Review Geelong whip Eagles by 93 points to secure Top 4 spot

[catsfootyfan89]

Here's our immediate problem, no matter who we play - we allowed the worst Eagles team to ever play at KP kick 11.9 (75). Having said that. Jack Henry was superb.

I'm not sure the score-line on its own provides an accurate reading of what was going on though.

At half time, the game was over. We allowed WCE to kick 14 points in the first half, total. At that point, the club was obviously wanting enough of a buffer to coast through the second half because Stew and Humphries were down and out. Busting our asses to beat WC by 140+ would not have been a wise move. Imagine you do that, maybe cop an injury or two, then Port and GWS end up winning anyway. Then you're heading into finals with injury clouds over multiple players, and your older players (Dunc, Danger, Stanley, Thuoy, Blitz, Kolo etc) have to do more recovery and can't be cherry-ripe for the first final.

The club made the right call. Cool your jets, ride this one out in 3rd gear, and you have a high enough percentage to maybe climb up the ladder if GWS or Port get beaten easily. Wouldn't be a surprise if Freo (at risk of missing) put in a big performance against Port. Also wouldn't be a surprise if the Bulldogs pump GWS.

It's the same logic as slow-playing with decent cards when you're under the gun in poker. There are many others ahead of you who can't be predicted.

It was frustrating to watch - we all love to see a huge belting - but in the context of the entire season, it's the right call.

 

[tommy2011]

I wouldn't over think it. They kicked 2 goals to half time and we went into injury prevention mode

Maybe. Eagles looked like they were in injury prevention mode all game. Were we in IPM in the second half against the Saints? We should have hit that second half yesterday like the Hawks did in Tassie. All season there have been blocks where we have been scored against too easily.

 

[Hinkley29]

I absolutely knew someone would pull that up.
So you're 'that' guy.

I’m “that guy”.

And you are the guy who diagnoses injuries without a medical background from your couch.

Glad we got that sorted

 

[catempire]

Yeah hopefully. This year had such fine margins between top 4 and out of the 8 and I can see it similar next year.

I think a more robust form of prediction is to ask ‘which teams are plausibly better than us?’. At the start of 2024 I would have said Collingwood, Brisbane, GWS, Melbourne, Port and Carlton (although they were my big tip to slide - overperformed in 2023). That had us around 7th if they were in fact all better than us, a bit better than that if some of them stumbled (which they did) and the possibility of someone jumping up (Sydney) comes out in the wash.

The big factor which can’t be predicated is injuries. We have had a good run this year.



Draw toughness as viewed from the start of the season just isn’t that important because the teams that are hard fixtures changes throughout the year so there’s a good dose of luck involved. E.g. getting Melbourne or Collingwood twice this year was on average an easier draw than the pre-season view would have predicted. Getting Hawthorn, much harder (which Geelong had, by the way). Geelong also managed to get both Carlton and Sydney in their hot form in the middle of the year this year - get them later in the year and we would have been a 50:50 shot at least = more examples of how the draw is luck.

Moreover, anyone who wants to bet against Geelong making the 8 is a braver person than I. A fast way to go broke over the experience of the last two decades! It seems unlikely our midfield will be weaker in 2025. Even a slight improvement there is going to sure up credentials in the year ahead.

 

[CHAWKTS]

JHF was contracted. Reid won't be in this scenario.

It'll cost us a heap, but it'll be well and truly worth it.

We will only be able to do one “Jezza trade” in the next decade (and even then I don’t think clubs will be silly enough to do it ahead of Tassie coming in…so that suggests maybe a trade in 2028/9 giving late 2020, early 2030 first rounders away…

Reid wont be UFA by then (might be restricted but I don’t think so)… Cadman will…

If we could do one will we be replacing Jezza or going for a Judd like trade?

 

[Mattlock]

This is brilliant brilliant and bravo to you!

 

[CHAWKTS]

Blicavs played well from where we were sitting.

I actually think it was his best game of the year. Still not back at his best from prior years…and hard to tell given opposition. Issue is that he has been poor against good teams this year. Can’t leave him out IMO but I do hope we see him continue to find form as we need his flexibility.

With SDK back I assume Blitz goes back to wing (where he hasn’t been great) and 2E to sub?

 

[Mattlock]

I actually think it was his best game of the year. Still not back at his best from prior years…and hard to tell given opposition. Issue is that he has been poor against good teams this year. Can’t leave him out IMO but I do hope we see him continue to find form as we need his flexibility.

With SDK back I assume Blitz goes back to wing (where he hasn’t been great) and 2E to sub?

I thought Blicavs was done at times this year as a midfielder, but he looks much more settled and useful back home down back. Really important to have him, Henry and Kolo working in sync for the next 5 weeks.

 

[00VicWard001]

I agree. One or two big clangers aside, I thought he was pretty solid.

He played alot better in the backline position than SDK has all year. Held his marks, attacked the ball and really shored up that defensive half as the General there.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

If Humphries is fit for F1, what are we going to do with Duncan? The bloke is clearly cooked - sub last week, and only managed 14 disposals against WCE playing the easiest role in the game. The most concerning part is he's looked slow and fumbly all year, offers almost nothing defensively.

I doubt he will get dropped but theres a valid discussion re whether him or tuohy are sub so they only come on with their slow legs once everyone else is more tired and slow. Otherwise the sub is probably rohan bc i doubt bews makes the 23 (hes purely backup if theres injuries).

 

[00VicWard001]

I'm not sure the score-line on its own provides an accurate reading of what was going on though.

At half time, the game was over. We allowed WCE to kick 14 points in the first half, total. At that point, the club was obviously wanting enough of a buffer to coast through the second half because Stew and Humphries were down and out. Busting our asses to beat WC by 140+ would not have been a wise move. Imagine you do that, maybe cop an injury or two, then Port and GWS end up winning anyway. Then you're heading into finals with injury clouds over multiple players, and your older players (Dunc, Danger, Stanley, Thuoy, Blitz, Kolo etc) have to do more recovery and can't be cherry-ripe for the first final.

The club made the right call. Cool your jets, ride this one out in 3rd gear, and you have a high enough percentage to maybe climb up the ladder if GWS or Port get beaten easily. Wouldn't be a surprise if Freo (at risk of missing) put in a big performance against Port. Also wouldn't be a surprise if the Bulldogs pump GWS.

It's the same logic as slow-playing with decent cards when you're under the gun in poker. There are many others ahead of you who can't be predicted.

It was frustrating to watch - we all love to see a huge belting - but in the context of the entire season, it's the right call.

I would say ride it out in 5th gear and just cruise. Second and third gear are when you unleash Danger into the midfield and you get your revs up really high...

 

[Commando]

Here's our immediate problem, no matter who we play - we allowed the worst Eagles team to ever play at KP kick 11.9 (75). Having said that. Jack Henry was superb.

Waterman, Darling, Allen, Reid, Cripps some handy names in F50

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Maybe. Eagles looked like they were in injury prevention mode all game. Were we in IPM in the second half against the Saints? We should have hit that second half yesterday like the Hawks did in Tassie. All season there have been blocks where we have been scored against too easily.

Probably why the worm didn't really move much after half time. Neither side really had anything worth fighting for

 

[Jumping Jack]

Duncan might be able to hide at the SCG but they borderline cannot play him against Ports running mids / half forwards at AO. He’ll be gassed by half time.

I reckon the match committee knows it too. His decline in the last few months has been rapid.

His fumbly panicked effort on the wing in the last (that cost a goal) was the glaring example of the game having passed him by.

I trust C Scott to make a hard call for a final but I genuinely feel for Duncan. I think he knows too well he’s hanging by a thread




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[Gee Class Loco]

Duncan might be able to hide at the SCG but they borderline cannot play him against Ports running mids / half forwards at AO. He’ll be gassed by half time.

I reckon the match committee knows it too. His decline in the last few months has been rapid.

His fumbly panicked effort on the wing in the last (that cost a goal) was the glaring example of the game having passed him by.

I trust C Scott to make a hard call for a final but I genuinely feel for Duncan. I think he knows too well he’s hanging by a thread




Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

He's been treading water all year TBH.
I'd be really surprised if he is in our plans in 2025.

 

[MacStradbroke]

Duncan might be able to hide at the SCG but they borderline cannot play him against Ports running mids / half forwards at AO. He’ll be gassed by half time.

I reckon the match committee knows it too. His decline in the last few months has been rapid.

His fumbly panicked effort on the wing in the last (that cost a goal) was the glaring example of the game having passed him by.

I trust C Scott to make a hard call for a final but I genuinely feel for Duncan. I think he knows too well he’s hanging by a thread




Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Duncan is cooked, we get it.

 

[Phill Hendo]

So the Cats are top 4 again. This defying gravity stuff never gets old!

Looking ahead:

Preferred opponent in QF : Sydney because I'd rather the other side of the draw in the Prelim.

Early look at the team: SDK in for Bews as the only change. The Moroccan Sunset is the Sub. (Attached to Zac Tuohy's upper lip.)

Do we make the GF: No, we are just not as good as some other Teams this year.

GFC Club and Supporters, I love youse all. Go Cats

 

[RegHickeyStand]

I’m pretty sure Jezza has cemented himself in the team after that effort.

 

[Jumping Jack]

Duncan is cooked, we get it.

I reckon Duncan is cooked


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[Mad_Hatter]

Duncan IS cooked, but I'll be giving him the chance to stand up in his last finals (I assume) and rekindle some kind of form, before I decide to take him out the back.
A somewhat in form Duncan changes our chances dramatically.

 

[#6 Thorp #7 Selwood LOL]

Funny game yesterday. Felt like a microcosm of the season in a way. If offered a 90+ point win (top 4) before the game (season), we certainly would have jumped at the chance. And yet the way it played out, going up by 100 at half time (7-0), to “only” win by 93 felt oddly dissatisfying, if only briefly.

We had a few passages of the most pure team footy I have seen in a while, even accounting for the opposition. We are clearly capable of scintillating football.

Of course there are circumstances explaining how it played out, injuries yesterday, and Danger missing a big chunk of the season. Perhaps we will fall a goal or two short of second place and will be left to wonder what if. Ultimately I think this is just who we are this season. Not a dominant, ruthless side but one that can do a mighty good impression of one from time to time. In a transition year, that’s good enough for me.

Really enjoyed the post game stuff yesterday, feel for Hawk as it looks like we will never seen him pull on the hoops again. Deserves a better send off, like his mate Joel got, but he of course has handled it like the champion he is.

Pretty philosophical about what happens with the ladder and QF opponent. If we are good enough, we will get it done anywhere against anyone. You’d have to say Scotty and the team have got the boys as well prepared as they could be, assuming Stewart is all good of course. Bring on September and some ruffled feathers.

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Here's our immediate problem, no matter who we play - we allowed the worst Eagles team to ever play at KP kick 11.9 (75). Having said that. Jack Henry was superb.

Take Tom Stewart and Lawson Humpries out of the backline, and it's going to give their forwards opportunities. That's what happened. With the WCE gaining some ascendancy at the stoppages in the third quarter as well, it highlights the major issue with the lack of elite midfielders who can help our defense. It's been an issue all year. That's why I think we won't do too well in the finals against the best teams. We will have Stewart, Humphries, and SDK back for the first final. So that will help. But that midfield issue is a killer.

 

[Mr Meow]

Yeah hopefully. This year had such fine margins between top 4 and out of the 8 and I can see it similar next year.

But really 2023 and moreso 2024 we already say the decline of our veterans. Sure the big three - Cameron, Stewart and Dangerfield - may drop off a little but one of those only plays half a season anyway and the other two have run hot and cold in 2024. The rest have already reached their "geriatric guy just holding on" stage.

So in theory plenty of players 26 or younger could keep improving to give you a net gain in performance. Especially consistency. It's not guaranteed but it's not a silly idea either. Especially if Smith comes over and hits the ground running. All you need is a couple more to breakout and the team is in a good place.

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

Gonna give a shout out to my old whipping-boy Kolo. The second half of this year he has looked back to his 2022 form - rock solid and few, if any, massive brain farts. Hope he can keep it rolling into September - really allows Z. Guthrie & J. Henry to fill in for Stewart when he pushes into the midfield.

 

[allrighty]

So the Cats are top 4 again. This defying gravity stuff never gets old!

Looking ahead:

Preferred opponent in QF : Sydney because I'd rather the other side of the draw in the Prelim.

Early look at the team: SDK in for Bews as the only change. The Moroccan Sunset is the Sub. (Attached to Zac Tuohy's upper lip.)

Do we make the GF: No, we are just not as good as some other Teams this year.

GFC Club and Supporters, I love youse all. Go Cats

How did Bews go? I've only seen parts of the game