Seeing games out

[you_idiot]

Something Geelong have had trouble doing the last couple of weeks, the wins and the heart-stopping manner in which they're achieved aside...

From the GFC's official site (and also posted on afl.com.au):

http://gfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=105022

Cats left the door open: Thompson
Jordan Chong
afl.com.au
8:12:11 PM
Sat 12 July, 2003

Geelong coach Mark Thompson felt the Cats should have put Richmond away when they had the chance earlier in the match.

Holding the ascendancy in general play during most of the first three quarters at Telstra Dome on Saturday, the Cats led by 32 points nearing the final change but allowed the Tigers a sniff by conceding two late goals.

But despite Aaron Lord kicking the first goal of the last term, the Tigers piled on six of the next seven goals and took the lead late in the match.

It took another hero to emerge and this week it was Paul Chapman, whose late goal proved the difference.

“I think we missed some opportunities to go further away from them. We always left the door a little bit open for them,” Thompson said.

Part of Richmond’s final term surge included four goals in the first five minutes of the quarter. While it is something Thompson believes shouldn’t happen, he did put forward several reasons.

“We shouldn’t allow sides to do that. It’s young kids, it’s tiredness, it’s concentrating when you are tired, it’s coping with the pressure.”

“It’s a whole range of things. Good sides just don’t allow that to happen.”

But with more games under their belt, the tide is starting to turn.

The club was on the wrong end of numerous close results early in the season and, if the last two weeks are any guide, it has learnt from that experience.

Thompson estimates that in 13 or 14 matches this season, the club has been in a position to win, indicating everyone down at Kardinia Park must be doing a ‘fair bit right’.

“The side’s been very, very competitive even though people just look at whether you win or lose, basically and that’s fair enough for most people.”

“But from a coaching point of view and where we’re going into the future, I think we’ve been more consistent this year that we were last year.”

It was a victory achieved without Steven King, who was a late withdrawal with an achilles problem, and Jarad Rooke, ruled out with a strained calf.

King warmed-up with the group and was given every possible chance to play but didn’t line up.

Thompson thought King was a ‘very, very good chance’ to return next week against the Western Bulldogs.

Character-building wins, yes-- and don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic about Geelong winning games in this type of fashion-- but what we've seen is a pair of 20-odd-point leads relinquished in successive weeks. IMO, mediocre teams do this, regardless if they're lucky enough to recover well enough to win. Good teams, or teams wanting to aspire to get to the next level, don't do this.

I said on another thread that games such as the wins over Port Adelaide and Richmond are "all about getting the four points", but there's the manner of achieving victory as well.

When you're up 20 points on a team, that's the time to go for the jugular.

So why does it keep happening?

Is this something that can be pinned on the relative youth and inexperience in the squad? Is it due to some sort of shortcoming in Mark Thompson's coaching and tactics? Or is it part and parcel of the way things have been happening with Geelong so far this season?

I'm curious to see what everyone else thinks...

 

[Seb]

Whilst I'm not overly concerned with our diminishing last quarters, I think that it's something the Geelong footy club, and more importantly the coaching staff, needs to be aware of and address over subsequent periods of time.

IMO, mediocre teams do this, regardless if they're lucky enough to recover well enough to win. Good teams, or teams wanting to aspire to the next level, don't do this.

That's a fair point to make, but you have to remember, Geelong, at this point in time, are realistically, a mediocre side. We're not pressing for the finals, we're not thinking about finals this season, and we've committed ourselves to the hard, long haul with the young kids. They need to learn the caper, you can't expect them to blow teams away in their first or second season. They need to go through the process of having a 20 point lead at 3-quarter time and learn how to lock up and save the game, whilst adding to the scoreboard. And I have confidence they'll learn to do it..

Browsing around on Cats Claw, the subject was superficially raised on Cats Claw. Somebody raised a very interesting point in regards to our pre-season training. It was quite severely documented that Geelong had taken the time to bulk up over the summer since we looked physically immature against Brisbane in 2002. Since we wanted to become a competitive team, we needed to add some muscle. Surely enough, we did that. However, I cannot recall the nickname of the person who asked the question, my sincerest apologies to them, but they suggested the physical development may have hindered our aerobic capacity and that perhaps we didn't have the endurance to run with our opponents for the full 4 quarters, has some merit IMO.

 

[catgirl2002]

Don't get me wrong, I DO love my team and support them HOWEVER this is the second time in a row that Geelong have let a large lead diminish and were just damm lucky to come out of the game a winner.

And before anyone asks, yes I did see that lucky (just lucky) dribble kick by Chapman in the dying seconds of the game. The point I am making here is that Geelong could have easily held their lead and not crumbled.

They worked well in the game against Richmond but they could be more consistent with their kicking (this is a major sticking point that I think most Geelong fans would agree with me on this). Richmond were able to lift their game from the end of the third quarter, why couldn't we do the same and match their rate and level of intensity at the same time??

I would like to see Geelong in their next game to have a decisive lead and hold that lead. I give them that challenge, and before anyone jumps on my head let me just say 'yes, we will be at the game.'

just mho

 

[ScouseCat]

I think it comes down to what I was saying a few days ago about Geelong not being able to dictate the game and play it on our terms like the teams of the early 90's used to do. This will come in time with more experience, we just need to be patient and continue to learn how to win these close matches.

 

[Generalissimo]

I think it has less to do with Geelong, but the opponent were were playing on the day. Port are an extremely good side, and they were always going to come back at us hard. They've got them strength and firepower to do it.

Richmond on the other hand would have been desperate to win. Compare their third and fourth quarters to ours in the Geelong/Collingwood match in 1999, the day we avoided losing ten on the trot.

The point is that every team is capable of putting on bursts. We were good enough to hold out. And that kind of win gives the team the kind of toughness even a preseason in the weights room can't.

 

[ScouseCat]

Originally posted by Generalissimo
We were good enough to hold out. And that kind of win gives the team the kind of toughness even a preseason in the weights room can't.

Experience under pressure, hopefully something which will hold us in good stead when we eventually make the finals and are confronted with a similar pressure situation.

 

[you_idiot]

RE: Geelong v Western Bulldogs

For what it's worth, I think the Cats will have learned the lessons of the last fortnight, and have this game against the Western Bulldogs well seen out before the final siren.

Depending upon the conditions, Cats by five goals, maybe seven.

 

[catgirl2002]

I think that the game against the Bulldogs will be a close affair, never underestimate the underdog. I would like to see Geelong be consistent in the way that they play, if they have taken in the lessons in the last two games, they will win easily.

Don't let me down boys.

CATS! CATS! CATS!