Toast Patrick Dangerfield, 2023 Captain.

[Interdimensional Bigfoot]

I thought danger should have the captaincy if he wanted it, he's given us so much over the years but maybe Stewart would of been a better choice he seems to have a harder edge to him and the way the backline stands taller with him there shows that he's respected down back even by the older guys. Being a captain means getting the best out of your guys and I'm not sure we've seen that yet.

 

[gogeelongcats]

Danger has played so-so for the first two games. He appears unfit and has had no impact on the games to date.

The club seems to take a slow build up approach this year.

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

Danger has played so-so for the first two games. He appears unfit and has had no impact on the games to date.

The club seems to take a slow build up approach this year.

I think many of the guys are well underdone at the moment, a big off season of celebrations and extended break to put the legs up will do that.

I can't knock the club for doing that after finally getting that premiership last year we got so close to for many years. Danger described it as 'climbing mount everest', so basically we're back at base camp and need to climb that again, the question is do we have it in us? 0-2 is not a great start, but it's not panic stations, and i'm still happy to have Danger as our captain, was always going to be a very tough gig replacing Selwood, who's irreplaceable.

Beat Suns, Hawks & Eagles, which is no given, but we'll be 3-2 going into our home game against the Swans.

 

[Sttew]

I think many of the guys are well underdone at the moment, a big off season of celebrations and extended break to put the legs up will do that.

I can't knock the club for doing that after finally getting that premiership last year we got so close to for many years. Danger described it as 'climbing mount everest', so basically we're back at base camp and need to climb that again, the question is do we have it in us? 0-2 is not a great start, but it's not panic stations, and i'm still happy to have Danger as our captain, was always going to be a very tough gig replacing Selwood, who's irreplaceable.

Beat Suns, Hawks & Eagles, which is no given, but we'll be 3-2 going into our home game against the Swans.

Agree 100%.

Not only are we currently missing four of six mainstay defenders in Stewart, Duncan, Kolo and Henry, but so many of our premiership heroes are way down in form - Danger, Cam Guthrie, Close, Hawkins (understandably, given he had zero pre-season), Stanley & Atkins.

Isaac Smith is a client of a company where my daughter works, and told them more than 8 weeks ago the team was way behind everyone else in fitness and match practice, "so don't expect big things early on". This is how it has played out in R1 & 2

Things will improve, and if anyone can inspire the team to find its mojo it's Chris Scott

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

Danger is playing exactly the same way he did early last year.
It was really only the finals that he absolutely dominated.

 

[#6 Thorp #7 Selwood LOL]

Danger is playing exactly the same way he did early last year.
It was really only the finals that he absolutely dominated.

He was BOG in round 1 and completely annihilated Essendon. We haven't seen one tenth of that so far.

 

[Mr Meow]

Ridiculous.

I reckon I'm among Dangerfield's hardest markers but that is a massive overreaction on the basis of a 2-game sample size.

His job is to set the tone at the clearances and he does that. Doesn't concede stupid frees despite hitting the contest hard.
I thought he was poor last week, but fine this week.

It's a long season, he'll have his ups and downs, that's how he plays. At his best he's still a match-winner.

I expect him to bully the Suns next week; we''ll need him to provide a response to Touk Miller.

Yeah while I would say he was still beaten this week, he wasn't invisible like the Collingwood match. There were glimpses but things still didn't quite come off for him. I consider it a stepping stone to him finding his groove, similar to Guthrie in the last quarter (if he didn't turn it over 5 times). Next 3 weeks will be big for him and Guth. Them losing their positional battles has been a key component of our losses but they have credit in the bank. If the malaise lasts another couple of rounds we will have massive alarm bells though.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Yeah while I would say he was still beaten this week, he wasn't invisible like the Collingwood match. There were glimpses but things still didn't quite come off for him. I consider it a stepping stone to him finding his groove, similar to Guthrie in the last quarter (if he didn't turn it over 5 times). Next 3 weeks will be big for him and Guth. Them losing their positional battles has been a key component of our losses but they have credit in the bank. If the malaise lasts another couple of rounds we will have massive alarm bells though.

The way I've seen it so far: this week Dangerfield was quiet for stretches of the game, but as catempire said elsewhere, he was pretty much the only player we had capable of generating a clearance for three quarters.

Last week he got a little more involved, got to more contests around the ground, but for mine he was really sloppy, impacted contests that he shouldn't have even contested quite negatively and gave up a really silly goal.
My tally is 1 poor Dangerfield game, 1 solid/unspectacular Dangerfield game.

He'll be 33 in a fortnight and he can't be expected to carry the midfield load in any way shape or form any more - apart from an extremely well-engineered block of games late last year at the most fortuitous time possible (which we should never forget) he hasn't really been 'that guy' for quite a while now.

He is still a match-winner on his day. Those days are fewer as the miles tick along but a match-winner is a match-winner; they are thin on the ground.

Captain or not we should really be managing his workload as prudently as possible, particularly once Tom Stewart returns.

He'll want to play every minute and put his best foot forward as the new skipper, but if the MC is smart - and of course they are - then they'll pull the reigns at some point and let other leaders take the load.

Guthrie's a whole other story of course.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

T

He was BOG in round 1 and completely annihilated Essendon. We haven't seen one tenth of that so far.

To be fair, that was followed by 2 and a 1/2 months of mediocrity by his standards before the mini pre-season.

The point still stands, he's pretty much doing exactly what he was 12 months ago apart from the finals.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

T

To be fair, that was followed by 2 and a 1/2 months of mediocrity by his standards before the mini pre-season.

The point still stands, he's pretty much doing exactly what he was 12 months ago apart from the finals.

Hes nearly 33. How much did you expect him to be blitzing it? The problem is peoples expectations of an ageing champion.

 

[Vdubs]

Danger is playing exactly the same way he did early last year.
It was really only the finals that he absolutely dominated.

T

To be fair, that was followed by 2 and a 1/2 months of mediocrity by his standards before the mini pre-season.

The point still stands, he's pretty much doing exactly what he was 12 months ago apart from the finals.

And rd 1 2022 , as was said. He was back to his indomitable self in that game. The fact that he could do that rd 1 is very different to this season.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Hes nearly 33. How much did you expect him to be blitzing it? The problem is peoples expectations of an ageing champion.

I think you've misinterpreted my post.

I'm saying he's not the same player anymore, and hasn't been for some time, outside of last year's finals.

Therefore we should stop expecting him to be the Danger of old, because it just isn't reality.

I have been pretty vocal on this, you can check my posts.

 

[Turbocat]

The way I've seen it so far: this week Dangerfield was quiet for stretches of the game, but as catempire said elsewhere, he was pretty much the only player we had capable of generating a clearance for three quarters.

Last week he got a little more involved, got to more contests around the ground, but for mine he was really sloppy, impacted contests that he shouldn't have even contested quite negatively and gave up a really silly goal.
My tally is 1 poor Dangerfield game, 1 solid/unspectacular Dangerfield game.

He'll be 33 in a fortnight and he can't be expected to carry the midfield load in any way shape or form any more - apart from an extremely well-engineered block of games late last year at the most fortuitous time possible (which we should never forget) he hasn't really been 'that guy' for quite a while now.

He is still a match-winner on his day. Those days are fewer as the miles tick along but a match-winner is a match-winner; they are thin on the ground.

Captain or not we should really be managing his workload as prudently as possible, particularly once Tom Stewart returns.

He'll want to play every minute and put his best foot forward as the new skipper, but if the MC is smart - and of course they are - then they'll pull the reigns at some point and let other leaders take the load.

Guthrie's a whole other story of course.

CC... I have a little concern relating to him being capt... and hasn't anything to do with the first two round ...not that he is a poor leader or the job worries him etc.

Any player can look ordinary ... as has Joel at times... when others around them play poorly or below standard. My pov is ... they can play ordinary all year and what ever happen ..so be it. They got the flag they needed so they earned what ever this year brings.


On his as Capt ...It was only that it was a little unusual to appoint a captain at his stage of his career. Its more normal to appoint someone closer to their sweet spot. Selwood was 23 ,Ling was 29 , Harley was 29 etc...


I think its fair to say when a player reaches 300 and basically 33 ..its unlikely you are still at your best. I cant remember but have we ever appointed a player capt at Dangers age and game tally. Id say certainly not game tally as till recently we did not have many 300 game players. So my concern is that he may feel like he wants to do more when we are a little off, but maybe is not to that level anymore. Still very good.. but I doubt he is at the same level he was when he came to Geelong. Its not like we have doubt about him being in our best22 but Danger will look a better player and capt when the side players close to their best.

Imo, being capt is so much about off field as well as on and he looks like that load is something he is comfortable with... and only with time will we hear about what the inside the club is like.


If and when the side play better, Danger will probably look like he is leading us well. Like other choices the club has made .. its a check back at years end.

 

[D BRIDGE]

I'm saying he's not the same player anymore, and hasn't been for some time, outside of last year's finals.

Therefore we should stop expecting him to be the Danger of old, because it just isn't reality.

I have been pretty vocal on this, you can check my posts.

I'm not putting a line through Danger as yet... People were questioning his position in the side last year (also Selwood's) and I just had a feeling they both would be fine once finals come around.

It was actually funny because people were talking up that players like Cooper Stephens would be more valuable come the end of the year (was extremely funny stuff).

But... If Danger can't get to near his best anymore consistently and last year's finals was a swan song for his greatness... I'd have to say thank you to him for getting the best out of himself when it really counted and appreciate his efforts in the prelim + GF that went a long way to securing a flag for us.

I'm not saying you're not by the way... Just highlighting that you mentioned his finals series as it was enormous (what a time to come out and really shine).

 

[CatRiot]

No wins and Bottom of the Ladder after Round 3!

 

[fpm84]

No wins and Bottom of the Ladder after Round 3!

I wanted Stewart as captain and still do, but I don’t know how much of our 0-3 start can be attributed to Danger being captain…

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

Not really about his captaincy, but I remember after the GF last year he said “this is what it’s like to be content”.
I remember thinking why has he said that? It’s not as if he’s retiring. There’s next year as well.

Him and the rest of the team certainly look content at the moment.

 

[Scorpio]

Not really about his captaincy, but I remember after the GF last year he said “this is what it’s like to be content”.
I remember thinking why has he said that? It’s not as if he’s retiring. There’s next year as well.

Him and the rest of the team certainly look content at the moment.

He was allowed to be content in that moment - 10 seconds after the siren had sounded and he had finally won that elusive premiership. I mean it would be a bit weird if he had said “Stuff this I’m looking to next year”.

The problem will be if that feeling has lasted into the new season, and I agree that on the face of it, it looks like he and some other players are very content. The hunger isn’t there atm

 

[Mattttty]

Lots of strange takes about Dangerfield, here and online in general. I'd like to offer another perspective.

Firstly, I understand it's hard to be losing. Starting the season 0-3 sucks. Especially after such an incredible run. But to put this all (or even mostly) at the feet of Dangerfield feels like a very shallow read of what's happening.

His Captaincy lands directly following an immense achievement () and the departure of a generational leader (). It's perfectly understandable there'd be a readjustment required. And here we are, struggling for form, for touch, for fitness, for coherence. Is all of that Dangerfield's responsibility? No. Are some people talking like it is? 100%.

The argument many seem to be making is: We're losing, Dangerfield is Captain, so Dangerfield is a shit Captain. On the contrary, most of the issues we're facing are obviously team-wide, systemic, related to the weakened pre-season and the state of the team. Certainly things he can influence but (as far as I know) we have no information to know that he's not influencing them and influencing them well. The truth is, we don't know what he's saying most of the time - on field or behind closed doors. How is he speaking to younger players? What's he doing to mentor and guide them through this moment? How is he rallying his leadership group? How's he playing the role of interface between coaches and team? From what I can see (see image attached as an example), he's standing strong as an experienced and level head at a challenging time. That's leadership.

Even the argument that his performances haven't been befitting of a Captain need a little nuance. To be fair, literally nobody (except Cameron) has looked great in 2023. And he certainly hasn't blown anyone away. But I reckon I can see him working hard to lead the team to victory. Watch his desperation on Sunday, 8 mins to go, second quarter, fighting for the ball on the boundary, getting it out to a team-mate, as an example. Fierce. He did a bunch of things like that. Sure, he had a quiet second half. That's true. But, even then, late in the game he had that inspiring run down the wing, grabbing the ball and taking the match on, as anyone would want a Captain to do. Not to mention the 50m bomb that set Rohan up for a late goal (and likely would have gone through if shepherded). So even when he wasn't racking up the stats, he was still attempting to exert an influence. I've been pleased to see it. And many don't seem to be aware that he reportedly had to sit on the bench to go through HIA (concussion) protocols in the last quarter. Pretty hard to rack up stats when that's happening. And all-up, he still had the most contested possessions of anyone in our team (11) for the day. Leadership in action.

I'm not making excuses for him. I know the team is failing right now and him with it. At some point, everyone in charge will need to take responsibility, including our Captain. But after all he and this team have achieved, I'm going to give him at least a year to prove himself (or otherwise) before throwing him under the proverbial bus.

If you want him to be the best player every match, go watch the 2016 season online - or petition the club to make J.Cameron the Captain. If you want leadership, look a little harder and I reckon you'll see signs of it. And if you can't, how about having a little faith in someone who's served the club so well for so long?

 

[Warhorse]

Is he injured? Looks to be struggling

 

[Partridge]

Is he injured? Looks to be struggling

He's just not the same player. He turns 33 on Wednesday. It shouldn't surprise anyone. Good in bursts but that's it now.

 

[cats_09]

I know there's a perception that Dangerfield is a little down on form to start the season, though looking at this stat it would seem that Dangerfield in the guts is working but maybe we're not taking enough advantage of this & trying too many players through the guts rather than settling on combinations that work:

"The Cats captain, who is also number one in the League for centre clearances, said a combination of hard work and unity will see an uptick in performance."


After 3 rounds, Dangerfield & Parish each have 13 centre clearances, two ahead of Wines on 11 - maybe there'd be benefit to seeing more of Dangerfield in centre bounces because the clash with GC is the first match this year he's attended the equal most centre bounces for the club

Let's chuck him in the guts & let him do what he does best

 

[you pick one]

I know there's a perception that Dangerfield is a little down on form to start the season, though looking at this stat it would seem that Dangerfield in the guts is working but maybe we're not taking enough advantage of this & trying too many players through the guts rather than settling on combinations that work:

"The Cats captain, who is also number one in the League for centre clearances, said a combination of hard work and unity will see an uptick in performance."


After 3 rounds, Dangerfield & Parish each have 13 centre clearances, two ahead of Wines on 11 - maybe there'd be benefit to seeing more of Dangerfield in centre bounces because the clash with GC is the first match this year he's attended the equal most centre bounces for the club

Let's chuck him in the guts & let him do what he does best

Think Scott knows we can't go deep into September this year on the back of Dangerfield alone and even less so if he floggs him for 23 home and away games leading up to September Paddy wouldn't be his biggest concern.

 

[feelinfeline]

He's just not the same player. He turns 33 on Wednesday. It shouldn't surprise anyone. Good in bursts but that's it now.

Arguably BOG in the granny, just six months and four games ago. Write him off at your peril.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Arguably BOG in the granny, just six months and four games ago. Write him off at your peril.

And the PF a week earlier