Opinion rate your most important 1 to 8 of the last 20 years.

[you pick one]

Feel free to add to the list.
My number 1 :Frank Costa,the glue that held it all together.
NO 2.Brian Cook with out him we may not even be here.
NO 3 Bomber Thompson 2 flags,great development coach.
NO 4 Stephen Wells supplied the talent.
NO5 Tom Harley not the greatest footballer to have pulled on a boot but captained superbly,maintained team discipline.
NO6 Joel Selwood courageous player and top shelf leader.
NO7 Cameron Ling better than serviceable player,premiership captain,like Harley he also ran a tight ship.
NO8 Chris Scott a Premiership in his first season and kept us competitive,another flag would see him shoot up my list.
Go for it.

 

[CollarJazzKnee]

Cook
Costa
Selwood
Bomber
Harley
Ling
Wells
Scarlett

 

[Hamingja]

NO8 Chris Scott a Premiership in his first season and kept us competitive,another flag would see him shoot up my list.
Go for it.

 

[winty]

Costa
Cook
Thompson
Alex Popescu - Apparently paid the players wages in the late 90s when the club was up s**t creek financially.
Chapman - If he didn't initiate the player meeting after Round 5, 2007, would we have had the success we had in 2007-2011?
Harley
Selwood
Scarlo

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Costa
Cook
Bomber
Ablett Jnr
Scarlo
Ling
Harley
Selwood
StevieJ

 

[Spazz Cat]

Always love these sort of threads.
Costa
McCartney
Scarlett
Cook
Bomber
Ford
Stevie J
Wells

 

[AM]

Biggy_boy is a major omission.

 

[Hamingja]

Off field - Cook, Costa & Balme
Assembling and developing the team - Wells & Thompson
Leadership - Harley
Spiritual leader - Scarlett
The final piece - Ottens

 

[Catsmaninamerica]

Gary Ablett senior. Kept the club going thru the 80’s and 90’s when the town was a mess, the club was a mess and he gave a generation hope. AND he sired 2 sons that were instrumental in our first flag in decades

frank costa - the godfather

Brian cook - the architect

bomber Thompson - helped an entire competition fall in love with the game again, eradicating paul Roos s**t game plan

Tom Harley. Brought leadership at a time when it was desperately needed

brad ottens - the last decade has shown that without a dominate ruckman you can’t win a flag. 2013... ottens is the most important recruit Geelong have acquired since Ablett senior. Even more than Dangerfield. We wouldn’t have won flags without him.

Alex popescou - kept the club alive $$$ wise

Neil Balme - success follows him. And departed us when he left

 

[Spazz Cat]

Gary Ablett senior. Kept the club going thru the 80’s and 90’s when the town was a mess, the club was a mess and he gave a generation hope. AND he sired 2 sons that were instrumental in our first flag in decades

frank costa - the godfather

Brian cook - the architect

bomber Thompson - helped an entire competition fall in love with the game again, eradicating paul Roos s**t game plan

Tom Harley. Brought leadership at a time when it was desperately needed

brad ottens - the last decade has shown that without a dominate ruckman you can’t win a flag. 2013... ottens is the most important recruit Geelong have acquired since Ablett senior. Even more than Dangerfield. We wouldn’t have won flags without him.

Alex popescou - kept the club alive $$$ wise

Neil Balme - success follows him. And departed us when he left

Good choices but Gazz isnt in the last 20 years. But his kids were i guess.
Was Popescou still propping us up in the last 20 years?

 

[Partridge]

Gary Ablett senior. Kept the club going thru the 80’s and 90’s when the town was a mess, the club was a mess and he gave a generation hope. AND he sired 2 sons that were instrumental in our first flag in decades

frank costa - the godfather

Brian cook - the architect

bomber Thompson - helped an entire competition fall in love with the game again, eradicating paul Roos s**t game plan

Tom Harley. Brought leadership at a time when it was desperately needed

brad ottens - the last decade has shown that without a dominate ruckman you can’t win a flag. 2013... ottens is the most important recruit Geelong have acquired since Ablett senior. Even more than Dangerfield. We wouldn’t have won flags without him.

Alex popescou - kept the club alive $$$ wise

Neil Balme - success follows him. And departed us when he left

Outstanding post, but especially this. It's impossible to overstate this point.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Outstanding post, but especially this. It's impossible to overstate this point.

I disagree. Heaps of teams have won without a dominate ruck.
I think the main thing is
1. You need to play one. (Important)
2. Just back one in. Even if just mediocre and halfs the contest. Just don't f**k them around & get too clever.

 

[Catsmaninamerica]

Good choices but Gazz isnt in the last 20 years. But his kids were i guess.
Was Popescou still propping us up in the last 20 years?

you can make an argument that Gaz got us to the last 20 Years. Unless you lived through the 80’s particularly - you don’t appreciate what senior did for geelong as a town - let alone the club. We were beyond broke - yet home crowds were good, even though we weren’t playing finals. Gaz kept Geelong alive through a generation. You don’t have 1999-2019 if your clubs gone the way of the Supercats in 1986...

 

[Spazz Cat]

you can make an argument that Gaz got us to the last 20 Years. Unless you lived through the 80’s particularly - you don’t appreciate what senior did for geelong as a town - let alone the club. We were beyond broke - yet home crowds were good, even though we weren’t playing finals. Gaz kept Geelong alive through a generation. You don’t have 1999-2019 if your clubs gone the way of the Supercats in 1986...

I don't disagree with that one bit. I know what Gazz did and Popescou.
And obviously i wasnt around for the last 100 years but I cant see how anyone could have possibly been bigger and more influential than Gaz than anyone in our history.
But its a thing about the last 20 years. Those 2 get enough credit already.
Supercats lasted into the 90's yeah. I remember having a Hammer Heal Tshirt. Wore it all the time even though I wasn't totally sure who he was at the time haha

 

[Sparkle]

1. Frank Costa: instrumental in the off-field facets of the club becoming united, strong, and living up to high standards placed upon them, along with Cook. Costa gets the nod for the No. 1 spot given he was the instigator in turning the club around at the board elections in the late-1990's, and oversaw the appointments of many key club figures throughout his tenure as president

2. Brian Cook: turned the club upside down early on and was able to mend many of the problems the club faced; turned the club into a profitable and desirable place to be and work. Has done a fantastic job of maintaining the club's off-field position over the last twenty years

3. Ford: biggest moment came in 1999 when they paid their sponsorship up front to ensure club personnel could be paid, but has continuously poured sponsorship dollars into the club, even during their own times of hardship. Has been a very valuable contributor to the club for many years

4. Leading Teams: led by Gerard Murphy, the Leading Teams program turned the club and the culture in the right direction, and laid the foundations within the playing group for a sustained period of success. The programs run by Leading Teams in their time with the club had a profound and long-lasting impact and developed key structures, values and goals for the club to aspire to

5. State, Local and Federal governments, KPST + the AFL: have contributed millions of dollars and put great effort into running Kardinia Park and also to redevelop KP to ensure that it remains our true home ground, especially when faced with the prospect of moving all our home games to Docklands or the MCG

6. Mark Thompson: along with many of the other club coaches and staff, devised the 'high possession through the corridor' game plan which brought the club two premierships, a runners-up position and a preliminary final between 2007-2010. Gained the trust of the players and club leaders to remain as coach, with great success

7. Tom Harley: as said by others in this thread, he wasn't the best player on the team, but his leadership skills and his ability to have an impact on the club (especially the playing group) were second-to-none. His commitment to ensuring the club and the players were united and strived for success had a profound impact

8. Joel Selwood: has led the club in pretty much the best way possible for the last eight seasons. Plays with tremendous courage and skill, and has been a strong public face for the club. Like Harley, his commitment to the club and leadership skills have been a huge asset for the club right from the beginning of his time at Geelong

Honourable Mention - Max Rooke: instigated 'The Spirit', an African flask awarded to a player every week who upheld the club spirit during the previous weeks match (such as a huge smother or effort against multiple opponents). Inside The Spirit was the ashes of small pieces of paper, on each piece the players wrote down what they wanted to be (i.e, a premiership player). The Spirit united the playing group at the beginning of 2007 and was one of the many factors which contributed to the clubs success

 

[Partridge]

Here goes nothing:

1. Brian Cook - the overall architect. The one who made the decision to confront the club's unpleasant realities - namely its debt - and took measures to eradicate it. Worked at developing the ground from being sort of ok to absolutely top class. Which is still continuing. Basically for implementing professionalism and finally eradicating the country amateurism the club had for far too long.

2. Frank Costa - it's easily forgotten how much this guy did. Got Brian Cook to the club. Got Mark Thompson to the club. Remained loyal to both and stuck with them way before results turned around. I think everything the club is today grew from what he put in place.

3. Mark Thompson - built a great, great team from the ground up. Started slowly, invested heavily in the draft, and was patient. Let the players grow into their roles. Definitely some hiccups en route, but the results speak for themselves.

4. Tom Harley - very much a surprise appointment, but turned out to be as inspired as any decision the club has ever made. Possessed the intangible characteristics that united the team and made them unstoppable. Had the courage to insist on disciplining Johnson where most would have let him off. Set the tone and the results followed. Easily the best captain I've seen for Geelong, and by some distance.

5. Neil Balme - then as now, few know exactly what Balme does, but it works. Allowed Thompson to focus on coaching and premierships followed. Moves to Richmond, allows Hardwick to focus on coaching, and premierships have followed. Another fantastic and inspired choice.

6. Brad Ottens - can't overstate the impact this guy had, especially once Thompson realised he wasn't a key forward and allowed him to become the ruckman he'd always threatened to become. Little know fact I've enjoyed repeating for 12 years - we won 19 of 20 games in 2007 when Ottens played in the ruck (he was full forward in our Round 1 loss, and missed Rounds 4-5 through injury). Monstrous influence on our premiership era, and almost indicates that quality ruckmen are kind of important.

7. Gary Ablett junior - best player of the modern era. Was patiently developed under Thompson, given the impetus by the new leadership group to push himself harder, and went to spectacular levels. His emergence in 2007 was as important as Ottens' move to the ruck. Was to me easily our best player in both the 2008 Grand Final and 2010 Prelim Final losses, but somehow got blamed more than others. Mindboggling. And he's still able to run around and be effective at age 35. Absolutely phenomenal footballer.

8. Stephen Wells - was given the picks, went out and got talent. Can't underrate the goldmine that draft picks can be when used properly. And you don't need high picks - we've never had them. Just four top 10 picks in the entire premiership era. Didn't stop him nabbing Johnson, Ling, Enright, Chapman and plenty of others.

 

[dazbroncos]

Here goes nothing:

1. Brian Cook - the overall architect. The one who made the decision to confront the club's unpleasant realities - namely its debt - and took measures to eradicate it. Worked at developing the ground from being sort of ok to absolutely top class. Which is still continuing. Basically for implementing professionalism and finally eradicating the country amateurism the club had for far too long.

2. Frank Costa - it's easily forgotten how much this guy did. Got Brian Cook to the club. Got Mark Thompson to the club. Remained loyal to both and stuck with them way before results turned around. I think everything the club is today grew from what he put in place.

3. Mark Thompson - built a great, great team from the ground up. Started slowly, invested heavily in the draft, and was patient. Let the players grow into their roles. Definitely some hiccups en route, but the results speak for themselves.

4. Tom Harley - very much a surprise appointment, but turned out to be as inspired as any decision the club has ever made. Possessed the intangible characteristics that united the team and made them unstoppable. Had the courage to insist on disciplining Johnson where most would have let him off. Set the tone and the results followed. Easily the best captain I've seen for Geelong, and by some distance.

5. Neil Balme - then as now, few know exactly what Balme does, but it works. Allowed Thompson to focus on coaching and premierships followed. Moves to Richmond, allows Hardwick to focus on coaching, and premierships have followed. Another fantastic and inspired choice.

6. Brad Ottens - can't overstate the impact this guy had, especially once Thompson realised he wasn't a key forward and allowed him to become the ruckman he'd always threatened to become. Little know fact I've enjoyed repeating for 12 years - we won 19 of 20 games in 2007 when Ottens played in the ruck (he was full forward in our Round 1 loss, and missed Rounds 4-5 through injury). Monstrous influence on our premiership era, and almost indicates that quality ruckmen are kind of important.

7. Gary Ablett junior - best player of the modern era. Was patiently developed under Thompson, given the impetus by the new leadership group to push himself harder, and went to spectacular levels. His emergence in 2007 was as important as Ottens' move to the ruck. Was to me easily our best player in both the 2008 Grand Final and 2010 Prelim Final losses, but somehow got blamed more than others. Mindboggling. And he's still able to run around and be effective at age 35. Absolutely phenomenal footballer.

8. Stephen Wells - was given the picks, went out and got talent. Can't underrate the goldmine that draft picks can be when used properly. And you don't need high picks - we've never had them. Just four top 10 picks in the entire premiership era. Didn't stop him nabbing Johnson, Ling, Enright, Chapman and plenty of others.

some of you best work...

great post.

GO Catters

 

[Max Milburn]

My go.
I'm approaching this a bit differently.
My most important 1 to 8 isn't necessarily a list of individuals.
This is, after all, a team sport.

1. The Fortress. Kardinia Park. From which flows an air of invincibility.
2. The freaks of nature Stevie J, Gaz Jr, David Wojcinski, Tommahawk, Menzel
3. The BIG three Costa, Cook, Wells.
4. The Captains Tom Harley, Cameron Ling, Joel Selwood.
5. The Football Dept Bomber, Scott, Balme, Sando, Kenny, McCartney
6. The imports Brad Ottens, Paddy Dangerfield, James Podsiadly
7. The beating hearts Chappy, Rooke, Scarlett
8. The "New" Geelongers - They came, they stayed, they conquered Joel Corey, Corey Enright, Matty Stokes, Harry Taylor, Andrew Mackie

 

[Vdubs]

Ambiguous title, but........
1.2002. First silverware for decades. The promise of future good things. Bartel, SJ, GAJ, J Hunt, Chappy, Kelly all prominent
2.2007. The real thing, finally. NOTHING NEEDS TO BE SAID.
3.2009. Remarkable win against excellent opposition.
4. 2011. Awesome season, beating Pies 3x, Hawks 3x, all at the G, new coach, loss of #1 player in the comp.
5. 2008. A near perfect season that fuelled the 09 GF result.
6. 2004. A further sign of things to come.
7. 2010. A painful troubled season seeing the departure of Bomber and GAJ.
8. 2013. The "what-if" season. Hawkins, Chappy, Simpson, Boris.