Opinion What I am worried about

[And_ROOS]

Are we even an A Grade midfield? Ablett, Selwood, Dangerfield and Duncan are great, but we have two VFL Reserves quality rucks, Kelly is great now but who knows if he lasts the season, and after that its a big drop.
Forwardline, only Menzel is doing something. And our defending is comical.

 

[Stocks_go_Up]

I am worried Chris Scott still hasn't figured out after 6 years that our zone sucks donkey balls. We fall to pieces in finals, over handball, guard grass and get burnt by fast teams. Our forward line is a shambles and has been for way too long, injury excuses are ok for 1-2 years - not 6. Lets see if Mr Scott finally clicks and manages to implement tactics that work on the big stage. 8 losses out of last 11 is damning.

Thank Jesus for our older brigade who has kept us in the top half of the field and our wonderful home grand advantage.

Sorry to say but things haven't changed... How many more years will we give him to keep proving he doesn't have the ability to fix our game plan?

 

[Stocks_go_Up]

LOL at delusional folks pretending like that game means nothing regarding our form.. We just got smashed by the ******* Gold Coast Suns - 1 game off the wooden spoon last year.

Kicking 3 goals in a game of football is pathetic - even for the team with our undermanned midfield. All it shows me is that all those players who we have been jerking off and wishing would step up and take on some more responsibility have not improved. We cannot win a grand final depending on Danger/Selwood as time as shown. So what am I worried about?

• Forward line kicking a big enough score
• Our much talked about forwards who all seem to have massive potential if they could only get on the park according to many (yet to see any of it)
• Defence handling the loss of experience in Mackie/Lonergan - defence was running around like headless chickens getting creamed in the basics like front and square
• 2nd line players not stepping up - used to this but sad it still doesn't look like happening when we go without our big guns
• Chris Scott still not working out a good game plan that doesn't depend on our superstars and home ground advantage

So yer not a lot to worry about really - I'm sure Geelongcrazy will tell us all why the loss was actually a sign of success.

Posting this again because its still true... Sadly... Somewhere inside I was hoping it was just a matter of preseason not meaning anything and when things got real our new improved Scott mastermind tactics would come out and the defence would stop making basic errors.

 

[Baby Duck]

No worse than Murdoch, Parsons, O'Connor, Gregson, Fogarty and Stanley. If you think otherwise you are an idiot. Zac Guthrie also looks more like a pretzel than an AFL footballer. You geelong supporters know almost nothing about the game, you simply hopped on the bandwagon in 2007 and probably can't even name more than 10 of your own players. I bet half of you haven't even noticed that ablett was gone over the past seven years

Every Richmond flog is suddenly a scholar of everything football now. Funny how that works.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Spearman]

All your points are valid. Some days, we must all feel like that about our team, and one day, we will end up near the bottom for a rebuild, and it will be long and painful, unless CS et al can continue to attract players that actually keep us competitively viable as has been the case since 2014.
On any given day, they could be my points too. But they are on the negative side of reality; you do have a username to live up to.

This might belong on CS thread but this is what I think he's doing at GFC.
Remember why he was hired, he would transition the list and stay competitive while doing it. That is what he has done / is doing. 2011 was a fortunate blip on that plan, but the plan has stayed on course.
I think Scott is building a 'club'. By that I mean, he's trying to make an enjoyable work environment that combines success, work/life balance, and culture. Obviously opinions will differ greatly on which should be weighted more. The end result is that GFC is an attractive destination for recruits. This is a goal of the club. In the modern game of free agency, trade requests in first contract, and welfare issues, the club has to compete in different ways than other clubs. The pay structure makes it harder to compete for some recruits so there has to be other aspects to attract new recruits. I think overall, long-term the club is on track. Whether it was the admin or CS who instigated this approach, it is working.
Another aspect is that the club wantd to remain in as little debt as possible while they changed over the list. Staying high in the table helps that aim so that their hands aren't tied when they need to sign those next generation Cats.
IMHO

 

[PatrickBateman]

The size difference really isn't that much. Maybe to some extent over Guthrie, but Parsons is taller and as heavy or heavier than all the guys I named.

The problem with Parsons and both Guthrie brothers is they have zero physical impact out there. I'll give Zach a pass because of his age / build, Cameron and Parsons are ball watchers for the most part.

Cameron's lack of ability to impact contests in defence is on display in 2018. You don't need to be any heavier than he is, it's the intent.

 

[And_ROOS]

Posting this again because its still true... Sadly... Somewhere inside I was hoping it was just a matter of preseason not meaning anything and when things got real our new improved Scott mastermind tactics would come out and the defence would stop making basic errors.

Lets have a look and a break down of what you said...

Forward line kicking a big enough score
Well thats a clear no here, kicking 117 points against a team usually is a win. And 3 points short of 100 v Melbourne was pretty tidy as well.

Our much talked about forwards who all seem to have massive potential if they could only get on the park according to many (yet to see any of it)
Had them on the park. The big issue being Hawkins has had no impact, Stanley is a better forward than ruck and been played in the wrong position, Menzel and Parfitt have kicked the most goals for us in rounds 1 and 2. Need a lift from our smalls.

Defence handling the loss of experience in Mackie/Lonergan - defence was running around like headless chickens getting creamed in the basics like front and square
This is a big concern. And the MC made it worse. Not only did we lose Harry, it seems losing him has cost everyone direction. I haven't seen our defense that unorganized in about 15 years or so. We looked awful. We are now desperately hoping that Taylor and Henderson come back asap because we didn't train or blood or trade in a suitable defender to replace the ones we have lost and as a result any time the ball goes forward against us it looks likely to score. Big big trouble.

2nd line players not stepping up - used to this but sad it still doesn't look like happening when we go without our big guns
Half point here, over the first two rounds Kelly, Menzel and Tuohy have been excellent for us. Murdoch was actually really good Rd 1, most people only remember the OOF at the end of the match and I was surprised he was dropped for Rd 2. Parfitt was good in Rd 1 and CGuthrie was good in Rd 2. Not enough out of everyone else.

Chris Scott still not working out a good game plan that doesn't depend on our superstars and home ground advantage
I wouldn't even address the game plan for the match V Hawthorn. We lost that match in the team selections and we got lucky that our superstars kept us in the match before one big push at the end. But we are kicking sideways a lot and we played the boundary line a ton V Hawthorn and I am at a loss to why. In the last quarter we moved the ball at pace, and went as direct as possible. Its no surprise that the two most dominant teams of the 2000s, us and Brisbane Lions, used to be direct and it was successful. In 2011 we played very direct, long kicking football. All we did for the first 3Qs v Hawthorn was slow play and they got numbers back and hit us on the counter. Its amazing that so many people on forums and facebook can see the same constant issues with our gameplan but the coaching staff persists with it. Ill get bashed for that last bit, but unless it changes we will be in for the same result in the next Prelim final we make.

 

[Vdubs]

Lets have a look and a break down of what you said...

Forward line kicking a big enough score
Well thats a clear no here, kicking 117 points against a team usually is a win. And 3 points short of 100 v Melbourne was pretty tidy as well.

Our much talked about forwards who all seem to have massive potential if they could only get on the park according to many (yet to see any of it)
Had them on the park. The big issue being Hawkins has had no impact, Stanley is a better forward than ruck and been played in the wrong position, Menzel and Parfitt have kicked the most goals for us in rounds 1 and 2. Need a lift from our smalls.

Defence handling the loss of experience in Mackie/Lonergan - defence was running around like headless chickens getting creamed in the basics like front and square
This is a big concern. And the MC made it worse. Not only did we lose Harry, it seems losing him has cost everyone direction. I haven't seen our defense that unorganized in about 15 years or so. We looked awful. We are now desperately hoping that Taylor and Henderson come back asap because we didn't train or blood or trade in a suitable defender to replace the ones we have lost and as a result any time the ball goes forward against us it looks likely to score. Big big trouble.

2nd line players not stepping up - used to this but sad it still doesn't look like happening when we go without our big guns
Half point here, over the first two rounds Kelly, Menzel and Tuohy have been excellent for us. Murdoch was actually really good Rd 1, most people only remember the OOF at the end of the match and I was surprised he was dropped for Rd 2. Parfitt was good in Rd 1 and CGuthrie was good in Rd 2. Not enough out of everyone else.

Chris Scott still not working out a good game plan that doesn't depend on our superstars and home ground advantage
I wouldn't even address the game plan for the match V Hawthorn. We lost that match in the team selections and we got lucky that our superstars kept us in the match before one big push at the end. But we are kicking sideways a lot and we played the boundary line a ton V Hawthorn and I am at a loss to why. In the last quarter we moved the ball at pace, and went as direct as possible. Its no surprise that the two most dominant teams of the 2000s, us and Brisbane Lions, used to be direct and it was successful. In 2011 we played very direct, long kicking football. All we did for the first 3Qs v Hawthorn was slow play and they got numbers back and hit us on the counter. Its amazing that so many people on forums and facebook can see the same constant issues with our gameplan but the coaching staff persists with it. Ill get bashed for that last bit, but unless it changes we will be in for the same result in the next Prelim final we make.

Good points.
Again emphasises the critical importance of Taylor this year and why he probably is our most important player, the one we can not do without IF we make finals.Ok, Danger, Harry = 1, 2

 

[And_ROOS]

Good points.
Again emphasises the critical importance of Taylor this year and why he probably is our most important player, the one we can not do without IF we make finals.Ok, Danger, Harry = 1, 2

Not bringing in someone else as an understudy killed us. It was silly for us to come into matches with an aging Lonners and HT and no understudy over the past few years. I have had idiots on a cats FB page telling me Henderson and/or Kolo will become the next HT and Scarlett. Its laughable.

Our defense looked bad v Hawks and might get obliterated v Weagles. The only hope the defense has is to hope we balance our midfield (ONLY have one of the holy trinity in the middle at any moment, with Scoot Selwood or Blitz as the defensive mid) and hope we completely annihilate them at stoppages to avoid our defense being under the pump til we get players back.

 

[Cataholic]

After watching the AFLX and JLT I copped some flak for posting a fear that’d I seen a hint of old habits, and a continuing lack of composure.

I’ve no issue with the criticism that I’d jumped early, but that last game only enhanced my fear.

We got torn apart down back, and some of that is understandable given the players we’ve lost, but our ridiculous handballing and blind blasting into the forward line were just the same as years gone by.

Our bewildering team selections certainly made it worse, but the fact remains that we have ingrained habits that kill us.

I’d hoped the off-season would’ve seen us develop faster movement of the ball, better decision making, a studious avoidance of passing either backward or to a stationary man, and a far more precise movement of the ball into our F50, but alas. The Hawks quickly showed how slow and indecisive we are, and how easy it is to pick off the ball in our backline and waltz it forward.

Our composure was lamentable, and it cost us the game.

 

[Down at K Park]

We look like champions when we move the ball quickly on instinct. When we stuff around with it, hold it up and persist with those infuriating sideways and backwards kicks we look like a bottom 4 side. Message from the coaches should be play on at all costs.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

We look like champions when we move the ball quickly on instinct. When we stuff around with it, hold it up and persist with those infuriating sideways and backwards kicks we look like a bottom 4 side. Message from the coaches should be play on at all costs.

We do, but when we hold it up like that it's usually because there isn't anyone there to move it quickly to.
All the fans (and posters) sooking about not moving it quickly would just as quickly sook if they did and turned it over (like the end of the hawks game).
I mean during large parts of the game the Hawks had 2 or 3 spare players back, you talk about play on at all costs yet ignore the fact the only options up forward is a wall of 5 defenders. That style worked in 2007 because teams didn't zone, they do now. You HAVE to be smart about it.
We are clearly playing a game similar to the hawks style in that when we can't move it quickly we keep hold of it until we do, and it works pretty well so long as we have those line breakers to receive the ball. Our issue at the moment is lack of midfield balance.

 

[And_ROOS]

We do, but when we hold it up like that it's usually because there isn't anyone there to move it quickly to.
All the fans (and posters) sooking about not moving it quickly would just as quickly sook if they did and turned it over (like the end of the hawks game).
I mean during large parts of the game the Hawks had 2 or 3 spare players back, you talk about play on at all costs yet ignore the fact the only options up forward is a wall of 5 defenders. That style worked in 2007 because teams didn't zone, they do now. You HAVE to be smart about it.
We are clearly playing a game similar to the hawks style in that when we can't move it quickly we keep hold of it until we do, and it works pretty well so long as we have those line breakers to receive the ball. Our issue at the moment is lack of midfield balance.

But that wasn't moving it on quickly that was players just throwing it on the boot. Moving it quickly is when we have players hold up the ball, ignore leads or 1 on 1 contests and go the ultra safe sideways option.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

But that wasn't moving it on quickly that was players just throwing it on the boot. Moving it quickly is when we have players hold up the ball, ignore leads or 1 on 1 contests and go the ultra safe sideways option.

So when those options aren't there you do what......
Slow it up until options open? Exactly.
So exactly what I said.
Too many people watch it on TV and see Stewart for eg not moving quickly, or playing on but turning and kicking sideways.
The problem is they don't see up the ground where there are zero options.
I've seen it plenty of times where people watching will scream and carry on about moving it quickly and the only result will be what I was talking about.

 

[Cataholic]

So when those options aren't there you do what......
Slow it up until options open? Exactly.
So exactly what I said.
Too many people watch it on TV and see Stewart for eg not moving quickly, or playing on but turning and kicking sideways.
The problem is they don't see up the ground where there are zero options.
I've seen it plenty of times where people watching will scream and carry on about moving it quickly and the only result will be what I was talking about.

How about we always keep an option open up forward?

 

[cynical]

So when those options aren't there you do what......
Slow it up until options open? Exactly.
So exactly what I said.
Too many people watch it on TV and see Stewart for eg not moving quickly, or playing on but turning and kicking sideways.
The problem is they don't see up the ground where there are zero options.
I've seen it plenty of times where people watching will scream and carry on about moving it quickly and the only result will be what I was talking about.

Well there are a few problems

1. No good 1 on 1 options up the ground due to lack of tall players.
2. No one in the backline has a good penetrating kick (Mackie/Thurlow)
3. No one in the backline takes the game on (Bews and C Guthrie can do it but I havent seen much of it)

Just so many holes in our team.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

How about we always keep an option open up forward?

We do.
Usually Hawkins.
So what should we do when the opposition keep 4 defenders back?
Seriously this isn't hard to realise....

 

[And_ROOS]

So when those options aren't there you do what......
Slow it up until options open? Exactly.
So exactly what I said.
Too many people watch it on TV and see Stewart for eg not moving quickly, or playing on but turning and kicking sideways.
The problem is they don't see up the ground where there are zero options.
I've seen it plenty of times where people watching will scream and carry on about moving it quickly and the only result will be what I was talking about.

Saw it live in the preseason though where we had the ball and had an option ahead but went safe sideways.

 

[Stocks_go_Up]

The reality is our players do not have the confidence or ability to move the ball around in small spaces and short leads. Our kicking skills are below par so we end up being safe and going backwards because the guys know they can't technically **** it up and turn it over. We also lack runners who are willing to keep offering up small space leads. It works for Hawthorn because they have good kicking skills and players willing to work hard and find space through a zone. We could make it a lot harder for them if Chris Scott knew how to setup our defensive zone so it didn't resemble swiss cheese.

The reason long and direct works is because it relies on our individual brilliance (Usually Danger or Selwood) to make a contest and win a 1 on 1. Mad Hatter your argument that they have no choice because Hawthorn put 4 defenders on Hawkins is horse shit - where are our 3 spare players then? Why aren't they in space and taking marks as we move the ball forward? They either haven't been coached to create space or they aren't willing to make the short leads.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Saw it live in the preseason though where we had the ball and had an option ahead but went safe sideways.

Yeah the JLT was weird, seemed very 2017, although round 1 put that to bed pretty quickly.

 

[Warhorse]

Hawthorn have gone straight past us. Sad

 

[ATSAM]

We do.
Usually Hawkins.
So what should we do when the opposition keep 4 defenders back?
Seriously this isn't hard to realise....

Not any more. last week the forward line was for the most empty with no-one running back. And I was at the game so could see it. This is the real problem with moving the ball quickly , there are no players running past or running forward. Too, too, too defensive.

 

[Down at K Park]

Hawthorn have gone straight past us. Sad

A 1 point win against our massively depleted backline? Hardly gone past us.

 

[dazbroncos]

Hawthorn have gone straight past us. Sad

I"m surprised we survived the sonic boom with which a great rival blew past us to win by a point with a team that had some 6 players with a combined total of barely 30 games in it for us.

Oh. The. Horror.
off to eat worms I guess with our sad sad faces and our sad sad lives. I hope we see Eeyore on the way.




Go Catters

 

[cynical]

Hawks had 62 inside 50's to 43 and 6 more scoring shots, we were lucky to get so close.

Think they will be a bottom 8 side anyway so that is quite telling.

I'm sure we will get a better idea of where we sit after the WCE game.