Roast Our first quarters

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

Think this deserves its own thread since it's probably our biggest killer this year and I believe our biggest concern.. Rather then nit picking individual performances every game..

I know cats in the past were traditionally not first qtr experts but this year it's been our undoing in pretty much all our losses

5 goals to zip again freo, we let North get on a roll in the first, probably lucky against hawks and carlton when they had dominance in the first to come back.. Adelaide kicked 6 goals and tonight Swans kick 7.. had we "played" for those first quarters we may have only lost to Crows this year...

Not to mention GWS was even and that really is the tale of our team..

When we are at our best, we are still one of the top sides as our game tonight and vs the Pies would confirm but geez we can't win our 50/50 games the rest of the season coming out like that.

Also our win rate interstate has gone to sh*t

Can one of you nice Geelong boys tweet the coach and bring this up with Chris?

Thankyou

 

[cats2rise]

We are better with slower tempo at the moment - bigger bodies, can push the ball forward.

We dont have the leg speed to do the whole 'through the middle' stuff at the moment, and we always go behind and play catch up. I'd be happy to play slightly ugly(er) football to help us help ourselves. Bigger bodies around the contest, closing it down in the first half so we are closer than 5 goals at HT.. and in the second, well we can play like we did in the last half tonight.

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

We are better with slower tempo at the moment - bigger bodies, can push the ball forward.

We dont have the leg speed to do the whole 'through the middle' stuff at the moment, and we always go behind and play catch up. I'd be happy to play slightly ugly(er) football to help us help ourselves. Bigger bodies around the contest, closing it down in the first half so we are closer than 5 goals at HT.. and in the second, well we can play like we did in the last half tonight.

Seems like we are playing Hawks style footy in the start then?

Maybe it is a necessary evil but it's a costly one...

 

[Senatorguesty]

The problem is though guys, and alot of people are missing it, is that this issue isnt new, we have been like this for YEARS. 2008 vs freo is the perfect example, so many times post 2007 we have started slowly and either been down by a fair margin or relatively even vs lesser sides.
Its not good enough and similar to our poor conversion at goal has been wallpapered over due to our winning games (yet goal kicking probably cost us a flag, although you could argue losing 1 has gained us 2.....).

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

The problem is though guys, and alot of people are missing it, is that this issue isnt new, we have been like this for YEARS. 2008 vs freo is the perfect example, so many times post 2007 we have started slowly and either been down by a fair margin or relatively even vs lesser sides.
Its not good enough and similar to our poor conversion at goal has been wallpapered over due to our winning games (yet goal kicking probably cost us a flag, although you could argue losing 1 has gained us 2.....).

Yeah this is what I said before, the thing is we currently don't have the cattle we used to, to be able to come back and win them...

 

[Vdubs]

Yeah this is what I said before, the thing is we currently don't have the cattle we used to, to be able to come back and win them...

Exactly.
This transition we are going through will cause more pain than pleasure this year, but surely we can be at peace with what we've had and just accept each week a it comes. Losing like tonight is not hard to accept, we tried, got ahead, and just lost, and so what? NO 4 points , otherwise, honourable and gutsy, as always.

 

[Micksy]

Meh, even numbered year. Won't happen. Save our energy for 2013.

 

[Vdubs]

we cannot allow Collingwood to win it this year and we had a great opportunity to go for a top 4 spot but it's all gone because of the loss.

Collingwood could win it this year and that's 2 flags in 3 years. They have an opportunity to surpass the achievements of our own great team so no! It's not so what! It's a shocking loss and if you aren't feeling it right now, you must have everything going well for you in life at the minute to just brush aside a gut-wrenching loss of such importance to the ramifications of season 2012.

Top 4 means everything now that umpiring has all but evened out the game. You can't win it like you could years ago through sheer toughness and aggression in a contest. These days the tougher player gets penalized costing games.
Got nothing to do with tonight's loss but it will do in a the finals with only one chance.
Two chances would have given us a great chance at giving it a shake yet again.

You should never make judgements of a poster's personal life by his BF comments. I've been criticised for being overly negative, now , because I don't believe tonight was a tragedy, you reach your conclusion. Of course I hate the loss, but having thought this was about where we'd end up tonight, on current form, it's not so hard to handle. FWIW, I'd rather Pies than WCE or Haw winning the GF this year, if it came to those teams. Best scenario would be Crows.
As Mooney said on 360, it's not the end for Geelong if we lose/lost tonight, we are so competitive WHEN IT COUNTS.And if not, count your blessings as a Geelong supporter.

 

[footscore]

You should never make judgements of a poster's personal life by his BF comments.

 

[Duskfire]

Its going to get worst before it gets better. How many seasons does Scarlett have left? Enright? Chapman even? This is what happens; the great get ordinary and the ordinary get great. The cycle of football.

 

[footscore]

Its going to get worst before it gets better. How many seasons does Scarlett have left? Enright? Chapman even? This is what happens; the great get ordinary and the ordinary get great. The cycle of football.

free agency can change that. We get Boak and another quality defender and Scarlett/Chappy's loss won't be as profound as has been the case in footy history.

The Geelong life-style is also something different compared to the hustle and bustle city life in Melbourne.
We are going to have a few players give us some serious consideration I reckon.

 

[Partridge]

Think this deserves its own thread since it's probably our biggest killer this year and I believe our biggest concern.. Rather then nit picking individual performances every game..

I know cats in the past were traditionally not first qtr experts but this year it's been our undoing in pretty much all our losses

5 goals to zip again freo, we let North get on a roll in the first, probably lucky against hawks and carlton when they had dominance in the first to come back.. Adelaide kicked 6 goals and tonight Swans kick 7.. had we "played" for those first quarters we may have only lost to Crows this year...

Not to mention GWS was even and that really is the tale of our team..

When we are at our best, we are still one of the top sides as our game tonight and vs the Pies would confirm but geez we can't win our 50/50 games the rest of the season coming out like that.

Also our win rate interstate has gone to sh*t

Can one of you nice Geelong boys tweet the coach and bring this up with Chris?

Thankyou

Good post, but to be honest it's come about 8 rounds too late. In case people have forgotten, after both the Fremantle and North losses fans on here were falling over themselves saying that they were great sides, we were underprepared, we'll be playing our best footy in September, blah blah blah. Basically bullshit excuse after bullshit excuse.

Now there's just a whiff or reality permeating the boards.

Here's a fact - if you don't win enough home and away games you don't make the finals. Which might easily happen this year. Every match is equally important and every loss equally inexcusable. The multitude of supporters who with breathtaking stupidly think we can turn up in August every year are finding out the reality is slightly different.

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

Good post, but to be honest it's come about 8 rounds too late. In case people have forgotten, after both the Fremantle and North losses fans on here were falling over themselves saying that they were great sides, we were underprepared, we'll be playing our best footy in September, blah blah blah. Basically bullshit excuse after bullshit excuse.

Now there's just a whiff or reality permeating the boards.

Here's a fact - if you don't win enough home and away games you don't make the finals. Which might easily happen this year. Every match is equally important and every loss equally inexcusable. The multitude of supporters who with breathtaking stupidly think we can turn up in August every year are finding out the reality is slightly different.

Yeah I didn't want to post too early and get shot in the a** for it. I been holding it in...

I guess it's a part of the transition, we lost a lot of experience at the end of last year, and we have more to lost at the end of this year. While we are still competitive, we also have to resign ourselves to the fact that we may be out of the mix for a while until the young brigade are ready again.

We're not the record breaking Geelong anymore, we a Geelong getting new life breathed into it and getting ready for our hopeful next dominance in a few years.

 

[SuperCats9]

We struggle in first quarters because we lack pace and can't keep up with them, when the opposition starts to get tired, that's when we get going and it is a huge problem, it shows we are just a tired side that is worn out from the last 5 years, completly understandable though.

I don't want to know what the first quarter against the WCE in perth will be, guessing 10 goals to 1

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

We never been a "pacy" team in terms of our legspeed though, we have always been quick with ball movement which now seems slower especially in the 1st qtr last night, would seem we don't have much confidence kicking forward maybe?

Or maybe it's just the new blood is not confident enough to take the game on.. who knows really.

 

[Duskfire]

We never been a "pacy" team in terms of our legspeed though, we have always been quick with ball movement which now seems slower especially in the 1st qtr last night, would seem we don't have much confidence kicking forward maybe?

Or maybe it's just the new blood is not confident enough to take the game on.. who knows really.

No its not the lack of confidence, or at least it wasnt initially.. Its just that the team is damn old now. We have always been a slow team, but now that we're slower. As good as the likes of Scarlett and Enright and whatnot are, they are still not the players they once were, and are just that slower. Not speed as well but reflexes and strength; Scarlett one on one isnt anywhere near as strong as he used to be.

 

[Partridge]

We struggle in first quarters because we lack pace and can't keep up with them, when the opposition starts to get tired, that's when we get going and it is a huge problem, it shows we are just a tired side that is worn out from the last 5 years, completly understandable though.

To me that's a trite excuse. There are plenty of players in the team right now (Duncan, West, Christensen, Taylor Hunt, Simpson, Motlop) who weren't at the club during a big chunk of that. It's just looking for excuses and refusing to acknowledge unpleasant home truths. Especially about some senior players and whether they're cut out for senior footy anymore.

 

[Connoisseur]

To me that's a trite excuse. There are plenty of players in the team right now (Duncan, West, Christensen, Taylor Hunt, Simpson, Motlop) who weren't at the club during a big chunk of that. It's just looking for excuses and refusing to acknowledge unpleasant home truths. Especially about some senior players and whether they're cut out for senior footy anymore.

That's the thing, they're not. Father time and the grueling last 5 years has caught up with them.

I can't see how anyone can label that as an excuse, that's just a fact.

The club doesn't have the depth and quality to replace them all in one go, no successful Triple Premiership has.

It will have to be gradual as well as taking into consideration that these bunch of senior players deserve respect for all they have achieved for the club.

 

[cats2rise]

To me that's a trite excuse. There are plenty of players in the team right now (Duncan, West, Christensen, Taylor Hunt, Simpson, Motlop) who weren't at the club during a big chunk of that. It's just looking for excuses and refusing to acknowledge unpleasant home truths. Especially about some senior players and whether they're cut out for senior footy anymore.

This is it.

We are not as great of a side as we were, and our team work is not as amazing... some players are just getting past it, may have dropped off the intensity by just a meer 5% or possibly being 'found out' of having to step up 10% due to the fact others have retired.

 

[footscore]

We never been a "pacy" team in terms of our legspeed though, we have always been quick with ball movement which now seems slower especially in the 1st qtr last night, would seem we don't have much confidence kicking forward maybe?

Or maybe it's just the new blood is not confident enough to take the game on.. who knows really.

but Sydney are hardly a quick team. They are one of the slowest teams in the competition and also have 8 players who are 29 or over and in that best 22.

They have had enormous upside from Kennedy this year, can you believe he's actually 6ft'2 and weighs close to 100kg's
Add Mumford who is as imposing as any with his attack at both man and the footy, then throw in another bloke who's 6ft'3 100+ kg's (Goodes) and top it off with Kieren Jack who decided to go with footy instead of Rugby and it's no wonder they love a contested tough brand of footy.

Ironically....Sydney lost the contested possessions count.

 

[footscore]

what seems to hurt us this year is giving away stupid free kicks.

We actually lead the competition for most free kicks against. We give away free kicks in critical situations.
We are also butchering the pill more so than most.
Clangers are at an all time high, has the change of game style finally started to take it's toll?

We have always been a hand-balling side but seems like having to kick more is causing clanger after clanger.
We may have got away with it last year because it took until halfway through the season before old habits were totally extinguished and luckily, we had won all our matches.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

I think it's too easy to say we are just a bit old and slow and when the other team starts to tire, we come good. McGlynn could have made a pot of tea inside the 50m arc with all the time he had to kick/set up some of those goals in the first quarter. Too slow? His opponent (J. Hunt, I believe) wasn't even in the picture. That's not a question of being too slow; that's losing your opponent, plain and simple. To me, our reactions to what the other teams are doing to get on top is good (when it eventually happens). But I'd say we should know how the other teams play when the ball is bounced. We shouldn't be figuring it out on the fly.

Do you know how many times this year we've kicked the first two goals of the game? Twice. That's a staggering statistic. Of course we occasionally had a slow start when we were at our peak, but now the anomaly is when we actually have a decent start.

 

[Partridge]

They have had enormous upside from Kennedy this year, can you believe he's actually 6ft'2 and weighs close to 100kg's
Add Mumford who is as imposing as any with his attack at both man and the footy, then throw in another bloke who's 6ft'3 100+ kg's (Goodes) and top it off with Kieren Jack who decided to go with footy instead of Rugby and it's no wonder they love a contested tough brand of footy.

Ironically....Sydney lost the contested possessions count.

Well said. Also that Goodes and Mumford had no effect at all on the game. Strange one.

It's true too that it's not just one thing, it's not just age, it's not just free kicks given away, it's a little bit of quite a few factors that are seeming to add up.

 

[darren forssman]

That's the thing, they're not. Father time and the grueling last 5 years has caught up with them.

a non cats supporter from work also pointed out that they guys would have played almost an extra season if you add in the finals played for some of them from 2004.

thats a lot of mileage.

 

[Skerret]

Anyone else get the feeling they aren't enjoying their football? Was listening to the Inquisition before and Adam White spoke about how Sanderson has got Adelaide enjoying their football again. As a result they're all happy and flourishing. Doesn't hurt that they have some dynamite players, but clearly that positive attitude is paying off. Essendon look like they really enjoy their football. We look heavy, preoccupied. It all looks very hard, everything is a huge effort and goals seem to be meet with relief rather than elation. I dunno, just a thought. We seem to work so hard for every goal. Maybe the coaches need to give a few players license to cut loose a bit more.