Kildonan
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Having read the following article in The Age on Monday June 1, I realised that Mark Thompson had fired the first volley in the war of words.
The Saints have emerged to meet every challenge set them by every opponent they have met thus far this year.
Geelong have an impeccable record winning 52 from their last 55 matches. They have held their form longer than any other team in history. Although the toll of maintaining this immaculate form is beginning to show with a rising injury list. Despite their injuries, they continue to win and continue to impress. Such is their apparent depth in playing personnel that one wonders how they could ever lose.
My thoughts are that Mark Thompson is a canny coach. He clearly knows how to prepare his side to win a premiership. He clearly knows how to keep the players "up" and keep the team firing all season. The Geelong players include only a few high draft picks, and although they have been very fortunate with father/son selections they cannot claim to have accumulated the best list in the league based on draft expectations. The fact remains though, that Geelong do have the best list in the league based on performances. A lot of credit must go to Mark Thompson and his support staff for this. I don't believe that the Geelong playing personnel are inherently superior (they do have a few beauties though). I believe that Geelong are succeeding due the mental attitude instilled in them by the coaching personnel. This is a mix of selflessness and uncompromising toughness. Coupled with this they are mature bodied and they have the right mix of player types.
The Saints have emerged with similar traits. They are equally talented, they have been instilled with the mental approach that Ross Lyon brings to the club. It is a selfless uncompromising approach, possibly more modest than that of Geelong (and maybe that is as it should be), but it is a step that we may have needed to take in order to take our game to the next level.
Now Thompson engages the Saints in a war of words. Geelong recognise the threat that is emerging. He may have learned a bit of this from his mentor, Kevin Sheedy, in playing mind games, but I believe that Thompson has shown his concern. It is the very first signs of respect being shown.
Mind games can distract, but they wont put the Saints off track. Ross Lyon is a quick study. I say that anything Thompson says or does only adds to Lyon's experience set and makes us stronger.
Bring it on - I say.
Cats taking on Saints weekly
Michael Gleeson | June 1, 2009
GEELONG regards St Kilda as being ahead of it in several areas and thus is competing on a weekly basis against the Saints as much as its direct opponent, Cats coach Mark Thompson said after his team's 10th consecutive win yesterday.
The Cats had just delivered a rude wake-up call to Essendon, smashing the Bombers early to lead by 83 points before easing off in the last quarter to cruise in by 64 points at Etihad Stadium.
With win No. 52 from 55 matches behind him, Thompson admitted he had to set weekly tasks to measure his side against more than its opponent. One of those challenges is pitting his side against St Kilda's undefeated performances.
"We are in competition with them (St Kilda) to be honest," he said.
"They are playing some great footy and they are ahead of us on the ladder and they are ahead of us in defence and ahead of us in a lot of areas, playing with a great team spirit, so each time we go out and play it is not about whether we win or lose it's about how we play the game and what we focus on and whether we achieve that. And this group is incredible (at meeting the challenges set).
"Today we had this focus of just putting Essendon under as much pressure as we could when they got the ball and they went out and did it, and every time we throw challenges at them they usually meet them.
"Next week when we play West Coast it will be a different challenge, it may not be the same as today."
Thompson denied his side had felt the need to make a statement in the match after last week's game in which the Bulldogs came home strongly and could have won but for Brad Johnson's missed shot at goal after the siren.
"I think our statement was we were playing Essendon and if you give them time and space then they can be really dangerous, so what we really focused on was putting a lot of pressure on the opposition when they had the ball and I thought we did it outstandingly well, and in some ways it could be a statement by the players, I am not sure," Thompson said.
Geelong lost Joel Corey to a foot injury before the game and he could also miss next week ahead of the split-round bye, while Tom Harley injured a hamstring in the first quarter.
Thompson said the latest blow would be frustrating for the veteran Harley. "I'm not sure how bad it is, but he'll certainly miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring," he said.
Gary Ablett left the ground in the final term with a sore ankle but Thompson doubted it was serious.
Steve Johnson kicked six goals in a command performance for the Cats and was described by Essendon coach Matthew Knights as virtually unstoppable. "He was close to a 10-out-of-10 game I would have thought," Knights said.
Knights said his side had been given "a huge reality check", having felt that if it was in touch at half-time it could run over the top of Geelong in the last quarter, but it had conceded too big a start.
"We learnt another lesson," Knights said. "The other lesson was that it was quite apparent that when Geelong nailed us in the tackle, they did a hatchet job on us and we couldn't get any ball moving.
"We were smoked at half-time and they were a long way ahead. It's a huge reality check. Yes, we are a young side, one of the younger sides in the league, but that's no excuse.
"It was a good reality check but it's where we want to get to and we saw it first hand, close up today. We just have to keep pushing and developing because we want to get to where Geelong are, but it's going to take a bit of time to catch where they are."
Knights said ruckman Tom Bellchambers, who injured a knee, would miss games but did not know how serious the injury was.
The Saints have emerged to meet every challenge set them by every opponent they have met thus far this year.
Geelong have an impeccable record winning 52 from their last 55 matches. They have held their form longer than any other team in history. Although the toll of maintaining this immaculate form is beginning to show with a rising injury list. Despite their injuries, they continue to win and continue to impress. Such is their apparent depth in playing personnel that one wonders how they could ever lose.
My thoughts are that Mark Thompson is a canny coach. He clearly knows how to prepare his side to win a premiership. He clearly knows how to keep the players "up" and keep the team firing all season. The Geelong players include only a few high draft picks, and although they have been very fortunate with father/son selections they cannot claim to have accumulated the best list in the league based on draft expectations. The fact remains though, that Geelong do have the best list in the league based on performances. A lot of credit must go to Mark Thompson and his support staff for this. I don't believe that the Geelong playing personnel are inherently superior (they do have a few beauties though). I believe that Geelong are succeeding due the mental attitude instilled in them by the coaching personnel. This is a mix of selflessness and uncompromising toughness. Coupled with this they are mature bodied and they have the right mix of player types.
The Saints have emerged with similar traits. They are equally talented, they have been instilled with the mental approach that Ross Lyon brings to the club. It is a selfless uncompromising approach, possibly more modest than that of Geelong (and maybe that is as it should be), but it is a step that we may have needed to take in order to take our game to the next level.
Now Thompson engages the Saints in a war of words. Geelong recognise the threat that is emerging. He may have learned a bit of this from his mentor, Kevin Sheedy, in playing mind games, but I believe that Thompson has shown his concern. It is the very first signs of respect being shown.
Mind games can distract, but they wont put the Saints off track. Ross Lyon is a quick study. I say that anything Thompson says or does only adds to Lyon's experience set and makes us stronger.
Bring it on - I say.
Cats taking on Saints weekly
Michael Gleeson | June 1, 2009
GEELONG regards St Kilda as being ahead of it in several areas and thus is competing on a weekly basis against the Saints as much as its direct opponent, Cats coach Mark Thompson said after his team's 10th consecutive win yesterday.
The Cats had just delivered a rude wake-up call to Essendon, smashing the Bombers early to lead by 83 points before easing off in the last quarter to cruise in by 64 points at Etihad Stadium.
With win No. 52 from 55 matches behind him, Thompson admitted he had to set weekly tasks to measure his side against more than its opponent. One of those challenges is pitting his side against St Kilda's undefeated performances.
"We are in competition with them (St Kilda) to be honest," he said.
"They are playing some great footy and they are ahead of us on the ladder and they are ahead of us in defence and ahead of us in a lot of areas, playing with a great team spirit, so each time we go out and play it is not about whether we win or lose it's about how we play the game and what we focus on and whether we achieve that. And this group is incredible (at meeting the challenges set).
"Today we had this focus of just putting Essendon under as much pressure as we could when they got the ball and they went out and did it, and every time we throw challenges at them they usually meet them.
"Next week when we play West Coast it will be a different challenge, it may not be the same as today."
Thompson denied his side had felt the need to make a statement in the match after last week's game in which the Bulldogs came home strongly and could have won but for Brad Johnson's missed shot at goal after the siren.
"I think our statement was we were playing Essendon and if you give them time and space then they can be really dangerous, so what we really focused on was putting a lot of pressure on the opposition when they had the ball and I thought we did it outstandingly well, and in some ways it could be a statement by the players, I am not sure," Thompson said.
Geelong lost Joel Corey to a foot injury before the game and he could also miss next week ahead of the split-round bye, while Tom Harley injured a hamstring in the first quarter.
Thompson said the latest blow would be frustrating for the veteran Harley. "I'm not sure how bad it is, but he'll certainly miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring," he said.
Gary Ablett left the ground in the final term with a sore ankle but Thompson doubted it was serious.
Steve Johnson kicked six goals in a command performance for the Cats and was described by Essendon coach Matthew Knights as virtually unstoppable. "He was close to a 10-out-of-10 game I would have thought," Knights said.
Knights said his side had been given "a huge reality check", having felt that if it was in touch at half-time it could run over the top of Geelong in the last quarter, but it had conceded too big a start.
"We learnt another lesson," Knights said. "The other lesson was that it was quite apparent that when Geelong nailed us in the tackle, they did a hatchet job on us and we couldn't get any ball moving.
"We were smoked at half-time and they were a long way ahead. It's a huge reality check. Yes, we are a young side, one of the younger sides in the league, but that's no excuse.
"It was a good reality check but it's where we want to get to and we saw it first hand, close up today. We just have to keep pushing and developing because we want to get to where Geelong are, but it's going to take a bit of time to catch where they are."
Knights said ruckman Tom Bellchambers, who injured a knee, would miss games but did not know how serious the injury was.
