Us now V 95

[Turbocat]

Watching Fox footy , the have a replay of us V Ess R11, 95

How quickly we forget.
Gazza coming towards the end but still very good. Billy still had a bit in his legs and a young Ben Graham with 18 games under his belt , playing full Back , kicking the ball to the centre every second kick.Couch was class but really there was a lot of good ordinary players like Brewer and Tanner around the ball.Bluey and Sholl are good in the back.This was the team that went to a GF
I compare us now to then
Less names on the forwardline but we are so much better all over the ground, much better at ball retention, much better at hit a man up and our backline and team play is a heap better.

Looking back at the 95 side , its shame that they didnt play Ben a CHF from the start. Let him get a handle on the position with others there, by 97 he may have been a very good player for us with Gazza and the rest gone. Even if 95 had not got us there we would have been a better side 97

Thompson has been very good a developing us a team that has no key players towards the end of playing. We really do have the right mix for this and the next three to five years. No matter what, thanks Bomber. You have not just built for today, you built for tomorrow and reinvigerated our club and our history. From my position I think I prefer coachs with a Ess background rather than a Hawthorn one.

 

[catempire]

Nice TC. Don't know about the Essendon v Hawthorn coach thing but I wholeheartedly agree about the comparison of our team between eras. The foundations of our team are now so strong that I feel I can sit back and enjoy the next 5 years. It's a feeling I've never enjoyed as a Geelong supporter and will cherish every minute while it lasts.

 

[chapmanmagic35]

Great thread Turbocat. I think we have a more even side compared to 1995, with a great contribution from the lesser players in the team. The 1995 side had more out and out stars though.

I'm really looking forward to the next few years.

 

[worthogs]

95 was really the end of the road for the 90's era team, many of the players were going/gone as we were probably at our best in 91-94 (although the ladder positions may not reflect that). I think our 91 side was probably the best of that era and although many of them were still around then in 95 we were lucky to get to the G in Sept and the way they played against the Cheats..well thats another story.

The team really can not compare to those teams of the 90's as they had some of the best players the club has had in its history...Gazza, Billy Toby, Couchy, Buddah, The original Big Red Bazza, Kenny Hinkley cleaning up down back. Benny G was never in that class and was never going to be a forward.

THe team now has a belief in itself and plays for eachother...isnt it strange how the core of these younger guys were in a reserves premiership together a few years back and the result was simillar as they ran over the top of the opp in the last Qtr.

The 06 Cats although not having that superstar, all australian dripping side that the 95 side did has something about it that I have not seen in 35 yeas of watching the cats as a 6 year old at KP. They know what they have to do and will fight to get it done and not leave it up to individual brilliance of one or two that the 90's team was often known for.

 

[finrod]

35 years is a long time to be a 6 year old

 

[lowbo]

maybe he just failed Prep.......repeatedly.

 

[Xcat]

95 was really the end of the road for the 90's era team, many of the players were going/gone as we were probably at our best in 91-94 (although the ladder positions may not reflect that). I think our 91 side was probably the best of that era and although many of them were still around then in 95 we were lucky to get to the G in Sept and the way they played against the Cheats..well thats another story.

Well I've got the 1995 season highlights video and it shows Geelong absolutely destroying teams throughout the year. Clearly they were the second best team in the comp that year but Carlton were absolutely superb all season. Only 20 regular season win team in the comps history and they showed it on GF day (albeit a little too much!!). I think this years team is perfect for 2006 football and our 1995 team just lacked a bit of athleticism (like a Koutafides) but its hard to seperate the two.

 

[worthogs]

Well I've got the 1995 season highlights video and it shows Geelong absolutely destroying teams throughout the year. Clearly they were the second best team in the comp that year but Carlton were absolutely superb all season. Only 20 regular season win team in the comps history and they showed it on GF day (albeit a little too much!!). I think this years team is perfect for 2006 football and our 1995 team just lacked a bit of athleticism (like a Koutafides) but its hard to seperate the two.

Hope you dont watch the video to the end ...a great start but the video has a nightmare end.

I think you have got something there the 95 side did lack that bit of atheletic class but this years group has got it and other stuff in bucketloads

 

[worthogs]

maybe he just failed Prep.......repeatedly.

Naa I graduated top 35 years in a row...

 

[clubsport]

Dont forget that we had a potent forward line in 95. Something we still dont have. Dont kid yourself to justify that its remotely comparable, because its not even close. Although we are as good or better in most other area's as the 95 team.

 

[WestCat]

Dont forget that we had a potent forward line in 95. Something we still dont have. Dont kid yourself to justify that its remotely comparable, because its not even close. Although we are as good or better in most other area's as the 95 team.

Yeah, but our backline's far better now than it was back then. Scarlett would trounce any player in that team's defence.

Personally I think we now have more quality around the ground, when you name the top players from 95, it's easy to put together a top 10 that everyone agrees with, however now, it's near impossible, you'd have 20 players who someone thinks should be in the top 10. That's the main difference as I see it, I think we've got more class on the ground now than back then as it's spread around more.

 

[catempire]

Dont forget that we had a potent forward line in 95. Something we still dont have. Dont kid yourself to justify that its remotely comparable, because its not even close. Although we are as good or better in most other area's as the 95 team.

Ablett carried that forward line. Without him it would have been nothing. When he didn't fire we were stuffed - as we were in the three 90s GFs.

Now we have a much more even forward line. Less predictable and harder to counter.

Excellent backline, midfield just as good.

I'd take our current side every time.

 

[Turbocat]

The two things I was trying to hy-light in my post, was one;
the standard of the two teams when was a GF team and one is a potential GF team. This has had the most points of debate so I willleave it there

The second point ;The lack of planning for the future years.
Thru my eys, and they are biased admittadly,Ayres took over from Blight and immediately started to squeeze the last drop of juice from the orange.
Whether you agree with my BG obserbation or not is opinon but , at least in the game I was watching, I saw little in the way in youth that would serve the Cats for the years to come.
Maybe Im being harsh on Ayres, if someone took over from Bomber in two or three years maybe he would hope to just reinvigerate rather than rejig.He was probably on the end of a lot years near the top as well bt... I just feel GA ripped up all he disliked in Geelong , which was just about everything. Then he just kept topping up with medium matures, till what we were left with was oldish list with no young talent. After two clubs have had the full effect of GA I doubt if he will get a third go.

Oh,Catempire, the Ess / Haw reference , I just think Bomber has really followed the Sheedy template, a man who lasts as long as Kevin Sheedy know how to keep a list cycling.

 

[Turbocat]

Sorry ,Double posted , deleted