Menzel kicked 3 or 4 of thoses misses,which he should've,maybe the DQ's might not have had such a meltdown.

They would have complained even louder that he didn't play the first two rounds!

 

[Partridge]

They would have complained even louder that he didn't play the first two rounds!

Been trying to find evidence of any kind of 'meltdown' over the last few days. What frustration there has been seems to have been shared by quite a few.

 

[hbk_aus]

Been trying to find evidence of any kind of 'meltdown' over the last few days. What frustration there has been seems to have been shared by quite a few.

We are shit

What a disgrace

Still questioning Chris Scott as a coach. With the team we have we should be dominating...

#BringBackBomber

Just from Page 1 there Partridge...

 

[JUBJUB]

Just from Page 1 there Partridge...

He's clearly not paying attention if he hasn't noticed any

 

[hbk_aus]

He's clearly not paying attention if he hasn't noticed any

I have several concerns, dont get me wrong. And a lot of it is to do with the way we are structured up, ie. coaching. But it is Round 4 - I would rather have these issues now than at Round 20. Who wants to be playing at their peak in Round 4? The next month or two will tell us a lot more than the first few games have, starting this weekend.

 

[catempire]

Been trying to find evidence of any kind of 'meltdown' over the last few days. What frustration there has been seems to have been shared by quite a few.

Call it meltdown or another name but the overreactions to a 30 point win (where statistical probabilities of kicking for goal had us winning by 60) has been everywhere. Start with the gameday thread and then check out the Scott thread for plenty of examples.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Call it meltdown or another name but the overreactions to a 30 point win (where statistical probabilities of kicking for goal had us winning by 60) has been everywhere. Start with the gameday thread and then check out the Scott thread for plenty of examples.

Yeah there's definitely been an over-reaction. I thought we were very good in the second half except for obviously kicking for goal. 16 scoring shots to 3 is a domination, particularly against a team hell bent on defense.

The first half was obviously poor. We were fumbling consistently and there was no flow whatsoever in our game. There seemed like a lot of bad decisions and players receiving the ball when they weren't expecting it. Hopefully we can rectify that sort of stuff as the players gel more because putting out a half like that against a good side will see us a long way behind. In saying that we knew with all the new players it'd take time for it all to come together, particularly with Selwood and Duncan playing less minutes in midfield. On the bright side Essendon's one of the only teams where we can do that for a half and then still win comfortably.

 

[cats_09]

Coaches votes and this looks to be one if the more wide spread voting I have see from coaches:
ESSENDON v GEELONG
6 Tom Lonergan (Geel)
6 Matthew Leuenberger (Ess)
5 Patrick Dangerfield (Geel)
4 Zach Merrett (Ess)
4 Steven Motlop (Geel)
3 Mitch Duncan (Geel)
2 David Zaharakis (Ess)

I guess the question becomes did the coaches vote for their own players or the oppositions players
Scott:
5. Lonergan
4. Motlop
3. Duncan
2. Dangerfield
1. Leu

Worsfold:
5. Leu
4. Merrett
3. Dangerfield
2. Zaharakis
1. Lonergan

There are alternative variations but the above seems to make the most sense

 

[dazbroncos]

I thought Domsy's game was great. Smashed Joey D.

Had help for sure but when the bloke you're standing is a dynamic KPF and gets 6 touches and no marks and the only thing hitting the ground is his bottom lip….

Job well done.

GO Catters

 

[maxy87]

It's all very well flogging the 'negative nellies' on this board but when you see the same problem areas and structural issues come up game after game and then even worse against the wooden spoon fancy it starts to get pretty hard to take.

I think there's some merit in this. I'm usually fairly pragmatic about how we're going and the realities of our list profile and the holes that exist, but I'm also beginning to wonder about some of the structural issues that emerge time and time again and have done so basically since the 2011 Grand Final. Namely:
- hit outs and clearances. I'm willing to give Smith and Stanley more time as I rate them both but right at the minute, we are basically in the same position we have been in since Ottens retired. Clearances are still an issue, despite Danger arriving at the club, though a combination of the ruck issues and the experience of our other mids is probably compounding the issue.
- forward line. One dimensional and centred around a cumbersome Tom Hawkins who refuses to lead and mark in front of his body. Forward pressure is inconsistent and teams kill us on transition when we are not switched on.
- backline. Too tall and while good at defending, lacks run and penetration out of defensive 50. I was shocked that Ruggles got a guernsey last week but glad all the same. In previous years the MC wouldn'tve responded so quickly to a need in my opinion.

These issues have plagued the team for nearly 5 years now with little sign of being totally rectified. Obviously it is a work in progress but I'd like to see more response to issues that keep surfacing.

The thing is, when we are on we are brutally efficient. Often we have less disposals, less contested possessions, less inside 50s but can be 4-5 goals in front at a given time. A lot of our plays come from creating turnovers in defensive 50 as they have done since we lost our midfield grunt. It's now time to see if over the next few weeks we can build on that game style, take more control in the centre, be a little more dynamic up forward and string some more complete performances together.

 

[catempire]

I think there's some merit in this. I'm usually fairly pragmatic about how we're going and the realities of our list profile and the holes that exist, but I'm also beginning to wonder about some of the structural issues that emerge time and time again and have done so basically since the 2011 Grand Final. Namely:
- hit outs and clearances. I'm willing to give Smith and Stanley more time as I rate them both but right at the minute, we are basically in the same position we have been in since Ottens retired. Clearances are still an issue, despite Danger arriving at the club, though a combination of the ruck issues and the experience of our other mids is probably compounding the issue.
- forward line. One dimensional and centred around a cumbersome Tom Hawkins who refuses to lead and mark in front of his body. Forward pressure is inconsistent and teams kill us on transition when we are not switched on.
- backline. Too tall and while good at defending, lacks run and penetration out of defensive 50. I was shocked that Ruggles got a guernsey last week but glad all the same. In previous years the MC wouldn'tve responded so quickly to a need in my opinion.

These issues have plagued the team for nearly 5 years now with little sign of being totally rectified. Obviously it is a work in progress but I'd like to see more response to issues that keep surfacing.

The thing is, when we are on we are brutally efficient. Often we have less disposals, less contested possessions, less inside 50s but can be 4-5 goals in front at a given time. A lot of our plays come from creating turnovers in defensive 50 as they have done since we lost our midfield grunt. It's now time to see if over the next few weeks we can build on that game style, take more control in the centre, be a little more dynamic up forward and string some more complete performances together.

Yet there is measurable improvement in every single one of the issues you identify. It's not perfect, but it has improved.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Been trying to find evidence of any kind of 'meltdown' over the last few days. What frustration there has been seems to have been shared by quite a few.

JUBJUB fails to realise that he's actually the DQ and the constant whinger...

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

I think there's some merit in this. I'm usually fairly pragmatic about how we're going and the realities of our list profile and the holes that exist, but I'm also beginning to wonder about some of the structural issues that emerge time and time again and have done so basically since the 2011 Grand Final. Namely:
- hit outs and clearances. I'm willing to give Smith and Stanley more time as I rate them both but right at the minute, we are basically in the same position we have been in since Ottens retired. Clearances are still an issue, despite Danger arriving at the club, though a combination of the ruck issues and the experience of our other mids is probably compounding the issue.
- forward line. One dimensional and centred around a cumbersome Tom Hawkins who refuses to lead and mark in front of his body. Forward pressure is inconsistent and teams kill us on transition when we are not switched on.
- backline. Too tall and while good at defending, lacks run and penetration out of defensive 50. I was shocked that Ruggles got a guernsey last week but glad all the same. In previous years the MC wouldn'tve responded so quickly to a need in my opinion.

These issues have plagued the team for nearly 5 years now with little sign of being totally rectified. Obviously it is a work in progress but I'd like to see more response to issues that keep surfacing.

The thing is, when we are on we are brutally efficient. Often we have less disposals, less contested possessions, less inside 50s but can be 4-5 goals in front at a given time. A lot of our plays come from creating turnovers in defensive 50 as they have done since we lost our midfield grunt. It's now time to see if over the next few weeks we can build on that game style, take more control in the centre, be a little more dynamic up forward and string some more complete performances together.

Some great observations here , right on the money

I think the catalyst for significant improvement is the midfield , the only game I've seen live over here V Freo saw us manic at the man and ball between the arcs and it created some great passages and quality ball movement. We did this for the first half and then backed off. We were also systematic with our tempo which allowed players forward of the ball to set up and lead TO the distributor. The midfield pressure also allowed our defenders to have easy access to rushed ball - we do that so well
I sense we played similarly against the Hawks but can only assume as TV viewing is clearly limited
Port will be a good test as they will be shit canned all week and will want redemption , we appear to have rested our mids a bit V Bombers but will need to bring it this week - a great test for us .
Midfield pressure will also be critical against the fast ball movement sides like Bullies , Saints , Demons and as we saw - GWS

 

[maxy87]

Yet there is measurable improvement in every single one of the issues you identify. It's not perfect, but it has improved.

Yes I think there has been some improvement, the Hawthorn game demonstrating this (caveat: Hawthorn had only one recognised ruck). However, from a midfield perspective, it's very inconsistent week to week. On Saturday we were poor in hitouts, contested possession and subsequently clearances (particularly at stoppages) and uncontested possession. The week before we were good in these areas, whereas against GWS were again poor. We're definitely still a work in progress.

I'd be interested to see stats on opposition rebound 50s which would give an indication of our forward pressure.

 

[dazbroncos]

Yes I think there has been some improvement, the Hawthorn game demonstrating this (caveat: Hawthorn had no recognised ruck). However, from a midfield perspective, it's very inconsistent week to week. On Saturday we were poor in hitouts, contested possession and subsequently clearances (particularly at stoppages) and uncontested possession. The week before we were good in these areas, whereas against GWS were again poor. We're definitely still a work in progress.

I'd be interested to see stats on opposition rebound 50s which would give an indication of our forward pressure.

Correct me if im reading this wrong but McEvoy is not a recognised ruck ?

GO Catters