Will Geelong make the 8?
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History suggests that one team from the bottom eight will land in the top four the following year.
For the reasons Reg Hickey has stated, i think this team will be us.
However, point six in Hickeys post suggests that Prismall, Stokes, Gamble and Varcoe in particular will take another step up this year and push for a regular spot in the best 22, along with Hawkins, Selwood, Djerrkura and Reynolds making contributions.
I am struggling to put a team together that will constantly compete. We have an enormous amount of depth at the cattery now but no real regulars outside the core playing group affirmed by Hickey in Bartel, Corey, Ling etc.
In 06, we continued to play guys according to their form in the twos and then dump them the minute they disappointed in the ones. For this reason we now have a massive group of players with a reasonable amount of game time that can’t perform consistently and can’t get a regular gig at AFL level.
A few names/games:
Tenace (44)
Mackie (37)
Byrnes (33)
Playfair (51)
Gardiner (49)
D. Johnson (41)
Kelly (85 – bad year, forgiven if he pulls his head in this year)
Callan (15)
S. Johnson (67)
You would think at least half of these guys would now have reached a point in their careers where they would warrant a position in our best 22. You would think.
The majority of us, including myself, are rambling on about Pris, stokes, Gamble and Varcoe getting regular appearances in 07, but as soon as their form drops, they will be back in the twos and the cycle will continue.
Im excited at the prospect of the Tomahawk and what he might bring to the cattery, as well as Selwood, Djerrkura etc, but seriously we need a solid team of 22 players, not 10, with 12 dependent on form and potential. There will always be injuries and form lapses etc, and perhaps these young kids will get their chance, but its time for Tenace, Mackie and Kelly (the three i think are the best chance to get a solid gig) to ark it up seven or eight notches and ensure team structure and success.
B: Milburn Scarlett Hunt
HB: Enright Harley Egan
C: Rooke Bartel Tenace
HF: G. Ablett N. Ablett Mooney
F: S. Johnson Ottens Chapman
R: King Corey Ling
I/C: Kelly Mackie D. Johnson (One young player – Probably Tom or Joel)
Injuries aside, if this team gets it together we will be the team to come from the bottom eight into the top four.
???
For the reasons Reg Hickey has stated, i think this team will be us.
However, point six in Hickeys post suggests that Prismall, Stokes, Gamble and Varcoe in particular will take another step up this year and push for a regular spot in the best 22, along with Hawkins, Selwood, Djerrkura and Reynolds making contributions.
I am struggling to put a team together that will constantly compete. We have an enormous amount of depth at the cattery now but no real regulars outside the core playing group affirmed by Hickey in Bartel, Corey, Ling etc.
In 06, we continued to play guys according to their form in the twos and then dump them the minute they disappointed in the ones. For this reason we now have a massive group of players with a reasonable amount of game time that can’t perform consistently and can’t get a regular gig at AFL level.
A few names/games:
Tenace (44)
Mackie (37)
Byrnes (33)
Playfair (51)
Gardiner (49)
D. Johnson (41)
Kelly (85 – bad year, forgiven if he pulls his head in this year)
Callan (15)
S. Johnson (67)
You would think at least half of these guys would now have reached a point in their careers where they would warrant a position in our best 22. You would think.
The majority of us, including myself, are rambling on about Pris, stokes, Gamble and Varcoe getting regular appearances in 07, but as soon as their form drops, they will be back in the twos and the cycle will continue.
Im excited at the prospect of the Tomahawk and what he might bring to the cattery, as well as Selwood, Djerrkura etc, but seriously we need a solid team of 22 players, not 10, with 12 dependent on form and potential. There will always be injuries and form lapses etc, and perhaps these young kids will get their chance, but its time for Tenace, Mackie and Kelly (the three i think are the best chance to get a solid gig) to ark it up seven or eight notches and ensure team structure and success.
B: Milburn Scarlett Hunt
HB: Enright Harley Egan
C: Rooke Bartel Tenace
HF: G. Ablett N. Ablett Mooney
F: S. Johnson Ottens Chapman
R: King Corey Ling
I/C: Kelly Mackie D. Johnson (One young player – Probably Tom or Joel)
Injuries aside, if this team gets it together we will be the team to come from the bottom eight into the top four.
???
I agree with what you are saying regarding Tenace Mackie and Kelly and completely agree.
I have a problem with the structure of last years team though. It is too slow out of the backline has no outside midfeilders and no real quarter back (Hunt is too deep in defence).
I think for Geelong to be a sucessfull top 4 Geelong needs to tweak it lineup . They have the players but the structure is not right. The team needs more attack through the midfeild and backline. I would happily sacrifice some talent for better structure:
Perhaps bring Sam Hunt into fullback and play Scarlett as lose man in defence. He has done that fantastically in that role the past and is probably our mst attacking backmen.
Move Tenace to half backline and give him complete freedom to take guys on.
Play J.Hunt across wing/half forward
Ensure midfeild does not have Bartel/Ling and Corey in their at the same time as they are all too similar.
Bomber needs to take some risks to make our team successfull.
I agree with what you are saying regarding Tenace Mackie and Kelly and completely agree.
I have a problem with the structure of last years team though. It is too slow out of the backline has no outside midfeilders and no real quarter back (Hunt is too deep in defence).
I think for Geelong to be a sucessfull top 4 Geelong needs to tweak it lineup . They have the players but the structure is not right. The team needs more attack through the midfeild and backline. I would happily sacrifice some talent for better structure:
Perhaps bring Sam Hunt into fullback and play Scarlett as lose man in defence. He has done that fantastically in that role the past and is probably our mst attacking backmen.
Move Tenace to half backline and give him complete freedom to take guys on.
Play J.Hunt across wing/half forward
Ensure midfeild does not have Bartel/Ling and Corey in their at the same time as they are all too similar.
Bomber needs to take some risks to make our team successfull. We might look like ******** for NAB cup and first 3 rounds as players learn new roles but I think come finals we will look a much better unit.
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The players were supposedly shattered after the prelim final loss against Brisbane in 04 and again after the semi final loss to Sydney in 05. Didn't they just show the extra steel they gained from those devastating losses this season? I don't see why people think it will be different next season. Talk it up, fail, talk it up, fail. That's Geelong for you.
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You're born, you live, you die. It's a vicious cycle. 
A flag and a runner-up finish doesn't suggest that.....
I'd do anything to see our club have the heart, determination and work ethic of the Swans.
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"Perhaps bring Sam Hunt into fullback and play Scarlett as lose man in defence. He has done that fantastically in that role the past and is probably our most attacking backmen."
Absolutely agree 100% with this comment. Probably the most sensible post on the geelong footy board about the upcoming season. Forget all the talk regarding players playing better after a "kick in the pants" last year, the way we are going to move up the ladder is with a different game plan. Last years plan got caught out by more running teams.
Moving Scarlett away from full back will allow him to be a more effective player at setting up attacks from defence and also as the "second man up at contests". He can play on smalls or talls and Sam showed enough last year to warrant him getting a crack in the ones at the start of the year.
Whether Scarlett plays as a back pocket next to sam or maybe out a little further on a flank, i think he shows plenty of potential as the marshall in the backline.
The other move to be made is to then have Josh up further on a wing or changing half forward flank. Allow him to use his penetrating kicks to be put in the hotspot at about 15-30 out from goal or to hit players on a lead in congestion. And allow him some grace for the occassional miskicks he will have. I think we mark Josh to hard sometimes because of his freakish ability with the boot.
We need some genuine running speed in our midfield. We can't have Bartel, Ling and Corey in the middle all the time. Someone with a bit of "get up and go" and who can break the lines needs to step up on a wing. Whether that is Tenace, Byrnes or Varcoe, we need some speed.
Finally, we can no longer use the excuse we have no forwards to kick to. Play Mooney as a forward the whole year and leave him there. With S.Hunt in the backline and Egan on the bench, there should never be any need to have big cam back there. As a forward he gives so much confidence to the smaller guys and has that unpredictability that you need up there. S.Johnson has run his race in my opinion. Unless we have some injuries, i would leave him in the two's to think about how he has p#ss#d away his career and unless he kicks bags of goals in 4 or 5 games on the trot, leave him there.
My ideal line up for 2007 would be:
B: D.Johnson, S.Hunt, Scarlett
HB: Milburn, Harley, Enright
C:Rooke ,Bartel, Tenace
HF:J.Hunt, N.Ablett, Mooney
F:Chapman, Ottens, G.Ablett
R:King, Corey, Ling
Int:Egan, Kelly, Mackie, Byrnes
I think with this team, we can move places up the ladder this year!!!!
Absolutely agree 100% with this comment. Probably the most sensible post on the geelong footy board about the upcoming season. Forget all the talk regarding players playing better after a "kick in the pants" last year, the way we are going to move up the ladder is with a different game plan. Last years plan got caught out by more running teams.
Moving Scarlett away from full back will allow him to be a more effective player at setting up attacks from defence and also as the "second man up at contests". He can play on smalls or talls and Sam showed enough last year to warrant him getting a crack in the ones at the start of the year.
Whether Scarlett plays as a back pocket next to sam or maybe out a little further on a flank, i think he shows plenty of potential as the marshall in the backline.
The other move to be made is to then have Josh up further on a wing or changing half forward flank. Allow him to use his penetrating kicks to be put in the hotspot at about 15-30 out from goal or to hit players on a lead in congestion. And allow him some grace for the occassional miskicks he will have. I think we mark Josh to hard sometimes because of his freakish ability with the boot.
We need some genuine running speed in our midfield. We can't have Bartel, Ling and Corey in the middle all the time. Someone with a bit of "get up and go" and who can break the lines needs to step up on a wing. Whether that is Tenace, Byrnes or Varcoe, we need some speed.
Finally, we can no longer use the excuse we have no forwards to kick to. Play Mooney as a forward the whole year and leave him there. With S.Hunt in the backline and Egan on the bench, there should never be any need to have big cam back there. As a forward he gives so much confidence to the smaller guys and has that unpredictability that you need up there. S.Johnson has run his race in my opinion. Unless we have some injuries, i would leave him in the two's to think about how he has p#ss#d away his career and unless he kicks bags of goals in 4 or 5 games on the trot, leave him there.
My ideal line up for 2007 would be:
B: D.Johnson, S.Hunt, Scarlett
HB: Milburn, Harley, Enright
C:Rooke ,Bartel, Tenace
HF:J.Hunt, N.Ablett, Mooney
F:Chapman, Ottens, G.Ablett
R:King, Corey, Ling
Int:Egan, Kelly, Mackie, Byrnes
I think with this team, we can move places up the ladder this year!!!!
tin can sam
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I absolutely HATE this idea.
He's so effective at running off players and setting up attacks while he is shutting down the best forwards in the AFL already.
He is the best stopping full back in the AFL, why move him?
Sttew
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Every team, bar Carlton can make the eight....
Also essendon & north
He has also shown he can play well lose man in defence. Bulldogs 06, Adelaide 05 are two that stand out. He is the most effective kick in the team and in the elite category in the AFL at about 90%. He is also second highest in rebound 50 (marginally less than J.Hunt) with nobody else even close. A player as talented as scarlett potentially could be more effective across the defencive 50.
By all means move him back when we are getting flogged. Even start him there against the best of the full forwards (eg. Barry Hall). Against teams like the Dees, Port, the Crows, and Doggies he is wasted at Fullback as teams use his opponent as a decoy.
Certainly it is a move I would like to Geelong to try.
We need to address or attacking out of the backline big time:
J.Hunt, Scarlett, Egan
Enright, Harley, Milburn
This as a back six was shown up last year as great at stopping. All those players are good players but their are only two real players that I would consider attacking (Hunt and Scarlett) and both have key defensive roles to worry about.
Something like:
Tenace, S.Hunt, Egan
Scarlett, Harley, Mackie
While far less talented is way more attacking. Particularly if you put Milburn on a the back flank and play Scarlett loose. I bet a lot of teams will try putting an extra man forward to force Scarlett to be accountable. They will try to create a mismatch but it is almost impossible with scarlett. It will just croud their forwardline.
With this backline we can attack through; S.Hunt (kicking is probably his best asset), Tenace, Mackie and Scarlett. There is a question mark over Tenace's ability to play BP. But D.Johnson can always play there if it doesn't work out. It may mean we lose a couple early but something new needs to be tried.
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I don't think that S.Hunt, after spending a year in the twos is quite up to playing one out against the competitions best forwards. He would get completely blown away. We would be looking at a Geelong version of Zac Dawson. Hunt is good and all, but I don't think 07 will be his time to shine.
Although J.Hunt's kicking is his main weapon, it seemed to me in '06, that he'd get a bit lost when he got past the middle of the ground. Hunt is an attacking backman, and that's where he should stay. Too many people are likening him to B.Graham, and want him to fill the gap, but as much as we'd like him to be, he's no Ben Graham.
Now, I'm hoping Geelong's '1 dimensional & slow' players can prove me wrong, but wasn't one of Geelong's main areas of concern its run off the backline? Sure, Scarlett will be able to coordinate a few attacking plays as a loose man in the backline, but where is the run in that squad (except a few names on the bench)? I'd name Wojak for starters - maybe have him interchanging on a back flank. If the talk on Selwood has any merit to it, I'd also like to see him get a run.
One final gripe... I know a lot of posters have been talking down Hawkins, and questioning his ability to play conistant footy first year up, but I'd also like to get him a regular spot in the starting lineup. He'd definately have to be higher on the cat's priority list than S.Hunt. I know I'm going in circles here, but S.Hunt still has a lot to prove (IMO) before he gets a regular spot on the list.
One criticism might be that Geelong's forward line would consist of too many talls, but both NAblett and Mooney are multi-dimensional, and if Hawkins' athleticism is as good as the hype (shotput and high jump champ?), he's going to blow anyone away. That starting lineup has proven talent, but I can't see it happening.
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I've got you guys pencilled in as the big movers up the ladder. Wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Geelong in the top 4 come seasons end. Kind of reminded me of Fremantle in 05. Your team seems hungry. They smashed Port over in London which i think is a good sign.
Especially if the following couple things happen:
1) Mooney is positioned at CHF for a full season.
2) Harley stays injury free and can get that great combination going with Scarlett again.
3) N.Ablett steps up. I can't see T.Hawkins dominating AFL grade fullbacks at 18 years of age.
So essentially your spine looking like the following:
FB: Scarlett
CHB: Harley
Ruck: King/Ottens combo (Thompson needs to recognise Ottens is better in the ruck than as a forward, i'd use him sparingly forward).
CHF: Mooney
F: N.Ablett
Especially if the following couple things happen:
1) Mooney is positioned at CHF for a full season.
2) Harley stays injury free and can get that great combination going with Scarlett again.
3) N.Ablett steps up. I can't see T.Hawkins dominating AFL grade fullbacks at 18 years of age.
So essentially your spine looking like the following:
FB: Scarlett
CHB: Harley
Ruck: King/Ottens combo (Thompson needs to recognise Ottens is better in the ruck than as a forward, i'd use him sparingly forward).
CHF: Mooney
F: N.Ablett
Sam Hunt is 24 and well built so is No Zac Dawson but granted might not be up to AFL. He is on the list for a reason though and probably earnt a trial run. If that doesn't work try Egan, the concept still stands.
I thought J.Hunt was playing am absolute cracker of a game against St Kilda before that incident (footsteps) late in the game. I think there is enough evidence to suggest a trial in an attacking role.
Don't mind Wojak as a flanker and if Selwood could do a Raines that would be a dream come true for Geelong.
Agree regarding forwardline. I think we could adopt a St Kilda setup with NAB and Mooney up the ground (ie: Reiwoldt and Hamill) with one of Hawkins or Ottens in the goal square (Gehrig role). Not comparing abilities more using the same structure and roles as St Kilda.
Cheers hopefully we can do as you say. I don't see N.Ablett as a FF though. He was showing a lot more when played as a leading CHF who moving the ball on fast.
I think Ottens/Hawkins will line up their again but who knows perhaps we could put Ablett Jnr in at FF. It has been somewhat successfull in the past.
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No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
Fullback is the one position on the ground where we have an elite player. Do not move Scarlett under any circumstances. And the argument about him being wasted on teams without a true full forward - does anyone remember the second match with Footscray? Brad Johnson was tearing Tom Harley apart until moron Thompson finally put Scarlett on him for the last quarter. What happened? Johnson shut down and Geelong win.
For the millionth time, everyone raves about our draft selections over the last couple of years, but remember some of these guys WILL NOT MAKE IT. Varcoe has shown nothing so far. Zero. Nowt. Of the latest draft picks I honestly only expect Hawkins, and maybe Selwood to play at all in 2007. To me draft picks are just names. They are totally unproven. And remember Thompson will not drop half the side now he's got a lot of them between 50-100 games. Will not happen.
Yes we have some speed on the list, but those players have to first be selected. And it's not just leg speed, it's speed in moving the ball forward, which is appalling. With Thompson still as coach and the sideways king in Ling getting picked every week that won't change in a hurry.
Finally, like others have mentioned, we heard the same crap spouted by Geelong after the prelim loss to Brisbane and then the semi final to Sydney. So forgive me if I'm not totally convinced. Thompson and the team have a lot of persuading to do.
My god you're right, that's it-I'm putting the noose around the neck now..........of Steve Johnson
Geelong supporters are a fragile breed. Secretly inside they think their team can win the flag, but on the outside they are always telling everyone they don't have a chance. Some people say it is because of all the grand final loses, but its a different team now, sure if Brownless and Couch and Hocking and Ablett snr were running around then i might think the choke bug could happen. But unless the virus is in the material of the jumper then there is nothing to worry about. Of course, i tend to think its the supporters that carry the expectations and pass the choking bug on to the next generation of players. So if i was a Geelong supporter, i would tell everyone who asks that they have a shot this year, even if you don't believe it. Because Geelong fans have a reputation for being negative and the players know it aswell.
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but what shall we talk about then???
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No you guys won't make the 8.
Try aiming for somewhere in the middle
Try aiming for somewhere in the middle
Mooney_d'King
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That's all quite true, but I think it must be a psychological defence mechanism - a bit how love and hate are very similar emotions. Especially when it seems that you can't trust them to be consistent.
My head hurts....I'm going to the collingwood board where dem guys don't talk funny
No.
Not to be an antagonist in a rival club board, but I think there is just too much instability in the team and the club itself. I get the feeling that the Cats will be more consistent in season 2007, but that's not to say astronomically better.
I think this will be more of a stabilising year for them. Probably start seeing results toward the end of the year.
Not to be an antagonist in a rival club board, but I think there is just too much instability in the team and the club itself. I get the feeling that the Cats will be more consistent in season 2007, but that's not to say astronomically better.
I think this will be more of a stabilising year for them. Probably start seeing results toward the end of the year.
What changes do you see to this years final eight from last years?
