Analysis Where to from here?

[Hinkley29]

I remember a radio interview from four years ago where cook stated our aim is to make top 4. From there you need luck. But the key is to get there.

we get to top 4 every year and then we just fall apart. Maybe you need more then just luck.

That would be the aim of every club who considers themselves in contention

 

[Seeds]

Yeah - Hawthorn must have gotten really lucky over the last decade. Or it could be, you know, a professional, galvanised, hard bunch of players running their guts out for 4 quarters and not accepting failure. Yeha let's just call it luck. This club will be the death of me.

Well that would be cooks interpretation.

 

[Seeds]

That would be the aim of every club who considers themselves in contention

Omg talk about missing the point.

 

[Hinkley29]

Yeah - Hawthorn must have gotten really lucky over the last decade. Or it could be, you know, a professional, galvanised, hard bunch of players running their guts out for 4 quarters and not accepting failure. Yeah let's just call it luck. This club will be the death of me.

Holy crap.

if this club will be the death of you, thank god you chose not to follow another club.

i am sure you would have enjoyed being ahawthorn supporter over the last few years

 

[Hinkley29]

Omg talk about missing the point.

You made a very clear point - Geelong aim to finish top 4. That would be the aim of all clubs that were actually trying to win the comp.

if you think there is a club in the land that has a stated goal of “premiership or bust” then you are insane. That is a sure fire way for coach, president and match committee to lose their jobs.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

nah I'm backing in SDK for a KD position for more than a handful of games, w/Krueger also getting games as a 3rd defensive tall type; that's my preference, whether we get to see that of course is up to the club.

oh and also I'd be training up Frank Evans or bloody anyone else on the list to play the type of role that Luke Dahlhaus has been filling to date.

Yeah I like Close to be fulfilling Dahl's role but I'd be looking to Frank as the 3rd marking target when Rohan is out. Not sure Frank has the leg speed for to add a heap of pressure. I'd be looking for spots is the fwd line to rotate mids through so we can just extra mid rotations too. Old legs can't run out full games.

 

[Pollywaffle]

We get all the glib announcements

#1 in champion data for glib announcements..

 

[STPer18]

For what it's worth, the markets have us pretty clear favourites to beat GWS. Currently around 1.59 to 2.72.

I know we were even clearer favourites last time we played them, but that will be factored in to the current price. By no means certainties, but it seems more generally there may not be as much pessimism about us next week?

If we play anywhere close to our best we should be winning this one. I think the doom and gloom is more just coping so if we get rolled it can be brushed off as the expected outcome. We were premiership favourites about four weeks ago, straight-sets is not par for this team.

 

[Seeds]

You made a very clear point - Geelong aim to finish top 4. That would be the aim of all clubs that were actually trying to win the comp.

if you think there is a club in the land that has a stated goal of “premiership or bust” then you are insane. That is a sure fire way for coach, president and match committee to lose their jobs.

No you missed the point entirely.

no one aims on luck to win finals. Thé goal is to get to top 4 and win the final series. Not simply rely on luck once you get to finals.

it’s ironical that you still call yourself Hinkley. The guy who should of been Geelongs coach. The guy whose attacking game plan perfectly suits geelongs culture and identity. The guy who has made Scott look Second rate in finals a number of times now.

 

[cats_09]

No you missed the point entirely.

no one aims on luck to win finals. Thé goal is to get to top 4 and win the final series. Not simply rely on luck once you get to finals.

it’s ironical that you still call yourself Hinkley. The guy who should of been Geelongs coach. The guy whose attacking game plan perfectly suits geelongs culture and identity. The guy who has made Scott look Second rate in finals a number of times now.

Why should Hinkley have been Geelong's coach?

 

[Seeds]

Yeah I like Close to be fulfilling Dahl's role but I'd be looking to Frank as the 3rd marking target when Rohan is out. Not sure Frank has the leg speed for to add a heap of pressure. I'd be looking for spots is the fwd line to rotate mids through so we can just extra mid rotations too. Old legs can't run out full games.

You are relying on evans who has played one ordinary game at the start of the year to come and improve our foward line in finals.

we are f***.

 

[Seeds]

Why should Hinkley have been Geelong's coach?

Cos he coaches the Geelong way.

if we cease to play like Geelong then are we even Geelong any more? I’m not sure we are. Wins and loses don’t matter if you lose your identity.

 

[Pollywaffle]

and also I'd be training up Frank Evans or bloody anyone else on the list to play the type of role that Luke Dahlhaus has been filling to date.

So, that would be training in falling over, missing tackles, piling on after tackles are already made, and kicking like a little leaguer..
(Edit) Oh yes , I forgot hand balling while falling over, to a stationary teammate (or opposition player.)

 

[maxy87]

I'm honestly not even going to bother, there are PLENTY of public examples of exactly that, quotes from Cook and Carter, messages from AGMs and B&F nights.
If you want to ignore them, feel free.

There’s certainly a growing perception among supporters - some on this site - that the club, while perhaps not accepting mediocrity per se, is/has been taking a strategic direction geared towards being competitive every year. Anything beyond “competitive” (top 8/top 4 finish) is simply a bonus because the corporate objectives (bums on seats, memberships, sponsor attraction) are being met first and foremost. Granted, we don’t know exactly what the board members and CEO are thinking. But there is certainly an apprehension that this is happening, supported by the statements from Carter for example. Once there is an apprehension it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle.

Full disclosure - I am too young to remember the 1990s finals with any clarity. But reading and speaking to people like the old man I get the sense that the club has been plagued by a “near enough is good enough”, small town fish bowl mentality for quite some time and the 2007-2011 years appear to be the exception to the rule.
FWIW, when we talk about list management strategies, I don’t begrudge the club making moves to try and maximise the chances of success while generational players like Hawkins, Selwood, Taylor and then Dangerfield were around the place. However, as I have mentioned in earlier posts I think approach has reached the end of its productive life, given how obvious it is becoming that the game is going past Selwood and Danger. It is beginning to sound like the club is topping up to try and get these boys a flag before they finish. Again, just a perception but one shared by my non- Geelong supporting contemporaries. If there is any truth to this then I am not sure that is a sufficient reason to make list management decisions that will shape the clubs future well beyond the tenure of the above mentioned.
Clearly a reset of sorts is required over the next few years.

 

[Seeds]

So, that would be training in falling over, missing tackles, piling on after tackles are already made, and kicking like a little leaguer..

Oh burn. That’s a burn.

 

[Hinkley29]

No you missed the point entirely.

no one aims on luck to win finals. Thé goal is to get to top 4 and win the final series. Not simply rely on luck once you get to finals.

it’s ironical that you still call yourself Hinkley. The guy who should of been Geelongs coach. The guy whose attacking game plan perfectly suits geelongs culture and identity. The guy who has made Scott look Second rate in finals a number of times now.

I don’t think you understand what “ironical” means

 

[CatToTheFuture]

You are relying on evans who has played one ordinary game at the start of the year to come and improve our foward line in finals.

we are f***.

I'm not saying I bring him on for finals, I'm eyeing him as a long term 3rd forward. It's a 2022/2023 comment

 

[Cursed Cat]

Yeah I like Close to be fulfilling Dahl's role but I'd be looking to Frank as the 3rd marking target when Rohan is out. Not sure Frank has the leg speed for to add a heap of pressure. I'd be looking for spots is the fwd line to rotate mids through so we can just extra mid rotations too. Old legs can't run out full games.

Maybe not, but Dahlhaus doesn't exactly have a lot to spare either ...

I love what Close has added this year, he is a keeper for sure.

Evans for Dahlhaus would be my preference (so = both Evans & Close getting a game); Evans will have to learn how to play the all-important Role of course, but at least he can kick the ball 45 meters and potentially do some damage on the scoreboard every now and then.

 

[gaz love x]

If you're insistent on talking about history, the way you described it is not exactly how it went last year is it? Were you saying the same thing before we flogged Brisbane in last years prelim?? We're up against it, but the script hasn't been written as yet..

The answer's yeah I would've said the same before last year's prelim but that was anomaly and Brisbane were a lot more fragile than Melbourne are this year.

 

[Cursed Cat]

So, that would be training in falling over, missing tackles, piling on after tackles are already made, and kicking like a little leaguer..
Oh yes , I forgot hand balling while falling over, to a stationary teammate (or opposition player.)

Exactly!

Seriously though, Dahlhaus has gotten everything out of himself, he ain't got a lot more to give.

Evans may not actually be able to bottle up the loose forward ball in the manner of Dahlhaus, but surely the club can at least try to train him (or someone - Evans seems best suited to attempt it at this stage though imo) to do the job, and as I mentioned elsewhere, at least Evans has some type of finishing skills unlike Dahlhaus.

 

[cats_09]

Cos he coaches the Geelong way.

if we cease to play like Geelong then are we even Geelong any more? I’m not sure we are. Wins and loses don’t matter if you lose your identity.

What is this mythical "Geelong way" - the one that served us so well during the late 80s & 90s?

And I'm pretty sure we're still Geelong and will continue to identify as Geelong regardless of what a couple of posters may think. And and guess what, teams adapt to and adjust the way they play over the course of time - if you get set in one way of playing and failing to adapt and change with the times, then you're going to get left behind

As for Hinkley, maybe he didn't interview very well with the board and they didn't think what he was going to bring to Geelong was what they wanted compared with Scott who they believed was a better fit for the club

 

[Seeds]

There’s certainly a growing perception among supporters - some on this site - that the club, while perhaps not accepting mediocrity per se, is/has been taking a strategic direction geared towards being competitive every year. Anything beyond “competitive” (top 8/top 4 finish) is simply a bonus because the corporate objectives (bums on seats, memberships, sponsor attraction) are being met first and foremost. Granted, we don’t know exactly what the board members and CEO are thinking. But there is certainly an apprehension that this is happening, supported by the statements from Carter for example. Once there is an apprehension it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle.

Full disclosure - I am too young to remember the 1990s finals with any clarity. But reading and speaking to people like the old man I get the sense that the club has been plagued by a “near enough is good enough”, small town fish bowl mentality for quite some time and the 2007-2011 years appear to be the exception to the rule.
FWIW, when we talk about list management strategies, I don’t begrudge the club making moves to try and maximise the chances of success while generational players like Hawkins, Selwood, Taylor and then Dangerfield were around the place. However, as I have mentioned in earlier posts I think approach has reached the end of its productive life, given how obvious it is becoming that the game is going past Selwood and Danger. It is beginning to sound like the club is topping up to try and get these boys a flag before they finish. Again, just a perception but one shared by my non- Geelong supporting contemporaries. If there is any truth to this then I am not sure that is a sufficient reason to make list management decisions that will shape the clubs future well beyond the tenure of the above mentioned.
Clearly a reset of sorts is required over the next few years.

In the nineties the team pulled off incredible wins and came from 4th and 5th to make grand finals. Our issue was grand finals and we had some monster teams to play in them. We were outsiders in all of them.

the issue now is all Finals. It’s a much bigger issue then just grand finals. And we tend to be favourites more Often then not in our finals and keep losing.

 

[Cursed Cat]

In the nineties the team pulled off incredible wins and came from 4th and 5th to make grand finals. Our issue was grand finals and we had some monster teams to play in them. We were outsiders in all of them.

the issue now is all Finals. It’s a much bigger issue then just grand finals. And we tend to be favourites more Often then not in our finals and keep losing.

Finished the H&A Season 1st in 1992, 4th in '94 and 2nd in '95.

 

[thecatattack]

Cos he coaches the Geelong way.

if we cease to play like Geelong then are we even Geelong any more? I’m not sure we are. Wins and loses don’t matter if you lose your identity.

What is the Geelong identity to be exact?

we were shit post 60s, handbaggers post 90s and had a great 5 year period before becoming handbaggers again.

 

[year of the cat]

23 days ago we were outright premiership favorites.

Now we look like poo.

The litmus test for us was always going to be when finals started. At this stage, we’ve failed miserably. I think we have some chance to get over GWS but after that it looks it.