The Positives

[TGTOA]

A lot has already been said about yesterday's disappointing performance, most of it negative, and a lot of it I agree with. But, the eternally optimistic Geelong supporter that I am, I've scratched hard to try and find the positives from the game:

The first quarter game plan: Before we got blown away and fell back into bad habits, I though we looked pretty darn good in that first quarter. Direct football, hitting targets and running well. What followed after that was the same old crap, put under pressure, we fiddled around and missed targets. But there was at least some evidence of a new way of going about things, even if it didn't last. If we can start playing that brand of footy more consistently, we'll be in the hunt.

Nathan Ablett: Best game I've seen him play. Provided a leading option at half forward, and competed well at ground level. Could have had 4 or 5 goals with some better finishing. If he continues to provide that sort of output, it'll free up Ottens to go into the ruck, which it's looking like he'll have to do more often this season.

David Wojcinski: Never been a huge fan of his, but today, he was the only guy who showed enough toe and evasiveness to break away from a contest. His goal in the second quarter from the centre square after burning off an opponent was magnificent. Faded a bit in the second half (injured?) but showed some really good signs.

Any other positives to take from the game?

 

[Budda 230]

Chapman is still a gun. Thats the only added positive I can come up with.

Although I don't believe we were as bad as everyone is making us out to be.

The Bullies are a good side and played very good footy yesterday.

 

[Pal22]

The fact that we did not play well for the majority of the match but still only lose by 20 points a was small positive.

We played some good football in the first quarter and showed glimpses in the last quarter, but you can't let an opponent (especially the Bulldogs) to kick 8 goals in a row and expect to win.

Its only round 1, we still have 21 more games to go, hopefully they learn from their mistakes and bounce back next week.

 

[Mr.Chicken]

I personally think yesterday was not a manner of us playing badily but more a case of the Bulldogs playing well. Nathan Ablett played a pretty good game and so did Mooney up until he was moved to the backline (at least I think he was). Ottens was disappointing and although he did almost take good marks when kicked to in the fowardline, was unable to hold on once.

 

[Furious_G]

Maybe I was at a different game , but Charlie actually looked ok to me today. There was that one clanger in the second quarter, but all in all he was ok. Nathan showed even more promise, I actually get excited watching him lead up from centre-half forward.

Enright again proved how valuable he can be, when played in the right spot. Wojak also showed some excellent form. I would also put Tenace in the positive category as well, he seems to be playing with a lot more confidence.

 

[CF]

Another positive for me was that even though the doggies were on top by 3/4 time our boys didn't give up and actually won the last quarter.

At the end of the day we were beaten by a better team. But there were enough positives to suggest that the Cats could develop into a competitive team over the next 3-4 weeks.

 

[carn_the_cattas]

A postive is that we won the 2nd half, the half we usually loose. The fact that we still ran out the game rather than give in and loose badly was good. An improvment on last year.

 

[winty]

Something I found pretty interesting about yesterday. In the first and fourth quarters we outscored them 10.5 to 6.8 , but in the second and third we were outscored 11.3 to 3.10. Turn that 3.10 around the other way, or even make it 8.5, we win.

 

[thehoff]

Why would you try to find positives when we can b!tch and moan about how crap we are, the season is over, Sack Bomber, wah wah wah?

It really is refreshing to find someone attempting to look at the positives.

We'll do alright this year.

 

[The Cork Soaker]

I watched the game on replay knowing the score to see where we are at. My appraisal is this, we played pretty well but were beaten by a far better side on the day. My view is that this was an important game (they all are)but we needed to send a message yesterday and they did, we are an average side with a few good players but a lot of average plonkers, I reckon if we can fire up for most of the season we will finish lower top 8 and make it to the second week of finals maybe. We don't have the class of a premiership side and I reckon we will struggle to match it with Bulldogs, West Coast, Sydney, etc. I hope I'm wrong I'm not bagging them anymore I just have put expectation into perspective for me for this year.
Positives - Mackie played well, Nathan, Wojcinski, Selwood ok, Prismal , Egan and the other usual suspects (Ablett, Chapman, Bartel etc)
Negatives - GARDINER (useless piece of dogmeat), Coach (No idea), Ottens, Scarlett, Harley, Tenace (not AFL standard), J Corey, Hunt (lost the plot)

I see a few have bagged Clinger, I reckon he did a good job on West.

 

[SJ]

We've done "alright" for the past 43, thehoff.

Two major positives:
1. Nathan Ablett - shining light.
2. Watching the team actually wearing Geelong guernseys.

 

[SJ]

Something I found pretty interesting about yesterday. In the first and fourth quarters we outscored them 10.5 to 6.8 , but in the second and third we were outscored 11.3 to 3.10. Turn that 3.10 around the other way, or even make it 8.5, we win.

Unfortunately that has been a massive problem of ours for more than seven seasons now, and Thompson still hasn't fixed it.

 

[CF]

Why would you try to find positives when we can b!tch and moan about how crap we are, the season is over, Sack Bomber, wah wah wah?

It really is refreshing to find someone attempting to look at the positives.

We'll do alright this year.

spot on Hoff

 

[Budda 230]

Why would you try to find positives when we can b!tch and moan about how crap we are, the season is over, Sack Bomber, wah wah wah?

It really is refreshing to find someone attempting to look at the positives.

We'll do alright this year.

 

[PoidaCat]

Why would you try to find positives when we can b!tch and moan about how crap we are, the season is over, Sack Bomber, wah wah wah?

It really is refreshing to find someone attempting to look at the positives.

We'll do alright this year.

If you say so! Enjoy 9th/10th position!

 

[darren forssman]

Why would you try to find positives when we can b!tch and moan about how crap we are, the season is over, Sack Bomber, wah wah wah?

It really is refreshing to find someone attempting to look at the positives.

We'll do alright this year.

Hoff, you are delusional.

We need matty spencer in there straight away to replace harley, he will really straighten up our lagging spine.

 

[thegerman]

Wojak is definitely a bonus, showed that during every pre-season game thus far, looks like he is continuing to show where he left off before his knee injury. Great toe, has the speed and the sheer determination to break packs. What we need exactly.

Nathan was good, even with the crap delivery. A lot easier to take on crap delivery up the ground a bit, instead of back on goal. That pretty much says the difference between Ottens and Nath.

Enright. Here is a guy a few people were bagging only a couple of weeks back, yet he delivered straight away. I really like this guy, he can just go on and on, picking up possessions at will. Seeing if he can hold that with good delivery is another thing.

 

[Tonycam*]

The big positives will come out of next weeks game. I think if these guys have any heart they will come out and play with everything they have against Carlton.
The likes of Scarlo , Mooney , Corey , Chappy will not like what happened to them & guys like Ottens wont put in another one like that. Im no Bomber fan but I guess we have to put up with him till the season ends and the players wont want to throw another year. so I feel the big positive will be shown next Saturday. We are better than what we showed .
...... plus my Supercoach team neds them to get better also

 

[thehoff]

Hoff, you are delusional.

We need matty spencer in there straight away to replace harley, he will really straighten up our lagging spine.

I am scared that you are right Foreskin. Surely Hunt would be ahead of The Natural based on preseason form?

 

[cats2rise]

Tenace hit his targets (apart from one time IIRC)

 

[TheTimberMerchant#14]

unlike a few others on this board, im not too downcast after watching this game and a few others over the weekend.

IMHO the bulldogs were super y'day and apart from a 15 minute period at the start of the 2nd quarter, where everything they touched turned to gold, i thought we pretty much stuck with for the remained. granted the game was as good as over when they got 6 goals up, but i think the way we played y'day wasn't too bad against definately the best victorian team (after watching the saints v dees on friday).

other games, the way the were played and the results also make me think that this result was ok even if we did lose. the pies v roos and saints v dees games which contained 3 out of the best 4 vic teams last year, the other being the dogs, enstiled plenty of confidence that we could easily account for them on ours and their showings this weekend. also results like port def freo and dons def crows, both at home, shows that the gap may have closed dramatically over the summer.

if i do have to be critical of y'days performance it would be that the ball had to be delivered properly to our forwards, rather than thinking we've got giants against their dwarfs in the back half so all we had to do was kick it long and high. but as y'day showed all they had to do was make the ball hit the deck and the dogs were able to rebound with great effect.
this was also a bit more worring yday as we normally have great forward line crumbers able to pinch the occasional goal or at least hold the ball in there.they seemed to go missing yday.
also the midfielders need to back themselves more when they have a chance to kick a goal. can think of a couple of times yday (prismall and enright?) when they tried to effect a pass instead of having a shot on goal which they should've done.

after all that, i believe the the dogs are easily the best vic club, and after watching a few others believe that we are the 2nd best, and last time i looked it was enough to get into the 8.

just had to get that off my chest