Preview Geelong v Richmond Friday May7 2021 7:50 pm @ MCG

[Strange Cat]

It's this time of year where both our sides go at it. Mods, if my thoughts on the game offends anyone, please just remove it. The last few years its been a discussion I have enjoyed and normally received well for those that want to talk about the game and leave our team glasses at home.

First on the Cats.

Miers out is a huge plus for us. Incredibly underrated by those that don't watch you play. This year he seems to be a crucial cog in your defensive set up and his ability to switch angles or hit the deep target is elite IMO. Also not having Kolodjashnij on the returning Martin is again another plus. I actually liked his game in the GF, yes he made a turnover that cost a goal but outside of that he was disciplined. I have noticed a lot of how we play with you guys this year. You hit the inside kick a lot more, like we do and you are now attacking the goal square which you normally have not done, which is understandable as you have a fantastic lead up forward.

I was not concerned about your early form, like us, both sides had to work into the season as both of us came of a short preseason compared to the other 16 sides. It was always going to take a month of footy or so to "catch up" to the others in match fitness. Also both teams are finals proven and understand Feb and April are tinkering months, not months to be going flat out as those games really dont mean much.

On us - Losing Grimes is a loss but offset thank heavens with Vlaustin returning. In saying that, it will be his second ? game of the year, so will be rusty as hell and you may exploit that. Cotchin out is a blessing in disguise. Dont misunderstand me, I would love for him to be in but it forces us to keep RCD in the midfield and I have huge hopes for his future progress.

The one area I think we may get on top this time round is the midfield. Your starting midfield may be Guthrie, Selwood, Menegola, Duncan, Smith, and Parfitt. A great blend but outside of that who else can you rotate in their on Friday ? You will be coming up against Martin, Edwards, Bolton, RCD, Graham, Pickett, Ross, McIntosh, and i can add another two or 3 players. My point being your midfield depth does not seem to be as good as past seasons. Obviously no Danger is huge but that is off set with us with no Cotchin and Prestia.

In saying the above your back 6 are having season best year. Yes Henderson looks out of sorts in some patches of games but so does Astbury for us but the quality you have equally match our back which is our strongest line. Henry is having a break out season, Stewart is performances are bankable good performances, much like our underated broad, you know what those two players will bring. I also love Atkins aggression.

So simply my thoughts is who ever wins the turnover game will win. You are now forcing teams to kick long, similar to what we do but we love the long kick. IMO whoever wins the contest at the fall of the ball and creates that turnover wins.

Lets have no injuries as 100% we both will meet in finals again, lets just both hope its the last game of the year.

So desperate for attention

 

[calder_daddy]

He had 11 hitouts on Saturday, but was definitely playing more of a supporting role in the ruck to Fort

I'm not opposed to Ratugolea in the ruck, but if he's being selected to play predominantly as a ruck in the seniors then I'd like to have seen him play a similar role in the VFL last week

Spot on cats 09... but would it surprise you on the way we play players out of there positions in the VFL and we could do the exact same thing with Esava be our main ruck?
It does my head in....
I'm with you, let's play him as the second ruck...

But going to what you said in signing Fort on 2 years, it does sound strange but the matter of fact is we got no one else can fell the role for now...
Stanley body wont guarantee him anything, we do have Neale and the Greek who aren't playing in the ruck position to improve there own football. And with not much state football playing last year we don't have much to look at.. unless we trade to get a player in maybe Darcy

I wouldn’t mind seeing Sav play as our deepest forward on Friday night
He marks well against the tuggers, stretches there defense

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Gut feel with Sav is that his biggest impact on the game would be marking contests around the ground.

Whenever Richmond are outmatched for marking power in their d50 Nank is the one that intercepts so I can see them trying to park him back there early. Sav gets around the ground a bit and starts taking marks in the corridor it'll force Nank to stay out of d50 and give Cameron and Hawk room to move. If he's not going forward he can also protect the exit kick.

I don't see him rucking for long periods though. In combo with Stanley might work but we lose a ground level player elsewhere. We might see a lot of Henry/Hawk/Blitz trading hit outs.

I'm a bit surprised he's in. Feels a week early

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

I want Esava and Stanley to both play

I’ve got a feeling Stanley is injuried.

 

[cats_09]

Spot on cats 09... but would it surprise you on the way we play players out of there positions in the VFL and we could do the exact same thing with Esava be our main ruck?
It does my head in....
I'm with you, let's play him as the second ruck...

But going to what you said in signing Fort on 2 years, it does sound strange but the matter of fact is we got no one else can fell the role for now...
Stanley body wont guarantee him anything, we do have Neale and the Greek who aren't playing in the ruck position to improve there own football. And with not much state football playing last year we don't have much to look at.. unless we trade to get a player in maybe Darcy

I think that Tsapatolis will likely play a bit of ruck this year - he was given permission to play with one of TAC sides as an overager, so thinking he may get a run in the ruck that way

 

[foxdog50]

I wouldn’t mind seeing Sav play as our deepest forward on Friday night
He marks well against the tuggers, stretches there defense

Rather Tommahawk just be the deepest in the goal square, like he was last year.. Tomahawk zone remember?
But Esava has potential, but it's time to start showing it... as he fly for the mark but, drops more than he marks

 

[Cursed Cat]

So those who insisted Ratugolea was not fit enough may have been slightly out of the loop after all?

Hope he does play as we are going to be a much better team with him in the side. Piss off Stanley for good

I'm pretty out of the loop ... definitely hope he is fit enough to deliver, unlike some I'll have the patience to stick with him (to a point) - would love to see him fire us to a win in his first game back, but will settle for him getting through the game without injury ..

 

[calder_daddy]

Rather Tommahawk just be the deepest in the goal square, like he was last year.. Tomahawk zone remember?
But Esava has potential, but it's time to start showing it... as he fly for the mark but, drops more than he marks

Either would be nice tbh

 

[Seeds]

Gut feel with Sav is that his biggest impact on the game would be marking contests around the ground.

Whenever Richmond are outmatched for marking power in their d50 Nank is the one that intercepts so I can see them trying to park him back there early. Sav gets around the ground a bit and starts taking marks in the corridor it'll force Nank to stay out of d50 and give Cameron and Hawk room to move. If he's not going forward he can also protect the exit kick.

I don't see him rucking for long periods though. In combo with Stanley might work but we lose a ground level player elsewhere. We might see a lot of Henry/Hawk/Blitz trading hit outs.

I'm a bit surprised he's in. Feels a week early

Which is why I said we needed sav in the grand final last year. very few supported the view.

 

[goyoucatters]

I spoke to Bos via phone call a few months ago. Really down to earth.
Said he is not one of those people that dwells on the past. Always looking ahead in life and once his footy days were finished, he wanted to move onto other things.
I believe he's a sheep farmer these days in outback Victoria.

Tough player. Be great to have him in the side today.

Even as a massive fan of his during his career, I can't agree with this.

He's now 60 years old, for a start...

 

[TEDDY24INC]

Which is why I said we needed sav in the grand final last year. very few supported the view.

I would’ve liked him in also, was always going to be a bold call after our thumping wins in the lead up though

 

[Seeds]

Rather Tommahawk just be the deepest in the goal square, like he was last year.. Tomahawk zone remember?
But Esava has potential, but it's time to start showing it... as he fly for the mark but, drops more than he marks

Richmond figured out the thomohawk zone

with richmond you need a foward who takes pack marks To free up hawkins From being ganged up. Hawkins can’t take pack marks anymore. He needs to be playing one on one.

 

[CatRiot]

I would do something a bit crazy in this match, given O'Connor and Kolo are out. I would bring in Okunbor, and make him follow Dusty the whole match. All his role will be is to harass and negate. It would go a long way considering Cotchin, Grimes and Prestia are not in. Give him the licence to peel off and attack if his negating is working... He's probably the only healthy bloke on the list that can physically match Dusty atm.

 

[BotsMaster]

If you want to talk sh*t i suggest you start here

Banter - The Grand Final Replay vs the Kardinia Park Aged care facility

Pronunciation: /ˈbantə / NOUN [MASS NOUN] The playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks:there was much good-natured banter The rules to keep in mind in this thread: - Read the definition of banter above, do not cross that line - If you post in here, prepare to defend yourself...

www.bigfooty.com

BE gone.

Go Catters

Hmm not a single Geelong poster in that thread

 

[My Tilly]

I would do something a bit crazy in this match, given O'Connor and Kolo are out. I would bring in Okunbor, and make him follow Dusty the whole match. All his role will be is to harass and negate. It would go a long way considering Cotchin, Grimes and Prestia are not in. Give him the licence to peel off and attack if his negating is working... He's probably the only healthy bloke on the list that can physically match Dusty atm.

Martin's just too good though.
He would only need a tiny moment in the match to really make his influence felt.
Maybe just entrust Guthrie to go with him and sacrifice his own game for the sake of the team? Still have Selwood, Duncan, Menegola and Parfitt in there.

 

[foodles05]

I will just start off by asking first, what aspect exactly of richmonds game do you think is attacking?? Every aspect of their game has defense first and foremost ingrained in it. From their structures to ball movement. They are the most defensive team in the AFL.

How aggressively they try and move the ball when they turn it over.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Yeah he didn't exactly bang the door down on the weekend. To be fair, his preparation before ever playing a game, then 3 VFL games is a fair block prior to playing AFL.

I thought he was really, really good in the VFL game. Way better than Fort.

 

[foodles05]

Agreed - of course the club is in the best position to judge whether Esava has the requisite levels of fitness to go up against Nankervis on Friday night, but it was only 3 weeks ago that I watched a Chris Scott presser (*shudder*) in which he made it very clear that the club wanted to make sure Ratugolea would be at his absolute best before getting him back into the side.
1 great VFL game against weak opposition followed by an omission due to groin soreness and 1 scratchy looking return match doesn't really constitute a great body of work in my eyes, but I will defer to the club, somewhat sceptically.

I've long maintained faith that Ratugolea can be a long-term player for the club, and I want to see the club invest games into him, but I was right on board with Scott's assessment that we get him cherry ripe before unleashing him.

No s**t this has break glass in case of emergency written all over it and it's a disgrace if that is the case!

 

[Spazz Cat]

How aggressively they try and move the ball when they turn it over.

Yep. They are the most defensive and attacking at the same time because of the crazy running both ways.

 

[dazbroncos]

So desperate for attention

I think its a reasonable analysis and post.

GO Catters

 

[CatsDoItBetter]

Does anyone know if the MCG car park is going to be open on Friday?

 

[foxdog50]

Richmond figured out the thomohawk zone

with richmond you need a foward who takes pack marks To free up hawkins From being ganged up. Hawkins can’t take pack marks anymore. He needs to be playing one on one.

Yeah spot on... thats what I was meaning to say.. isolate him in the forward 50 by himself

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

It's this time of year where both our sides go at it. Mods, if my thoughts on the game offends anyone, please just remove it. The last few years its been a discussion I have enjoyed and normally received well for those that want to talk about the game and leave our team glasses at home.

First on the Cats.

Miers out is a huge plus for us. Incredibly underrated by those that don't watch you play. This year he seems to be a crucial cog in your defensive set up and his ability to switch angles or hit the deep target is elite IMO. Also not having Kolodjashnij on the returning Martin is again another plus. I actually liked his game in the GF, yes he made a turnover that cost a goal but outside of that he was disciplined. I have noticed a lot of how we play with you guys this year. You hit the inside kick a lot more, like we do and you are now attacking the goal square which you normally have not done, which is understandable as you have a fantastic lead up forward.

I was not concerned about your early form, like us, both sides had to work into the season as both of us came of a short preseason compared to the other 16 sides. It was always going to take a month of footy or so to "catch up" to the others in match fitness. Also both teams are finals proven and understand Feb and April are tinkering months, not months to be going flat out as those games really dont mean much.

On us - Losing Grimes is a loss but offset thank heavens with Vlaustin returning. In saying that, it will be his second ? game of the year, so will be rusty as hell and you may exploit that. Cotchin out is a blessing in disguise. Dont misunderstand me, I would love for him to be in but it forces us to keep RCD in the midfield and I have huge hopes for his future progress.

The one area I think we may get on top this time round is the midfield. Your starting midfield may be Guthrie, Selwood, Menegola, Duncan, Smith, and Parfitt. A great blend but outside of that who else can you rotate in their on Friday ? You will be coming up against Martin, Edwards, Bolton, RCD, Graham, Pickett, Ross, McIntosh, and i can add another two or 3 players. My point being your midfield depth does not seem to be as good as past seasons. Obviously no Danger is huge but that is off set with us with no Cotchin and Prestia.

In saying the above your back 6 are having season best year. Yes Henderson looks out of sorts in some patches of games but so does Astbury for us but the quality you have equally match our back which is our strongest line. Henry is having a break out season, Stewart is performances are bankable good performances, much like our underated broad, you know what those two players will bring. I also love Atkins aggression.

So simply my thoughts is who ever wins the turnover game will win. You are now forcing teams to kick long, similar to what we do but we love the long kick. IMO whoever wins the contest at the fall of the ball and creates that turnover wins.

Lets have no injuries as 100% we both will meet in finals again, lets just both hope its the last game of the year.

Henderson has been excellent this year and hasn’t looked “out of sorts” at all.....

 

[Partridge]

Richmond is seriously on the verge of 4 out of 5 premierships, and will deservedly be labelled the greatest team ever, at least in AFL history.
Geelong are on the verge of either just making or missing the 8.
What definitions were you thinking?

I reckon they’re too hot and cold right now. They’re a long way off that happening personally.

We still have to play well, but I’m not conceding the flag to them just yet. They have already lost three games, and two of them were pretty comprehensive.

 

[winty]

I reckon they’re too hot and cold right now. They’re a long way off that happening personally.

We still have to play well, but I’m not conceding the flag to them just yet. They have already lost three games, and two of them were pretty comprehensive.

They were 4-3 after 7 rounds in 2019, with losses to Collingwood by 44 points, GWS by 49 and the Bulldogs by 47.
Last year they were 4-2-1 after 7 rounds, with losses to Hawthorn by 32 points and St.Kilda by 26.

Didn't seem to bother them come the pointy end of the season.