Phil Read a cat!

[jess_555]

Read a Cat rover
Jason Shields – Geelong Advertiser for Geelong Football club

Rolling waves and a new football challenge have lured former Melbourne and West Coast midfielder Phil Read to Geelong.
Read, a keen surfer, signed with Geelong's VFL team this week after he was delisted by the Demons at the end of last season.
The 27-year-old, who was best on ground for Melbourne's affiliate club Sandringham in last year's VFL grand final win over Geelong, has started training with the Cats, but will miss up to 12 matches during this season due to suspension and work commitments.
Read was rubbed out for four weeks for striking Geelong's Mathew Stokes in the VFL grand final and will also travel overseas mid-year for an eight-week work commitment.
But the Cats were still desperate to entice the hard-running rover to the club to add much-needed experience to their young VFL list. ”He is just about the perfect player for our VFL system,'' coach Leigh Tudor said. ”We have got a lot of younger on our AFL list, so we need a couple of players like James Byrne and Phil Read who have played a little bit of footy and can handle the knocks and lead the way with the strength stuff.
”We got hold of him through Cameron Ling. They have got some mutual surf buddies and at the end of the year when Phil was delisted from Melbourne we thought we should give him a ring. ”It just worked out from there that our system was what he was looking for so we're really excited to get him.''
Read said he had been undecided whether he would play this season due to his overseas work placement.
”But I spoke to Leigh Tudor and he convinced me that any involvement in the club would be awesome for them,'' Read said. ”I just love Geelong and love Torquay and have mates that live down there, so it all kind of fit in for me. ”They have such a good young squad down there so hopefully guys like James Byrne and I can help them out a fair bit around the packs and give them some confidence.''
Read said he had walked away from AFL football very proud of what he had achieved both with the Eagles and the Demons.
”The AFL journey has given me a huge head start in life,'' he said. ``I really enjoyed my first three years at West Coast where I stepped straight into the side and played every game for three years with the Wooshas (John Worsfold) and Blueys (Guy McKenna) and all those great players. That was probably the highlight of my career.''
But after he was overlooked by Melbourne's selectors following six best on grounds in a row for Sandringham last season, he knew that his journey was coming to an end.
“Melbourne was always very supportive of me and they decided to go with their young kids who really stepped up last year and that sits fine with me.''
The Cats will play the Northern Bullants in a six-quarter match starting at 9.45am on Saturday as a curtain raiser to the AFL practice match between Geelong and Melbourne.

Why the hell do we want him???? He PUNCHED Stokesy and is going to be out half the season! What were they thinking???????????????? I wonder what Stokesy thinks. Grrrrrrr I'm so angry!

What do you guys think?

 

[chapmanmagic35]

Bring him in. Brings in some grunt and toughness.

 

[Budda 230]

Why the hell do we want him???? He PUNCHED Stokesy and is going to be out half the season! What were they thinking???????????????? I wonder what Stokesy thinks. Grrrrrrr I'm so angry!

What do you guys think?

I think he is a very good pick up. Although he'll miss a few games, he will be one of the best players around. Two very experienced midfielders in Byrne and Read can only be a benefit for the development of the younger on ballers.

 

[TelkoTheGreat]

That is a good pick up, i wondered what happened to him, abit of a shame he left the dees. Watching him play on Josh Carr was funny

 

[Copernicus]

Interesting pick-up. Seems to be a bit of a nomad, but he does have a fair bit of the c-word in him and might be a good bloke for the younger guys to be around, to instill a bit of the necessary toughness into them.

 

[Catman]

He was one of those opposition players I hated, purely because he was an annoying little bugger, getting under the skin of our players, putting them off their game. But you love those players when they're on your side and I'm sure he'll be a real asset in looking out for many of the younger blokes in the VFL side.

 

[carn_the_cattas]

He's a very good VFL player. It'll be good having them in the side without him taking up a spot on the AFL list, unlike Koula.
I didn't like him because he kept getting the ball. He was also pretty damaging if I recall.

 

[nananana catman]

Why the hell do we want him???? He PUNCHED Stokesy and is going to be out half the season! What were they thinking???????????????? I wonder what Stokesy thinks. Grrrrrrr I'm so angry!

What do you guys think?

Spoken like a true girl!

 

[AM]

Clearly no senstiive side n.c

He'll be more than useful at VFL level. Very easily got-in though.

 

[winty]

Why the hell do we want him???? He PUNCHED Stokesy and is going to be out half the season! What were they thinking???????????????? I wonder what Stokesy thinks. Grrrrrrr I'm so angry!

What do you guys think?

I thought he headbutted Stokesy but I could be wrong. I agree with most other posters on here though. Anyone who can act as a mentor for some of our younger players is a good pick up if you ask me.

 

[davey_magik]

He'll be back around finals time and will be very good for the Cats in the games he plays.
So-so AFL player, but an excellent VFL player.

 

[jess_555]

I can't believe all you guys. It's like we are putting the enemy in our side! I supose he IS a good player (apparently)... but I still hate him. I don't think I am going to be able to cheer for him when I watch the VFL.

Oh and yeah Winty I think it was a headbutt, my mistake.

 

[JUBJUB]

I can't believe all you guys. It's like we are putting the enemy in our side!

I just hope he doesn't belt any of our 4 aboriginal players.He seems to always be involved in incidents with aboriginal players.

BTW,does this mean Stokes can return the headbutt at training and not get in trouble from the VFL ?

 

[jess_555]

I just hope he doesn't belt any of our 4 aboriginal players.He seems to always be involved in incidents with aboriginal players.

BTW,does this mean Stokes can return the headbutt at training and not get in trouble from the VFL ?

I give Stokesy permission!

 

[tin can sam]

I hate Phil, he's useless.

Bad move by Geelong.

 

[winty]

I can't believe all you guys. It's like we are putting the enemy in our side!

Look at it this way Jess. Wouldn't it be better if he was on our side dishing out headbutts to the opposition rather than handing out headbutts to our young guys?

 

[nananana catman]

Phil is a very good VFL player, not taking up a spot on the Rookie list and can provide guys like Selwood Djerkurra and Hogan with a lot of expereince. He is also a tough in and under player which will be a good example to those guys.

 

[GeeCat]

Hated the bloke in his WC/Melb/Sandy days, and quite possible still do. That said, better he be on our side annoying the bejesus out of others than ours.

 

[Renegade]

Phil Read is a bum

 

[Ricketts]

F*ck him off already.

Or burn him.