Autopsy Port Downs Cats by 38

[Vdubs]

Turner, Yeates and Colbert i think may all have missed a season as skipper due to knee, achilles and knee respectively, and i also think Stoneham could have been in that boat in 1995.

Colbert may have missed the whole season, and was apparently disrespected by several of the older players which helped his decision to leave.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

I'm not going to focus on Zuthrie exclusively here but there are a list of basics our defenders are really struggling with this season. A few would involve the situations you recall:

-Body positioning when the ball is around half forward. We are showing players the centre instead of the boundary, getting caught in front for the high balls but 5m behind for the dump kicks that fall short. Letting players take one step and completely out foxing us.

-Spoiling high aerial balls. Not bullet passes. But loopy ones where a good defender simply gets a fist on it.

-When to mark and when to spoil. De Koning got unlucky last night but we've gone through this a lot this season.

-Getting the ball to the boundary (in a disguised way).

-Trapping the ball e.g you get the ground ball and wear a tackle if you have to. Basic clogging it up.

-Tackling. Simply not sticking them.

-Effective zone/man on man mechanics. Usually in transition where there is still ample time to get opponents locked down. The whole "guarding grass" phenomena.

A lot of it just not killing the ball or making it difficult for opposition forwards. When you have 5 defenders all struggling with the above basics, you become incredibly easy to score against.

Awesome post. Not enough likes.

 

[cats_09]

Question for you guys, we all know Port are looking to bring Sav in next year but based on last nights performance and the fact that there captain and defender Jonas cant get a game surely he would be better off resigning with us dont you think?

If Ratugolea is resigning from the GFC, then I'd think that Port is in pole position to be signing him

 

[Finknottle]

Not specifically true because Stewart is often our best or close to it in wins.

Zuthries game was a real mixed bag. I was somewhat forgiving of the many defensive mistakes (he's just not very good 1v1 or a strong spoiler/tackler) and turnovers (a match leading 9) because he at least collected and catapulted it out of there many times under serious heat.

Stewart has had games like that which we berate him for so I guess expectation comes into it. Stewart last night played like Zuthrie had the previous month, and vice versa (albeit Guth did hand it to Port more than Stewart will outside of 1 or 2 games a year). "Stewart on a rough day" is still a lot better player to emulate than whatever a few of the others tried last night, though.

Something I like about Zuthrie is he busts his guts to get to contests and will go up against much bigger players rather than let them have an uncontested mark. This is why I rate him above J Henry and even Kolo who sometimes leave it to others to contest.

 

[you pick one]

I counted 5 goals he cost us.

I wasn't counting but yes he was expensive smart coaches play through Zac for a reason.

 

[ToreadorMarch]

I'm not going to focus on Zuthrie exclusively here but there are a list of basics our defenders are really struggling with this season. A few would involve the situations you recall:

-Body positioning when the ball is around half forward. We are showing players the centre instead of the boundary, getting caught in front for the high balls but 5m behind for the dump kicks that fall short. Letting players take one step and completely out foxing us.

-Spoiling high aerial balls. Not bullet passes. But loopy ones where a good defender simply gets a fist on it.

-When to mark and when to spoil. De Koning got unlucky last night but we've gone through this a lot this season.

-Getting the ball to the boundary (in a disguised way).

-Trapping the ball e.g you get the ground ball and wear a tackle if you have to. Basic clogging it up.

-Tackling. Simply not sticking them.

-Effective zone/man on man mechanics. Usually in transition where there is still ample time to get opponents locked down. The whole "guarding grass" phenomena.

A lot of it just not killing the ball or making it difficult for opposition forwards. When you have 5 defenders all struggling with the above basics, you become incredibly easy to score against.

Nice post. All valid observations too. The defenders are also exposed more this year, due to our midfield issues and some poor turnovers going into forward 50; not to mention that we’ve let it out with less pressure this year. I feel the MF is the biggest exposure of our game and those issues were there in less intensity last year, but they simply weren’t exposed like they are this year. I really should back this up with stats, say, for example, comparative inside 50s for and against. We are also comparing the start of this season to the end of last so stats up to this point for last two would be intriguing. In the end, a fit and in form midfield makes a massive difference to our other issues IMO

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I counted 5 goals he cost us.

I think he drew the short straw trying to defend SPP a bit.

 

[The_Koulouriotis_Fan]

Both teams have enough young talent and depth, and great MF's to be able to back up for a few years, it seems.
Port list looks more complete.
Pies do have some iffy players- Elliott, De Goey, (Cox)that they rely on who for various reasons can go missing (injury, suspension, etc.)
Port this year seem settled, fit, robust, and brilliant.
Last night will only enhance their confidence, much like that final where the Tigers finally beat us, on their way to a Premiership v Crows.

Port really look the goods don’t they. Their midfield is sublime, just chock full of class. I hope they win it, would be great for Kenny and they’ve been there abouts (with a few dips) for 10 years

 

[Sire of Claude]

One thing is certain: Guthrie by himself didn't cost us 5 goals. The team cost us 5 goals. Guthrie was competing v Marshall, Dixon and Finlayson, all taller, and on one occasion was not favoured by the umpire. Add in Port's centre dominance and
you have to feel for all our defenders.

Guthrie was arguably our best player, well ahead of both Henries, Bews, SDK, most if not all of the mids, Cameron and several others.

 

[Vdubs]

Port really look the goods don’t they. Their midfield is sublime, just chock full of class. I hope they win it, would be great for Kenny and they’ve been there abouts (with a few dips) for 10 years

Agree completely

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Port really look the goods don’t they. Their midfield is sublime, just chock full of class. I hope they win it, would be great for Kenny and they’ve been there abouts (with a few dips) for 10 years

Sam Powell-Pepper for me. Not sure how it came across on the broadcast but he seemed to personally just will turnovers into happening. Would just charge straight through, not only creating a contest where there was none but just flipping possession and catching us wide open on a rebound we didn't see coming.

Lots said about others, not enough about big Sam

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

Not sure- he is human after all.
I wonder if our late start to the season, and compromised fitness is catching up on the whole group as we hit mid winter.

It got us from the get go Dubs, we were in trouble before the season opening bounce. We came in unfit and underdone and it shows.

 

[Vdubs]

It got us from the get go Dubs, we were in trouble before the season opening bounce. We came in unfit and underdone and it shows.

It did, but whatever it took to achieve that result last year, the whole organisation must have felt they deserved a delayed start and some leniency.

 

[catsfootyfan89]

It did, but whatever it took to achieve that result last year, the whole organisation must have felt they deserved a delayed start and some leniency.

Total arrogance from the club, the likes of which I don't remember seeing for a long time. I didn't like the smell of that in the first round and it's turned out to be the thing that's tanked the whole season. It wouldn't have been that hard to get a few extra miles into the legs before round 1.

I do think Selwood would be pretty disappointed by his ex-team mates. It's not the Geelong way and that shouldn't be taken lightly.

 

[Vdubs]

Total arrogance from the club, the likes of which I don't remember seeing for a long time. I didn't like the smell of that in the first round and it's turned out to be the thing that's tanked the whole season. It wouldn't have been that hard to get a few extra miles into the legs before round 1.

I do think Selwood would be pretty disappointed by his ex-team mates. It's not the Geelong way and that shouldn't be taken lightly.

IF that is the case, and we miss finals (very possible), let's see if we come out next year refreshed, fired up, hungry and potent. Believe it or not, I honestly thought this year was going to be a bit of a let down for whatever reason, after what we did last year.

 

[David the Cat]

Someone will still put Stewart in the votes won’t they?

I have to admit I shake my head sometimes when Stewart gets votes even with a poor performance.

Certainly won't get any this week.

 

[Finknottle]

IF that is the case, and we miss finals (very possible), let's see if we come out next year refreshed, fired up, hungry and potent. Believe it or not, I honestly thought this year was going to be a bit of a let down for whatever reason, after what we did last year.

I think we need to address this slump between now and the end of the year. If we hope we'll magically come out firing in 2024 we're dreaming. Get back to playing as a team which means supporting each other by getting to contests and running to provide a target. Give guys like Dempsey and Mullin some games, the midseason draft pick looks good as well, and build a backline around Ratugolea not around the usual suspects and role players that have become easy to score against. The other thing I would consider is giving Cameron a few weeks off as he's not helping us in his current form. Neale might be an option there if he gets over his injury.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Total arrogance from the club, the likes of which I don't remember seeing for a long time. I didn't like the smell of that in the first round and it's turned out to be the thing that's tanked the whole season. It wouldn't have been that hard to get a few extra miles into the legs before round 1.

I do think Selwood would be pretty disappointed by his ex-team mates. It's not the Geelong way and that shouldn't be taken lightly.

The only arrogance I'm seeing is from our fans.

Hawkins was injured so had no preseason. Stewart was injured 5 minutes into round 1. Guthrie was struggling with a foot issue and couldn't kick. Duncan, J Henry and Kolo were injured so weren't playing. Selwood had retired.

It takes unbelievable arrogance to think we have a God given right to win tough matches if just the players who weren't carrying injuries had tried a bit harder or trained a bit harder in preseason when so many of our best players couldn't contribute.

 

[Seeds]

The only arrogance I'm seeing is from our fans.

Hawkins was injured so had no preseason. Stewart was injured 5 minutes into round 1. Guthrie was struggling with a foot issue and couldn't kick. Duncan, J Henry and Kolo were injured so weren't playing. Selwood had retired.

It takes unbelievable arrogance to think we have a God given right to win tough matches if just the players who weren't carrying injuries had tried a bit harder or trained a bit harder in preseason when so many of our best players couldn't contribute.

I dont think its arrogance. Just lack of perspective. People fail to realise that there is an opponent and if both try their absolutely hardest one team must still lose. This outcome just doesnt compute in peoples heads.


society is rife with this irrationality with memes and quotes suggesting effort is the sole determinator of success and getting what you desire.

 

[Romeoh1]

Total arrogance from the club, the likes of which I don't remember seeing for a long time. I didn't like the smell of that in the first round and it's turned out to be the thing that's tanked the whole season. It wouldn't have been that hard to get a few extra miles into the legs before round 1.

I do think Selwood would be pretty disappointed by his ex-team mates. It's not the Geelong way and that shouldn't be taken lightly.

U cannot be cereal.

 

[Johnny Cattery]

Bews last night, 6 disposals, 2 tackles, 37m gained! Bews plays his role but I wouldn't be using last night to talk up his importance to the team.

I'm not sure one game unmakes a career, any more than one game makes it. I was looking at a body of work over three years.

 

[Nickoo]

It's like I said early in the Game Day thread. There were some reasons to believe the Cats could challenge Port tonight and other reasons as to why Port might thrash us too. Sadly, the thrashing has come true. Our lads have a long way to go to regain the ability to match the best teams in the competition this year. Personally, I think our season is shot. Port just too good for us.

Hoping they if not us Kenny from Camperdown can take take the perennial losers to a massive win. And it won’t be us this year.


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[Nickoo]

Tough from here.
Port have a really good mix; they have some deficiencies but they are very much capable of winning the Premiership in 2023.
For the first time on record I will say: I don't think we can.

Once Tanner Bruhn went down with a shoulder we looked very thin in the middle; Blicavs looked great early but became more and more stretched as the game went on, Atkins was quiet, Dangerfield had a decent first half but was hampered in the 2nd - Mitch Duncan looked stilted and tentative.

We've got to play Mitch Knevitt as often as possible; he gives us a bit more coverage in the middle and we sure as hell need it.

It was a bitter loss given the bright start we made tonight; Rohan was at his bouncy best early on, our Flea Circus was putting on a 3-small footy carnival.
But despite a couple of big defensive efforts from Stengle and Bews in the 2nd quarter, it slowly became apparent that Port were wrestling control of the match away from us.

Jeremy Cameron

5

Jeremy Cameron

Age

31

Ht

196cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.5

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

2.6

5star

D

10.0

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

2.9

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.4

4star

G

2.0

5star

had his worst game for the club. He has been well down on form for a month now. Tonight he was a shadow of himself. His ex-teammate Jeremy Finlayson

11

Jeremy Finlayson

Age

28

Ht

197cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.5

3star

K

9.9

4star

HB

3.6

3star

M

4.5

4star

T

1.4

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

7.0

1star

K

7.0

3star

HB

0.0

1star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.0

3star

G

1.0

4star

D

18.4

5star

K

12.6

5star

HB

5.8

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.0

1star

is the budget-Cameron; rangy left-footer who usually plays forward but can play higher up the ground. He's been huge this year; I never really rated him at GWS and was surprised when Port went after him; he was good for them last year too.

Ollie Henry always plays like we're sitting on a 10-goal lead. I'm a big fan of Jack Henry

38

Jack Henry

Age

25

Ht

192cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.3

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

2.9

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.2

4star

MG

142.6

2star

D

8.6

2star

K

6.7

3star

HB

1.9

1star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.1

3star

MG

142.6

3star

D

9.6

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

2.6

3star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

4star

, but he was reactive all night.
Zac Tuohy produced something like his best in the 1st half before disappearing more completely than Radiohead.

Tonight we basically had the band back together, bar Cam Guthrie who admittedly has been a huge loss. But they just weren't good enough for long enough, and now we are in a hole - Finals are no given.

Agreed. Good post.


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[Mr Meow]

Bews last night, 6 disposals, 2 tackles, 37m gained! Bews plays his role but I wouldn't be using last night to talk up his importance to the team.

He's never been a high stats man and has never needed to. Unfortunately he's been playing career worst football this season regarding all the things he usually excels at. Had one sensational saving moment last night but sadly looks to have lost a step and reaction time, no longer a genuine stopper and not winning many crucial contests.

 

[Nickoo]

Well, the good news is this was an expected loss, and with that we could still finish 7th or so.

The bad news is we were so badly beaten in the midfield that it’s hard to imagine how the season can be salvaged.

We don’t have a functioning midfield. Haven’t for two months. Some hope if Stanley back next week. Mitch Hardie is it had 13 touches 1st hslf in the vfl. Not sure what he finished with.


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