My Geelong Cats Summary

[Houli2Gumbleton]

I am currently doing this for every club. Geelong is the 6th club which I have completed. There may be spelling or grammar errors due to me only being 14. Constructive criticism is recommended

Geelong Cats
Only three years ago, the cats were tremendously struggling to push for a spot in the top 8. The following two years, they ended their home and away campaign finishing first which is a phenomenal effort. The Cats triumphed in the 2007 grand final by an amazing 119 points over Port Adelaide. In 2008, the Cats unfortunately didn’t run away with the cup, although they still ended the season on a successful note.

The Geelong Cats still possess the attributes required to prevail in 2009 due to their depth and star footballers. The cats comprise the best midfield in the competition. Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey and Gary Ablett are well known to be the big three at the club. These footballers are within the top five midfielders in the competition. Cameron Ling is not to far away with his astonishing tagging abilities. He gets the job done consistently on stars of the AFL. The backline features all the characteristics required to be a successful one. The forward line is excellent; however the key forwards may be the only minor weakness in the lineup.

B: Tom Harley – Matthew Scarlett – Josh Hunt
HB: Darren Milburn – Harry Taylor – Andrew Mackie
C: Jimmy Bartel – Joel Corey – Joel Selwood
HF: Paul Chapman – Cameron Mooney – Steve Johnson
FF: Tom Lonergan – Tom Hawkins – Matthew Stokes
R: Brad Ottens – Gary Ablett – Cameron Ling
I/C: Mark Blake – Corey Enright – Max Rooke - David Wojcinski
Unlucky – Travis Varcoe – Ryan Gamble – James Kelly

Tom Harley – Tom is the most influential footballer there is. He has guided his side to two grand finals and has been fortunate enough to succeed in one. Harley had a successful season down back in 2008 and it was evident by his All-Australian selection. Harley is an extremely versatile footballer who is able to play on talls as well as smalls.

Matthew Scarlett – The four time All-Australian has had a extraordinary career and at 29, he still is at his peak. Matthew is the AFL’s finest full back at this point in time. He has strength, speed and an extraordinary football brain. He will continue his brilliant footballing ability in 2009.

Josh Hunt – He has finally established a spot in the back pocket which is a great effort. Josh has the ability to play small and medium and usually gets the job accomplished. He utilizes his muscular body to his advantage in various cases.

Darren Milburn – 2009 may be Darren’s final season, however he is still a wonderful contributor for the club. He is another versatile backman who provides run and has the ability to push forward and kick goals.

Harry Taylor – With the dreadful injury that Egan has suffered, Harry was drafter as a mature pick in the 2007 draft. He had a fabulous start to his career, cementing his spot in the side. He generally obtains the tough jobs, however he receives great support from his teammates.

Andrew Mackie – Andrew is a very rare type of player. He is tall, quick, can play on talls such as Pavlich and Franklin or he can provide run through the midfield. He is an extremely versatile player who will continue his brilliant form and possibly push for an All-Australian selection in 2009.

Jimmy Bartel – Jimmy is a fabulous footballer who has the ability to play as an inside or outside midfielder. He manages to rack up masses of possessions and he uses all of them wisely. He managed to boot 22 goals this season which is a sparkling effort from a midfielder.

Joel Corey – Joel managed to average a staggering amount of 29 possessions per game. Another phenomenal factor of his game is that he continually tackles. He averaged 6 tackles per game which is outstanding by an individual. I encourage Joel to push forward more often and kick goals more often.

Joel Selwood – In just his second year of AFL, Joel averaged 25 disposals and 4 marks. He is another who can play both inside and outside. He is extremely hard at the ball and he has proven that he is capable of being a match winner through the midfield.

Paul Chapman – If Paul has the ability to stay on the park, he will definitely receive an All-Australian selection. He can play through the midfield, although the forward line is where he is most dangerous. Chapman has an extremely solid body and is a great snap shot.

Cameron Mooney – I see Cameron as a better Centre half forward rather than full forward. He leads well and loves to set his teammates up, thus centre half forward is the perfect spot for him. His main weakness is obviously his kicking; however he still managed to boot 52 goals which is a fair effort.

Steve Johnson – Steve is an extremely smart footballer who possesses the ability of doing anything on his day. He has kicked some absolute blinders on various occasions and has proved that it is skill and not a stroke of luck. Steve must become damaging on a more regular basis because he can fade out of games fairly easily.

Tom Lonergan – It was great to see Tom back in action after his horrific accident. In only 16 matches, Tom booted 36 goals which is quite promising for someone coming back after losing a Kidney. He and Hawkins will continue battling for the full forward position, although I see them working well in the same forward line along with Mooney.

Tom Hawkins – Hawkins was replaced by Lonergan early on in the season. Hawkins needs to begin kicking goals on a more consistent basis to achieve better outcomes. He is still only 20 and has lots of time to learn and develop his game.

Matthew Stokes – Many may be angered with Stokes effort in the grand final, but he is still an essential footballer. For a small forward, it was a great effort to average 18 disposals, 6 marks and 2 goals a game. Stokes is still a good player and many need to start forgetting about the grand final. Luke Hodge was playing on him too, which is a tough task to handle.

Brad Ottens – Brad was not in his 2007 form, nevertheless he is on the way there. Brad had a delayed start to the season but he still managed to play 16 games and average 20 hit outs per game. Brad plays sensational at times when he pushes up forward. He has the ability to kick many goals which is a positive sign for a ruckman.

Gary Ablett – Gary is arguably the best footballer in the competition. He has the ability to do anything consistently. Gary managed to average 29 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles and booted 26 goals in 2008. He had some absolute blinders too. The only team he struggled against was Fremantle where he copped a heavy tag by Crowley. Surely 2009 is the year where he will achieve the Brownlow medal.

Cameron Ling – Cameron is another star is gets under the radar a fair bit. He is currently the greatest tagger in the competition. He has the ability to shut down any player that Bomber tells him too which is great for the club. Another integral aspect that Ling possesses is his capability of kicking goals when played up forward. If I recall correctly, he was drafted as a full forward and unbelievably transformed himself into a tagger.

Mark Blake – Mark is still fairly young and is still developing. At such a young age, Blake has shown that his capable of performing a first ruckman obligation. Mark will continue progressing in 2009 and hope he continues to improve.

Corey Enright – I couldn’t believe that there was no room for him in the starting 18. He is an absolute star and was another who was rewarded an All-Australian selection. Corey can play as a defensive or attacking defender and also through the midfield.

Max Rooke – Max may not be a statistical person; however he damages the opposition in a different way. He is the hardest footballer there is and he can win the ball by using this brilliant factor. He is a utility and usually does well in all the positions he plays in.

David Wojcinski – David was the unlucky player to miss out on the grand final. He definitely deserved a spot though. David is extremely and has a fairly strong body. He needs to obtain the ball more often too damage his opposition.

Defense Summary – The defense is an extremely strong point of the team. Scarlett and Taylor are the ones who play on the talls and usually get the job completed. Mackie, Harley and Milburn are the versatile defenders who offer support and play tall and small. Mackie, Enright and Wojcinski provide much needed run off the half back. Josh Hunt is an ideal small defender who is extremely tough and out muscles his opponents.

Midfield Summary – Geelong’s midfield is unbelievably brilliant and it comprises of many stars. Bartel, Corey and Ablett dig the ball out to the runners. These three also can play as outside midfielders dazzlingly. Selwood is another crucial player for Geelong. He continuously does the dirty work and feeds the forwards with great passes. Cameron Ling is the team’s tagger who keeps opposition stars quiet. I give this midfield a 10/10 because it contains everything that is required.

Forward Summary – Amazingly, this is probably the cat’s weaker position. The thing that I found amazing about it is that this forward line would probably be a strong point in any other team. The main minor weakness is the tall forwards. Mooney and Lonergan are good, but are not stars. Hawkins may be solution to this slight dilemma in the future. There is plenty of depth through the small forwards. Chapman, SJ, Stokes, Varcoe, Byrnes and Gamble are just a few of them. SJ and Chapman are up there amongst the top small/medium forwards in the AFL.

Overall, I believe Geelong has an astonishing squad and are still amongst the top sides in the competition. Expect Geelong to certainly finish in the top two on the AFL ladder. The cats are definitely premiership contenders.

 

[winty]

Very good summation from someone on the outside looking in, so to speak.

Just two things though. We 'only' won the 2007 flag by 119 points, not 144, and I would probably have Ryan Gamble in the forward pocket ahead of Lonergan. Gamble offers more IMO than what Lonergan does.

Love the look of that centre line though. Bartel, Corey and Selwood. Would have to be the best centre line going around at the moment by a mile.

 

[Houli2Gumbleton]

Very good summation from someone on the outside looking in, so to speak.

Just two things though. We 'only' won the 2007 flag by 119 points, not 144, and I would probably have Ryan Gamble in the forward pocket ahead of Lonergan. Gamble offers more IMO than what Lonergan does.

Love the look of that centre line though. Bartel, Corey and Selwood. Would have to be the best centre line going around at the moment by a mile.

woops, not sure why i put 144, thanks mate.

 

[STC]

Lonergan in the pocket is a waste. No way Kelly deserves to be dropped though, didn't have a great GF but was obvioulsy unfit and his 2008 season overall was one of his best. It's definitely Vegas time though. I'd rather leave out Hunt and Lonergan than Kelly and Gamble.

 

[deadfish]

Great effort mate! Especially when you are only 14. An excellent summation. What other clubs have you done?

 

[Houli2Gumbleton]

Great effort mate! Especially when you are only 14. An excellent summation. What other clubs have you done?

Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood and Fremantle are the other clubs which I have completed. You can view them on the team boards

 

[Vegas.]

This kid > Sheahan, Walls, Voss.

 

[Redemptionin09]

Great effort mate! Especially when you are only 14. An excellent summation. What other clubs have you done?

Wow that is impressive, well done mate and thanks for the report

 

[bossa8day]

Wow that is impressive, well done mate and thanks for the report

great reading this kid is obviously headed for stardom

 

[The Hulkster]

I

Defense Summary – The defense is an extremely strong point of the team. Scarlett and Taylor are the ones who play on the talls and usually get the job completed. Mackie, Harley and Milburn are the versatile defenders who offer support and play tall and small. Mackie, Enright and Wojcinski provide much needed run off the half back. Josh Hunt is an ideal small defender who is extremely tough and out muscles his opponents.

.

This is probably the only questionable statement in an otherwise great report.

 

[Turbocat]

Just to be very picky.. I cant say I agree with either of these

"I give this midfield a 10/10 because it contains everything that is required."

"this forward line would probably be a strong point in any other team."


H2G , If you are 14 you have an amazing grasp on the game , you have done an excellent job on the summaries and my only reservation is you being a little too strong in our praise.

Firstly , I would not give our mids 10/10 this is not to say they are average but just not perfect.Our strengths are many and our weakest area's are few but they are real. Why else would Hawthorn have beaten us? IMO , these areas are probably "pace" and "disposal" which then effects the number of goals they directly can contribute.

Corey is the prime example of this. Not slow but not fast , he does his best work by hard gut running which can on occasion lead to his opponent burning us. He also is not a confident goal kicker , either on the run or set shot. Top player and one of the first picked but just not 10 out 10.

Out of all our mids only GA is a regular goal kicker on the run, breaking the lines with pace etc. Even Bartel , who does kick goals rarely does it of more than a few steps. Its probably why I get frustrated with the like of Byrnes who if he could only kick the goals he should would never be out of the side.

Secondly , our forwardline is not the envy of all other clubs and I doubt it would be strong point in many. Its not so much that its not capable its more that apart from Steve Johnston I think of them more as proficient rather than brilliant. We lack goal creation when the ball supply is impeded and sometime we lack the ability to maximize chances(think GF).

We are top side , no doubt but I doubt we will ever see a season like 2008 again. We must introduce players and rookies always create short term weakness.The loss of Egan & Nathan Ablett, the slow introduction of Hawkins and the likely future loss of Milburn and Harley means that development time will need to be given for future replacements very soon, maybe even this year. The good new is we probably have the talent on our list already and I don't see any huge drop of any time soon.If the talls we have drafted the last couple of years come on we still may be shooting for flags past 2010. I have high hopes for Hawkins, Brown and Simpson and our development system is as good as any club

Again great effort , and keep at it. It takes guts to put yourself out there. Top stuff!!!

 

[jim boy]

.....the likely future loss of Milburn and Harley.....

I laughed, you make it sound like there is a chance that Milburn and Harley will play forever. Maybe the club has been secretly spending on a bionics and cloning program.

 

[Turbocat]

I laughed, you make it sound like there is a chance that Milburn and Harley will play forever. Maybe the club has been secretly spending on a bionics and cloning program.

I wish it did but of course the AFL would then bring out a Donor/Clone rule.

Fair point. Future loss is hardly explicit is it.

 

[DanA]

Just to be very picky.. I cant say I agree with either of these

"I give this midfield a 10/10 because it contains everything that is required."

"this forward line would probably be a strong point in any other team."


H2G , If you are 14 you have an amazing grasp on the game , you have done an excellent job on the summaries and my only reservation is you being a little too strong in our praise.

Firstly , I would not give our mids 10/10 this is not to say they are average but just not perfect.Our strengths are many and our weakest area's are few but they are real. Why else would Hawthorn have beaten us? IMO , these areas are probably "pace" and "disposal" which then effects the number of goals they directly can contribute.

Corey is the prime example of this. Not slow but not fast , he does his best work by hard gut running which can on occasion lead to his opponent burning us. He also is not a confident goal kicker , either on the run or set shot. Top player and one of the first picked but just not 10 out 10.

Out of all our mids only GA is a regular goal kicker on the run, breaking the lines with pace etc. Even Bartel , who does kick goals rarely does it of more than a few steps. Its probably why I get frustrated with the like of Byrnes who if he could only kick the goals he should would never be out of the side.

Secondly , our forwardline is not the envy of all other clubs and I doubt it would be strong point in many. Its not so much that its not capable its more that apart from Steve Johnston I think of them more as proficient rather than brilliant. We lack goal creation when the ball supply is impeded and sometime we lack the ability to maximize chances(think GF).

We are top side , no doubt but I doubt we will ever see a season like 2008 again. We must introduce players and rookies always create short term weakness.The loss of Egan & Nathan Ablett, the slow introduction of Hawkins and the likely future loss of Milburn and Harley means that development time will need to be given for future replacements very soon, maybe even this year. The good new is we probably have the talent on our list already and I don't see any huge drop of any time soon.If the talls we have drafted the last couple of years come on we still may be shooting for flags past 2010. I have high hopes for Hawkins, Brown and Simpson and our development system is as good as any club

Again great effort , and keep at it. It takes guts to put yourself out there. Top stuff!!!

While ussually I nod my head in agreement with you. I can't say I agree with your assement on this one.

I'd say rating our midfield 10/10 when compared to others is not unreasonable and I don't agree with the weakness you suggested.

I don't think pace is a problem at all. Ablett runs like no other and Selwood is deceptively quick, Wojcinski makes cameo appearances with blistering effect and though Ling and Corey are not super quick they are two of the hardest running players in the AFL.

We get more goals from our midfield than any other team in the AFL with Ablett, Bartel and Ling all 20 goal a year midfielders. Wojcinski goal kicking on the run is a feture of his game also. Corey is the big weakness here while Selwood constibutes next to nothing in terms of kicking goals. Compared to other midfields it is nothing short of stellar though.

Kicking is fine too. I'd say Ablett, Bartel, Chapman & Stokes are elite kickers while Selwood's fast heading that way. Corey again the weakness, he's a terrible kick and both Kelly and Wojcinski, though at times are brilliant kicks, shank it far too often. So minor weakness but I'd still say compared to other clubs our midfield uses the ball very well.

So Corey is really the only flawed player in terms of goal kicking and disposal but he makes up for it in clearances, tackles, 1%ers and gut running. I'm also of the opinion that Corey rarely gets burnt the other way which you suggested.

I'd argree our forwardline is not a strong point for all clubs but I think it is one of the most creative forwardlines in the league. Grandfinal aside (where half the forwardline were carrying injuries anyway) in 2008 how often did Geelong share the ball around up forward to create goal scoring chances? Every interstate game I heard the Ox making the crap comment that we were the Harley globe trotters. S.J, Chapman and Stokes are three of the top 5 small forwards in the league and Mooney is a better CHF than most clubs have. We simply lack a quality FF which hopefully Hawkins can fill this year. So if you exclude FF we are definately the envy of all clubs up forward IMO.

 

[Turbocat]

While ussually I nod my head in agreement with you. I can't say I agree with your assement on this one.

DanA, I too enjoy you work and I respect you judgment and on reflection you maybe far closer to being on the mark than I.

Perhaps I'm just someone who marks a little too hard after a big loss or I have , what would say , are unrealistic expectations. I do remember getting a bit of a reaming on BF after saying for us to improve we should aim for zero error. For some it seemed unrealistic while I thought to aim for less is an acceptance of error. To some, 1% error is acceptable although I not sure if they would accept 1 in 100 planes crashing. It’s all about perception.

I could debate the merits of our mids and forwards but really I think I would have to be far too picky to demonstrate my points , far too picky on player picked as AA , far to picky on guys who have taken us to successive GF’s.

 

[TheHonestyPolicy]

While ussually I nod my head in agreement with you. I can't say I agree with your assement on this one.

I'd say rating our midfield 10/10 when compared to others is not unreasonable and I don't agree with the weakness you suggested.

I don't think pace is a problem at all. Ablett runs like no other and Selwood is deceptively quick, Wojcinski makes cameo appearances with blistering effect and though Ling and Corey are not super quick they are two of the hardest running players in the AFL.

We get more goals from our midfield than any other team in the AFL with Ablett, Bartel and Ling all 20 goal a year midfielders. Wojcinski goal kicking on the run is a feture of his game also. Corey is the big weakness here while Selwood constibutes next to nothing in terms of kicking goals. Compared to other midfields it is nothing short of stellar though.

Kicking is fine too. I'd say Ablett, Bartel, Chapman & Stokes are elite kickers while Selwood's fast heading that way. Corey again the weakness, he's a terrible kick and both Kelly and Wojcinski, though at times are brilliant kicks, shank it far too often. So minor weakness but I'd still say compared to other clubs our midfield uses the ball very well.

So Corey is really the only flawed player in terms of goal kicking and disposal but he makes up for it in clearances, tackles, 1%ers and gut running. I'm also of the opinion that Corey rarely gets burnt the other way which you suggested.

I'd argree our forwardline is not a strong point for all clubs but I think it is one of the most creative forwardlines in the league. Grandfinal aside (where half the forwardline were carrying injuries anyway) in 2008 how often did Geelong share the ball around up forward to create goal scoring chances? Every interstate game I heard the Ox making the crap comment that we were the Harley globe trotters. S.J, Chapman and Stokes are three of the top 5 small forwards in the league and Mooney is a better CHF than most clubs have. We simply lack a quality FF which hopefully Hawkins can fill this year. So if you exclude FF we are definately the envy of all clubs up forward IMO.

Agree with most of what you said but I think pace was an issue addressed in the most recent draft. Geelong isnt a slow side (but its a relative point) and hard running is the key to our game plan but if a side like Hawthorn are kicking goals and you arent because they have a bit more of that "X factor" then I guess you would go out and try drafting guys like Motlop, Varcoe and Taylor Hunt. Geelong have been more focused in the past on guys with endurance and good speed rather than explosive pace (remembering Wojo was drafted before Bomber got there) but I feel this is the first draft where we have departed slightly from that way of thinking by picking a good assortment of quicker type options: Weadon/Ranga. Even the talls especially Brown seem faster/lighter.



As for the opening posting. Great work at your age. I hope you have a career in the media in mind where good footy brains are most needed!

 

[DanA]

DanA, I too enjoy you work and I respect you judgment and on reflection you maybe far closer to being on the mark than I.

Perhaps I'm just someone who marks a little too hard after a big loss or I have , what would say , are unrealistic expectations. I do remember getting a bit of a reaming on BF after saying for us to improve we should aim for zero error. For some it seemed unrealistic while I thought to aim for less is an acceptance of error. To some, 1% error is acceptable although I not sure if they would accept 1 in 100 planes crashing. It’s all about perception.

I could debate the merits of our mids and forwards but really I think I would have to be far too picky to demonstrate my points , far too picky on player picked as AA , far to picky on guys who have taken us to successive GF’s.

The Grand Final does my head in too. I bitched and moaned about the players and all I could see were faults. I had to step away from all things footy for a few months which sounds a bit melodramatic but true.

They have plenty too work on but they still have the team in place to dominate for the next few years I reckon.