Autopsy Geelong loses to Doggies by 16 points // Rd 16 2019

[Gavin Excell]

We are crying out for a tap ruckman to get clearances working our way.

Smith is the obvious answer yet we go Stanley over and over again

 

[Matthew Jelley]

Pretty difficult to watch and a few things to work on.
I still believe this is a good team that will be having a crack for higher honours this year, just shows that when not on your game this year there are plenty of good teams that will take advantage of that.
Ablett in the middle drastically took his forward set up and scoring ability away, if Danger is too sore to play full time mid then maybe we need Menegola back in the guts to keep ablett creative up forward.
Glaringly obvious to everyone that we need a 2nd key forward.
Ruck position needs to be sorted out, Stanleys early year form is more than good enough if he can get that back, id like to see Smith given another shot at it as he was really good against the Swans.
Lets bounce back next week cats!

 

[CatFan79]

I'm just glad we got our defensive mid in Guthrie to nullify the oppositions most dangerous player every week.

Needed a good laugh this morning, cheers..

 

[Catsace]

Watched the game except missed about the first 20 minutes of the 1st quarter, but it was a strange game in all where Geelong really just let too many chances of getting a good lead go by with poor kicking from set shots (3 goals from 11 i think), and in the end were over-run by the swarm of '16-style Dogs runball.

I have difficulty sort of working out exactly how the ball winds up to loose Dogs (or Tigers or whoever plays runball) but the number of times the ball would ping-pong around in a contest, then just flip out or bounce out...but the Dogs seemed to always know where such random ball exits from a scrimmage would happen and they are a fast side, and swept down the ground with regularity in the last quarter. There was an occasion where a Geelong kick hit a Dogs player about 5 metres away, just forward of centre, and the ricochet wound up straight to another Dog who then passed it to Johanessen and it found it's way to probably Naughton who again was Carey last night against our defenders. It's extremely frustrating to watch, and it's so scungey and random compared to the beautiful footy Geelong has played in the past, but it's a formula that has always troubled the Cats.

That mark on half time by that small Dog forward over Blitz and another Cat defender was probably as frustrating a moment i've seen since Sumich's remarkable off the back foot 45m snap on half time of the '92 GF. It gave the Dogs momentum in the second half and was crucial in what was such a low scoring game. Geelong seemed to turn it over when trying for the inboard passes into the corridor, and the Dogs were adept at capitalising on those errors. It may have been different if Harry had kicked his shot on goal early in the last quarter, but he missed, and from that point on the Dogs rattled home i think about 5 of the last 6 goals of the game. I'm not entirely sure how long Esava is out for, nor Menegola, but their long kicking would be handy against runball and extreme pressure footy. It's important to take marks and kick long against that scungey sort of play, as pressure can't do jack if you get over the pack or catch the ball.

I guess too from the Dog's perspective, and any side that plays an extreme pressure style, it's only good for perhaps a season or so before a tiny bit of intensity drops, and what was once super pressure and hard tackling becomes just poor footy. You saw how the Dogs dropped off rapidly after the '16 GF, as the intensity was the only thing that separated their side from others, it's not a talent thing. Same with the Tigers, the Castagna's, Butlers, Townsends, Higgins and those sort of players became chumps when their pressure fell away, and also with the absence of keys like Riewoldt, Cotchin and Rance. I think Geelong just has to really focus on executing their skills well, kick long, keep a few numbers outside the immediate contest zone to offset the forward of the ball types who speed away with any loose crumb or bobble of the ball out of those scrimmages. And importantly kick accurately, which Geelong has done all year until last night. It's probably unsustainable to always kick well, but clearly one can see how that good kicking gave Geelong a good buffer against others sides like the earlier game against the Dogs, norf, Sydney and Essendon. But kick poorly and the other side is in the game, and if they bring the pressure and have belief, Geelong (and most sides) will find it hard to hold them off.

So the upshot is Geelong are 12-3, and still have a good foundation for the remainder of the year. But challenging away games against Freo and the Loins loom later on, and we need to hopefully get back into some good form before September. Last night was another lesson in how to respond to pressure, and Geelong for a lot of the game helf their own, but the last quarter was a disappointment. Hopefully they can improve from this loss.

 

[PatrickBateman]

I wouldn’t be getting overly technical in the analysis. All of Geelong’s losses have been the same, completely bashed up in midfield. If Geelong win the midfield they win the game. The Bulldogs had too many good midfielders and were much too hard at the ball.

The Crows game was perfect illustration of this, as we evened up midfield and took over.

Truth.

Out hustled by an opponent who wanted it more. Out played (coached) too by a side who purposely shut the game down by spreading and flooding very well.

Clarkson did the same thing to the Pies on Friday night. We had no answer and weren't working hard enough to play an offensive style of taking more risks through the corridor.

Our mids are lazy and too often unwilling to play HARD contested / defensive football, minus Dangerfield. This will really catch us out in September...

 

[PatrickBateman]

it's only good for perhaps a season or so before a tiny bit of intensity drops, and what was once super pressure and hard tackling becomes just poor footy.

Problem - this is the footy that wins finals. When the pressure is REALLY on, talent means dick unless your side is willing to match such opposition intent! This is why I've said again and again, I'm still not confident in finals. People keep saying we're a different side, etc. That's some solid faith!

Melbourne are another perfect example last year to this year... It still got them well and truly over us though, a more 'talented' side. They just out worked us, beat us up around the ball, gang tackled, ran forward in numbers... We stand and watch.

Geelong found this intent at the start of the year, the ferocity, but it's gone. They need to find it again, or curtains.

 

[Mahlepi]

*Unlike Port a fortnight ago the Bulldogs did not play well, they were able to get momentum in the last quarter. We played poorly the whole game. Kicking for goal is poor footy and ours was appalling and cost us the game.
*The Blicavs as ruck experiment has to stop, with Kolo going off early our defense was under pressure, Naughton was too fast for Taylor.
*Blicavs played well, both in defense and in the ruck, pity we can't clone him and put one each way. Hopefully that conundrum will be solved with the return of Savrat.
*Tuohy played very well, maybe our best.
*Comparatively quiet games by Danger, Selwood, Kelly and Ablett and poor games from Duncan and Guthrie. When was the last time all those champs were kept so quiet?
*Rohan worked hard, but goal kicking unreliable for a change.
*Atkins played what I thought was a poor game by his standards, I saw opposition players brushing him off like a mozzie.
*Clark another good game, need to get that goal kicking fixed. It's all in the mind.
*Scott and Enright need to work on the state of mind so the forwards can kick a goal. That means you Danger and you Hawkins and...etc
*The delivery into the forward line seems to have totally collapsed, or maybe sides have worked us out.
*Stanley played well and for once we were getting it out of the centre, when Stanley roved his own ruck work.
*Selwood didn't seem right after last weeks performance. It's the knee by the looks of it.

Quite a few things to work on. However our team is quite different from early in the season, there is one player we desperately need to play. But Esava's return won't change anything if the midfield are beaten and players are delivering poorly into the forward line.

2e was rubbish, can’t defend and his kicking was atrocious

 

[AlcoaCat]

2e was rubbish, can’t defend and his kicking was atrocious

I agree. He's been very poor. Surprised that this has not been commented on more.

 

[steady2]

Richmond mate, just watch them from here on, don’t leave the G for the rest of the year and nearly have their team back.
Cats and pressure don’t mix and the footy world knows it, we’ll beat up the s**t sides like the Saints this week but any half decent side will now make us crumble like last night.
Season over imo.

Almost all our games have been pressure games this season. The only walkover was round two. Richmond we thrashed after quarter time. It's amazing the number of ubiquitous cynics who write off all our wins, 'it was not a pressure game', 'they weren't ready', 'they had more injuries', etc usually it is your opponents who claim this! Then build up our losses as more important, oh and the sky is falling. Many Cat fans here seem to be the opposite of other fans on other club sites who are often gloating after a win and claiming umpire cheats or dirty opponents when they lose. Here we also have fair weather supporters who were claiming several weeks ago that nothing less than a premiership for this year - half way through the season. 12 wins and 3 losses beginning with the hardest draw in the comp.

Getting it in perspective. We are on top of the ladder beaten all the teams in the top half bar the Giants and Port and both those games were close losses. We have a number of players to return and a comparatively easy run home. We should finish top 4 and probably top 2.

 

[Vdubs]

Stupid predictable game plan trying to play it safe down the wings when we lost the ball everytime playing straight into the Doggies hands! when we took risks through and played down the guts we scored goals! or at least had opportunities that we sqwanded!

Thought it might have changed in the final quarter when it was so obvious it wasn't working by three quarter time, But yet we persisted! and got our pants pulled down at the same time!

We bloody deserved to lose!

That's exactly what a mate said who went to the game. Playing it safe and slow. Pehaps our players did not have the energy to play any differently. They looked anergic.

 

[thegerman]

I liked the one where a Dogs player got tackled, feigned being tackled high and just laid on top of the ball without even pretending to move the ball on. Ball up.

Then there was the one where a Dogs player went for the don't argue and in the same motion the ball somehow shot out to a teammate standing about 3m away. Apparently that was a legal disposal.

Laughable that he gestured for a high tackle, didn't try to get rid of the ball, yep ball up. FMD the umpiring was just as bad as the footy.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Cataholic]

I agree. He's been very poor. Surprised that this has not been commented on more.

There have been, but there's strong opinion that he's playing well and entrenched in our Best 22, so........

 

[thegerman]

*Unlike Port a fortnight ago the Bulldogs did not play well, they were able to get momentum in the last quarter. We played poorly the whole game. Kicking for goal is poor footy and ours was appalling and cost us the game.
*The Blicavs as ruck experiment has to stop, with Kolo going off early our defense was under pressure, Naughton was too fast for Taylor.
*Blicavs played well, both in defense and in the ruck, pity we can't clone him and put one each way. Hopefully that conundrum will be solved with the return of Savrat.
*Tuohy played very well, maybe our best.
*Comparatively quiet games by Danger, Selwood, Kelly and Ablett and poor games from Duncan and Guthrie. When was the last time all those champs were kept so quiet?
*Rohan worked hard, but goal kicking unreliable for a change.
*Atkins played what I thought was a poor game by his standards, I saw opposition players brushing him off like a mozzie.
*Clark another good game, need to get that goal kicking fixed. It's all in the mind.
*Scott and Enright need to work on the state of mind so the forwards can kick a goal. That means you Danger and you Hawkins and...etc
*The delivery into the forward line seems to have totally collapsed, or maybe sides have worked us out.
*Stanley played well and for once we were getting it out of the centre, when Stanley roved his own ruck work.
*Selwood didn't seem right after last weeks performance. It's the knee by the looks of it.

Quite a few things to work on. However our team is quite different from early in the season, there is one player we desperately need to play. But Esava's return won't change anything if the midfield are beaten and players are delivering poorly into the forward line.

2e in our best?

The thing we've got to learn is lots of disposals doesn't mean it's a good game.

I thought his decision making at times was highly suspect. Defending was probably par, failed on a few occasions, the lowlight was not defending that kick marked on the line in the last. Just ran by it, didn't put any effort in at all. His kicking was below par most of the night, mainly affecting our kick ins with several being turned over.

But I guess in a team of clangers yeah sure he could be in our best. However that's a low bar. This unfortunately isn't the only week neither.

He and Duncan have had a very average month of footy.


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[ATSAM]

When your 2 games on top, July proves to be a slog. Bulldogs where to good tonight. Reminded me a lot of the Giants game though, should have put them away, drank our own bath water and once they got a run on we couldn’t stop it.

Kolo going down really hurt us, just couldn’t adjust our structure, most probably need to give Buzza some senior time, might not be in our best 22, but if a couple of our key positions get injured he may be needed late.

I find it interesting that he wasn't selected when Esava was unavailable. He might not be as good, he might not ever be an AFL player permanently, but he is a big man. And big men take an opposition player , or two, with them. He would have been unpredictable to the opposition and therefore an advantage to us.

 

[ATSAM]

Similar thoughts. Even if we had won I would have been disappointed. Our skill level but particularly our decision making was atrocious. A complete inability to take the game on was even more frustrating. The number of times I was shouting, "Run!!!, Get it in long and fast!!" was ridiculous.

And yet the few passages of play that I saw we did. The fact that it was along and fast and bombed meant that it came out just as fast and long.

 

[ATSAM]

Scott wasn't playing. Scott did not once line up to kick a goal, Scott was not expected to man-up with Bont. There are no runners anymore so coaching messages are harder to get through. Poor kicking for goal is poor football.

Having said that, Plan A did not work, with Kolo out and Blicavs having to help out in the ruck our defense was undermanned. However Henry, Taylor and Stewart did a sterling job, not their fault. Plan B bring in another Key Forward/second Ruck if Savrat is still not ready.

Then why doesn't Scott do that. Our ruck is a disaster- Stanley isn't any good, can't even take amark without a push in the back, thta cost us ashot on goal at an important stage last night-, CHF is a disater so do something. Try something, have a go at something. Stop just taking it easy. Try plan B, C, and D until it works.

 

[Live in hope]

The free against Selwood on the wing was just as farcical. He got the ball, took a step, got tackled which resulted in the ball being knocked loose and was pinged. Then the umpire tells him he's got to try to get rid of it. Bit hard when he didn't have control of the ball in the first place.

The lopsided free count was mainly due to manic Dog pressure but there were at least 3 howlers against Geelong in 2nd half alone - the Stanley ‘HTB’ and Ablett ‘throw’ were also gobsmacking. Had the feel of a ‘crack down’ (that will last a week as usual).

 

[feelinfeline]

The prophets of doom are back in full force. Doesn't take long.

Unlike our bad finals losses and the game against Port, we started well and would have won if we'd kicked straight.

Good time to have such a game. Still time to tweak things to get it right. Selection is a key.

But some warning signs with Duncan still coughing up the ball regularly in pressure games and Blicavs mistiming his leaps.

 

[catman2006]

We needed to be cleaner around stoppages seems a little re-occurring theme, apart from 5min in the last the dogs were terrible and we matched them all game long no real positives to take out of that match.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

The Dogs wanted it more. They play as a team and don't have a team of individuals and they're a balanced side.

The result wasn't unexpected for me.

Once Guthrie gets removed from the midfield we'll be a better team

 

[Spazz Cat]

The prophets of doom are back in full force. Doesn't take long.

Unlike our bad finals losses and the game against Port, we started well and would have won if we'd kicked straight.

Good time to have such a game. Still time to tweak things to get it right. Selection is a key.

But some warning signs with Duncan still coughing up the ball regularly in pressure games and Blicavs mistiming his leaps.

Yeah we would've won, I agree.
They are 2 warning signs. There's a few more though IMO from years gone by.
1. Reliance on Danger and Selwood again.
We were getting by without them early on in the year.
2. Feeling the need to push Gaz in the middle.
3. Forwards not holding their position and pushing way up the ground.
4. Guthrie not offering anything when we're struggling but no chance of ever being dropped.
5. Defenders playing as forwards again as we won't drop one. Major warning sign!
6. The ruck! Not much the coaches can do about that. We have what we have.
7. Defenders pressing up way too much once again. Not backing in the forwards to apply enough pressure. If a team can move the ball quick they are out of position no matter how well they can run.
It feels like we finally have thrown the baby out with the bathwater of what was working earlier in the year.
But this was a good baby! I liked that baby and the bathwater it resided in.

 

[lionbear]

For all those saying we will crack under pressure:

It’s a 27 week season, EVERY TEAM has downturns.

Sorry but the bulldogs had more to play for.

As long as we peak in September, I don’t really care about what happened last night.

We played like s**t last night. But a team that won a flag only 3 years ago on their home track could only beat us by less than 3 goals.

To me there is a lot of upside.

 

[JackFlash]

It's a pretty soft team and they certainly don't like winning the hard ball....There will be a few more losses coming up in the next few weeks, (North, Swans, Hawks and Lions) will knock them off, they might hold onto 4th place if they're lucky...

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Yeah we would've won, I agree.
They are 2 warning signs. There's a few more though IMO from years gone by.
1. Reliance on Danger and Selwood again.
We were getting by without them early on in the year.
2. Feeling the need to push Gaz in the middle.
3. Forwards not holding their position and pushing way up the ground.
4. Guthrie not offering anything when we're struggling but no chance of ever being dropped.
5. Defenders playing as forwards again as we won't drop one. Major warning sign!
6. The ruck! Not much the coaches can do about that. We have what we have.
7. Defenders pressing up way too much once again. Not backing in the forwards to apply enough pressure. If a team can move the ball quick they are out of position no matter how well they can run.
It feels like we finally have thrown the baby out with the bathwater of what was working earlier in the year.
But this was a good baby! I liked that baby and the bathwater it resided in.

This.
We've moved completely away from what made us a 11-1 team.
Our structures have been completely changed compared to WHAT WORKED.
I said it earlier, the MC are on the verge of killing our flag chances by completely ******* everything that had us clear on top.

 

[Isaac Norm Smith]

The Dogs wanted it more. They play as a team and don't have a team of individuals and they're a balanced side.

The result wasn't unexpected for me.

Once Guthrie gets removed from the midfield we'll be a better team

I think our problems run a bit deeper than just one player not performing. Taking Guthrie out of there and replacing him with Menegola will certainly help, but we have some big issues unfortunately. We just crumble when a massive amount of heat is applied. Players like Duncan, Guthrie and Tuohy look a million dollars when under no pressure, but watch them fall like a deck of cards when the heat comes. Turnovers galore, hot potato handballs to team mates under extreme pressure and flat footed. When the Dogs lifter their intensity in the last quarter, we crumbled. This is a side 11th on the ladder.

We were the hunter for the first few weeks, now it seems we are again the hunted and we don't know how to deal with it. Richmond will destroy us in a final at the MCG, and unlike a few weeks ago, we won't get to play their VFL side this time around.

I feel like I've become one of those melting, negative posters, but hey, maybe I'm just being realistic and I sure as hell won't be disappointed in September because I think I know what the outcome will be unfortunately. But maybe I can live in fantasy land and put it down to "heavy training load".