Is Gary Rohan the worst finals player of all time?

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Aug 13, 2006
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You dump. Cats are going to win 8 or 9 home games at the Cattery, and only need half a dozen other wins to be top 4.

They need players who are going to perform in finals. But I would be quite happy if they keep giving contracts to Dalhouse, Rohan, and Selwood.
I'd consider cutting him but whilst Hawkins, Selwood, Isaac Smith and so on are still on their list and playing well (Selwood was still very good this year even if he's not up to finals) do you really make yourself worse?

I wouldn't commit to playing him week in week out and might even think about yet another position switch, but overall if Geelong's theory is to just keep trucking then I'm going to do exactly that.

Cutting Gary Rohan to take on a late round or rookie pick to make me feel better about the list age just doesn't cut it to me. The Cats are at the stage where they may as well keep trucking and can experiment with selection first. Once selection changes start happening then it's time to change the list build.
 
May 5, 2016
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You dump. Cats are going to win 8 or 9 home games at the Cattery, and only need half a dozen other wins to be top 4.

They need players who are going to perform in finals. But I would be quite happy if they keep giving contracts to Dalhouse, Rohan, and Selwood.



Motlop has spent his entire career only performing well in the last half a dozen games of his contract and then managed to wrangle a new one.

What do you think we should have done. Delisted Selwood 3 years ago?
 

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Jul 13, 2015
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I'd consider cutting him but whilst Hawkins, Selwood, Isaac Smith and so on are still on their list and playing well (Selwood was still very good this year even if he's not up to finals) do you really make yourself worse?

I wouldn't commit to playing him week in week out and might even think about yet another position switch, but overall if Geelong's theory is to just keep trucking then I'm going to do exactly that.

Cutting Gary Rohan to take on a late round or rookie pick to make me feel better about the list age just doesn't cut it to me. The Cats are at the stage where they may as well keep trucking and
can experiment with selection first. Once selection changes start happening then it's time to change the list build.

Smith was easily the best in the finals for Geelong. Especially the Prelim. But then his finals experience at Hawthorn was brilliant as well. And its why he was recruited.

I cant see him adding a 4th flag though. Geelong will be up and about again but arent going to win with the current list. And there is no youth coming through.
 

My Tilly

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Jun 30, 2018
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Smith was easily the best in the finals for Geelong. Especially the Prelim. But then his finals experience at Hawthorn was brilliant as well. And its why he was recruited.

I cant see him adding a 4th flag though. Geelong will be up and about again but arent going to win with the current list. And there is no youth coming through.

Henry is good.
De Koning gets talked up a lot but I seen him play a couple of times in the reserves and he has that 'it' quality. 6ft'7 tall and very athletic. Needs a lot of time in the gym though.

Other than that, you are right. Close, Miers, Z.Guthrie, Narkle . . . they look alright but are not yet killing it like a lot of other 2nd or 3rd year players.
 
May 5, 2016
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Henry is good.
De Koning gets talked up a lot but I seen him play a couple of times in the reserves and he has that 'it' quality. 6ft'7 tall and very athletic. Needs a lot of time in the gym though.

Other than that, you are right. Close, Miers, Z.Guthrie, Narkle . . . they look alright but are not yet killing it like a lot of other 2nd or 3rd year players.


I’m the eternal optimist and I cop it a lot for that and that’s fair but I don’t see a lot wrong with our young players aside from the fact that among them save for Henry, we don’t have 1-2 ‘guns’

Most if not all our young players who’ve had more than a couple of games are up to it. Even Zac Guthrie has proven a lot of people wrong. It’s simply the absence of that jet who lifts the rest of them that at the moment is going to hurt us
 
Nov 12, 2002
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He has been a very good regular season addition for the Cats. His forward pressure and goal kicking are both very good. What do you do when you've got a handy player who wins you games in the home and away season but is borderline unplayable in a final?

The forward pressure part doesn't stand up to much scrutiny. He averages a whopping 2.4 tackles per game over his entire career. This season it was 1.9. It's a total myth. I've even had one of the Geelong moderators tell me - presumably with a straight face - that it's what happens when he doesn't have the ball that counts. By that logic we should have romped in the Prelim as he only had 1 touch.

It's hilarious that a player with such putrid output over a decade can still be defended.
 
Jan 18, 2002
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that is not the point, and I don't doubt Georgiades will be much better than Rohan, but Georgiades was a valuable contributer this year. You don't need to get defensive

Humans at times have short memories. As you say, Rohan had a reasonable home & away season, just went MIA during the finals.

How to solve Rohan’s finals problem, mmmm, start him on the bench and “cattle prod” him as he goes onto the field. Shock him into action.
 
Humans at times have short memories. As you say, Rohan had a reasonable home & away season, just went MIA during the finals.

How to solve Rohan’s finals problem, mmmm, start him on the bench and “cattle prod” him as he goes onto the field. Shock him into action.
if we have to stick with him, I think a positional change might be neccesary. I'd like to see him trialed on the HBF next season
 

My Tilly

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Humans at times have short memories. As you say, Rohan had a reasonable home & away season, just went MIA during the finals.

How to solve Rohan’s finals problem, mmmm, start him on the bench and “cattle prod” him as he goes onto the field. Shock him into action.

He's done mate.
He is going on 31 and Geelong's about to slip down the ladder so he's missed out on the opportunity to stand up and play some good finals matches.

It's not as though he didn't have much to say in the matter either, 23 finals games played. The proof is in the pudding. Like so many before him, just not made for the biggest stage of them all.
 
Sep 19, 2010
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He kicked the 34th most goals in the league this year.

18 teams. 34th. So he'd be the 2nd leading goal kicker at most clubs. Was 3rd in line at the Cats. His pressure is good. He kicked a clutch goal to beat the Doggies.

I don't think you can act like nothing has changed and go in to finals as always, but there's a lot of nothing players on every clubs list including Geelong's and he's not the difference between the Cats being old or young.

If they can carry Josh Jenkins for 2 years they can recontract Rohan and try to work out what to do differently throughout the year.

Rhys Stanley and the ruck is a similar but probably worse situation to me because rucks are specialist positions. Rohan is at least versatile and there's other players to be used in his spot if the Cats want to.

They've had many years to do this, same result every time
 
Nov 12, 2002
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Humans at times have short memories. As you say, Rohan had a reasonable home & away season, just went MIA during the finals.

How to solve Rohan’s finals problem, mmmm, start him on the bench and “cattle prod” him as he goes onto the field. Shock him into action.

The short memories help Rohan more than hurt him. Every season the club he's with seems to think things will magically change in high pressure games. Mysteriously enough they never do. It's almost like it's a pattern or something.
 

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My Tilly

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I’m the eternal optimist and I cop it a lot for that and that’s fair but I don’t see a lot wrong with our young players aside from the fact that among them save for Henry, we don’t have 1-2 ‘guns’

Most if not all our young players who’ve had more than a couple of games are up to it. Even Zac Guthrie has proven a lot of people wrong. It’s simply the absence of that jet who lifts the rest of them that at the moment is going to hurt us

So after 33 shaky games, he's now made it has he?
I think he's been given games just as other duds have like Parsons, Murdoch, Atkins, Smedts, Ruggles etc.
 

My Tilly

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You’re right he should be executed on site and told he has no right to a contract. More quality from you.

I think he's a terrible footballer. Plays frightened footy like his older brother. Not the kind of players who have that inner cu*t in them that makes a player who they are.
Guthrie brothers, Blicavs, Stanley, Rohan and even your very own Hawkins, they are soft players who are easily taken away from the game if they are physically stuck into early on. It is why we are now copping the hand baggers tag. Too many 'nice' players out there. Not enough Chapman's who played it tough.
 
Jul 30, 2011
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You’re right he should be executed on site and told he has no right to a contract. More quality from you.
Won’t lie here - I wish my club had that power over the years.
But it is a question as to why he is persisted with. He won’t ever win you a flag but he will sure a he’ll help you lose one
 
May 5, 2016
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Won’t lie here - I wish my club had that power over the years.
But it is a question as to why he is persisted with. He won’t ever win you a flag but he will sure a he’ll help you lose one


How in hell does anyone know that? Seriously, how? Gary Ablett Jr after the same amount of games had shown the following:

- that he had flashes of talent
- that he was on the lazy side of underachieving
- that he was a small forward

He became arguably the best pure midfielder in history.
Tom Hawkins was so unable to prove himself as a forward that by his third and fourth seasons he was being groomed as a hybrid forward ruckman. He’s a 4 time all Australian key forward on the edge of 700 goals.

Do I think Zac Guthrie of all people is going to become a superstar? No, I do not. But I and plenty of others thought his brother was a depth midfielder at best and that was after a lot more games than what Zac has played. Last year he was all Australian and this year he topped our Brownlow count by the length of the Flemington straight.
 

My Tilly

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How in hell does anyone know that? Seriously, how? Gary Ablett Jr after the same amount of games had shown the following:

- that he had flashes of talent
- that he was on the lazy side of underachieving
- that he was a small forward

He became arguably the best pure midfielder in history.
Tom Hawkins was so unable to prove himself as a forward that by his third and fourth seasons he was being groomed as a hybrid forward ruckman. He’s a 4 time all Australian key forward on the edge of 700 goals.

Do I think Zac Guthrie of all people is going to become a superstar? No, I do not. But I and plenty of others thought his brother was a depth midfielder at best and that was after a lot more games than what Zac has played. Last year he was all Australian and this year he topped our Brownlow count by the length of the Flemington straight.

Sorry mate but anyone who watches this sport could tell you from game one, Junior had something different. He often got the ball and then did something which is pretty rare in young players, he took his time and often tried to bite off more than he could chew. Some may have slagged him for this but it's always an alluring attribute to see. You know in time they eventually fix up the decision making.

Zach Guthrie gets the ball and shits himself. He often throws the ball straight to his boot and hopes it hits a target. Blicavs does the same thing but he's even worse than Zach. Takes years to finally gather that composure and work through the oncoming pressure. Some players have it. Most don't.
 
May 5, 2016
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Sorry mate but anyone who watches this sport could tell you from game one, Junior had something different. He often got the ball and then did something which is pretty rare in young players, he took his time and often tried to bite off more than he could chew. Some may have slagged him for this but it's always an alluring attribute to see. You know in time they eventually fix up the decision making.

Zach Guthrie gets the ball and shits himself. He often throws the ball straight to his boot and hopes it hits a target. Blicavs does the same thing but he's even worse than Zach.


Correction: Did often get the ball and shat himself. He does it less and less. Heaven forbid someone improves.
 
Jul 30, 2011
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How in hell does anyone know that? Seriously, how? Gary Ablett Jr after the same amount of games had shown the following:

- that he had flashes of talent
- that he was on the lazy side of underachieving
- that he was a small forward

He became arguably the best pure midfielder in history.
Tom Hawkins was so unable to prove himself as a forward that by his third and fourth seasons he was being groomed as a hybrid forward ruckman. He’s a 4 time all Australian key forward on the edge of 700 goals.

Do I think Zac Guthrie of all people is going to become a superstar? No, I do not. But I and plenty of others thought his brother was a depth midfielder at best and that was after a lot more games than what Zac has played. Last year he was all Australian and this year he topped our Brownlow count by the length of the Flemington straight.
My apologies. I skim read the post you replied and read 33 shaky games as will be 33 etc. I was responding about Rohan and his extension.
I have no opinions on Guthrie either way
 

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