News Cats better prepared to defend crown says Bomber

[Big Fozza]

GEELONG coach Mark Thompson believes the Cats are better placed to defend their premiership than they were two years ago.

http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2009/12/03/128181_gfc.html

good article - I can't wait for 2010 season!!!

 

[Cats_Paws]

What Bomber is saying - it all makes sense. Its like if you keep doing something for long periods of time, you sure will get better at it!

Go the Mighty and Loving Cats! How many days to go for 2010 season to start??? Can't wait!

 

[theCATSfromHELL]

Interesting comment about Gary and the captaincy.

Something along the lines of "if he wants it he'll probably get it".

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[vinum coupe]

Interesting comment about Pods !

 

[witsend]

Interesting comment about Pods !

No brainer for mine...
Great insurance for no real risk. Could even prove to be a smokey under our system. Has footy smarts, strong hands and is a good kick for goal.
2010 is as wide open a "window" as we likely to see for quite a few years.
I would be staggered if Mitch Brown played AFL this year, given Bomber's comments about pushing kids early after he broke his leg.
So if either Mooney or Hawkins are out, Lonergan is surely not the immediate answer. Seems better suited as a back up tall defender. So Pods it is...

 

[Selective Retention]

And Bomber goes whack on the 07 drafting.

So chances are we won't be re-drafting one of the delisted players then

 

[year of the cat]

And Bomber goes whack on the 07 drafting.

So chances are we won't be re-drafting one of the delisted players then

Looks a pretty ordinary draft on face value anyway. Getting Harry was crucial in winning this years flag so it was not a complete flop.

 

[costanza23]

Every Geelong-related article I've read in the past month concludes with Podsiadly possibly getting drafted. I really hope it happens. He's a star in the VFL, and I'm not saying that it means he'll be a star in the AFL, but I reckon he'll be a decent 40-50 goal a season full-forward. At his age, he's probably still got 2-3 good years left and could even be a regular next year (use Ottens and Hawkins in ruck and Mooney and Pods up forward). And the fact that we didn't draft a tall forward last week also suggests we might get him.

 

[Vegas.]

To be honest, I don't think 2008 was that bad of a year! We lost 2 games all year (yeah, I know we didn't win the flag), but it's not like the totally dropped our bundle because we didn't know how to 'defend the flag'.

25-0 ahoy!

 

[The Rusty Clam]

I hadn't really thought about Gaz being captain all that much. I think i'd rather they go with the Ling - Selwood cross-over.

 

[Rosso]

I hadn't really thought about Gaz being captain all that much. I think i'd rather they go with the Ling - Selwood cross-over.

Might nullify the offers from interstate though. The captaincy would sit pretty high up for Gaz.

That's the beuaty of where the club is at. The captaincy is a title but leadership is everywhere.

 

[Turbocat]

So 07 drafting was no good but we have drafted really well this year?
Not for the first time , unusual comment from Bomber.
I mean , go back two years did he think it was bad then? Or was it too early to tell , if so why is it not too early to tell for this years group?

As , I said in another thread , I really think they rebalanced our list with more mids/ball movers and less KPP talls. Why?Perhaps the way the game is being played has changed? Perhaps, its because they are confident in Brown and that they are also confident that they can get Pods in the Draft. (Could be an amazing story and it would be great for the VFL if he could come into our side and perform.) Perhaps they have a sneaking suspicion that West can play as a tall Forward and also help out in the ruck, if required?

No matter the answer it seems we may see only small changes in the A's side , maybe a player or 2 and we will mainly rely on our main group from the last few years, yet again. Can anyone really see Dasher being pushed out? I'm sure Hunt will think he will be under consideration. 1/2 Cat Stoke will be doing his best to get back in. Maybe Wojo but maybe not. So I really cant see how our other fringe & young players will break in. , unless it all goes pear shaped.

 

[hamG]

So I really cant see how our other fringe & young players will break in. , unless it all goes pear shaped.

Went rather pear shaped this year for about 10 weeks

 

[year of the cat]

So 07 drafting was no good but we have drafted really well this year?
Not for the first time , unusual comment from Bomber.
I mean , go back two years did he think it was bad then? Or was it too early to tell , if so why is it not too early to tell for this years group?

As , I said in another thread , I really think they rebalanced our list with more mids/ball movers and less KPP talls. Why?Perhaps the way the game is being played has changed? Perhaps, its because they are confident in Brown and that they are also confident that they can get Pods in the Draft. (Could be an amazing story and it would be great for the VFL if he could come into our side and perform.) Perhaps they have a sneaking suspicion that West can play as a tall Forward and also help out in the ruck, if required?

No matter the answer it seems we may see only small changes in the A's side , maybe a player or 2 and we will mainly rely on our main group from the last few years, yet again. Can anyone really see Dasher being pushed out? I'm sure Hunt will think he will be under consideration. 1/2 Cat Stoke will be doing his best to get back in. Maybe Wojo but maybe not. So I really cant see how our other fringe & young players will break in. , unless it all goes pear shaped.

It's almost like the Australian Cricket Team - harder to get in than out. Having said that it is difficult to mount an argument to change what has been a very successful formula. I still think that while Scarlett and Ottens are around the club will be thinking "premiership year" and will do little to change the best 22 from the team we have seen the last couple of years. There has been some subtle changes in this time with Hawkins and Taylor coming in for Egan and Lonergan/N.Ablett though those changes have been pretty much forced upon them.

Until the Ling/Corey/Chapman/Enright group retire there will be little change to the midfield. It must be frustrating for the likes of Hogan, Stokes and to a lesser extent Djerkurra. Fortunately by the time the new draftees are ready to play senior footy there should be some spots up for grabs.

 

[BIGANT]

When you look at it on face value....bomber was/is brutally honest about the the 07 draft - ya gotta be cruel to be kind !! he was right.

One thing about bomber (and i never lost faith even after r14 09) he exudes belief; and thats why i never last faith in the boys during that bad patch.
And i'm not going too lose faith in them come season twenty10.

 

[InnocentBystandr]

I like his candour. Re 2007 draft 1 from 5 (Taylor) to play regular football isn't that far off AFL average is it? And it is the GEELONG football team new guys a trying to break into (not Richmond!).

Selwood '06, Taylor '07 .....?

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I hadn't really thought about Gaz being captain all that much. I think i'd rather they go with the Ling - Selwood cross-over.

Don't worry....I doubt it will be Gaz. We all know how reclusive he is (fair enough, it's tough being the son of a gun) so it's highly unlikely he'll push for the captaincy, with all the media etc that comes with it thesedays. Which I think is essentially what Bomber's saying...Ablett would get it if he wants it, but Bomber doesn't think he'll ask for it and neither do I.

Hence the real debate is whether Selwood or Ginger Ninja get it.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Looks a pretty ordinary draft on face value anyway. Getting Harry was crucial in winning this years flag so it was not a complete flop.

Depends whether you judge a draft on how many (i.e. how many of x picks that you had) make it, or on the impact regardless of the numbers. Certainly most flopped, but given Q9 was a big big reason why we just won another premiership, it's still not a bad result.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

And Bomber goes whack on the 07 drafting.

So chances are we won't be re-drafting one of the delisted players then

I doubt we would have anyway

I wonder if this means Bomber doesn't rate Dawson also

 

[Pure_Ownage]

No brainer for mine...
Great insurance for no real risk. Could even prove to be a smokey under our system. Has footy smarts, strong hands and is a good kick for goal.
2010 is as wide open a "window" as we likely to see for quite a few years.
I would be staggered if Mitch Brown played AFL this year, given Bomber's comments about pushing kids early after he broke his leg.
So if either Mooney or Hawkins are out, Lonergan is surely not the immediate answer. Seems better suited as a back up tall defender. So Pods it is...

Agreed....in reality Pods probably won't play a senior game, but it's a prudent contingency plan to have when you're going all out for a flag.

After all, how much would it suck for a year's dominance to go down the drain because a Mooney or a Hawk does a serious injury a couple of days before a final and there's no KPF to come in and replace? That's the thing that makes rookie-ing him a good idea.

 

[Selective Retention]

I doubt we would have anyway

I wonder if this means Bomber doesn't rate Dawson also

A lot of people wanted to rookie Simpson, and McKenna and the other delisted rookie were still training with us in the hope of a second chance. I'm not big on any of them but it was floating around.

End of the day you need 1-2 players a draft, with one or two boom crops in a decade cycle. We've nailed all our first picks, bar Tenace, and that's the most important thing. When you burn those that is when you are in trouble. Corey, Bartel, Mackie, Selwood, Taylor - that's basically a quarter of our side.

 

[Selective Retention]

Excusing my ignorance can a mature age rookie play seniors without a long term injury listing? I'm in the get Pods camp for sure.

 

[pinion]

i didn't mind what we tried to do with the 07 draft. we needed an egan replacement and got one, other than that we looked long term since it was hard to see any first year players breaking into the team

if dawson simpson is playing senior footy in a couple of years i'd say we had a good draft

 

[CF]

I found Bombers comments about the 2007 draft a bit strange. Trying to fob off a poorer than expected return on being distracted by winning the flag that year. Considering it is Wells department to recruit, the 2007 flag has nothing to do with it. Finishing the top of the ladder does limit your chances of getting the top recruits for the year but that is a given. I really don't know what Bomber had to gain by saying those things other than pissing off Wells. Afterall Drafting new players is a bit of a crap shoot. They don't always make it to AFL level.

It was a strange comment.

 

[TheHonestyPolicy]

Its an interesting issue. We lost King and Nathan, Egan was already a doubt, as was Lonergan at that stage. Picking 4 talls in a row is an "unbalanced " way to conduct a draft with late picks for sure but I am sure Wells, Balme and co would have been spooked by the loss of talls.

In the end Taylor is a gem, Dawson just got a 2 year deal and Mc Kenna might still be rookied. The other Simpson might still be on the list also if he wasnt injured. Laidler is a handy utility.

I think Wells' picking was ok in a weak draft but not picking at least one genuine midfielder is probably what Bomber is on about RE balance.