News Paul Chapman reveals 'honesty session' jolted Geelong Cats back into action

[Big Fozza]

I love these little insights. I also really like how Chappy is not happy with an 81 point win. Brilliant!

PAUL Chapman has revealed how an honesty session after Geelong's loss to Carlton a month ago has provided the catalyst for the Cats' blistering



http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/05/18/174801_gfc.html

 

[TMS]

I hate playing favourites with Geelong, but it's stuff like this that put Chappy above all other Cats in my eyes. Even though the paper has probably made an 'exclusive' article out of something Chapman said off the cuff, he'll always back up whatever he says once he gets on the field.

Such is my admiration for Chapman that I credit him for getting the Cats where they are today. I wonder what might have been if he hadn't addressed the club's performance to the media after we lost in Round 5, 2007:

"I think at the moment we have probably got some passengers and you can't afford to carry them. You need 22 blokes who are going to live your values and just die for your team."

 

[Rellik666]

I love Chappy.......one of the best players in the AFL IMHO.

 

[CF]

good of them to admit that the Carlton game was just sub par and they are a mature enough group to sit back and take responsibility for it. Impressive team the Cats!

 

[Wish Wellingtons]

We should have an honesty session EVERY week.

 

[haywood jablome]

Chapman is a gun, no two ways about it.

 

[catattack]

What's not to love about Chappy. Honesty. Career-best form. Passion.

 

[Rik E Boy]

We should have an honesty session EVERY week.

Do that and it just becomes a weekly bullshit session. I'd much rather that when we have these things they provide the desired results.

regards,

REB

 

[witsend]

Geelong Football Club has become a truly remarkable organisation.
Look at the way we have handled SJ, Stokes, recruitment of players without low draft picks. Handling the loss of Egan and Nablett. Demeanour and grace of players on and off field in general.
Commitment to excellence on field. Handling of the on-going Ablett saga.
Giving senior players a 3 month break was a huuuge risk and looks to be paying off better than imaginable.
It would not surprise me at all if we just bypass the whole "bound to fall" scenario for quite some time.
Groundbreaking management and coaching.

 

[Markfs]

At some stage, old age kicks in. You just cant get away from it.

As for Paul Chapman, I remember watching him in his earlier years. He always seemed to be the first one to kick a goal when the team needed it.... when things were going bad, he went and did something to inspire the side. It was evident well before the rest of the team got good.

I'm hoping this weekend signals the changing of the guard.... but I think that Geelong could still lose this one and still be the one to beat at the end of the year.

Lets hope its one to remember...

 

[KevinCat07]

Do that and it just becomes a weekly bullshit session. I'd much rather that when we have these things they provide the desired results.

regards,

REB

Exactly. If we did it every week it would loose it's impact and speciality, like when a passive coach really gives it to his players once in a while. Use it for the really back-to-wall occasions.

 

[KevinCat07]

Geelong Football Club has become a truly remarkable organisation.
Look at the way we have handled SJ, Stokes, recruitment of players without low draft picks. Handling the loss of Egan and Nablett. Demeanour and grace of players on and off field in general.
Commitment to excellence on field. Handling of the on-going Ablett saga.
Giving senior players a 3 month break was a huuuge risk and looks to be paying off better than imaginable.
It would not surprise me at all if we just bypass the whole "bound to fall" scenario for quite some time.
Groundbreaking management and coaching.

It's been first class. Sometimes you just wake up in the morning and pinch yourself how lucky we have become, how this side can slaughter teams in about 20 minutes of football.

You look at other teams who struggle to win one blow out game a year and try not to take it for granted that we do it almost every week.

 

[winty]

Geelong Football Club has become a truly remarkable organisation.
Look at the way we have handled SJ, Stokes, recruitment of players without low draft picks. Handling the loss of Egan and Nablett. Demeanour and grace of players on and off field in general.
Commitment to excellence on field. Handling of the on-going Ablett saga.
Giving senior players a 3 month break was a huuuge risk and looks to be paying off better than imaginable.
It would not surprise me at all if we just bypass the whole "bound to fall" scenario for quite some time.
Groundbreaking management and coaching.

I like it that we're not too arrogant on field either. We know what we can do and don't rub it in our opponent's faces after we do it. Guys like SJ kick impossible goals from the pocket, but going by their reaction afterwards, you'd think they'd just slotted one from the top of the goal square. Compare that to Daniel Motlop acting like he'd kicked the sealer against Carlton on Sunday.

Same thing too when that West Coast guy ran the wrong way and kicked into our forward line last year. Players from other clubs might've gone out of their way to make sure the guy knew how big a mistake he'd just made, but Geelong just went about their business like it was Ablett who kicked it to Hawkins.

Class on and off the field.

 

[Rik E Boy]

At some stage, old age kicks in. You just cant get away from it.

While that's quite true Mark what I've loved about the Cats this year is how well we've played without Scarlett, Ottens, Rooke and Corey this season. While you obviously can't beat father time you can develop the next generation and maintain a better than good standard if you manage your resources well. Your blokes have replaced a side that made a Grand Final two years straight in fine style as well IMO.

regards,

REB

 

[newcs]

Chappy's the type of player you could call on when your in the Grand Final, it's time-on in the last quarter, scores are level and you have to shoot at goal with the wrong foot. Can you get any better than that ?

 

[S for September]

Glad to see he didn't rate our game against Brisbane even though it ended up being a smashing. Was much more impressed the two weeks prior.

Good work chappy.

 

[Hoffy95]

Everyone loves a win, but any coach will tell you that it is how you go about it that matters.

Whether going about it the right way ends up in a 10 goal win or a 10 goal loss, it is of little importance compared to the way the team and coaching staff have conducted themselves during the game. Sure the result and getting the points are huge but the right systems and structures need to be set in place for ultimate success and the Cats have done this better than any other club in history.

 

[patdman]

We should have an honesty session EVERY week.

Most weeks it would probably just be something like...

"Honestly, we were f***ing awesome this week!!"

 

[Partridge]

Everyone loves a win, but any coach will tell you that it is how you go about it that matters.

Whether going about it the right way ends up in a 10 goal win or a 10 goal loss, it is of little importance compared to the way the team and coaching staff have conducted themselves during the game. Sure the result and getting the points are huge but the right systems and structures need to be set in place for ultimate success and the Cats have done this better than any other club in history.

More importantly, Chappy is spot on too. Our first half the other night had some very ordinary moments I thought. Lots of unforced skill errors, just some bad mistakes. Second half was much improved, but I don't think we played as well as we did against Sydney. For four quarters of pressure, even Richmond was probably better too.

 

[newcs]

More importantly, Chappy is spot on too. Our first half the other night had some very ordinary moments I thought. Lots of unforced skill errors, just some bad mistakes.

The worst error was Lonners fumbling in the goal square missing a certain goal, lucky he got a chance to redeem himself.

 

[TMS]

The worst error was Lonners fumbling in the goal square missing a certain goal, lucky he got a chance to redeem himself.

Actually, I see this a bit differently. The kick was a shot on goal, but was always going to be a behind. I thought Lonners did well to run off his opponent and get to the goal square as quickly as he did. It would have been great if he'd kicked the goal, but it ended up being the same result as it would have been if he'd not gotten there in time. C'est la vie.

Of course, if we'd gone down by less than a goal I might have had a slightly different way of thinking...

 

[blackcat]

I hate playing favourites with Geelong, but it's stuff like this that put Chappy above all other Cats in my eyes. Even though the paper has probably made an 'exclusive' article out of something Chapman said off the cuff, he'll always back up whatever he says once he gets on the field.

Such is my admiration for Chapman that I credit him for getting the Cats where they are today. I wonder what might have been if he hadn't addressed the club's performance to the media after we lost in Round 5, 2007:

"I think at the moment we have probably got some passengers and you can't afford to carry them. You need 22 blokes who are going to live your values and just die for your team."

if Chappy and Stevie J were fit in 2008, Hawthorn did not stand a chance.

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

More importantly, Chappy is spot on too. Our first half the other night had some very ordinary moments I thought. Lots of unforced skill errors, just some bad mistakes. Second half was much improved, but I don't think we played as well as we did against Sydney. For four quarters of pressure, even Richmond was probably better too.

Agree with this - the Brisbane game looked more like a free flowing shootout type of contest.
Apart from the aberration against the Pies in 2008 we have generally absorbed intense pressure well, so looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
Pies use of the Boundary is the interesting one for me - Freo looked tired and let this happen too easily - won't happen against us
Also looking forward to Taylor tearing the very overrated Cloke a new one !!

 

[flight23]

this is one of the main reasons you guys are and have been so far ahead of anyone else for the last couple of years



very envious of what you guys have developed there

 

[thegerman]

As Reb said, you can't have these every week. However, what a session like this does bring is multiple openings for interpersonal development between individuals. These one-on-one chats could further open up communication between the players and assist development.

I do believe the leadership approach undertaken by the club is a great example of how communication between people can promote a more efficient team.

Great stuff.