How will we go rounds 1-7?

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

For some reason I only see Freo as the danger game.. Hawks play Pies in round 1 so will be fired up for that game, could be a bruising encounter and even's our travel back..

Don't rate Adelaide yet, they beat hawks first round last year so nab cup is hardly an indicator of form, am I the only one that thought Eagles played bruise free footy?

But I think we could still do 7-0 if we win the first two games....

 

[donbooger]

5-2 is a pass mark for me, and its where Im guessing we will be.

Adelaide, Hawks and Freo should be the only danger games so losing them all would be dissapointing.

6 or 7 wins are easily gettable though so I am not without confidence and not going to argue with those with more optimism.

 

[barmy44]

I went for 6-1 but a 7-0 start wouldn't surprise me. The hawks are the danger game since they will be fired up for it and unlikely we will be IMO.
Also I don't get how everyone is rating the crows all of a sudden? So they won the nab cup, means nothing go and ask Carlton. Nab form =\= home and away form and I can't see the crows getting all THAT close to us even over there, im predicting a 3-4 goal win, one of those hold em at arms length kinda games.

they got close to us at kardinia park '09, beat us there '10, and got close to us there '11... plus, they have sanderson coaching them now...

EDIT: by 'there', i mean AAMI

 

[James1970]

I'm wary. First two games are tough - Freo at Freo with the new coach, then the Hawks with something to prove, yet again. Throw in the Kangas and Richmond, both teams I'm expecting to show alot more this year, then the Crows at AAMI. I'd be very happy to take 5 wins after 7, but not surprised if it's 4/3. We've lost a few expereinced, cool heads over Summer, and may not be so lucky in the close ones.

Then again, we could just rip 'em all to shreds, and be 7-0 with a record percentage, with Pods, Stevie J and Hakwins leading the goal-tally.

Starting to get the sickly stomach cramps that greets the start of each new season, as the dice is soon rolled. Nothing to do but hold on, and hopefully enjoy the ride, again!

 

[fpm84]

For some reason I only see Freo as the danger game.. Hawks play Pies in round 1 so will be fired up for that game, could be a bruising encounter and even's our travel back..

The Hawks v Pies game should be a brutal one, but they have a 10 day break to prepare for us, whereas we won't be back in Victoria until Sunday morning.

I think we'll lose one of our first two and possibly the Adelaide game too. Our run into the finals looks OK on paper, so as long as we're around the top 4 mark by round 15 or 16, we should be able to stay there until the finals.

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

The Hawks v Pies game should be a brutal one, but they have a 10 day break to prepare for us, whereas we won't be back in Victoria until Sunday morning.

I think we'll lose one of our first two and possibly the Adelaide game too. Our run into the finals looks OK on paper, so as long as we're around the top 4 mark by round 15 or 16, we should be able to stay there until the finals.

Doh! Didn't know they got a 10 day break won't surprise me then if we do drop that one too...

 

[footscore]

Doh! Didn't know they got a 10 day break won't surprise me then if we do drop that one too...

A fired up Chappy feeling the best he has felt in years plus the upside of a rampaging Selwood about to approach the prime of his career and early preseason form suggests he'll be a likely favourite for the 2012 Brownlow and then you got Hawkins who'll get a little mention in his ear about the recent remarks made by Dermott Brereton on league teams, implying he's done nothing in the recent final series to earn the hype!

If the Cats use the Jeff Kennett sledge to build em up before this classic rematch over recent years then this one will have even more significance attached due to the media talk of Hawthorn and the obvious disrespect the Hawthorn players have toward Geelong winning the 2011 flag which was both convincing and worthy.

Cats always get up for this game despite injuries or form and I have a confident feeling they flex their muscles all over again to assert their dominance.

 

[Vdubs]

A fired up Chappy feeling the best he has felt in years plus the upside of a rampaging Selwood about to approach the prime of his career and early preseason form suggests he'll be a likely favourite for the 2012 Brownlow and then you got Hawkins who'll get a little mention in his ear about the recent remarks made by Dermott Brereton on league teams, implying he's done nothing in the recent final series to earn the hype!

If the Cats use the Jeff Kennett sledge to build em up before this classic rematch over recent years then this one will have even more significance attached due to the media talk of Hawthorn and the obvious disrespect the Hawthorn players have toward Geelong winning the 2011 flag which was both convincing and worthy.

Cats always get up for this game despite injuries or form and I have a confident feeling they flex their muscles all over again to assert their dominance.

But after it's all said and done, do we realistically have the weapons to get up against Hawthorn this time? Varcoe, Wojo, Ling, Ottens, Mooney, Milburn, Josh Hunt, maybe Enright, and Bundy, these guys have all had significant history against Hawks, and even then, we JUST get over the line mostly. No, I can't pick us to win that one with Hawthorn's available list compared to ours, but I have been known to err on the side of pessimism, and will be happy to be wrong again.

We come back from Perth, and they have a 2-3 day longer break than us before this game. If we could get up this time, would be as big as THAT 2009 game, losing Scarlett/ Harry at 1/2 time, and Bartel's match winner.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Hawkins who'll get a little mention in his ear about the recent remarks made by Dermott Brereton on league teams, implying he's done nothing in the recent final series to earn the hype!

If Hawkins needs things like that to motivate him against our most hated rival, then I'm worried for him.

If the Cats use the Jeff Kennett sledge to build em up before this classic rematch over recent years then this one will have even more significance attached due to the media talk of Hawthorn and the obvious disrespect the Hawthorn players have toward Geelong winning the 2011 flag which was both convincing and worthy.

I don't think Jeff Kennett had anything to do with it. It's all about the 2008 grand final and how the disappointment of that loss has fueled our players for four years now.

Cats always get up for this game despite injuries or form

Previous 10/Previous 5 matches prior to playing Hawthorn since 2009:

Round 1, 2009: 9-1/4-1
Round 17, 2009: 8-2/3-2
Round 2, 2010: 8-2/5-0
Round 15, 2010: 8-2/4-1
Round 5, 2011: 8-2/4-1
Round 12, 2011: 10-0/5-0
QF, 2011: 7-3/4-1

The only time we have played them on the back of a loss has been the season-opener in 2009 (the year we won the NAB Cup). The closest to an out of form team we've had in that time was the Round 17, 2009 game, where we'd lost against the top-placed St Kilda and then sent a reserves team up to Brisbane. It's hard to know whether we truly 'get up' for these games, because we've had an almost permanent top two position on the ladder for five years now.

 

[footscore]

But after it's all said and done, do we realistically have the weapons to get up against Hawthorn this time? Varcoe, Wojo, Ling, Ottens, Mooney, Milburn, Josh Hunt, maybe Enright, and Bundy, these guys have all had significant history against Hawks, and even then, we JUST get over the line mostly. No, I can't pick us to win that one with Hawthorn's available list compared to ours, but I have been known to err on the side of pessimism, and will be happy to be wrong again.

We come back from Perth, and they have a 2-3 day longer break than us before this game. If we could get up this time, would be as big as THAT 2009 game, losing Scarlett/ Harry at 1/2 time, and Bartel's match winner.

yep I really think we do. I don't rate Hawthorn as highly as what the media currently rates them.
Just like our forwards structure against them because they are seriously up against decent size and height advantage.

I really see Orren Stephenson becoming a terrific pickup and had a talk with some folks at the pub the other night who said they saw a bit of him in the two's, he's very aggressive and was the major factor in the club hunting him down for his services. He's like Mumford where he pushed people around and lets them know he's around. Once he gets that 1st game under his belt then he'll start playing like he belongs and against Hawthorn who have no genuine ruck apart from Hale. It means we have a good chance of exploiting that smaller size in defense by having West push deep like he did in the QF.

Selwood is raring to go and you probably already seen but the guy is seriously in the best form of his life and I can't see Lewis or whoever they assign to tag stopping him to be honest. His endurance is freaky good.

We beat them 3 times last year without some of names you mentioned and I reckon we prove to good when it comes to individual goal kickers. Steve Johnson, Hawkins, Pods, Stokes, Chapman...too many forwards to shut down the full 90 odd minutes.
Cats by 17 points in a game that will mirror last seasons QF.

 

[dazbroncos]

The thing with this year is that we are still the reinging premiers D) and that every week each team will want to be the ones to knock us off and show us that we are too old and to slow....again...

Last year NOONE gave us a shot. Now, even though the media are jerking Hawks and Pies off, they can't fully ignore us.

We have handing most teams heartbreak over the last 6 years and they will be ready to hand it back in spades.

We are ready for it...

Go Catters...

 

[cynical]

should be 6-1 or 7-0

 

[geelong_boy]

We come back from Perth, and they have a 2-3 day longer break than us before this game. If we could get up this time, would be as big as THAT 2009 game, losing Scarlett/ Harry at 1/2 time, and Bartel's match winner.

We play in R1 one day after Hawthorn so we still get an 8 day break ahead of R2.

Yeah the Hawks are up and firing early and with our outs they'll probably be favorites. It wouldn't surprise me if we lost our first two but at the same time it wouldn't surprise me if we won them. Even with all those out a strong team will go out to play and you can't write them off.

 

[footscore]

even though the media are jerking Hawks and Pies off, they can't fully ignore us.

summed it up perfectly

 

[vivien]

I think we'll go 5-2

 

[GFC123]

Fremantle away is going to be a very tough game, round 1 too so the fitness of the guys will be tested. Freo, under their new coach Ross Lyon, will no doubt be up and about for this game, at home with a very supportive crowd going up against the reining premiers, i've put us down for a loss there, in a close one.

Round 2 against Hawthorn, again, another VERY tough game. We will have to travel which could be a factor, and the Hawks as well all know will be going head on against us, trying to break their 7-game losing streak against us, got us down for a loss in another close one. 0-2 after two rounds sounds bad but the teams we are playing are good teams and for us to win, we will have to be playing our absolute best and get a fair bit of luck going our way.

We should beat North, Richmond, Brisbane and the Dees but the Adelaide game at AAMI is going to be tough.

4-3 after 7 games.

 

[witsend]

4-3 would be a pass imo. 5-2 a bonus. 6-1 or 7-0 a dream start!
3-4 a disappointment. 2-5 a real concern but salvageable. 1-6 or 0-7 a disaster.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

Will beat Hawthorn round 2.

Dunno about Round 1. But Scott likes to get up for the big teams.

 

[Vdubs]

Will beat Hawthorn round 2.

Dunno about Round 1. But Scott likes to get up for the big teams.

None bigger than Freo in Perth round 1.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

None bigger than Freo in Perth round 1.

Not bigger than Hawks, the next game.

I don't like Freo's chances this year. The eight, yes. But that's it.

But Hawthorn are at least as big a danger as last year.

Scott got Geelong up for Collingwood, Carlton, and Hawthorn last year. Every game. I'm sure he thought they were the big dangers.

Thats what I think, anyway.

 

[Vdubs]

Not bigger than Hawks, the next game.

I don't like Freo's chances this year. The eight, yes. But that's it.

But Hawthorn are at least as big a danger as last year.

Scott got Geelong up for Collingwood, Carlton, and Hawthorn last year. Every game. I'm sure he thought they were the big dangers.

Thats what I think, anyway.

I know what you're saying, but owaat is apt here, and Freo will be tough, but that first win is the aim/ forget Hawthorn/ they still have to contend with Pies.

 

[candiehappy]

Will beat Hawthorn round 2.

Dunno about Round 1. But Scott likes to get up for the big teams.

Hawks could start 0 - 3. Their first three games are against the 3 teams they couldn't beat last year. One of the few times I've liked Andy D

 

[YIIIABLETTT]

5-2 or better and we have done quite well, tough little opening 2 rounds for us. Take the points in either of them and i'll be happy enough. Crows at AAMI will be tough but we should win the others.

 

[Vdubs]

Hawks could start 0 - 3. Their first three games are against the 3 teams they couldn't beat last year. One of the few times I've liked Andy D

Hawks are supremely fit and confident, expect them to be the 7-0 team this year. Would be a nice twist if they go through on top ALL YEAR, and are overdone by GF day, and get pipped. By us. Or, by any team.

I think we'll have a sluggish start, surely playing guys with no preseason games, in Perth this week is a no-no. We have the talent to recover. Hope to be wrong about the next few games.

 

[Senatorguesty]

Hawks are supremely fit and confident, expect them to be the 7-0 team this year. Would be a nice twist if they go through on top ALL YEAR, and are overdone by GF day, and get pipped. By us. And only us.

fixed that one for you