Autopsy Geelong loses to Demons by 25 points.

[CatToTheFuture]

We will have some significant ins by the time we play WCE and they’ll be missing Shuey, Yeo and Hurn. It’s a non-negotiable that we win that one.

Everything is negotiable but yeah, we will need a solid training drill next week to lead us in I think but we're probably pencilling that one in

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Almost like we need 28 year old (dual all Australian ) & Coleman medal winner with 400 odd goals might help a bit .

And your throwing danger around that with Rohan and Higgins to come back in plenty of firepower.

The forward line is fine but they need to be on the park. You can't critique what's not on the park or judge it.

Only thing I'd say is that I prefer close over Higgins on what I've seen.

 

[cats_09]

Only thing I'd say is that I prefer close over Higgins on what I've seen.

Close over Higgins, but I'd also take Higgins over Dahlhaus

 

[Ray Donovan]

Only thing I'd say is that I prefer close over Higgins on what I've seen.

Don't disagree but we know the meat is Cameron and danger the Higgins and Rohan pastry is whatever

 

[Live in hope]

Few things-

We are really missing Harry - rarely beaten, anchored the defensive structure and had good vision to see attacking outlets. Handy forward pinch hitting as well. Blitz seems a bit panicky without him.

Melbourne 22 is chock full of sub 26yo top 10 draft picks - we ain’t. They have also recruited really well with May and Lever and kept their top players (Gawn etc) who may have been tempted to walk with past underperformance. Good list management- good luck to them. Need success for their long suffering fans.

Contrast to our list is telling (scant top 20 picks in sub 26yo). Recruiting Cameron, Smith and Higgins is really a last throw of the dice, whilst we have Dangerwood, Selwood and Hawk. I get that, but it needs most of the best 22 to be fit and in form to work. We’ll know how we sit by about round 10-12.

 

[Chinacats]

You think Constable would have been worse than Zuthrie or Dalhaus?

I think now is the time to try chook and Krueger against kangaroos. Rest Selwood, Hendo and ... co

 

[foxdog50]

We drafted West in 2005 - since that time we've drafted ruck youngsters in Simpson, Vardy & Ratugolea, Mumford was 21 when we drafted him but untried at other teams, and even Blicavs was only 20 when we picked him up

So we've actually drafted multiple young ruck options in the years since West and before selecting Neale last year

Yeah but Neale is the first genuine ruckman ( yes you were rite since Simpson) as all the others are forwards/ruck. Were I see Neale as more of a genuine ruck like a Gawn Grundy Watts etc model.
We seem to go the 2nd Ruck as such...
Thats what's I was going on about..

 

[CatRiot]

Sean Darcy

4

Sean Darcy

Age

25

Ht

203cm

Wt

111kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.1

3star

K

3.4

1star

HB

6.6

4star

CL

2.4

4star

HO

28.8

5star

D

6.8

1star

K

2.0

1star

HB

4.8

3star

CL

1.8

4star

HO

20.3

5star

D

11.4

3star

K

4.6

2star

HB

6.8

5star

CL

2.6

5star

HO

32.0

5star

3 goals 2 behinds today, 17 hitouts. I wouldn't mind him.

Get a few more games into Narkle, and we send him packing for Darcy Tucker

13

Darcy Tucker

Age

27

Ht

184cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.9

4star

K

8.3

3star

HB

7.6

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

3.3

5star

CL

1.5

4star

D

14.0

3star

K

8.5

3star

HB

5.5

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

3.3

4star

CL

2.4

4star

D

14.4

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

6.4

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.8

5star

CL

2.2

4star

and late-ish pick.

 

[CatRiot]

6 day break, bigger ground, Narkle playing the day after a 1/2 a game in magoo's, with no Danger, Jezza and Higgins, and that match would've been closer.

Though they did beat us easy today.

 

[Ray Donovan]

Few things-

We are really missing Harry - rarely beaten, anchored the defensive structure and had good vision to see attacking outlets. Handy forward pinch hitting as well. Blitz seems a bit panicky without him.

Melbourne is clock full of sub 26yo top 10 draft picks - we ain’t. They have also recruited really well with May and Lever and kept their top players (Gawn etc) who may have been tempted to walk with past underperformance. Good list management- good luck to them.

Contrast to our list is telling (scant top 20 picks in sub 26yo). Recruiting Cameron, Smith and Higgins is really a last throw of the dice, whilst we have Dangerwood, Selwood and Hawk. I get that, but needs most of the best 22 to be fit and in form to work.

Melbourne have some nice players Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Gawn

They beat an undermanned side today they named the better team in good form and won. Gws, St kilda troubled them undermanned. Could quite comfortably win 15 games this year.

But tbh it's very early and the sleeping giants haven't woken up yet. Port, Richmond, West Coast, Geelong will all be up challenging and WB look strong I look at the list and see potential but also a team smack bang in the middle 4-8 let's see where they are at in the final round before we jump on the wagon.

It's a solid list not world beaters

 

[Partridge]

We drafted West in 2005 - since that time we've drafted ruck youngsters in Simpson, Vardy & Ratugolea, Mumford was 21 when we drafted him but untried at other teams, and even Blicavs was only 20 when we picked him up

Vardy and Ratugolea were (and are) tried as forwards at least as much as ruckmen. Mumford wasn’t taken in the draft from memory.

That leaves Simpson as a pure ruckman. He was drafted in 2007.

 

[Tony Barber]

The game finished 5 hours ago and you're still going guys?

Go pat the dog or something.

 

[frggr]

Changes for next week:

Out: Dahlhaus, Guthrie, <someone>
In: Dangerfield, Cameron, Parfitt

Shuffle the rest around - maybe some defenders back in defence of something novel

 

[cats_09]

Vardy and Ratugolea were (and are) tried as forwards at least as much as ruckmen. Mumford wasn’t taken in the draft from memory.

That leaves Simpson as a pure ruckmen. He was drafted in 2007.

Mumford was a pick 57 in the 07 rookie draft - so 2 rucks picked up the same year

In the 2014 rookie draft our first selection was Tom Read, an 18yr a 200cm ruck

Can't say we haven't tried to draft & develop a ruck as we have picked up a few over the years, it's just that none of them have really worked out

 

[cats_09]

Changes for next week:

Out: Dahlhaus, Guthrie, <someone>
In: Dangerfield, Cameron, Parfitt

Shuffle the rest around - maybe some defenders back in defence of something novel

You may need to find room for Rohan also who seems likely to return from suspension

Fellow forward Gary Rohan will also return from suspension, with Geelong hoping its trio of key inclusions will help to overturn a frustrating start to the campaign that has left last year's Grand Finalists with an indifferent 2-2 record.

"I hope next week (for Cameron)," Scott said.

"But you might be surprised to hear, it's not really my call. I'll have a bit of a say on it, but you've got to be careful that you don't base your decision-making on what you want to be true.

"I said during the week that we'd make a cautious, well-considered decision with him and I still think we're in that frame of mind.

"If they're all fit, I don't see why we couldn't bring them all back together. Our preference is to have the same seven forwards every single week, but I think they're such good players that we'd squeeze them in."

Eye injury sends key Dee to hospital, Cats to get stars back

Melbourne defender Steven May is set to miss several weeks, while Geelong could regain Patrick Dangerfield and Jeremy Cameron

www.afl.com.au

 

[calder_daddy]

6 day break, bigger ground, Narkle playing the day after a 1/2 a game in magoo's, with no Danger, Jezza and Higgins, and that match would've been closer.

Though they did beat us easy today.

Don’t forget Parfitt

Changes for next week:

Out: Dahlhaus, Guthrie, <someone>
In: Dangerfield, Cameron, Parfitt

Shuffle the rest around - maybe some defenders back in defence of something novel

I actually think there will be a few more changes than just that.
In, Danger, Cameron, Rohan, Parfitt, Fort

Out
Zuthrie, Dal, Henry, Clark, Stanley, Holmes

Clark to be the sub

now on Clark and Stanley
Both today looked extremely tired, Clark had to have been carrying something or just buggered with him playing forward pretty much all game.
Was odd
Stanley just needs a week off to rest

 

[frggr]

You may need to find room for Rohan also who seems likely to return from suspension

Eye injury sends key Dee to hospital, Cats to get stars back

Melbourne defender Steven May is set to miss several weeks, while Geelong could regain Patrick Dangerfield and Jeremy Cameron

www.afl.com.au

I'd prefer not to. Close and Narkle are likely in the gun because they won't drop Dahlias either


Maybe Hawkins will be suspended

 

[frggr]

If you *had* to drop him from the 22, Clark would make an excellent sub *if* you gave him free reign to play his natural game

 

[cats_09]

I'd prefer not to. Close and Narkle are likely in the gun because they won't drop Dahlias either


Maybe Hawkins will be suspended

Blicavs may miss - unable to run out the game due to a corked knee

Could be interesting to see if we bring Cameron straight into the seniors or give him half a match in the vfl first

There's no reason they wouldn't omit Dahlhaus - he's been playing while we've been undermanned, but with others returning to the fold he'd be in the gun

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Just one of those things lately where you can tell within the first 5 minutes of the game if Geelong has a chance, today they were so non-cohesive through the corridor and flat-footed off the mark I knew we were never going to be in it. The only thing to wonder is if the MRP will somehow turn Hawkins/May into a thing despite it clearly being accidental.

 

[Play it Sam]

I can't recall specific incidents in the game against the Lions, but I can for our other matches where the ball carrier is pleading for a forward to present on a lead

- against Adelaide, first qtr Blicavs marks on the wing & gives a quick handball to Smith running past. We move the ball with ease down the wing to Miers who pleads for a lead, even takes stutter steps waiting for an option & ends up having to chip a kick hoping to create a contest but it was an uncontested mark to the Crows

The panned out shot showed we had 5 players inside our forward 50, all standing a metre or 2 behind their opponent and waiting for a kick over the top


- Last week it was Parfitt in space going the stutter step as no one up forward was leading.
While earlier in the match we created good run & carry on the interchange side of the ground, but when we looked up it was 3 Hawks in our forward 50 & no hoops in sight. We slowed things down until we could kick to the boundary line where we did have a player kinda leading to, but knowing it was better to set up from a boundary throw in than blaze away with a kick to no one


- today, Miers runs too far when he's 2 teammates ahead of him turn their backs on him rather than presenting as an option to kick to

Later, Miers again in space & approaching the 50 has no one leading with them either looking for a kick over the top or for him to go for goal which he wouldn't make from that distance & that side of the ground

Even the kick from Close to Clark, which was a good kick was a kick to a player running away from the ball carrier & getting it out the back

We really need to teach our forwards how to lead

Absolutely spot on. The worry is if we can see that, so can every AFL coach. Scott said last week they are trying to speed up the play but players having difficulty coming to terms with it. So obviously don’t have the skills to adapt especially with key personnel missing. Bit hard to kick up the guts when no one home.

 

[cats_09]

This ain't so bad - shows we're getting things right, just that we need to find consistency across 4 quarters

 

[Spazz Cat]

Yeah agreed. If Constable was out there doing the defensive running you could double the margin almost

O'Connor defensive ran his arse off all day and was worst on ground.

 

[Play it Sam]

Great way to finish the day, electricity black out in Waurn ponds. Stanley can go home now since surely he’s practicing goal kicking over at Deakin?

 

[Footy Smarts]

I'm feeling weirdly ok about today. Last year we played Melbourne at the same time and were awful. It was really hard to find any positives. The only changes we made from that day to the last 3 finals were:

Out - Fort, Ratugolea, Atkins, Steven
In - Taylor, Henderson, Stanley, Simpson

Basically it looked very close to our best 22 and we got miles better without major changes.

Today was a long, long way from our best team. Our forward line of missing players was clearly better than the one we put out there today. Melbourne are an improved team with their tails up. But I thought we really fought it out and were a couple of quality forwards away from giving them a real scare near the end.

Apart from Stewart most of our good players had stinkers but our youngsters showed something. Credit to Kolo on what I think was his best game for the club. Close looked right at home and Henry and Clark did some nice things playing in unsuited positions. Narkle showed glimpses of why he could still make it.

So a s**t day but not that unsurprising given the team out there and at least we got something out of it. The to get closer to our best team in the park and start building momentum.