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J

Jumping Jack

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We need to soak up the abuse from opposition supporters and the witch hunt that's sure to follow in the media ...... our loss today is in the "New England patriots" category from the NFL Superbowl .......2 losses for the year (unfortunately one is the big dance).

For everyone letting their emotions get the better of them I think the following points should not be forgotten over summer;

> Hawkins will be a big project for the club between now and round one 2009. Whilst it's not the reason we lost today I reckon with a dominant midfield you need a "plan b" which is bomb long to a big marking option.

> There's a bloke called Egan who will be a very handy addition to our side next year. Even if we have to wait a month or two ..... he will be a big asset.

> We will still have a great midfield in 2009 and this will ensure we don't fall away.

> Lessons will have been learned today about some players. I think it's unfair to name players in the gun so soon after the dissapointment of a loss but it's safe to assume that if we make the GF next year there will be at least 3-4 new faces which will keep the team fresh ......... Gamble > Egan > Prismall > Wojcinski > Hawkins.

I'm looking forward to being a force again in 2009 and hopefully the outcome will be more enjoyable than today.
 
Yeah, good point JJ

Hard to stay positive when I really feel we had most of the ingredients to win today

I think Gamble was the missing factor today. A bit more class and vertical leap and marking in the forward line would have been handy

I think we missed a beat with not playing some youngsters during the season, particularly between Rounds 18-20. That's a big missed opportunity and will set development back slightly

The future is still bright but you have to take your chances when you get them

Unlike some sports, there is only 1 Grand Final and it's not a series
 
Look, I will always be a huge Cats supporter and it is good to look ahead to the future and see how we can improve, but thats for the future. Like, next month. At the moment, all we cna think about is how horrible that game they dished out was. the Cats had just lost only one game for the year prior today. It was a waste.
 
OldStyle2007 said:
Yeah, good point JJ

Hard to stay positive when I really feel we had most of the ingredients to win today

I think Gamble was the missing factor today. A bit more class and vertical leap and marking in the forward line would have been handy

I think we missed a beat with not playing some youngsters during the season, particularly between Rounds 18-20. That's a big missed opportunity and will set development back slightly

The future is still bright but you have to take your chances when you get them

Unlike some sports, there is only 1 Grand Final and it's not a series
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I don't understand that at all.

1) Why would you blood players for three games?
2) Why would you focus on "future development" when the time is now for a flag?
 

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chapmanmagic35 said:
I don't understand that at all.

1) Why would you blood players for three games?
2) Why would you focus on "future development" when the time is now for a flag?
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Why wouldn't you? The minor premiership was sealed, and we had key players with injuries

Maybe if Kelly was rested earlier he wouldn't have done that quad

Maybe if Stokes was given a good 4-6 week rest, like he needed, he would have been right come finals time

You get to rest players and also you get to blood some guys for next year. A couple of games under a kids belts can be huge for their motivation going through pre-season training
 
Thought this was good:
Hawks shatter Geelong's dream

Jason Shields

September 27th, 2008

DESTINY was in Geelong's hands.
It was on a path towards football greatness, perhaps immortality, etching its name alongside the Collingwood teams of the 1920s and `30s, the Melbourne teams of the `50s, the Hawks of the `80s and the Brisbane teams from earlier this decade.

It was not there yet, but back-to-back premierships would have suggested we were in the midst of a football dynasty.

But the opportunity was lost.

They had their chances. They kicked 10 straight points when the momentum was theirs. But they did not make the Hawks pay.

While the first half was the most dramatic hour of football imaginable, the Cats should have had a big lead entering the break. Everything that Hawthorn wanted to go right to win went wrong, yet somehow it was the Hawks who led at the main change by three points.

Key defender Trent Croad went down with injury, captain Sam Mitchell was kept to three touches by his nemesis Cameron Ling, the twin towers in Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin were rendered ineffective and the free kick count was 17 to 10 in the Cats' favour.

The possession count was also one-way. The Cats clocking up their usual high numbers to have 35 more at the break. And then there were the inside 50s, 33 to 21 in Geelong's favour.

But Geelong got the yips in front of the sticks and booted 1.9 for the second term to trail 6.12 (48) to 8.3 (51).

When the Hawks got their chance, they swooped. In the third quarter, the recruit of the year Stuart Dew repaid the faith placed him by Alistair Clarkson by producing an individual quarter up forward not unlike Darren Jarman for the Crows in 1997.

He kicked two goals himself but had a hand in many others as the Hawks went on a six goal to nil run. Suddenly the shackles that were on the game were released.

The Cats kicked two goals late to reduce the margin to 17 points, but the Hawks got the game back on their terms in the last quarter. The revolutionary Clarkson cluster that they had employed all year shut down Geelong's forward momentum.

It took until 12 minutes into the quarter before a goal was finally kicked. Tellingly, it was Hawthorn through the well-held Franklin. From that point on, the game was in its keeping.

A Rick Ladson set shot minutes later shut the gate.

Suddenly the relief that prompted last year's outpouring of emotion and put the swagger back in the town of Geelong's step was replaced with a familiar feeling of disappointment.

Disgruntled fans let out cries that it was the ``Cats of old'' as they shuffled out of the MCG. Their calls were unjustified for this very good Geelong team deserves more respect. But their pain was raw. Grand finals are meant to mean that much.

They will wake today still angry, but clouded minds will eventually clear.

If we are to judge our enjoyment of supporting a football team on premierships alone, then following an AFL club would be a very unhappy caper.

The Cats, it must be remembered, have given this town plenty to smile about over the past 18 months.

Last year it was a record-breaking 119-point grand final win over Port Adelaide. This year it was losing just one game for the season and setting all sorts of statistical and scoring records along the way. Entering yesterday's match, it had won 43 of its past 45 matches.

Geelong has also changed the way football is played for the better. And perhaps this could be its most telling legacy when its era of success eventually fades.

Prior to the Cats' turning the AFL on its head last year, premierships were being won by the defensive-minded. The Cats issued a challenge to the remaining 15 clubs to catch them if you can.

Hawthorn just did it quicker than anyone had expected.
Click to expand...
 

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diablo14 said:
We just flushed a premiership down the toilet. There are no positives.
Click to expand...

Exactly, 10 straight behinds? 1.9?

Rubbish. We had the Hawks, a massive half time lead beckoned and WE basically handed them the flag.

What positives are there?

43 out of 46 or whatever it is means absolutely f**king NOTHING when one of those matches is a Grand Final. And even a record Grand Final win wont erase yesterday, the garbage the team served up and the fact a few players, *cough*Stokes*cough* got games when they shouldnt have.

Will we be back in the Premiership hunt next season? Yes we will. But we should be gunning for a 3rd straight, not sitting around all preseason wondering why we cant kick accurately for a team that has done so all year.

Embarrassing is what today was, and if i was the Geelong defence, or midfield, i would be EXTREMELY dirty on our forwards.
 

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