Is Mark Blicavs a symptom of what is wrong with the Cats?

[Herne Hill Hammer]

I'm not knocking Blicavs, he's a good honest goer, but is he really worthy of being a dual b&f winner?

To me that just reeks of rewarding someone who's playing their role exactly how the coach wants, no matter how limited.

Geelong's list is full of much better and talented footballers, footballers that have played footy from the time they could walk.

He has just as many Carjis as Danger, Ablett Jnr, Enright, Joel Corey, Bill Goggin, Polly Farmer, Bruce Nankervis, Mark Bos, Steven King and Sam Newman.

He has more than Ablett Snr, Scarlett, Chapman, Ling.

Just reflect on that and let it sink in.

The coach has a philosophy and a game style and if you stick to it he will recognise you.

I know Blitz has his detractors on here, but it's not about his performance, it's about the club / coaches rewarding his game because his game is a reflection of what the coaches want.

I could probably add some more, but I'm at work on a tight schedule so will have to leave it at that for now.

Over to you fellow supporters.

 

[catempire]

 

[catman2006]

yes to a degree the players are so versatile they can play in multiple position the Phase "jack of all and master of none" could be a problem to the team...

 

[Strange Cat]

It has merit in that Scott’s focussed on players being versatile in multiple postition may had impacted on players development in a specific position.

Blitz is a very good player and is handy in that we can throw him anywhere and know that he can handle the job.

It’s something that I have given a lot of thought to latterly tbh.

 

[jimmy.h]

He is symptomatic in the fact he is poorly coached and forced to play part of an appalling game plan.

Blitz has 2 characteristics which align with massive biases held by Scott (and I’d guess others in the football department). He is versatile and he comes from a non-traditional AFL pathway.

 

[Turbocat]

I'm not knocking Blicavs, he's a good honest goer, but is he really worthy of being a dual b&f winner?

To me that just reeks of rewarding someone who's playing their role exactly how the coach wants, no matter how limited.

Geelong's list is full of much better and talented footballers, footballers that have played footy from the time they could walk.

He has just as many Carjis as Danger, Ablett Jnr, Enright, Joel Corey, Bill Goggin, Polly Farmer, Bruce Nankervis, Mark Bos, Steven King and Sam Newman.

He has more than Ablett Snr, Scarlett, Chapman, Ling.

Just reflect on that and let it sink in.

The coach has a philosophy and a game style and if you stick to it he will recognise you.

I know Blitz has his detractors on here, but it's not about his performance, it's about the club / coaches rewarding his game because his game is a reflection of what the coaches want.

I could probably add some more, but I'm at work on a tight schedule so will have to leave it at that for now.

Over to you fellow supporters.

I think Cscott has watched Greek wedding too often ... he thinks Blitz is Windex and that its a cure for all ill's ..just spray Blitz on and he can do any role

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

As I said, it's not specifically about Blitz, nor his or anyone else's versatility.

If I can word it properly, I guess it's about the mindset of the people charged with the direction our playing group are heading and to what plan they play and the fact 2 out of the last 4 years, they have voted a very limited footballer as our fairest & best player.

The same number of b&f's as Polly Farmer, Billy Goggin, Gary Ablett Jnr and Patrick Dangerfield. More b&f's than Gary Ablett Snr. and Greg Williams.

There's 3 members of the AFL, HoF, Team of the Century, a HoF Legend, 3 HoF inductees, 3 Brownlow Medalists and mutliple AFLPA and AFLCA award winners and a player who has kicked over 1000 career goals.

 

[Vdubs]

Good thread.
His B & F reflect the seasons we had when he won them, the lack of viable better players over those seasons.
I am a Blic fan because of his application and CS loves him.
Every team would love a player like him.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Good thread.
His B & F reflect the seasons we had when he won them, the lack of viable better players over those seasons.
I am a Blic fan because of his application and CS loves him.
Every team would love a player like him.

I agree wholeheartedly with the bolded.

 

[Vdubs]

As I said, it's not specifically about Blitz, nor his or anyone else's versatility.

If I can word it properly, I guess it's about the mindset of the people charged with the direction our playing group are heading and to what plan they play and the fact 2 out of the last 4 years, they have voted a very limited footballer as our fairest & best player.

The same number of b&f's as Polly Farmer, Billy Goggin, Gary Ablett Jnr and Patrick Dangerfield. More b&f's than Gary Ablett Snr. and Greg Williams.

There's 3 members of the AFL, HoF, Team of the Century, a HoF Legend, 3 HoF inductees, 3 Brownlow Medalists and mutliple AFLPA and AFLCA award winners and a player who has kicked over 1000 career goals.

Is your issue more with the B & F, or his role in the team. The B & F has its won fickleness, as always. Bartel has never won one, and Ablett did not even win the 93, when his season was utterly stunning. It's not just the coach who votes for B & F. Blic never misses a game.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Is your issue more with the B & F, or his role in the team. The B & F has its won fickleness, as always. Bartel has never won one, and Ablett did not even win the 93, when his season was utterly stunning. It's not just the coach who votes for B & F. Blic never misses a game.

You're focussing on the wrong thing, my issue isn't with his role in the team and I'm well aware that it's not just the coach that votes for the b&f, hence my words in the post that you've replied to, "the people charged with the direction of our playing group."

The thread is about the mindset of the coaches / match committee etc and what sort of players they favour. I used Mark as an example because he seems to be what they like for some reason, a limited role player that they can give a job to and hope it gets done to an acceptable level.

 

[Partridge]

Good thread.
His B & F reflect the seasons we had when he won them, the lack of viable better players over those seasons.
I am a Blic fan because of his application and CS loves him.
Every team would love a player like him.

That's garbage VD. He won it last year. Tom Hawkins was miles, MILES better than him last season. No one on here predicted it.

In 2015 he won it because all our best players were injured (we missed the finals too so him having a good season does not necessarily help the team).

 

[Partridge]

I'm not knocking Blicavs, he's a good honest goer, but is he really worthy of being a dual b&f winner?

To me that just reeks of rewarding someone who's playing their role exactly how the coach wants, no matter how limited.

Perfect timing. We've had six long years of history now.

The 2013 Qualifying Final was a day of reckoning for this board in my view. Scott did exactly what happened last night - dropped a ruckman in West, picked Blicavs (and Vardy) ahead of him, and watched them get utterly slaughtered by Sandilands as we lost a game we could have and should have easily won.

Ever since then, Scott's ethos seems to be pick Blicavs, play him somewhere, anywhere, and to hell with team balance. They've tried him as a ruckman (failure), tagger (failure), winger (failure), and finally out of desperation tried key defender where he actually looked promising. Some especially prescient posters pointed that out years ago.

It does encapsulate in a nutshell one of my major issues with Scott; he picks his favourites regardless of form and doesn't care at all if it shatters team balance. Certainly did last night.

And it's not effort. He has a crack. But he has been exposed repeatedly in finals now. It's not just a one off. Scott won't face it, neither will a good chunk of this board. Play him as a key defender, but absolutely nowhere else.

Pointed all this out six years ago. Few wanted to listen and plenty lost their minds. You're welcome.

 

[Catsace]

I agree with the OP, and yes it's staggering when you see Gary Sr having just one B & F, ironically the year after a similar sort of limited player being Ray Card winning the Carji in '83.

It does hint to a lionization of the 'Jack of all trades' sort of quality rather perhaps than individual brilliance. danger for example yesterday was a dynamo, he was almost the only player able to extract the ball in the first half, and his bullocking work to try and get the ball out to team mates..and sometimes be the one to also burst out and create pay was one of Geelong's few highlights last night. His high standards are almost a cross he has to bear, i think the highly talented players are perhaps marked harder by the voting committee then the ones who perhaps have lower expectations but lay their role very well in the eyes of the coaching staff.

Trouble with being a jack of all trades is that usually the masters are the ones who bring home the bacon. Blitz has done a great job to be what he is from his limited footballing pedigree, but it would be interesting if Geelong had an open bidding on the whole list what Blitz would command from other clubs. Then again, with his more youthful age than Hawkins et al, maybe he would be highly sought after.

 

[Micksy]

Isn't this down to how the Carji is decided?

Like every player is rated out of 10 and their best and worst ranked games are omitted?

It's meant to not punish players who are "rested". Seems to reward mediocrity.

Edit:

the senior coach, director of coaching and the assistant coaches rating each player out of 15 after every game. The combined votes are averaged to give a final score for that game. To ensure players are not disadvantaged by injury, only a player's highest scoring 21 games count

 

[Vdubs]

That's garbage VD. He won it last year. Tom Hawkins was miles, MILES better than him last season. No one on here predicted it.

In 2015 he won it because all our best players were injured (we missed the finals too so him having a good season does not necessarily help the team).

I for one did, mainly due to his consistency and the respect CS/MC have for him. Our B & F does not always go to the player that looks "miles better". Bos, Corey, Boris, all worthy recipients, but in each of those cases, other players looked to have had better seasons.
I was just asking if his (the OP)concern was the B & F itself, or the role Blic plays.

 

[Partridge]

Trouble with being a jack of all trades is that usually the masters are the ones who bring home the bacon. Blitz has done a great job to be what he is from his limited footballing pedigree, but it would be interesting if Geelong had an open bidding on the whole list what Blitz would command from other clubs. Then again, with his more youthful age than Hawkins et al, maybe he would be highly sought after.

He's not that much more youthful. He turns 29 in March.

 

[Partridge]

Isn't this down to how the Carji is decided?

Like every player is rated out of 10 and their best and worst ranked games are omitted?

It's meant to not punish players who are "rested". Seems to reward mediocrity.

Edit:

More than seems to.

Simple answer. Votes for each game. If you don't play, guess what? You miss out.

Life isn't fair. Tough.

 

[Vdubs]

He's not that much more youthful. He turns 29 in March.

But he's not worn and torn from a career of footy which helps.

 

[Partridge]

But he's not worn and torn from a career of footy which helps.

If he serves up the same garbage under finals pressure (again) as last night it doesn't help at all.

 

[Vdubs]

You're focussing on the wrong thing, my issue isn't with his role in the team and I'm well aware that it's not just the coach that votes for the b&f, hence my words in the post that you've replied to, "the people charged with the direction of our playing group."

The thread is about the mindset of the coaches / match committee etc and what sort of players they favour. I used Mark as an example because he seems to be what they like for some reason, a limited role player that they can give a job to and hope it gets done to an acceptable level.

Limited role player?
FB- AA candidate, and B & F.
Utility- B & F.
Ruck.
Tagger, run - with. Great results .
He is hardly limited.

 

[thecatattack]

He's arguably the best defender in the league, especially last year.

So I'm not sure about this weird standard you think we hold him at.

 

[Vdubs]

If he serves up the same garbage under finals pressure (again) as last night it doesn't help at all.

I know you've never been a Blic fan, stop trying to be polite about it.

 

[Partridge]

Limited role player?
FB- AA candidate, and B & F.
Utility- B & F.
Ruck.
Tagger, run - with. Great results .
He is hardly limited.

What great results?

 

[RegHickeyStand]

All been said on this thread. I would add, Blicavs should never be allowed forward of centre. That is where his lack of a football background becomes all too obvious. He was playing great in defence. But we had to ruin that for him.