Strategy New Direction

[BIGANT]

I want us to be successful every year and i would love Chappy to keep playing. But just maybe these young kids will realize there time is know and they will have to set themselves for great preseasons.

Its only going to get harder going forward we have some absolute champions who will all end careers in the next 2 -3 years. Also as well other clubs are getting stronger and stronger and we have to look to try and keep ahead of the pack.

As hard as it is too see another 1/3 of our golden era gone, it is also now exciting to see scotty move towards building a squad of his own moving ahead to hopefully another successful era.
It would be interesting to note and see for whom scotty and under wells eye who has he bought in thru the draft and of course who he has let go/delisted !?

 

[TheYid]

With the letting go of Pods, Chappy and Hunt and the two rookies, it looks like the club are very much chasing the 2015 flag Chris Scott said was his priority when he arrived. I know we won't know much until any trades are done...

But the question is... where to from here?

We are now even further away from a flag than 2013. Window officially closed.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Maybe Chapman is more fragile physically than we are aware? Chapman is a fairly pig-headed individual and might not be willing to accept that his body is not up to another preseason/season.

 

[Vdubs]

Maybe - but if u have a look at our list, we have a hell of a lot of old blokes still on it which will need to be gradually moved on, whether we like it or not.

True.
We still have Boris, Bartel, Kelly, Lonergan, SJ, Mackie
And ?? Joel Corey- strange, I hoped he'd be the first of our 2013 to retire. Or has he?
And, of that group above, only Boris and SJ give me snippets of hope regarding their potency, and Mackie heaps. SJ has to cheat to boost his potency- constant suspensions to get him up to scratch.
AND, let's not forget CS was part of that amazing 3peat team, and he knows all about overstaying and rebuilding. He is no fool, and is not disrespectful.
We all hate to lose Chappy, but how many would be crying if he'd retired last week?
The main hurt is the imagery of him in yellow and black.

 

[Beth]

no dickheads policy will prohibit geelong from signing shore. couldnt imagine the harley era tolerating that douche.

No one has a no dickheads policy, great "Bloods" myth....

 

[Jon Douglas]

The only way I'd be happy with all these delisting is if we were making way for someone like scooter!!

It would be nice if true. But we seem to struggle a bit to pull of deals like this.

 

[Catgirl]

Seems like beating both grand finalists and being a goal away from a grand final didn't mean much to the club.

Ridiculous.

We finished the year with 13 players that were 29 years old and over. Most of who played extended periods in our best 22.

If we didn't start making changes soon, it would have hurt us significantly in the long term, as much as you like to HOPE that it would have benefited us in the short term. There is no guarantee 2014 will be an improvement on our 2013. However, if we make changes now we are guaranteed to be a better team in 2-3 years than we would be if we don't.

 

[CatTricks]

I am struggling to work out what our best team will look like next season...

 

[GeelongFTW]

Jimmeh to the forward line?
#mrfixit

 

[Jon Douglas]

If we trade Varcoe and THunt or similar we will know the big change is on - and a New Direction definitely is on the way.

 

[manboob]

Jimmeh to the forward line?
#mrfixit

God I hope so!

 

[manboob]

I am struggling to work out what our best team will look like next season...

Kersten - Hawkins - Motlop
Vardy - Walker - Bartel

Bundy - Joel - Mitch

Enright - Taylor - Guthrie
Rivers - Lonergan - Thurlow

Dawson - Stevie J - Varcoe

Interchange: Hmac - Murdoch - Stokes

??????

 

[GeelongFTW]

Kersten - Hawkins - Motlop
Vardy - Walker - Bartel

Bundy - Joel - Mitch

Enright - Taylor - Guthrie
Rivers - Lonergan - Thurlow

Dawson - Stevie J - Varcoe

Interchange: Hmac - Murdoch - Stokes

??????

caddy? GHS?

 

[CatTricks]

You can piss HMac off... West or Blitz for 2nd ruck

 

[hbk_aus]

See, this is where we see things differently.

Chapman was one of our best against Brisbane - our third highest possession getter and kicked two goals. A poor team performance doesn't detract from the fact he played well.

The decision to make him sub v Fremantle was the single most baffling selection decision all season IMO. It made no sense then and it doesn't now.

We may have struggled against Port but it's likely that without his four goal contribution we wouldn't have even won.

Many people including me believe he could have been the difference in the preliminary final, coming off his semi-final performance and given his record against Hawthorn. Given we lost by five points and many of our youngsters ran out of puff, his experience would have been vital.

I understand the need to play young players. I supported Josh Hunt being dropped for Guthrie, even though Josh was playing well. I will consider it the right move when Corey retires, given we have Horlin-Smith in waiting. I would have kept Podsiadly for another season, but I see the need to play Kersten and look forward to see Vardy get more opportunities in his best position.

But Chapman? I can't see any reason why he wouldn't have been in our best 22 next season nor can I see which kid we need to play in his place. I am very, very disappointed with the club's decision.

We will have to agree to disagree. Of course, you are assuming he wasn't offered a contract at all. The wording of the clubs statement tends to suggest that there was something offered but Chappy didn't like it and wants more.
Either way this won't be the last tough decision that the club needs to make for list regeneration and while they won't always please the fans, I can completely understand why they have to do it.

 

[manboob]

caddy? GHS?

I knew I was forgetting someone!

 

[manboob]

Kersten - Hawkins - Motlop
Vardy - Walker - Bartel

Bundy - Joel - Mitch

Enright - Taylor - Guthrie
Rivers - Lonergan - Thurlow

Dawson - Stevie J - Varcoe


Interchange: Ballroom - Caddy - Stokes
Sub: Hyphen

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

Everyone relax I will make up my mind after the trade & draft is over the impact of the three given the door was minimal this year

 

[CatTricks]

that forward line is too tall....

FB: Guthrie, Lonergan, Rivers
HB: Enright, Taylor, Mackie
MI: Christensen, Selwood, Duncan
HF: Bartel, Vardy, Motlop
FF: Stokes, Hawkins, Stokes
FO: Simpson, Johnson, Caddy
INT: Horlin-Smith, Blicavs, Varcoe, Thurlow/Bews

????

 

[manboob]

that forward line is too tall....

FB: Guthrie, Lonergan, Rivers
HB: Enright, Taylor, Mackie
MI: Christensen, Selwood, Duncan
HF: Bartel, Vardy, Motlop
FF: Stokes, Hawkins, Stokes
FO: Simpson, Johnson, Caddy
INT: Horlin-Smith, Blicavs, Varcoe, Thurlow/Bews

????

That was my worry. Not to be a smart ass but you have two Stokeseses. I'd swap one for a Kerstens.

 

[magicmarker]

Unless we win a flag next year, we'll probably never know if this is the right choice at the right time. I can't help but feel disappointed, as much as anything for the loss of identity of our club. I know the club is bigger than any player, but when you think of our successful era you can't help but think of the likes of Chapman, Corey, Ablett, Ling, Pods, Hunt, Bartel, Scarlett, etc. Now the majority of them are gone or going, as we all knew was inevitable. People always seem to be too keen to put the older players out to pasture to bring on a new, exciting era, but these guys are the only ones in my lifetime that were finally able to bring us the flag, and there is no guarantees that we'll ever enjoy that level of success again.

Look, I love this club but if we now go and trade in a bunch of players from other teams, I may as well go support Melbourne or the Dockers. Lets build from the draft and lets re-build our identity with our own, new generations of champions. Guys who know how to play one way - the Cats way. Let us find our next Chapman, our next Ling, Bartel or Buddha Hocking. And let's do it without bottoming out and having the luxury of a fist-full of top 10 picks.

Just my 2c after a disappointing day...

 

[Stig_90]

Kersten - Hawkins - Motlop
Vardy - Walker - Bartel

Bundy - Joel - Mitch

Enright - Taylor - Guthrie
Rivers - Lonergan - Thurlow

Dawson - Stevie J - Varcoe


Interchange: Ballroom - Caddy - Stokes
Sub: Hyphen

James Kelly ain't done yet!

I don't think we need four tall forwards either. I would probably take out Walker, bring in Kelly and push Caddy to the forward line.

 

[candiehappy]

We also did quite well with Hawkins physically unable to pick the ball up off the ground.

Doesn't mean a fit Hawkins won't improve us in 2014, just as Chapman undoubtedly did when he returned late in the season and would have next year.

nothing to suggest Chappy's hamstrings would be in better nick next year.

 

[thejester]

In what way? I can't possibly see how we're a flag threat in 2014 having lost so much experience. We have no reliable backup to Hawkins, and no evidence he'll ever get back to his best. We have no youngster ready to replace Chapman from round one. His position is the one where we lack up and comers.

Sorry, I'm disappointed too but that's demonstrable nonsense. Both Lincoln McCarthy and Jordan Schroeder can play as small forwards who will rotate into midfield. One is a Liston medallist at 21 and the other earned a senior debut in his first half season at the club. They may turn into champions or they may turn into duds, but at some point you've got to suck it and see.

 

[you pick one]

I knew I was forgetting someone!

Mackie?