Preview Geelong v Gold Coast @ GMHBA | Saturday, 4 July 2020, 4:35pm AEST

[Sammy1992]

Why do we persist with a backline as agile as a dead giraffe who all have the turning circle of an oil tanker?

Disagree. Blicavs and Henry are as athletic as midfielders. Blicavs and Henry could of both been olympians? Just because they are tall doesn’t mean they are slow? O’Connor, Tuohy, Bews all very agile. Taylor and maybe kolo are the only slow ones down there really? We actually have a very athletic backline

 

[catman2006]

Going to be a tough game Suns are up and about, and we look pretty average past 2 weeks although a better effort pressuring last week our tall forwards look below par, fantastic Ablett and Selwood reaching their milestones lets hope lads are switched on from the start...

 

[BotsMaster]

I think a lot of people are unfair to Sav playing the hardest position on the ground, How many other forwards are inconsistent in the league...and he did not play footy from under 10 like most. Mooney was crap until about 27 we tried him everywhere, we just need to keep getting games into him

I can still hear Robert Walls saying we should put Mooney in the ruck.

 

[Hamingja]

It's the main reason we don't move the ball quickly.

The main reason we don't move the ball quickly is because they are all horrible by foot and the coach has them drilled to move the ball slowly to protect the potential turnover. It's not because they are tall. Picking a tall backline hasn't been an issue this year IMO. With Henderson now out of the team the height by itself is no longer an issue. Just need to find some defenders that can kick.....

 

[iameviljez]

The main reason we don't move the ball quickly is because they are all horrible by foot and the coach has them drilled to move the ball slowly to protect the potential turnover.

Yep. Our best ball users are at half-forward (Miers and Ablett), plus also obviously Selwood and Duncan. There have been a few shootout games where we haven't done so well on the turnover (Hawthorn in 2018, GWS in Round 1) and that's spooked them.

That said, I was really disappointed they retained Harry - great as he's been - and now have to leave Jordy Clarke out of the backline.

 

[Strange Cat]

Wouldn't say Moons was hopeless before he turned 27. He had some awesome games for us before 2007. Agree with everything else you said though.

He was a handy to have running around in the ruck as he covered most of the ground from limited memory

 

[Down at K Park]

Disagree. Blicavs and Henry are as athletic as midfielders. Blicavs and Henry could of both been olympians? Just because they are tall doesn’t mean they are slow? O’Connor, Tuohy, Bews all very agile. Taylor and maybe kolo are the only slow ones down there really? We actually have a very athletic backline

Blicavs was a middle distance runner though, not a sprinter. Endurance, not speed.

 

[iameviljez]

He was a handy to have running around in the ruck as he covered most of the ground from limited memory

From my limited memory, he effectively played a kick behind the ball when he was a ruckman - but we so badly needed him at CHF, to be honest, especially once Graham left at the end of 2004.

 

[Sammy1992]

Blicavs was a middle distance runner though, not a sprinter. Endurance, not speed.

comparing him to other key defenders I think he’ll be quicker then most of them.

 

[Down at K Park]

comparing him to other key defenders I think he’ll be quicker then most of them.

If only they could speed up his decision making, and change his kick backwards or sideways first choices.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times it looks like we are on for a fast break. Blicavs marks, turns around, looks, looks again, takes another look, then goes backwards or sideways cause he didn’t see or ignored the first and best option up the ground. All the time. He’s shocking. No wonder chris scott loves him, suits his crappy game style to a tee.

Dunno about how quick he can run though. He plays slow.

 

[winty]

If only they could speed up his decision making, and change his kick backwards or sideways first choices.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times it looks like we are on for a fast break. Blicavs marks, turns around, looks, looks again, takes another look, then goes backwards or sideways cause he didn’t see or ignored the first and best option up the ground. All the time. He’s shocking. No wonder chris scott loves him, suits his crappy game style to a tee.

Dunno about how quick he can run though. He plays slow.

Bolded sounds like Ling circa 2006 before we turned him into a tagger.

 

[Spearman]

If only they could speed up his decision making, and change his kick backwards or sideways first choices.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times it looks like we are on for a fast break. Blicavs marks, turns around, looks, looks again, takes another look, then goes backwards or sideways cause he didn’t see or ignored the first and best option up the ground. All the time. He’s shocking. No wonder chris scott loves him, suits his crappy game style to a tee.

Dunno about how quick he can run though. He plays slow.

those looks downfield after a mark are by design. it draws all opposition downfield so the lateral kicks are clear

 

[Down at K Park]

those looks downfield after a mark are by design. it draws all opposition downfield so the lateral kicks are clear

Crafty lol.

 

[terry_bright]

Bolded sounds like Ling circa 2006 before we turned him into a tagger.

To be fair Ling was a quality tagger before 2006. It's just we tried to turn him into something he wasn't cut out for in 2006 and that was as a playmaking mid. Reverted back to the status quo in 07 and he went on to become arguably one of our most important (along with Ottens and Scarlett the players we could not come close to replacing if injured) and reliable player.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Disagree. Blicavs and Henry are as athletic as midfielders. Blicavs and Henry could of both been olympians? Just because they are tall doesn’t mean they are slow? O’Connor, Tuohy, Bews all very agile. Taylor and maybe kolo are the only slow ones down there really? We actually have a very athletic backline

Blicavs is ordinary with ball in hand and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Kolodjashnij panics under pressure and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Tuohy and Bews fall over far too often because they are very poor under pressure and panic
O'Connor has the turning circle of an oil tanker
Taylor is poor under pressure when the ball is on the ground
Henry is poor under pressure and isn't a good decision maker. His best position is either as an intercept defender or a marking forward. Not as a key stopper.

Agile probably wasn't the right word to use as a sole purpose but all of those defenders are one-dimensional and extremely poor under pressure except maybe O'Connor who is ok under pressure and improving rapidly. He still doesn't take the game on though which is what we need.

There's our problem there and it's why we're forced to move the ball slowly because we have nobody down back who is able to break the lines and take the game on with any sort of urgency. We lost our only capable player who has the ability to do this - in Stewart - and replaced him with another defender of similar ilk to the others we already have down there.

We are far too stagnant down back and something needs to change if we want to give the premiership a serious tilt in the future.

Now whilst we're relatively good at stopping the opposition from scoring, it's as a result of a gameplan that limits turnovers in dangerous positions. This is sugarcoating how bad our defense actually is when push comes to shove in high pressure finals games when the insensity lifts.

Athleticism here is irrelevant.

And yes, they are all as slow as treacle.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Our whole side lacks pace and toughness. There's also bugger all composure anywhere in our current side.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Blicavs is ordinary with ball in hand and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Kolodjashnij panics under pressure and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Tuohy and Bews fall over far too often because they are very poor under pressure and panic
O'Connor has the turning circle of an oil tanker
Taylor is poor under pressure when the ball is on the ground
Henry is poor under pressure and isn't a good decision maker. His best position is either as an intercept defender or a marking forward. Not as a key stopper.

Agile probably wasn't the right word to use as a sole purpose but all of those defenders are one-dimensional and extremely poor under pressure except maybe O'Connor who is ok under pressure and improving rapidly. He still doesn't take the game on though which is what we need.

There's our problem there and it's why we're forced to move the ball slowly because we have nobody down back who is able to break the lines and take the game on with any sort of urgency. We lost our only capable player who has the ability to do this - in Stewart - and replaced him with another defender of similar ilk to the others we already have down there.

We are far too stagnant down back and something needs to change if we want to give the premiership a serious tilt in the future.

Now whilst we're relatively good at stopping the opposition from scoring, it's as a result of a gameplan that limits turnovers in dangerous positions. This is sugarcoating how bad our defense actually is when push comes to shove in high pressure finals games when the insensity lifts.

Athleticism here is irrelevant.

And yes, they are all as slow as treacle.

I think Bews actually won the agility test in his draft year. I think???
Kolo is weird. Sometimes he is unreal. Amazing under pressure and a cool user. The best!
But sometimes he is the absolute worst. The worst! You can't even believe he's playing AFL footy.
I think he needs a clear, straightforward and important role to be confident. It seems to me that's when he's at his best.
Agree with you though overall. Been like that for years. Athleticism without skill and instinct in defence is actually slower.
The whole team then needs to adapt.

 

[Mr Meow]

If only they could speed up his decision making, and change his kick backwards or sideways first choices.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times it looks like we are on for a fast break. Blicavs marks, turns around, looks, looks again, takes another look, then goes backwards or sideways cause he didn’t see or ignored the first and best option up the ground. All the time. He’s shocking. No wonder chris scott loves him, suits his crappy game style to a tee.

Dunno about how quick he can run though. He plays slow.

Spot on. It's actual awareness and speed of thought. Similarly Henry, not a slow player, gets caught holding the ball quite regularly due to not taking the first option. Kolo is a good player but has a tendency to get side stepped like it's nobody's business. Then as far as executing releasing rebound balls up to the midfield to generate attacks, collectively they lack skill and/or confidence to find a good option. So maybe not slow on pure speed, but as a unit it has cumbersome qualities.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

I think Bews actually won the agility test in his draft year. I think???
Kolo is weird. Sometimes he is unreal. Amazing under pressure and a cool user. The best!
But sometimes he is the absolute worst. The worst! You can't even believe he's playing AFL footy.
I think he needs a clear, straightforward and important role to be confident. It seems to me that's when he's at his best.
Agree with you though overall. Been like that for years. Athleticism without skill and instinct in defence is actually slower.
The whole team then needs to adapt.

Kolodjahnij played his best footy as a key defender when Taylor was out injured. I feel we're too top heavy down back and something needs to give. You look at almost every side and they have one or two players in their defence who use the ball well and are able to attack with run. We're simply far to stagnant.

Then you look at the next in line and see the name Zac Guthrie ... it makes your eyes water.

 

[Cataholic]

Blicavs is ordinary with ball in hand and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Kolodjashnij panics under pressure and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Tuohy and Bews fall over far too often because they are very poor under pressure and panic
O'Connor has the turning circle of an oil tanker
Taylor is poor under pressure when the ball is on the ground
Henry is poor under pressure and isn't a good decision maker. His best position is either as an intercept defender or a marking forward. Not as a key stopper.

Agile probably wasn't the right word to use as a sole purpose but all of those defenders are one-dimensional and extremely poor under pressure except maybe O'Connor who is ok under pressure and improving rapidly. He still doesn't take the game on though which is what we need.

There's our problem there and it's why we're forced to move the ball slowly because we have nobody down back who is able to break the lines and take the game on with any sort of urgency. We lost our only capable player who has the ability to do this - in Stewart - and replaced him with another defender of similar ilk to the others we already have down there.

We are far too stagnant down back and something needs to change if we want to give the premiership a serious tilt in the future.

Now whilst we're relatively good at stopping the opposition from scoring, it's as a result of a gameplan that limits turnovers in dangerous positions. This is sugarcoating how bad our defense actually is when push comes to shove in high pressure finals games when the insensity lifts.

Athleticism here is irrelevant.

And yes, they are all as slow as treacle.

Hendo will fix it.

Kicking the door down according to Mr Scott

 

[Mr Meow]

Blicavs is ordinary with ball in hand and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Kolodjashnij panics under pressure and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. His disposal is ordinary
Tuohy and Bews fall over far too often because they are very poor under pressure and panic
O'Connor has the turning circle of an oil tanker
Taylor is poor under pressure when the ball is on the ground
Henry is poor under pressure and isn't a good decision maker. His best position is either as an intercept defender or a marking forward. Not as a key stopper.

Agile probably wasn't the right word to use as a sole purpose but all of those defenders are one-dimensional and extremely poor under pressure except maybe O'Connor who is ok under pressure and improving rapidly. He still doesn't take the game on though which is what we need.

There's our problem there and it's why we're forced to move the ball slowly because we have nobody down back who is able to break the lines and take the game on with any sort of urgency. We lost our only capable player who has the ability to do this - in Stewart - and replaced him with another defender of similar ilk to the others we already have down there.

We are far too stagnant down back and something needs to change if we want to give the premiership a serious tilt in the future.

Now whilst we're relatively good at stopping the opposition from scoring, it's as a result of a gameplan that limits turnovers in dangerous positions. This is sugarcoating how bad our defense actually is when push comes to shove in high pressure finals games when the insensity lifts.

Athleticism here is irrelevant.

And yes, they are all as slow as treacle.

Nail on the head. They all have their good qualities - then of course Taylor used to be bloody magnificent, Blicavs had an unreal year where his flaws became irrelevant (as he was that good at his strengths as a new full back) - but there's been a serious lack of composure and quick thinking, skilful exits and so on. A safe chip kick is about the best we can hope for, then reset. It works for a lot of home and away games but does not hold up in fast and furious finals - at least not for all four quarters. There tends to be a quarter early or late on where they face an avalanche they can't escape.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

If I could have any player from our premiership era it would be David Wojcinski. It would put a smile on Tom Hawkins' face at least.

Now if I see us force a turnover off half back again only to look up and see an empty forward line with every single forward behind the ball, I'll pull the rest of my hair out.

We've got a monster forward, leave him inside 50 and get the ball to him quickly ffs.

 

[cats_09]

Hendo will fix it.

Kicking the door down according to Mr Scott

I thought it was O'bree singing Henderson's praises

 

[Spazz Cat]

Kolodjahnij played his best footy as a key defender when Taylor was out injured. I feel we're too top heavy down back and something needs to give. You look at almost every side and they have one or two players in their defence who use the ball well and are able to attack with run. We're simply far to stagnant.

Then you look at the next in line and see the name Zac Guthrie ... it makes your eyes water.

Yeah the best game I've ever seen him play Blitz was out injured and Taylor went off near the start of the game. He was so good that day.

 

[Cataholic]

I thought it was O'bree singing Henderson's praises

He could've been, but I'm sure CS was quoted the other day as saying that Hendo is 'demanding' a spot in the seniors