Strategy Best 23, Post Draft edition for Season 2025 (updated)

[Kitcat]

Didn’t we give him a 2x year extension.

Seems overs for mine but time will tell.

Personally I just don’t see him in our best side anymore.

O'Connor showed great potential early on but never moved to the next level. Good utility player and team man though, plus he has height which we need in his positions.

 

[D BRIDGE]

O'Connor showed great potential early on but never moved to the next level. Good utility player and team man though, plus he has height which we need in his positions.

Probably played really good footy as a back pocket from memory.

Got flicked around a bit due to versatility.

Was a good stopper from memory.

Solid squad player I guess... Unlikely to be on good coin so it's all G having him on the list.

 

[Mr Meow]

Yeah I actually feel for him as he looks like a great Cats man but all of a sudden feels way behind? He did not train at the club pre christmas and did his recovery back in Ireland (hand issue). I assume back and firing now.

Doesn’t feel like he can afford an interrupted pre season given some players going ahead of him

Body permitting he'll play a lot of footy the next 3 years. But we never know what these injuries end up amounting to. Sometimes it just turns into an extended poor run and time away from the game is never good.

But otherwise, if healthy, he's one who really should play more games than a sizable chunk on this board will be happy with.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Probably played really good footy as a back pocket from memory.

Got flicked around a bit due to versatility.

Was a good stopper from memory.

Solid squad player I guess... Unlikely to be on good coin so it's all G having him on the list.

Once he did a number on Lachie Neale and the Lions made some phone calls about it to afl house that was basically the end of his tagging career. He would get pinged for anything, though I did feel that if he started in the backline and then moved into the middle through the game then he was called normally.

 

[Son_Of_God29]

Think its a Pretty simple 23 for R1 (Given everyone is fit)

B: Kolo J Henry Z Guthrie

HB: Stewart SDK Humphries

C: Blicavs B Smith Dempsey

HF: Close Cameron Miers

F: Stengle Neale O Henry

R: Conway Holmes Danger

I: Bruhn C Guthrie Bowes Mannagh

 

[catswhiskers]

Yeah I actually feel for him as he looks like a great Cats man but all of a sudden feels way behind? He did not train at the club pre christmas and did his recovery back in Ireland (hand issue). I assume back and firing now.

Doesn’t feel like he can afford an interrupted pre season given some players going ahead of him

O' Connor is a valuable squad member. Versatile, big body run with player, and still has development to go.

He does need to work on his tan tho. Obviously, he didn't see much sunlight back home.

 

[Cataholic]

Great question.
As you have probably discerned from earlier seasons, Cam was one of my favourites.
At least 2 possibilities.
1. Because he has missed so much footy since the last quarter of the 22 GF (Hamstring), his body may be well preserved and fresher.
2. He is actually cooked and unable to rejuvenate his career.
I favour #1 because he was such a gun mid, and he is younger than Duncan and Danger, and it's what I want to happen, but ... time will tell

Quad tendon....achilles tendon....coming up fast on 33 years of age...

It'd be good to see him make a good contribution to the team, but he'll have some demons, some uncertainty, and some rust from a long lay off, so I really don't know what to expect - hence my stance that I have no expectations, so anything will be a bonus.

 

[Tony Barber]

Once he did a number on Lachie Neale and the Lions made some phone calls about it to afl house that was basically the end of his tagging career. He would get pinged for anything, though I did feel that if he started in the backline and then moved into the middle through the game then he was called normally.

Nah, I called it at the time.
I said we were going to break him. (was laughed at)
He did an interview and said he'd never played a role so hard. He honestly looked like he couldn't walk.

2 weeks later, he broke.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Been a great servant, but was almost embarrassing in some later games last season. Maybe we can afford to carry him, and he's depth, and will be valuable for the younger brigade if he ends up in the VFL which is what many of us hope and predict

Hopefully just there to get to 300.
A few games perhaps, when the result is not on the line.
May be payback for sticking with the cats despite big offers to move west.

 

[Mr Meow]

Hopefully just there to get to 300.
A few games perhaps, when the result is not on the line.
May be payback for sticking with the cats despite big offers to move west.

Or maybe Scott thinks Duncan is still in his best 30 or so options, which makes him a useful squad member.

Crazy theory, I know.

 

[Vdubs]

Or maybe Scott thinks Duncan is still in his best 30 or so options, which makes him a useful squad member.

Crazy theory, I know.

We really have a squad of 30-32 top players, and that is healthy, and will vary all year.

 

[Mr Meow]

We really have a squad of 30-32 top players, and that is healthy, and will vary all year.

Yep it's a good position to be in and we should rotate a lot.

I was shocked to see a Cats supporter on the main board question our squad depth for 2025. It looks very healthy to me.

 

[Vdubs]

Yep it's a good position to be in and we should rotate a lot.

I was shocked to see a Cats supporter on the main board question our squad depth for 2025. It looks very healthy to me.

Not guilty, rarely go there.
Agree.
Depth is not our issue. MF depth may have been an issue last year.

 

[D BRIDGE]

Think its a Pretty simple 23 for R1 (Given everyone is fit)

B: Kolo J Henry Z Guthrie

HB: Stewart SDK Humphries

C: Blicavs B Smith Dempsey

HF: Close Cameron Miers

F: Stengle Neale O Henry

R: Conway Holmes Danger

I: Bruhn C Guthrie Bowes Mannagh

I don't think it'll be simple to leave Atkins and Duncan out... But they'd wanna be playing well to be in.

Jack Martin also will be right there IMO.

Depth is solid.

 

[Gazza Greatness]

I don't think it'll be simple to leave Atkins and Duncan out... But they'd wanna be playing well to be in.

Jack Martin also will be right there IMO.

Depth is solid.

This is why DB that I'm so bullish about the Cats making top 4 and being a big show for 2025 flag, mind you Freo, Lions, Hawks, Pies, Blues, Swannies and a few others might have something to say about that as the competition is more competitive than it's ever been. But regardless, I'm also a little surprised to see more than not including some Geelong fans, not having the pussycats in the the top 4 at home and away completion. Cats were 'awesome' thrashing Port Adelaide in final on their home deck, as good as it gets and yet in the prelim against the eventual flag winners Brisbane, we were a Holmes non-injury away from probably winning the granny ourselves.

It's also grossly underestimated how many top up and coming young players we have, which I'll also include Shaun Mannagh and Lawson Humphries onto that list, coz they're still young in mind and with their bodies that haven't been AFL overloaded in any shape or form, it's only all upside for those two. Then on top of all that we didn't have three young top talls in Sam De Koning, Connor O'Sullivan or Toby Conway play in finals but all three will develop into outstanding young talls for us and hopefully we can add Shannon Neale onto that list and it's worth noting that having top-class 'young' tall players is a 'priceless commodity' that should 'never' be undervalued or underestimated.... it's pure 'GOLD'.

So yeah, I'm extremely bullish on our pussycats for this 2025 season with our depth which you quite rightly pointed out being SOLID. So life is looking pretty awesome for us Cat supporters for 2025 barring a 2023 injury run and lastly, we also do 'finally' have our 'extra home game' which also is pretty awesome and...... GO CATS !!!