Review Cats demolish North by 75 points.

[Gunf]

Why?

It hasn't worked for anyone in the last 20 years, and our forward line is working the best that I have seen it since 2008. Frankly, the mix of bigs, mediums and smalls, runners and stay-at-homes, defence and attack, is absolutely Goldilocks.

I am going off what the coaching group has stated which is at some point this year they will try it.

And if we aren't going to try it we need to rest either Hawkins or Cameron every few games to get 5+ games into Neale this year

 

[iameviljez]

Your first point means you don't see Rohan playing for Geelong AFL side again with injuries?
As it stands none of the current forwards are getting dropped.

Yes, I don't see Rohan playing in our best 22 again, at least not in the forward line. Given that Scott has talked about trying different roles for him in the VFL, I suspect the club sees that as being at least a possibility. At the moment, I prefer Dempsey.

That's not really a shock, to be honest - Rohan's 33 years old, and he's a role player - they don't usually have Dustin Fletcher-esque career lengths. As much as Dempsey isn't quite as defensively oriented as Rohan, he more than makes up for it with ball winning and goals.

 

[iameviljez]

I am going off what the coaching group has stated which is at some point this year they will try it.

Ahh, sorry, I missed that.

 

[dazbroncos]

Sure, but he's still not quick below his knees, nor agile, compared to our mediums or smalls.

Neither is Tomma or Jezza..... but 180 cm Stengle and Miers can't take tall pack marks either or do ruck work.

He's actually very mobile and skilled below his knees having seen much of his VFL stuff..... but yes he cant do Gary Rohan defensive pressure stuff like he does.

GO Catters

 

[iameviljez]

Neither is Tomma or Jezza..... but 180 cm Stengle and Miers can't take tall pack marks either or do ruck work.

Yes, that's why I don't want all three of them (Hawkins, Cameron, Neale) in the same forward line.

 

[allrighty]

Maybe someone can also have a word to him about trying to take mark of the year every week..

Nah you gotta go for them

 

[iameviljez]

Nah you gotta go for them

Sometimes footy is about the fans, and having fun.

 

[BORIS332]

Touhy is the only true concern in our side atm.

I never used to worry when had the ball in his hands, now I'm feeling that way regularly.

I was prepared to write off last year as a mulligan for the whole side, but he's continued that form into this year.

He's getting caught more often too. I know he's underdone but the signs have been there for 12 months now.

I do hope we bite the bullet and he's out of the side once we have full availability. The kids have gone past him, and the experienced players on the sidelines obviously offer more at present.

I'm worried about Duncan's form. Dempsey has pushed him out of his wing role and CS has shoehorned him into a HB role.

He started the season well with 23 and 26 disposals, since then he has been anonymous. He only had 14 disposals v the Dogs, and 19 against the Roos - no impact in either of those games. Seems he's lost a yard of pace.

I'm not silly enough to write him off after a couple of quiet games, but it's a concern.

 

[supahoops]

We need to try a 3 tall setup at some point this year.

If it doesn't work so be it but we have to try it.

Agree. Hawkins, Cameron, O’Henry.

 

[BORIS332]

Yes, I don't see Rohan playing in our best 22 again, at least not in the forward line. Given that Scott has talked about trying different roles for him in the VFL, I suspect the club sees that as being at least a possibility. At the moment, I prefer Dempsey.

That's not really a shock, to be honest - Rohan's 33 years old, and he's a role player - they don't usually have Dustin Fletcher-esque career lengths. As much as Dempsey isn't quite as defensively oriented as Rohan, he more than makes up for it with ball winning and goals.

Dempsey hasn't played forward for the past three weeks so they're not competing for the same spot.

 

[iameviljez]

I'm worried about Duncan's form. Dempsey has pushed him out of his wing role and CS has shoehorned him into a HB role.

He started the season well with 23 and 26 disposals, since then he has been anonymous. He only had 14 disposals v the Dogs, and 19 against the Roos - no impact in either of those games. Seems he's lost a yard of pace.

I'm not silly enough to write him off after a couple of quiet games, but it's a concern.

He played there in 2022 as well, to excellent effect. His disposal has been excellent as usual. I'm not concerned about him.

 

[iameviljez]

Dempsey hasn't played forward for the past three weeks so they're not competing for the same spot.

He's played as a high half-forward, I believe?

 

[Gunf]

I'm worried about Duncan's form. Dempsey has pushed him out of his wing role and CS has shoehorned him into a HB role.

He started the season well with 23 and 26 disposals, since then he has been anonymous. He only had 14 disposals v the Dogs, and 19 against the Roos - no impact in either of those games. Seems he's lost a yard of pace.

I'm not silly enough to write him off after a couple of quiet games, but it's a concern.

Duncan has been fine this year he isn't the borderline AA player he was a few years ago but has been contributing fine.

Disposal numbers are a trap we have one of it not the most even spread of players in the AFL when it comes to those due to a change in system and policy from 22 onwards.

 

[standupand]

It's somewhat interesting that after our first couple of matches there was some comments about Mannagh maybe being a bit goal hungry and not "playing the Geelong way" - I would suggest Henry's effort on the goal line was more goal hungry than anything we saw from Mannagh, but not a lot of commentary about it

That doesn't mean we omit him next week, but maybe we need to realise the game is full of split second decisions and the importance is watching how players learn from decisions they've made which may not have been the best option

Just on Mannagh.

I've been a strong supporter of keeping him in the AFL team.

However I do understand the goal-hungry tag. In the VFL game at one stage he took a mark 20m out from goal and then played on with defenders around him running toward the boundary line only to then take a ping at the goals from an impossible angle where squaring it up for a teammate, once he'd got himself into that position, was probably the safer option.

It's something someone might do when they're trying a bit too hard to impress at that level. I'd have just kept him in the AFL team for a while longer to find his feet and see what he can produce.

 

[Strange Cat]

I think Mackie said that.

Pretty sure it was SJ asking if the win was 2 points only as Norf were that bad that day

 

[bulletproof]

Neale is so close to being a very dangerous forward - the height, the athleticism, the skills, reads the game well.

But the last mile is the hardest part, he is just not holding onto enough of those overhead marks.

He gets to the right spot, looks ready to take it and they just spill out. Aside from his injuries, this was Vardy’s issue too.

I am sure there is a lot of work happening on that part of his game.


He had a good game here though.

 

[catempire]

Even with Cameron going up the ground and back, I don't think you can play Hawkins, Cameron and Neale in the same team.

Scott has explicitly said they are likely to try it at some point. I assume it would be a week where O.Henry is managed.

 

[Vivy]

If we do 3 talls I think it's more likely that Cameron will be playing the flank and up the ground.

 

[PzBlinky]

Fun fact:

Gold Coast used the pick 10 on…

View attachment 1959615


(And the 2nd rounder became Liam Ryan for West Coast)

This is seriously the funniest thing I have seen this year.

Hawthorn not only f**ked up their future with their asinine attempt to "rebuid on the run", but triggered a cascade of events that handed us not just a player who's now an automatic lock in our 22, but another young mid who I'm confident will play 200+ for us.

One of my dogs got worried for me because I was laughing so hard.

Thanks for making my year!

 

[bombersboy]

It's somewhat interesting that after our first couple of matches there was some comments about Mannagh maybe being a bit goal hungry and not "playing the Geelong way" - I would suggest Henry's effort on the goal line was more goal hungry than anything we saw from Mannagh, but not a lot of commentary about it

That doesn't mean we omit him next week, but maybe we need to realise the game is full of split second decisions and the importance is watching how players learn from decisions they've made which may not have been the best option

No way. Mannagh's was way worse. He saw what was in front of him, had time and space and still played for Shaun. Can let Ollie off for not being sure where the line was and North player right there.

 

[thejester]

To be fair, he tried to moneyball his way through it with Patton, O'Meara, Vickery and Scully, only for all of them to basically fall apart.

It's not just Clarko - Gunston was a stupid, stupid decision.

We heard for years about Clarko's devotion to the methods of Bill Belicheck and that he was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers. Tragically* Clarko found out the hard way that the emperor had no clothes.

 

[bellpark]

Watching O'Sullivan get up and down the ground, and the running ability of Neale, I think post-Blitz we are in reasonable shape. There wont necessarily be a new Blitz that can ruck well, but in O'Connor and Neale we have very tall, aerobic runners who can moive from back to front, and midfield. Maybe Neale replaces Hawk eventually, and O'Connor becomes a key back, but both have the ability and size to be that tall aerobic beast chess piece the Blitz has been, even if we take a different approach to ruck.

 

[Vivy]

Not sure if this has been posted or not already. It's a great watch.

 

[bombersboy]

Clark only got one possession from almost a full quarter on the ground.

Perhaps time for him to work on his game a bit more at VFL level.

May have already been told he is the one who makes way for Danger.

 

[catempire]

Watching O'Sullivan get up and down the ground, and the running ability of Neale, I think post-Blitz we are in reasonable shape. There wont necessarily be a new Blitz that can ruck well, but in O'Connor and Neale we have very tall, aerobic runners who can moive from back to front, and midfield. Maybe Neale replaces Hawk eventually, and O'Connor becomes a key back, but both have the ability and size to be that tall aerobic beast chess piece the Blitz has been, even if we take a different approach to ruck.

*Connor O’Sullivan

Confusing, isn’t it given we have another O’Connor!