Autopsy Cats lose to Demons by 8 points

[Cursed Cat]

If Jack Henry isn’t careful he’ll be our Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

Thanasis never kept Buddy Franklin - or his NBA equivalent - goalless in a Grand Final.

 

[Gee Class Loco]

My two bobs worth.
Dees better than we were tonight.
We lost they won.
Too many unexplainable moments tonight that were/are very uncharacteristic for us and our players.
Hawk is having a shocking run and please don’t give me the BS of best opponent decoy presence forward ruck craft etc etc…
He ain’t cutting it atm. Anyone else dish that up 4 weeks running are playing in the maggos.
Stanley and our roller coaster ride continues. Conway needs some game time.
Stewart looked like he got knocked out yesterday. No AA influence tonight.
Jezza had a mare. Move on.
Mitch Duncan looks like a bloke who needs to sit on the park bench for a rest.
MOC Parfitt were missed tonight.
BIG KUDOS to ZGuthrie & Holmes tonight. Brilliant performances from both of the boys.
Not worried about what happened tonight TBH. Look forward to Port at the Cattery next Friday.
Chin Up boys and Go Catters!

 

[TheCattery2007]

Before the game I thought the midfield looked very young and it showed. We were beaten by a better team.

We learnt some things.

• we really really miss Dangerfield. (Imagine Melbourne without Gawn).
• Cameron can’t play the roaming role every week. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was spent from last week. He was largely ineffective.
• Zuthrie is a star, probably our best defender tonight. Surely AA consideration now.
• Clark has some moves and will be very good, reminds me of a young Joel.
• Bowes is good but gives away too many frees, needs to tighten up aspects of his game.
• Atkins is a very, very good defensive midfielder. Sure, he was tackled late but those things happen.
• Players generally looked tired. 4 games in 20 days??

Never write this club off. It’s one small margin loss against a top 4 team.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Be a long time before Cameron kicks for goal that badly again.
He doesnt and we win which is positive considering how badly we played.

Upside is clark is going to be an absolute A grader-i saw enough signs tonight that once he builds a tank he will get there. His tenacity is great and bruhn was looking the same pre injury.
Miers was a gun again as was holmes and guthrie and close and stengle were very good as was ollie.

Downsides for me were ollies brother (effort is there but looks badly out of form), duncan is still class by foot but looks very slow. And stanley is a worry. Im still not sure our overall game can cover our ruck and midfield deficiencies. Then again we got smashed tonight in midfield and our disposal on turnover was crap and despite all that we win if cameron doesnt miss 2 sodas in the last. So maybe our gameplan will hold up better than i think.

Stanley will go out for conway next week. They will probably rest bruhn shoulder for parfitt (we will miss him). Duncan looks like he needs a rest. The bigger one will be hawkins traditionally we dont rest him but he looks like he needs it. Im sure they will want to try rohan in the 22 somehow.

 

[cats_09]

There's no doubt that Cameron has had a great start to the season & tonight was a serious let down - probably his worse return in the Hoops and he just couldn't seem to get things going, outside that one kick to Close

While Miers is another who's been up & about to start the season, and he's lack of involvement during the first half was noticeable, more so because of what happened in the third qtr when he was able to get his hands on the ball

But what's the chances it's Zach Guthrie

39

Zach Guthrie

Age

26

Ht

188cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

5.8

2star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.3

3star

T

1.8

4star

MG

90.0

1star

D

7.0

1star

K

4.0

1star

HB

3.0

2star

M

1.0

1star

T

1.0

2star

MG

90.0

2star

D

10.4

3star

K

3.8

2star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.6

4star

currently leading our B&F tonight?

At the ground, he comfortable looked our best player tonight, and at no stage did the situation seem to get to him - even with a couple of errors in the first quarter, he was able to reset, refocus and get back on with the task at hand

Can't recall him really putting a foot wrong at any stage this season, and while he was a little quieter against North that really wasn't his fault

He stood up in the absence of Stewart in the second half against Brisbane, was solid again last week and kept it going this week

He finished 4th in the B&F last season - can he go a few steps better this season?

 

[geelong_crazy26]

2022 was SDK's 2nd season of senior footy, and he may never play a better season in his entire career.

I thought he was pretty solid tonight after making two early-game blues.

The club has backed SDK as our #1 KD guy for the next 4 years at the very least; I think he's the right horse but yes there is always room for improvement.

He seems to stand under the ball too often and get pushed aside, or gets easily nudged off with some contact.

Has never really looked the same since his fracture

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Be careful with comments like that. It's borderline apostasy.

I wouldn't say that.

I floated a Neale/Hawkins Hawkins/Mooney scenario last week and it was generally well received.

Think we're split relatively down the middle on here regarding Hawk, as we probably should be.

Is he cooked? Is it just poor form? Is he sore? Has he just played on three really good footballers in Jones, May, & Weitering and been beaten?

Nobody knows, but we'll find out soon enough.

I'm personally jumping back and forth between both camps almost daily, and I think most of us are.

 

[Gee Class Loco]

SDK at 204cm sure does struggle to spoil much smaller forwards. His timing seems to be the problem and he needs to work on his closing speed. I'm still hoping he gets back to playing like he did in his first year at Geelong.

I’m thinking that first year was his peak… spewing but he hasn’t even come close to it since.
Fingers crossed things change for the better.

 

[fpm84]

Every time we’ve played Melbourne for the last, I dunno, 4-5 years I’ve been terrified of their midfield and expected to get blown off the park. To put it bluntly, Trac, Oliver and Viney are better than anything we’ve been able to field during that time.

Despite all the shooting ourselves in the foot tonight with dumb decision making, poor skills and woeful goalkicking, in a way I’m feeling more confident of our chances this season than I was this afternoon.

We lost clearances by 1, contested possession by 3 and inside-50s by 2 - in other words our makeshift midfield basically broke then with them in most of the key stats.

If we got just 30% of the polish we normally expect from Jezza, Stewart, Duncan, O Henry (despite the 3 goals he had some terrible moments) and co, we would have been every chance to steal that one.

Loved Holmes and Zuthrie who are likely top 5 in the Carji alongside Jezza, Gryan and Stew right now.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

The way Tom has been playing.
Esava will get the 3 votes.

Not a chance. As bad as hawkins is playing he still has a football brain. Sav will never have one.

No doubt our coaches will try to exploit that.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Observations-

• aside from looking tired/jaded from the beginning, Cats struggled for whole night with the dewy conditions. Demons much more sure handed.
• we rely on MOC more than most will admit. Calm, focused, physical presence in contests - would have been handy on Petracca
• not for first time this year, I’ve thought it is clear that we are one tall short in defence. I think we need to get COS into the side, maybe as a sub/utility. Another option is Knevitt as sub and Blitz to drop back when Mitch comes on.
• Hawk. A liability at moment, but as a champion rather than drop I’d try something to spark him - try at CHF with stints in the ruck.

I liked for the moc comment but I don't think we're too short in defence and I think Jeka is a long way off.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I never thought Henry would get dropped, I said I myself personally would consider it, not that it would happen.

I’m pretty sure everyone on here is well aware that none of the crap we say actually matters. And if I want to chuck a tanty on an online forum about a player who’s effort annoyed me, what does it actually matter to you?

Effort and execution are often mistaken. I haven't doubted the effort of any of our players this season.
Execution tonight was by and large woeful.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

SDK at 204cm sure does struggle to spoil much smaller forwards. His timing seems to be the problem and he needs to work on his closing speed. I'm still hoping he gets back to playing like he did in his first year at Geelong.

Feels like it's strength to me but I've never been a key sized player.

In fact I've never really been any sized player of I'm honest

 

[Cursed Cat]

I was confident going into the match, but after about 10 minutes i started shuddering and stopped watching. I had a bad, bad feeling.

Shameful, I’ll admit but I can’t stand a loss.

I was at the ‘89, ‘92, ‘94 and ‘95 grannies but I wasn’t present at the G for any of our subsequent premierships.

I think I’ve suffered my share of pain and then some.

Well done, Dees.

I watched the game with my 12 yo daughter tonight; this year has been the 1st year where we've regularly watched entire games together.

She was a newborn when we won the 2011 GF; she's been playing footy for a club for two seasons now but she's only now really settling in committing to watching whole Geelong games.

She's proving to be the classic annoying/infuriating supporter who complains about every single free kick, turns on our players as soon as they make a mistake, and even produces the occasional ''just kick it'!!!'' despite there being absolutely noone to kick it to. It's fun and frustrating to watch.

I dunno if it is a bad thing but I've definitely got better at processing losses over the years.

I try not to let them ruin my weekends these days, and occasionally on nights like tonight I can even find some genuine positives from a loss.

I think we can beat a team like Melbourne when the whips are cracking in 2024.

 

[Finknottle]

Effort wasn't the problem except for Cameron who didn't seem interested until the last quarter. Geelong's execution was off but Melbourne came with a plan and executed it well.

 

[standupand]

Observations-

• aside from looking tired/jaded from the beginning, Cats struggled for whole night with the dewy conditions. Demons much more sure handed.
• we rely on MOC more than most will admit. Calm, focused, physical presence in contests - would have been handy on Petracca
• not for first time this year, I’ve thought it is clear that we are one tall short in defence. I think we need to get COS into the side, maybe as a sub/utility. Another option is Knevitt as sub and Blitz to drop back when Mitch comes on.
• Hawk. A liability at moment, but as a champion rather than drop I’d try something to spark him - try at CHF with stints in the ruck.

You thought we needed another tall defender?

It looked to me like we actually lacked a lock-down small like Bews or Mullin.

The backline of Henry, SDK, Kolo, Stewart, Zach Guth all wanted to be the ones to contest the aerial ball while Pickett was left to do what he liked.

The balance isn't quite right there.

 

[Generalissimo]

It looked to me like we actually lacked a lock-down small like Bews or Mullin.

cough Mark O'Connor cough

 

[standupand]

I watched the game with my 12 yo daughter tonight; this year has been the 1st year where we've regularly watched entire games together.

She was a newborn when we won the 2011 GF; she's been playing footy for a club for two seasons now but she's only now really settling in and watching entire Geelong games.
She's proving to be the classic annoying/infuriating supporter who complains about every single free kick, turns on our players as soon as they make a mistake, and even produces the occasional ''just kick it'!!!'' despite there being absolutely noone to kick it to.

I dunno if it is a bad thing but I've definitely got better at processing losses over the years.
I try not to let them ruin my weekends these days, and occasionally on nights like tonight I can even find some genuine positives from a loss.

I think we can beat a team like Melbourne when the whips are cracking in 2024.

Have missed your post game reviews recently Cursed. Great to have you back and that you're still enjoying watching the games.

 

[Cursed Cat]

I wouldnt be shocked to see hom put his hand up to be rested soon or go into a training block to get himself right.

He just doesnt look to be moving right at the moment. Something looks off about his play personally.

His never been quick, but he seems to me to have lost his involvement in passages which could be a fitness problem. Very rarely sighted in chains

Hmm - I don't necessarily agree; I thought he got involved in ''chains'' fine tonight, effectively even; he just didn't get on the end of those chains and finish, as he has usually done 3-4 times in most matches over the past decade.

And it's become an ongoing concern.

If Hawkins wasn't coming off 3 x goalless nights leading up to tonight then I'd actually give him a soft pass mark against May tonight.

The Cameron-era Geelong forward line has been one of the best iterations I've seen in my time supporting the club; Hawkins has been a massive part of that mix, but if he is not producing with an acceptable level of consistency then suddenly he is becoming more of a liability than the fulcrum he has been for so long.

Chris Scott has to mange this one very delicately; I'll back him in to do it right as he did with Mooney and Milburn in 2011.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Any news on Tanner?

The fact that we considered keeping him on with Stewart looking sore is promising, but who knows really.

Serious? Or just a stinger where he plays or misses a week or two?

 

[Pure_Ownage]

You thought we needed another tall defender?

It looked to me like we actually lacked a lock-down small like Bews or Mullin.

The backline of Henry, SDK, Kolo, Stewart, Zach Guth all wanted to be the ones to contest the aerial ball while Pickett was left to do what he liked.

The balance isn't quite right there.

I agree structurally but bews will never play again and mullin is way off.

We are better off using moc or atkins as that lockdown smaller defender...once our midfield is back at full strength.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Any news on Tanner?

The fact that we considered keeping him on with Stewart looking sore is promising, but who knows really.

Serious? Or just a stinger where he plays or misses a week or two?

He carried the same injury last year and played the back end of the year ok with it.
They will rest him next week given the 6 day break but it should be fairly ok after that i think.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Have missed your post game reviews recently Cursed. Great to have you back and that you're still enjoying watching the games.

thanks standupand - I haven't missed a game this year; but you're right, I haven't posted in 2024 up until last night.
A few ups and downs but as always Geelong have given me plenty.

 

[Generalissimo]

bews will never play again

He'll get a farewell game at the tail end of the season, "retire", and turn up for someone like Norf at the 2025 MSD.

 

[fpm84]

Any news on Tanner?

The fact that we considered keeping him on with Stewart looking sore is promising, but who knows really.

Serious? Or just a stinger where he plays or misses a week or two?

Just watched Scott’s presser, seemed extremely confident it wasn’t anything serious. Said they wanted to get Rohan into the game early and Tanner was sore, so instead of keeping him out there and limiting his chances of playing next week they made the sub.