Preview 2023 Pre-Season discussion

[CatToTheFuture]

It would be miraculous if Sav could transform himself into a legitimate KPD. After six years in the system, his footy smarts and disposal have shown little improvement and are nowhere near AFL standard.

I kind of feel like had he gone to Port he might have got a full second chance, but at this point for us he's likely to get a maximum 1 year shot at Port now

 

[Vdubs]

I kind of feel like had he gone to Port he might have got a full second chance, but at this point for us he's likely to get a maximum 1 year shot at Port now

Or could he be our next Tom Lonergan? An iffy forward, but a really important key defender..

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Maybe he makes it as a defender but if the knocks are on his footy smarts and kicking precision then his bad positioning and missed shots on goal become poorly advised and executed kicks out the backline. Worth a shot but expectations need to be suppressed

I think liam jones is the template here (admittedly jones is a better field kick than sav but shares his complete lack of reading the play and footy iq), was nearly done as a fwd until moved back, suited his athletic attributes and covered his deficiences better. If sav can have that sort of outcome thats our best case scenario. Worst case is he spends all 2023 in vfl and is delisted or traded for not much (which i still think is the likelier outcome)

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I kind of feel like had he gone to Port he might have got a full second chance, but at this point for us he's likely to get a maximum 1 year shot at Port now

Jonas is old and crap as is mckenzie (old and undersized) and they didnt bring in any decent kpds in trade so they are likely to still want him again even if its as a DFA ala frank the tank (given they dont have many picks). Better scenario would be we get a token r3 or similar from them.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Jonas is old and crap as is mckenzie (old and undersized) and they didnt bring in any decent kpds in trade so they are likely to still want him again even if its as a DFA ala frank the tank (given they dont have many picks). Better scenario would be we get a token r3 or similar from them.

I actually don't mind Jonas. In a better system he could go alright. I still think they'd sniff around but I don't think they'd offer him as long a contract

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I actually don't mind Jonas. In a better system he could go alright. I still think they'd sniff around but I don't think they'd offer him as long a contract

Jonas was a good player 2-3 years ago but is running on fumes now (like dixon he really should just retire). I agree they wont offer sav more than 1-2 years but i still think they will offer him that and he would take it imo.

 

[you pick one]

Or could he be our next Tom Lonergan? An iffy forward, but a really important key defender..

Bit rough Dubs came back from losing a kidney in 2006 to play 16 games in his first extended run as a forward in 2008 starting rd10 his comeback AFL game and finished the year with 36 goals 21 nothing very iffy about that.

 

[Vdubs]

Bit rough Dubs came back from losing a kidney in 2006 to play 16 games in his first extended run as a forward in 2008 starting rd10 his comeback AFL game and finished the year with 36 goals 21 nothing very iffy about that.

Agreed, I am a massive TL fan, but his roles as a Cats player will be remembered that way by most, after the 08 GF. Comparatively, in defence, he was a star.
I was at the 07 VFL GF, tears streaming from our eyes, watching Tommy boot 7 in a BOG performance, and listening to his husky voice post GF acceptance speech for his BOG medallion. I thought he was reasonable as a KF anyway, good height, ok mark and kick, but his performances in defence were astounding.

 

[MacStradbroke]

Agreed, I am a massive TL fan, but his roles as a Cats player will be remembered that way by most, after the 08 GF. Comparatively, in defence, he was a star.
I was at the 07 VFL GF, tears streaming from our eyes, watching Tommy boot 7 in a BOG performance, and listening to his husky voice post GF acceptance sppech for his BOG medallion. I thought he was reasonable as a KF anyway, good heiught, ok mark and kick, but his performances in defence were astounding.

…and was good on Buddy at his peak too!

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Surely we name our next captain soon.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Surely we name our next captain soon.

Probably in january when we announce all the jumper numbers

 

[STPer18]

Another paywalled puff-piece, but...

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Young Cat making strides after ‘starring’ in first pre-season​

After an impressive first pre-season, a Geelong youngster was cut down by injury in 2022. But the local kid is back this summer and turning heads again.

 

[Vdubs]

Another paywalled puff-piece, but...

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Who is this about?

 

[cats_09]

Youngster Cooper Whyte making strides during Geelong’s pre-season​

After an impressive first pre-season, a Geelong youngster was cut down by injury in 2022. But the local kid is back this summer and turning heads again.

Young Geelong utility Cooper Whyte is “progressing really nicely” after “starring” in his first AFL pre-season before groin injuries cut down his 2022.

The Grovedale junior was the surprise packet of the last pre-season, making an immediate impact with his football smarts and left-foot kicking.

But a groin injury wiped out almost all of his first year on the Geelong list, leaving the teen to start almost from square one this summer.

Whyte had performed so well, Cats head of development Matthew Egan said his impact was a coup for Geelong’s recruiting team.

“He was starring last pre-season. It shows Wellsy (Stephen Wells) and Liam Woodland’s strengths, I think he was pick 64 (in the national draft),” Egan said.

“He is progressing really nicely (this pre-season). It is sort of about working through his positional stuff now.

“He is a really nice left-foot kick so do you play him half-forward, half-back or on the wing? “A bit of list demographic (come into it), where we see some gaps, so we are working through that at the moment.”


Egan said a focus for Whyte had been about making sure he tuned up his body over the off-season, so he had “really good strength” to power through a proper pre-season.

Whyte will be among a big cohort of Cats hoping to push for senior selection in 2023, as part of the deepest list in the league.

While there will be a large number of talented players missing out on selection each week as the Cats aim to go back-to-back, Egan was adamant all young players could push for senior spots come round 1.

“We don’t try and limit their opportunities, if they are playing really well and pushing and their VFL form stacks up, there is no reason why they can’t play,” Egan said.

“They obviously have to go past someone and you need to put a block of form together to break into the side but we had some injuries last year and those guys did come up.

“Mitch Knevitt, Ollie Dempsey each got games and now you have guys like Tanner Bruhn, Ollie Henry (join the club) that have played a lot of footy so it’s exciting for the club.

“I know the coaches wouldn’t be saying ‘this is the team’, there would be a big block of players that are ready to play.

“That could be anyone. It could be a first-year player that is dominating and ready to go.”

josh.barnes1@news.com.au

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Who is this about?

Local, draftee last year, injured this year - has to be Cooper Whyte

 

[Vdubs]

Local, draftee last year, injured this year - has to be Cooper Whyte

2022, has to be him as Kroeger is not a local.

 

[cats_09]

Another paywalled puff-piece, but...

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If you come across these types of articles, you're welcome to tag me into the post and I'll see what I can post

All I ask is that you please don't hate me for retaining a cheap, exiting newspaper subscription - I don't really care about the newspaper, but do like reading the sports & travel articles...

 

[CHAWKTS]

I do remember a couple of pre season and early VFL games and cooper showed something out of the middle. To me I saw more flare than Cooper Stephens off the bat. Issue for Whyte is that (as the article suggests) is sort of starting again in terms of building up to afl fitness level so will need time. And of course, like a lot of them, I can’t see him displacing anyone in best 22 or maybe even best 30 for that matter.

Just hoping he gets a good crack and VFL and shows some glimpses for the future.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I do remember a couple of pre season and early VFL games and cooper showed something out of the middle. To me I saw more flare than Cooper Stephens off the bat. Issue for Whyte is that (as the article suggests) is sort of starting again in terms of building up to afl fitness level so will need time. And of course, like a lot of them, I can’t see him displacing anyone in best 22 or maybe even best 30 for that matter.

Just hoping he gets a good crack and VFL and shows some glimpses for the future.

Here's hoping. I vaguely remember too him being discussed as a good pure midfielder with no second position. He ain't breaking the midfield so they tried him I think at half back before the injury? IIRC was a bit lost in the new position

 

[catswhiskers]

I only saw Whyte in 3 games. In the first two he started in the middle and impressed. Got to the loose ball with fast first 5 m. Too young to win the ball sometimes but had nice left foot when he did.

In the last game he was outside. Wing half forward and much less effective.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I do remember a couple of pre season and early VFL games and cooper showed something out of the middle. To me I saw more flare than Cooper Stephens off the bat. Issue for Whyte is that (as the article suggests) is sort of starting again in terms of building up to afl fitness level so will need time. And of course, like a lot of them, I can’t see him displacing anyone in best 22 or maybe even best 30 for that matter.

Just hoping he gets a good crack and VFL and shows some glimpses for the future.

I was a cooper s fan (and i think he will do ok at hawthorn and get solid games the next 3 years in their poor list) but on the small sample size i saw whyte looked to have better burst speed out of the stoppage than stephens did. Whether he still has that power post the OP is what we will need to see in the vfl this year.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Here's hoping. I vaguely remember too him being discussed as a good pure midfielder with no second position. He ain't breaking the midfield so they tried him I think at half back before the injury? IIRC was a bit lost in the new position

Im not sure he ever really played half back for the falcons so it might just be a case of needing time to learn that spot.
We do have a lot of over 30 mids (hello danger duncan guthrie menegola blitz smith) who will go in the next 2-3 years but i agree bowes bruhn and clark and holmes will be preferred in there ahead of him.

If hes got good closing speed and aggression (why i suspect he does) i wouldnt be surprised to see him as a lockdown small defender in the vfl..bews will be 30 this year and we dont have an obvious replacement in that position (now that atkins is a mid not a defender) so that could be his way into the team.

 

[MacStradbroke]

I do remember a couple of pre season and early VFL games and cooper showed something out of the middle. To me I saw more flare than Cooper Stephens off the bat. Issue for Whyte is that (as the article suggests) is sort of starting again in terms of building up to afl fitness level so will need time. And of course, like a lot of them, I can’t see him displacing anyone in best 22 or maybe even best 30 for that matter.

Just hoping he gets a good crack and VFL and shows some glimpses for the future.

Reckon I saw him play half a dozen games of juniors and he was best on in five of them. Knevitt same team, but was Whyte who impressed. Only a small sample but was impressive none the less.

 

[Drunkcat]

Surely we name our next captain soon.

We are going back to u9s, with a different captain every week this year

 

[Vdubs]

We are going back to u9s, with a different captain every week this year

We may well have co-captains though- how do you follow Joel Selwood??