Preview Rd 11 Geelong V GWS Sat 25th May 2024 434 pm @ KP

[Lana]

I wonder if Holmes will be back to the inisde mid rotations full time

 

[cats_09]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Duncan & Holmes swap places on the team sheet with Max to play predominantly midfield

Thinking we'll also see Cameron spending more time up the ground with Hawkins & Neale our tall forward targets

And maybe it's the likes of Miers & Mullin also getting a run through the middle

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Parfitt and O'Connor omitted are real statements. Bowes very lucky to hold his spot given that. Feels like we know we need young players to develop quick for us to move forward hence Conway, Mullin and Clark staying in.

Dempsey, Neale, Clark, Bruhn, Mullin, Henry, Conway, SDK, Holmes.

That's a fair chunk of the side now more so in the 'developing' category, or at the very least on an upwards trajectory, and will be better in 2-3 years than they are now.

Any other club does that and they're 'rebuilding', but we're still trying to win a premiership while doing it.

Says it all really.

 

[cats_09]

Neale-Cameron-Hawkins is actually going to be tried?

I am genuinely shocked

Still time for that to change

Hawkins a late out and his milestone match will be against Richmond instead

 

[calder_daddy]

Hardie not even in the emergency’s. Bloody stiff.

If he performs again this week he will have to surely get a game against Richmond next.

Said it a long time ago.
Hardie will never play a senior game.
If he was any good he would be playing.
Our midfield stocks are beyond low and he’s still not getting a look in.
It’s not rocket science to see that

 

[catempire]

The fact Neale is still in makes me seriously question if Cameron will come up…

He’d be emergency according to that logic. They are trying a different structure which they’ve said all year they’d do.

 

[catters_28]

Glad Mullin and Neale survived as I want to see them get games. Disappointed neither Hardie or Mannagh could get in.

Hardie not even an emergency? Disappointing

 

[CHAWKTS]

Where did you get that information from

I havent seen his name on any Geelong injury list

I wish I had of gone with Guthrie inj as well! I had a feeling we would take a couple of older players out but not drop them and can’t manage. So inj the only option!

 

[catempire]

Said it a long time ago.
Hardie will never play a senior game.
If he was any good he would be playing.
Our midfield stocks are beyond low and he’s still not getting a look in.
It’s not rocket science to see that

Yep, and I’ll keep saying when we see Hardie it’s time to worry because it means we’ve really hit the skids.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

How many years has Bruhn played AFL ?

I think he was entitled to play a hell of alot better against Gold Coast - Geel had an undermanned midfield , Danger not their , Cam not right yet - and Bruhn did nothing

Alot of posters here - (who rave and got blue sky optimism with blokes like Parfitt Bruhn and Clark ), if Geel ever get a Chris Judd or Harley Reid type then honestly they will need a Pacemaker inserted to contain/manage their excitement levels on a day to day basis

Low standards around here lately. Any young player showing glimpses manages to whip the masses into a frenzy.
Been up for so long with an ageing squad seems a lot have forgotten the difference between good youth and great youth.

MC has tonight backed in Neale after a poor game IMO, backed in Conway who competed well. Dropped a crap mid and sent a statement to MOC by dropping him also.

Much more enjoyable than conservative and safe changes after 3 losses.

 

[catempire]

This is an inflection point for Shannon Neale’s career. All logic pointed toward and omission with his disappointing showing and Hawkins and Cameron returning. The MC is investing a vote of confidence in him. Big “take the opportunity with both hands” moment here for him.

 

[cats_09]

How good to see Conway get the opportunity to back up after last weekend - looking forward to seeing how he goes with a string of games under his belt

 

[cats_09]

This is an inflection point for Shannon Neale’s career. All logic pointed toward and omission with his disappointing showing and Hawkins and Cameron returning. The MC is investing a vote of confidence in him. Big “take the opportunity with both hands” moment here for him.

Wonder if they'll also try to use him more as our #2 ruck and play Blicavs as more of a pure midfielder compared with his usual hybrid role?

 

[catempire]

Neale-Cameron-Hawkins is actually going to be tried?

I am genuinely shocked

I’m shocked that you’re shocked! More telegraphed than a Buddy Franklin Gryan Miers arc.

 

[catters_28]

Stanley also not even cracking the emergencies is also telling...

 

[Kobe Gryant]

The fact Neale is still in makes me seriously question if Cameron will come up…

I don't get that impression at all. I'd say it's one (or a mixture) of all of these:

1. We're impressed with Neale, and want to get him games.

2. We're planning on using Cameron further up the ground again, and we need another big body down there with Tomahawk not at his best.

3. We're planning on playing all 3 of them forward to stretch GWS minus Buckley.

4. We want more ruck and forward support, particularly with Conway in the side, and we see this is the best mix going forward into the season.

 

[CHAWKTS]

The fact Neale is still in makes me seriously question if Cameron will come up…

Some risk but I think more about the fact that we want to stretch gws backline

 

[Art Vandelay_]

This is an inflection point for Shannon Neale’s career. All logic pointed toward and omission with his disappointing showing and Hawkins and Cameron returning. The MC is investing a vote of confidence in him. Big “take the opportunity with both hands” moment here for him.

This This and This.

When he played against North with a rested TH. It was a game to take literally nothing from.
He would have needed to kick 6+ against that local footy defence for there to be a positive to take from the game. As it were he kicked 3 which was doing the minimum of what was expected.

They've backed him in here big time for this game. With Hawkins and Cameron and GWS sans Buckley he's a good chance to get a matchup that doesn't shut him out of the game. Likely Aleer or Himmelberg.

Also forecasts that he could be there to also give big Toby a chop out.

 

[Footy Smarts]

I completely missed Neale is still in. GWS have picked a lot of talls so we don't look like we'll be run off our feet. Great signs for him with the MC backing him in.

Same with Conway. It's obvious we should be playing him over Stanley if he's physically ok so them not rotating him again is a great sign.

 

[ShaunWDT]

Will back the coaches in but looks a weird team on paper, gone very tall and lacking any real midfield depth.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Should also be noted, maybe with a pinned comment.
The VFL game is a curtain raiser on Saturday.

 

[Finknottle]

I'm neither an advocate for Hardie or a wet blanket on what he can bring. Just pointing out what I see as the rationale for why he's not seemingly all that close to getting a game in the seniors. There's certainly no harm in giving him a shot. But it's apparent that the M.C. still believes that there are preferable alternatives to try to resolve our midfield woes at this point.

The only part of the Hardie narrative that has really confounded me is the idea that the club hasn't treated him well. We gave him an opportunity to be on an AFL list, at a time when he probably thought the chance had passed him by. We've exposed him to the highest level of training and preparation for football that anyone could hope to experience. And we kept him on the list for this year when other players in his situation have been cut by their clubs after only a few months.

So if he earns a game (or six) in the eyes of those in the know at the club, I'm fine with that. I just don't have any time for the idea that the club owes it to him to give him senior games, simply by virtue of him being on the list. The club might owe it to themselves to see what he can produce in the firsts, I admit. But as for being near enough to morally bound to play him (having already afforded him an incredible opportunity by bringing him into the AFL system in the first place), I can't see that at all.

Long way to go for Mitch, of course. But even if he gets no games with us and is delisted at the end of the season, he'll be front of mind for many list managers across the comp now if they're looking to take their chances on a mature-aged mid recruit for next year. That doesn't happen half as easily for him if he's not firstly on the list at Geelong. So the way I see it, he is much more in the debt of the GFC than vice versa.

And I genuinely wish him all the best in his quest to make it in the AFL.

Yep, Hardie has a nerve thinking that if he played really well in the VFL, led the coaches votes, he could be rewarded by a game in the AFL. What was he thinking? What were we thinking?

 

[CHAWKTS]

Will back the coaches in but looks a weird team on paper, gone very tall and lacking any real midfield depth.

Think height is due to GWS team? And midfield surely has Holmes now in it (Duncan and Mullin behind the ball). And Miers playing more of a role?

 

[SkittleCats]

Lets hope we maintain possession of the ball as much as possible, because without it we will fail to put much pressure on to win it back. GWS are going to find it very easy to transition and score.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Yep, similar to resting Bowes v Port. Just a couple of mids short.

On a positive note I will be staggered if Holmes doesn't play predominately mid.

Mullin off hb and Holmes in the middle please