Analysis Where to from here?

[kickazz]

I disagree. I’d trade a few years of bottom dwelling for a feeling that we were building something and not flogging a nearly dead horse.
I would also like to be identified with an exciting brand of football not death by a thousand passes..

We play the slow brand because we are scared our defence is no good, look at the Adelaide game. I think that game scared us a bit.

Our team, players, are not as good as the best teams. But when we have a crack we can look pretty good. THese guys need to throw caution to the wind now, because inside their heads, they know the slow play will not succeed.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

What does that even mean in the context of the post you're replying to?

Edit: turns out I was replying to the wrong side of the argument here. Oops

It means the decisions made to extend Scott and create the list we have are decisions that have already been made. It's not really relevant to what we should do now.

If we get a new coach it won't be a ready to go experienced coach for the simple reason that they'd be inheriting a list without immediate reset potential. Clarko or similar would simply not accept the role if there wasn't at least a core of younger players to build around. If they have a choice of role they choose the one with underperforming kids like the Suns, or Carlton, not a side of near retirement players doing not quite enough.

You get an inexperienced coach to this side at this point you're doing a scorched earth restart that will set any rebuild back years.

The time to get a new senior coach won't be until 2023 at the earliest

So what I mean is that if you're talking about finals we lost in the past, you're not talking about factors that are relevant to board decisions for today. We need to leave behind emotional attachment to campaigns long lost.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

We play the slow brand because we are scared our defence is no good, look at the Adelaide game. I think that game scared us a bit.

Our team, players, are not as good as the best teams. But when we have a crack we can look pretty good. THese guys need to throw caution to the wind now, because inside their heads, they know the slow play will not succeed.

It's not that we're scared that our defence isn't good, it's that we're painfully aware that it's no good

 

[FredLeDeux]

We play the slow brand because we are scared our defence is no good, look at the Adelaide game. I think that game scared us a bit.

Our team, players, are not as good as the best teams. But when we have a crack we can look pretty good. THese guys need to throw caution to the wind now, because inside their heads, they know the slow play will not succeed.

It's actually the exact opposite; we play the steady build-up, setting up a solid defensive line, because we know that our forward and midfield defence are inadequate to give our defence the necessary cover against opposition rebound play.

 

[Gavin Excell]

GWS in my opinion is prob a better result for us than Sydney

 

[CatToTheFuture]

GWS in my opinion is prob a better result for us than Sydney

Nah, gws is our bogey side now. Up against it here

 

[Cataholic]

There needs to be an objective and blunt review / overhaul of our list, recruiting strategy, gameplan and coaching staff.

Our list, and strategy, is demonstrably vulnerable in finals, and our genuine stars are beginning to fade.

We're at a crossroad, and need a decisive overhaul to ensure success going forward.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Go again next week
Go again next year
sweeping changes 2023

Even if we won thru to a GF that last line applies big time. Probably won’t happen though..

 

[Pollywaffle]

Nah, gws is our bogey side now. Up against it here

Yep, they are very cocky when playing us now since we have given them so many sniffs in recent times

 

[Whit3y]

we made a grand final and almost won it last year. Effort is not the problem. You don’t make grand finals if you have an effort problem.

I don’t even believe in effort being a real thing at AFL, which is what Clarkson also has said to journalists over the years. It’s just an idea the public have and media personnel.

I tend to think Clarkson knows what his talking about and believe him over a bunch of fans

Mick McGuane questioned our effort on Friday night. Do you think McGuane knows what he is talking about?

 

[Poetic Justice]

I disagree. I’d trade a few years of bottom dwelling for a feeling that we were building something and not flogging a nearly dead horse.
I would also like to be identified with an exciting brand of football not death by a thousand passes..

I think this sentiment is kinda what many of us are thinking but don’t necessarily want to say.

I think I am ready as a Cats supporter for us to take a tumble - a tumble that is acknowledged by the club and it’s chiefs. Not a tumble that happens while the club is claiming to be a contender.

Then however it works we can draft some good quality kids.

The question is: Who goes first before this happens - Chris or Hawk/Selwood/Danger?

The notion seems to have been “All in” for the sake of Scott, Selwood, Hawkins, Danger and to a further extent Taylor, Duncan, GAJ.

There has to be a tipping point at some stage and I think the huge query will be whether the club can make this call at the right time - not at a time where it leaves us like a StK or Freo after Ross the Boss has flown the coup.

Unless some big name midfielder/ruck/KPD puts his hand up to join the Cats for next year, I feel as though 2022 could be a really damaging year for us… Port was fantastic and could be better again next year, the Dees looked bloody good against Bris, Sydney will progress and there is a number of teams who continue to build. If they all build to a level with this energy and aggression I feel like the “too old & slow” moniker could really hit us.

Think about some of the lineball games this year;
> pipped by Crows expected to be bottom
> Scraped across the Lions but should have lost
> just beat Hawks, finished low but late season form said they were better than ladder position
> Beaten by Dee’s
> pipped by Swans
> struggled to beat Pies
> close against WBD
> beaten well by Bris
> Played a very average game against Carlton
> another dour affair against North
> Beaten by GWS
> Smashed early by StK (yes came back)
> And the dees game..

We have not looked a convincing team this year. And dare I say take a couple of our wins away from us due to a home ground advantage.. what do they say about paper and cracks?

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Yep, they are very cocky when playing us now since we have given them so many sniffs in recent times

Would be excellent to pinch this and I think we're capable, we just need our mids to google "shepherd afl"

 

[Poetic Justice]

Would be excellent to pinch this and I think we're capable, we just need our mids to google "shepherd afl"

Or just adapt a mantra of “Kick forward, not sideways/backwards”

 

[Cataholic]

Mick McGuane questioned our effort on Friday night. Do you think McGuane knows what he is talking about?

Effort is the best indicator of interest.

 

[Whit3y]

We have not looked a convincing team this year.

23 days ago we were outright premiership favorites.

Now we look like poo.

 

[Poetic Justice]

A month ago we were outright premiership favorites.

Now we look like poo.

Most of the top teams have had periods of low form this year.

I stand by what I’m saying - we don’t look like the convincing team that we have in years gone by. What I’m saying is we have won games which got us to our ladder position but there was quite a few wins - go back and see - that the consensus was “that was shit so bank the 4 points and move on”. That is not convincing.

 

[Whit3y]

at I’m saying is we have won games which got us to our ladder position but there was quite a few wins - go back and see - that the consensus was “that was sh*t so bank the 4 points and move on”. That is not convincing.

Paper over the crack wins, it's what Geelong has done very well over the past decade

 

[Poetic Justice]

Paper over the crack wins, it's what Geelong has done very well over the past decade

I feel like more of it this year than in the past however

 

[thecatattack]

We'll beat GWS. (touch wood).

Hopefully, we can replicate that quarter that put us up against Melbourne 2 weeks ago. It's not over yet for us and I do think we have what it takes to win the next 2 games, at least.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Effort is the best indicator of interest.

'Lack of effort" as a reason why a side loses is an idiotic mantra screeched by football morons.

 

[Isaac Norm Smith]

Pretty frustrating game the other night. I have been down about it since Friday night. But we're still alive and we're in a Semi Final, which is a much better position than 12 other sides will be after today.

We're seemingly up against it, and we appear to be down and out with poor form, injuries etc. But the day I start to give up on my team, the day I think we have already been beaten and will lose a game before we play it, is the day I stop following this great club and the sport in general.

Swans had a great year, they won 15 out of 22 games, and yet they now find themselves eliminated week one. The Dogs could very well be Swans Mark II tonight. That's a disaster for the Swans, and if it happens to the Dogs it'll be even bigger disaster given they've been top 2 all year and were flag favourites only a few weeks ago. But we're still alive.

This is backs to the wall stuff, and I'm going to embrace every final we play, however long we last. Unlike many, I do not believe the script has already been written for us. If we can beat the Giants this week, we can beat the Dees the week after. Just because historically we have won semi finals and lost prelims, doesn't mean history will repeat. Many gave us no chance of beating the Lions at the Gabba in last years prelim.

It seems all doom and gloom right now, and I can understand why, but we're still alive when most teams aren't.

 

[Commando]

We'll beat GWS. (touch wood).

Hopefully, we can replicate that quarter that put us up against Melbourne 2 weeks ago. It's not over yet for us and I do think we have what it takes to win the next 2 games, at least.

incredibly I think you’re right
And a Perth GF would be a genuine 50/50 too

 

[Cataholic]

Pretty frustrating game the other night. I have been down about it since Friday night. But we're still alive and we're in a Semi Final, which is a much better position than 12 other sides will be after today.

We're seemingly up against it, and we appear to be down and out with poor form, injuries etc. But the day I start to give up on my team, the day I think we have already been beaten and will lose a game before we play it, is the day I stop following this great club and the sport in general.

Swans had a great year, they won 15 out of 22 games, and yet they now find themselves eliminated week one. The Dogs could very well be Swans Mark II tonight. That's a disaster for the Swans, and if it happens to the Dogs it'll be even bigger disaster given they've been top 2 all year and were flag favourites only a few weeks ago. But we're still alive.

This is backs to the wall stuff, and I'm going to embrace every final we play, however long we last. Unlike many, I do not believe the script has already been written for us. If we can beat the Giants this week, we can beat the Dees the week after. Just because historically we have won semi finals and lost prelims, doesn't mean history will repeat. Many gave us no chance of beating the Lions at the Gabba in last years prelim.

It seems all doom and gloom right now, and I can understand why, but we're still alive when most teams aren't.

Good post......like you said, we're still in it, so there's hope, but geez it's hard to see past GWS.

We can't beat Greene, let alone his teammates. Anyhow, there's still a heartbeat so we're a chance.

But I want to see them have a fair dinkum crack, as if their lives depend on it

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

It's great being in the Top 8 each year....it's certainly better than being Bottom 8.

But what grinds my gears, and that of many others I suspect, is not necessarily the fact that we lose finals, but the manner with which we lose them.

Turning up mentally unprepared to virtually every final and playing listless, insipid footy just does your head in.

You watch other teams attack the ball with hunger, desire, intensity.....whilst we seem borderline disinterested, and default to panic because our opponents want the ball more than we do.

This. I made a comment in another thread that in the 3 games so far every team has lifted the intensity and had a serious crack except us.
No idea what the go is. It’s embarrassing.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

incredibly I think you’re right
And a Perth GF would be a genuine 50/50 too

How can you possibly come to this conclusion after what we dished up Friday night? If we somehow beat GWS Melbourne will beat us by 10 goals plus.