Geelong for the flag in 2019?

[VineyToClark]

I'm not a Geelong supporter but I'm tipping them for the flag this year.

Lots of noise coming out of the Cattery this off season about changing things is giving Cats fans the feeling that they could be in for a turnaround similar to the turnaround from 2006 to 2007.

When you look at the previous years the parallels are eerily similar.

Geelong 2004 vs Geelong 2016 - first year of finals with that group of players after rebuilding the list.

Geelong 2005 vs Geelong 2017 - second year of finals into the playing group and both years they could have gone further if not for injuries at the wrong time of year.

Geelong 2006 vs Geelong 2018 - when Cats fans expected everything to come together they felt the playing group was primed but both years they underachieved.

Geelong 2007 vs Geelong 2019 - pre season saw a massive review of the club by the CEO and Scarlett is the other common factor given he instigated the change in the players in 2007 and he is looking to do the same now except as a coach.

Do you think they will be a serious contender this year and possibly win the premiership or are they just making up the numbers?

 

[Baird]

They can't win finals with their captain and coach

 

[Art Vandelay_]

This’ll end well. Can’t possibly see this thread not descending into nonsense.

They can't win finals with their captain and coach

Except the captain often plays very well in finals.
The Selwood as captain finals rhetoric is tired, lazy, and factually lacking.

 

[kid_a]

I have six teams ahead of them to potentially win the flag if I had to put Money on it.
Maybe they could bolt up the table and give the flag a crack but then agan maybe any club can do that.

 

[Bazza97]

For me, they’re a hard team to predict. Could finish top 4 or they could miss the top 8 altogether. It really could go either way.

 

[FISTO]

We will finish higher than Carlton

 

[Nostradumbass]

Won't even make the 8.

 

[threesixpio]

Everyone wants Granddaddy Ablett to bag another flag don’t they?

 

[Jesse Custer]

Melbourne are a better chance

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Everyone wants Granddaddy Ablett to bag another flag don’t they?

Nup

 

[Goldust]

Can't see it. Can't see how they have improved themselves from last season significantly and they were off the pace in 2018.
I'm sure West Coast, Collingwood and Richmond have scope for improvement; Melbourne should take another step; Hawthorn will again be thereabouts; and I suspect Adelaide to bounce back. A lot would have to go right for the Cats to get back into the mix and I wouldn't pin my hopes on Ablett being better than last season.

 

[threesixpio]

Melbourne are a better chance

Everybody wants Granddady Lewis to get a flag

 

[LightTower4]

We will finish higher than Carlton

Big call that one!

 

[zucchini]

Hard to win the Flag when you miss finals.

 

[Dez!]

No chance unless the likes of Richmond, West Coast, Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS suffer massive injury problems.

 

[My Tilly]

I can't see us making the finals.
I think our list is as weak as it's been since early 2000's.
More disconcerting is we have players who struggle to playout a season. Cockatoo, Rohan, Scott Selwood, Henderson and we are hoping like crazy Ratugolea can return without any setbacks.

I have Essendon, Richmond, Melbourne, West Coast, Adelaide, Collingwood and GWS clearly ahead of us in 2019.

 

[Jeremias]

Won't be too many who agree with you.

They're more likely to miss out on playing finals altogether.

 

[Obeanie1]

They have a core of very good players but the next level needs to lift big time. The rucks and role players would need to have stand out years.

Cats need to add pace and goal kickers to the forward half similar to what happened at the Eagles with Rioli and Ryan. Cockatoo, Parfit and Narkle could do that.

Looking back over the past three premiers its possible but the Cats simply need tofind their mojo.

 

[Sparkle]

There's plenty of reasons that can justify why we could win the flag. For one, we have a very soft draw compared to previous years, which includes minimal matchups against last years finalists and nine at GMHBA. There's also our list, which is underrated in many regards because they haven't all been early picks. And the internal-review (which I'm hoping was '06-style) could shift the dynamics of the club, like it did in '06 en-route to three premierships in five years.

Realistically, however, I can't see us winning until at least 2023-24. By then, the ageing core of the group will be gone, so the team will be much younger and faster. Also, the players on our list who are 19-20 now will be 23-24 then, hitting their prime (and at a similar age to Bartel, Ablett in '07) and full of experience.

 

[Coach_Required]

No chance in hell, cant win the flag when you have forgotten how to win finals.

 

[Roddy]

They’re in a funny place. Theyve thrown a thousand eggs into the one basket of what looks like, on paper, to be arguably the best midfield ever assembled. But it hasn’t really come close to bagging a flag for them. Danger’s been there for 3 years now, no dice. Gaz is close to the end, even Sellwood’s well on the wrong side of 30. They badly need to bag one this year while that trio is still together, they could be in for some years of pain thereafter.
Only thing is, I can’t see it happening.

 

[Sttew]

Everyone wants Granddaddy Ablett to bag another flag don’t they?

He's still younger than Burgoyne

 

[threesixpio]

He's still younger than Burgoyne

And Burgers has 4 flags. Poor whittle Gaza

 

[Macpotata]

Not many predicted the Dogs in 2016, certainly not on the eve of the finals.

Richmond 2017, same. You would have been laughed at, just like the West Coast last year. So if we're going off that, sure we can. Anybody can. Each season is different. But you have to go off what is likely to happen, and In all likelihood, we won't win it. We can win a lot of home games, be competitive but a premiership, no I don't think so.

Gold Dust hit the nail on the head a few posts up.

 

[Carson Dial]

Thread should be titled 'Geelong to flag in 2019?'