So how do you feel after last weekend?

[BotsMaster]

I'm aight. Life goes on.

Rubbish. Life ends when the season finishes and begins in Round 1.

 

[romeoh]

Thats a good point - but how are supporters going to feel if the Hawks demolish the Dockers by about 80 points - because thats what i think is going to happen

Hawthorn finished on top for a reason - they were the best side - they had every side covered except Geelong

I cant believe the raving on about Fremantle- oh theve got Sandilands - well theve had him for 12 bloody years

Freo have got an apalling win/loss record against Hawthorn- history is littered with teams winning finals and then coming up against the no 1 team and getting killed - 1994 is a good example

I hope Freo win it - but i think they will be annihilated- watch the 1st qtr of the PF -Hawthorn could have been 5 or 6 goals ahead of Geelong at qtr time - that precision passing to leading targets - Freo are in for a horror day - and Geelongs effort on Friday night will get due recognition

Hawthorn will not win by 80 points. Have you been watching? Freo's prior record against any team is no longer relevant-this is the new Freo- they are a real show.

 

[Stig_90]

I moved on pretty quickly. What they say about the players sometimes losing hunger when they've won a lot is kind of true of me as a fan. I haven't lost any hunger, but all our success has made the losses now not feel so bad, even against Hawthorn. I'm pretty upbeat about our future, so I guess that helps.

 

[Ashb23]

Well on Friday night, I felt a sense of pride. I think the freo game was the one that cost us the flag, and Friday re-iterated that to me. I also had a feeling the journey wasn't over. Caddy was awesome and other kids are coming through.

Then Sunday happened. And all those kids went to water. What the hell is wrong with Taylor hunt? He and barcode started the season so promisingly and then got injured and never really recaptured their form.

My only what if is what if they'd kept Stephenson instead of going for mcintosh. Hope choppy gets another gig. Looking forward to 2014. These kids can play!

 

[allrighty]

Flat as shit. Really disappointed in the end of the season. So close yet no chocolates this year. In time I will reflect and move on but for now could not care less who wins the big one. Sel I hope goes well tonight of course, but for the rest of it - meh.

 

[OldStyle2007]

I'm still annoyed at the coaching.

All year there were 3 issues: the ruck situation, tagging out the opposition's best player, and protecting a lead when the game was in hand

CS and the coaching team failed on all 3 counts last Friday.

You can forgive the ruck issues due to available personnel, injury and form. The other 2 are more serious failures because they are controllable to a degree

Sam Mitchell picked up 3 and 1 Brownlow votes in the regular season games. So why was Hawthorn's best player left unguarded in the PF?

And there were multiple games when the Cats let significant leads slip back into that dangerous under 3 goal territory and were unable to slow the game down. CS seemed to not react until the lead was down to 2 goals rather than proactively shutting the game down

So yeah, I have been a fan of CS but the fact is the coaches box did not or were not able to fix the issues that were obvious and recurring throughout the regular season

The play that summed all those things up? Late in the fourth quarter with the Cats clinging to a lead, Hale taps to a free Mitchell. Game over.

 

[_Me_]

It gets worse

 

[Duskfire]

Feels like a failed year to some extent, but at the same time also a great one, if that makes sense. Thought we would struggle to make the finals and instead out performed my highest expectations. Did well with an injured Hawkins, struggling ruck options, and a host of newish players learning the ropes. Struggled big time in Finals though, which is frustrating because both of our losses were close that could have been avoided if this happened, or that happened.

So yeah, am up in the air on how I feel about the season. Largely a success, largely a failure.

 

[JPod_31]

Im kind of happy we lost because on grand final day, we would of been very tired and Freo would of gave us a hell of a belting. Also after the lost, we got finals experience into Guthrie,Caddy,Murdoch etc and next year they would be hungry for glory.

 

[CroftyV1]

It absolutely cut to the bone for most of the weekend - totally shattered having gotten so close. VFL boys having a 'mare on Sunday didn't help. But a day or two's perpective certainly helps. Look at it - we finished 3rd in the AFL, 2nd in the VFL. I know they don't hand out prizes for the place-getters, & history rarely remembers them, but as Geelong fans we shouldn't lose sight of the fact we had a pretty good darn year. Yes it hurts not being a central part of the build up to the big dance this week, & there are certainly a few tough choices to be made going forward (e.g Chappy). But you need only to look at what has happened to StKilda & the Bulldogs to see how easy it can be to slip off the perch having been "up" for a period of years. I have trust in our coaching & admin staff to keep us right up there. Did anyone think we would be going to a night game in Geelong even 4 or 5 years ago?
You could argue certain tactics/players/MRP descions etc during the year could have swayed things, which is fine, but overall as much as it still hurts right now, its been a successful year for the club.

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

The Home final loss reaaly hurt and cost us a real chance at the title this year. Having said that it took a BOG from Sandilands and the very best from their midfield to get over us - Freo are the real deal and come Saturday afternoon the loss may not look quite as bad.
Fact is we have been a contender since 2007 and that performance with 3 flags along the way makes us very unique.
Now it's all about the future so let's see how our development and drafting will serve us for the 2015 season - we pinched one in 2011 and if we can do it again in 2015 we will truly be the Greatest Team of All

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

The Home final loss reaaly hurt and cost us a real chance at the title this year. Having said that it took a BOG from Sandilands and the very best from their midfield to get over us - Freo are the real deal and come Saturday afternoon the loss may not look quite as bad.

That was mainly what I was thinking on Saturday night, watching the other PF: 'Bloody hell, we were doing pretty well to get within 15 points of this.'

If Johnson and McPharlin are ok, Fremantle is incredibly strong all over the park. The only thing they lack is a genuine second key forward, but Walters and Ballantyne, combined with the relentless pressure of Mayne, offsets that.

 

[Partridge]

That was mainly what I was thinking on Saturday night, watching the other PF: 'Bloody hell, we were doing pretty well to get within 15 points of this.'

If Johnson and McPharlin are ok, Fremantle is incredibly strong all over the park. The only thing they lack is a genuine second key forward, but Walters and Ballantyne, combined with the relentless pressure of Mayne, offsets that.

Watching them reminds me of Collingwood in 2010 and to a degree us in 2007. Fanatical workrate and hunger. They really want to win every single game and every contest within that game. We don't approach their level of defensive commitment.

Not yet anyway.

 

[geelong_boy]

I'm still annoyed at the coaching.

All year there were 3 issues: the ruck situation, tagging out the opposition's best player, and protecting a lead when the game was in hand

CS and the coaching team failed on all 3 counts last Friday.

You can forgive the ruck issues due to available personnel, injury and form. The other 2 are more serious failures because they are controllable to a degree

Sam Mitchell picked up 3 and 1 Brownlow votes in the regular season games. So why was Hawthorn's best player left unguarded in the PF?

And there were multiple games when the Cats let significant leads slip back into that dangerous under 3 goal territory and were unable to slow the game down. CS seemed to not react until the lead was down to 2 goals rather than proactively shutting the game down

So yeah, I have been a fan of CS but the fact is the coaches box did not or were not able to fix the issues that were obvious and recurring throughout the regular season

The play that summed all those things up? Late in the fourth quarter with the Cats clinging to a lead, Hale taps to a free Mitchell. Game over.

You make some reasonable points, OldStyle2007.

It would've been great to shut the game down a la Freo, and as much as I hate them you can see them doing it better but then again that's their bread and butter. What we really needed to do was to kick more goals as we did in R15 after Hawthorn came at us. If we'd kicked just two more goals in the quarter then we'd probably have won. Plus I caught a glimpse of the replay of the game yesterday (couldn't bring myself to watch it it all) and it showed five minutes of game time left in the match with the Hawks up by three. I couldn't believe there was so much time left, actually being at the ground it felt like there was hardly any time left at all and it seemed the players thought that too with all those long bombs out from the last line rather than methodically working the ball forward.

 

[Dawn2Dark]

I feel like last night's Brownlow summed up our season. Things rarely fell our way (Kangas game the exception), yet we were almost able to get there on guts and determination. Joel was so closed and deserved it.

We've become accustomed to no flag signaling a bad season. It's just not the case.

I'm really surprised/worried that we can't hold onto last quarter leads. I thought we used to be the masters of that.

Quite content to sit back and watch the GF. I think we would have been relying on our GF experience to get us through if we had have made it.

 

[dazbroncos]

Not a great weekend. Seniors lost. VFL lost. Webber engine shits bed on lap 60 in 4th going for a podium.

Seniors at least tried their guts out. VFL just had a dirty dirty day and ran into a team that had their best day this season.

WEbber has more races to go.

Life goes on.

Sel missing the Chaz was another downer.

Chappy getting a 1 yr deal would give me a smile.

Go Catters

 

[Stig_90]

Quite content to sit back and watch the GF. I think we would have been relying on our GF experience to get us through if we had have made it.

Same. I don't understand why some people won't watch the grand final because of the way we lost to the Hawks. I'll always be glued to the GF no matter what happens to Geelong.

 

[Dawn2Dark]

Same. I don't understand why some people won't watch the grand final because of the way we lost to the Hawks. I'll always be glued to the GF no matter what happens to Geelong.

Don't get it either. GF day is my Xmas day regardless!

 

[Beth]

Well I for one cant wait for this inconsequential game on Saturday to be over so we can all get back to the important business of tut tutting at Essendon.

 

[kickazz]

This year, for some reason, I was least excited about the finals series than I had been in a while.

I think we have overachieved, and coming into the finals I didn't like the age balance of the side - too many young/old not enough in between. Have not been conviced about our defence or our ruck/clearance (save for when SImpson was playing).

This sounds a bit silly, but blokes like Motlop, Caddy, even premiership players in Duncan and Christensen - they haven't 'earnt' it yet, in the same way that Corey, Kelly, Ablett, Ling, Bartel, Scarlett (and so on) did.

In short, especially after the QF, I didn't like our chances for a flag. WithEnright, Simpson, Chapman available and a fit Hawkins - we could have pinched nother one during this rebuild.

Going to the game on Friday, I thought there was a risk we'd get belted. I went to watch one thing, really. How would our youngsters handle the occasion. Are the signs good or bad?

For the most part, I think the signs are good. This will be great experience for them. Maybe this game is to those young guys what the 2004 Prelim or 2005 Semi was to our senior guns. Enough success to know they are good enough, enough failure to give them drive and hunger.

 

[Cat Stevens]

I was upset for a bit but to be honest being in WA I was in a way relieved as people would've hung so much shit on me if we lost the Grannie to the dockers.

 

[couchy555]

I thought all of the kids in Friday's game played well so that gives me heart for the future. 17 other teams would kill for our last 7 years and our future prospects so thats what im focusing on

 

[OldStyle2007]

You make some reasonable points, OldStyle2007.

It would've been great to shut the game down a la Freo, and as much as I hate them you can see them doing it better but then again that's their bread and butter. What we really needed to do was to kick more goals as we did in R15 after Hawthorn came at us. If we'd kicked just two more goals in the quarter then we'd probably have won. Plus I caught a glimpse of the replay of the game yesterday (couldn't bring myself to watch it it all) and it showed five minutes of game time left in the match with the Hawks up by three. I couldn't believe there was so much time left, actually being at the ground it felt like there was hardly any time left at all and it seemed the players thought that too with all those long bombs out from the last line rather than methodically working the ball forward.

Even Bomber Thompson's game plan allowed us to shut the game down with as little as a 20 odd point lead. Players like Milburn and Scarlett along with Mackie, Enright and Taylor were able to sweep across the backline to shut down any speculative attempts at goal. One of the reasons those teams won so many games is because they gave so few "cheap" goals away. In the 2013 finals series I reckon the Cats must have given over a dozen "cheapies" away, with about 4 or 5 against Hawthorn alone

That pre-2011 group and game plan had an ability to work the free man loose in the backline - something that CS has struggled with from 2012 onwards

 

[ATSAM]

We didn't overachieve we finished second on the ladder only one game behind Hawthorn. Pretty good really. Interested in the headline about Selwoods Brownlow votes coinciding with the drop in from of the team
What went on because it is pretty much true, after the Sydney game we fell right away and couldn't run out games-injuries part of the problem but not all.
Wonder if we need some new/additional coaches even a Coaches Coach.

 

[popin]

You pussy cats shouldnt be disappointed about this year as your an awesome club with awesome players with the three best indigenous who can tear teams a new one putting on a show so i hope you like my post as you will smash us by 40 points next year.