Autopsy Cats lose to Suns by 19 points

[Cataholic]

If you are baying for blood I recommend you don’t watch Scott’s presser. Hawkins is being played because he’s important to the structure and would be doing the same amount of work as matches (i.e. in training) if they left him out. Sounds like Kolo and Duncan back next week. We are going to get something like:

In: Kolo, Duncan
Out: SDK, Bruhn

Don‘t know about Stanley/Ceglar. I will be shocked if anyone else is dropped based on Scott’s presser.

Ceglar was as useless as a chocolate teapot yesterday.

 

[Stokey]

It's quite amazing how the perennial punching bags are our best players atm.

Zuthrie, Miers, and Bews imo have been the most consistent over the first 3 rounds.


I'm still not sold on the Sav experiment as well. Alawys just looks like Bambi on ice. Almost in the forward line is ok. Almost in the backline costs you games.

It's harsh, but him going down and us going on a 16 game streak to a flag was no co-incidence..

 

[cats_09]

So Rohan is sub again or plays VFL?

Or option#3 - full match in the seniors

 

[Cataholic]

What did you make of the ‘others are underdone for reasons that are more difficult to explain’ line?

Just Scott riddling again

 

[CHAWKTS]

Ceglar was as useless as a chocolate teapot yesterday.

I like that sound of a chocolate teapot? just add a bowl and a straw and sounds perfectly functional to me

 

[bombersboy]

On a positive: How awesome was tom stewart yesterday. Shouldnt of even been playing. 30 possessions, 558 metres gained, took some fantastic marks and continously sweeping up the defence. Would of lost by more than 8 goals if he didnt play yesterday.

He had 24 kicks and at least 18 of them would have been 15-20 metre dinks to a player going nowhere. May not have been any other options but shows a lack of an attacking mindset.

 

[bombersboy]

Neale can only give a contest if he gets a good supply. The MF is our problem.

Only place Ceglar should play is the Sahara.

To be fair Ceglar was horrendous early but improved as the game went on.

 

[Cataholic]

I didnt think ceglar was all that bad yesterday. Why is he copping it so much?

He was terrible imo. Gave nothing.

 

[The Unforgiven]

Conway is still only 19 & just into his second season - no doubt they want him as the main man, but they're also looking long term with him because they'll want him as the main guy for the next decade. They aren't going to rush him back from his foot hotspot, and will want him to be right before he plays this year

Wouldn't be surprising to see Stanley go around again in 2024, and all going well with Conway we start to see a transitioning of our rucks

As for Neale, he doesn't look close to a #1 ruck option and more likely that if he is to be used in the ruck at both VFL & AFL level it's as a #2, providing support & a chop out

Thanks for the update. I have absolutely no idea what goes on in the VFL. I wasn't aware of Conway's foot issue.

I've only seen Neale play once, and that was last year, live at Adelaide Oval versus Port. He didn't look good at all.

Stanley played a blinder, and then he was subbed off (to my initial confusion as I had no idea what was going on). We nearly lost the game, had it not been for Atkins' heroics.

Where is Neale going to be best suited? Forward and chop-in ruck?

 

[CHAWKTS]

Or option#3 - full match in the seniors

I think Rohan goes back to 4 qtrs.

My read of Scott’s riddles (for FWIIW) is that he will stick with those he has “trust in” which means the changes will be amongst the new boys. I had heard they were tossing up Henry or Rohan for sub…wouldn’t be surprised if they swap this week. Also think they will give Bruhn a go in the VFL. I don’t think that is particularly fair but understand he wants to back his premiership players to turn form around against a couple of “easy beats”…

They can move guthrie back to middle with Duncan coming back

So for me it will be

Out: SDK, Bruhn, Henry (to sub)
In: Rohan, Kolo, Duncan

I wouldn’t mind another change to give a small forward a chance back in VFL but I don’t think that will happen this week…

 

[Cataholic]

To be fair Ceglar was horrendous early but improved as the game went on.

I didn't make that observation.......

 

[Mr Meow]

On a positive: How awesome was tom stewart yesterday. Shouldnt of even been playing. 30 possessions, 558 metres gained, took some fantastic marks and continously sweeping up the defence. Would of lost by more than 8 goals if he didnt play yesterday.

I couldn't believe my eyes when somebody here said he was poor. First game back, probably premature, he was one of our only winners. A couple of his 30 possessions not being accurate - that was the last of our problems performance wise across the side.

 

[feelinfeline]

Or option#3 - full match in the seniors

I agree. I was responding to catempire's predicted changes.

 

[Mr Meow]

I'm sure we're running less AND definitely not running smart.

True but I'd like the numbers on exactly how much each factor is contributing currently.

 

[Pollywaffle]

He was terrible imo. Gave nothing.

Ceglar may still be of value in cold wet slog type matches, mid year..

 

[Mr Meow]

He had 24 kicks and at least 18 of them would have been 15-20 metre dinks to a player going nowhere. May not have been any other options but shows a lack of an attacking mindset.

He at least intercepted, repelled attacks and generally kept possession. More than we could say for any other player with defensive duties on the weekend.

 

[CHAWKTS]

Thanks for the update. I have absolutely no idea what goes on in the VFL. I wasn't aware of Conway's foot issue.

I've only seen Neale play once, and that was last year, live at Adelaide Oval versus Port. He didn't look good at all.

Stanley played a blinder, and then he was subbed off (to my initial confusion as I had no idea what was going on). We nearly lost the game, had it not been for Atkins' heroics.

Where is Neale going to be best suited? Forward and chop-in ruck?

Neale is proving to be a forward only in my mind. They put him in ruck for a lot of yesterday (given ball wasn’t coming up to forward line) but he isn’t good at contests unless he is leading hard to the ball. Got towelled up by GS back up ruck.

Neale should get a number of games this year as they look to get Hawke right

 

[CHAWKTS]

He had 24 kicks and at least 18 of them would have been 15-20 metre dinks to a player going nowhere. May not have been any other options but shows a lack of an attacking mindset.

And/or lack of gut running up the ground. I think that has been the biggest change this year - not the run and play on…which to me is more about effort than anything else

 

[fpm84]

Out: SDK, Bruhn, Henry (to sub)
In: Rohan, Kolo, Duncan

If Bruhn is out we should give Parfitt a game. Don't mind the idea of Henry as sub, I posted yesterday that we can't play him and Hawkins together with Hawk's current lack of mobility.

OUT: SDK, Ceglar, Bruhn, another senior player managed (Tuohy?), Henry (sub)
IN: Kolodjashnij, Stanley, Rohan, Duncan, Parfitt

I would go Neale for Hawkins too but Scott seemingly ruled that out post-game saying even in his current state Hawk is vital for structure.

 

[Cataholic]

Ceglar may still be of value in cold wet slog type matches, mid year..

Possibly.

Stuck in the mud was how he played yesterday.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

The plan is to start slowly and build up the team.
How else do you explain the team being so unprepared?

I don’t think the team expected to be 0-3.
Slow start yes but they would have expected to have at least 1 win on the board.

They just look so slow and unfit at the moment with no desire at all.
And it’s something I don’t think can be fixed quickly.

 

[someday-somehow]

Scott is no doubt a very astute coach.

But he draws wildly opposing reactions from me during his pressers. Sometimes I sit back and admire his insight and knowledge, and am grateful he coaches our club.

Other times he comes across to me like a smarmy, greasy used car salesman. Too smug sometimes.

I did lol at that.

Actually I think the performance over the last 3 weeks just shows what a perfect year last year was and how well managed the team was to claim the ultimate prize. Geelong has defied gravity for so long but I always sensed it would end with Selwood and Hawkins.

 

[bombersboy]

Both Close and Holmes are terribly out of form. Anyone notice if either or both are copping hard tags or just not working hard enough

 

[allrighty]

I think he genuinely believes it and so he should. Scott has always had supreme faith in his team even when outsiders can’t see it — without that faith, we don’t trade significant draft capital for Cameron, we don’t pick up Smith as a FA, we don’t win it last year.

Scott would be looking at our three losses and the fact we’ve been in all three games with 10 mins to go despite so many things going wrong and playing to about 20% of our capabilities. He’d be looking at Hawkins being so underdone, SDK being banged up from basically the opening bounce of R1, a handful of premiership players missing every week etc.

We are months out from talking about finals possibilities but I imagine Scott would firmly believe we would win the flag from 8th if it came to it.

As an aside I suspect we will be slammed by media this week - David King has already started it - and I expect whatever percentage of our slow start is due to complacency to not be an issue on Monday.

Good post

 

[kittypurry]

And/or lack of gut running up the ground. I think that has been the biggest change this year - not the run and play on…which to me is more about effort than anything else

It's not about effort. The lads are not match fit. They don't have the energy for gut running.

Being at the game yesterday, effort is not the issue. But even if I wasn't at the game, effort is never going to be the issue with professional athletes.

The boys were hungry, and they were shattered after the game. Heads lowered. Clearly deeply embarrassed. Despite what we all think, no one cares more that the Cats lost yesterday than the Cats themselves. But if you don't have the energy during a game, then you simply do not have the energy.

We messed up our pre-season. We're looking to peak at the end of the season, but we've done so in a way that has meant the boys are comically underdone at the start of the season. The issue is our program. We nailed it last year. We didn't nail it this year. It happens.

Forever grateful for our flag last year. No complaints from me.

The coaching group is deeply clever and will make the best choices going forward. But, at the end of the day, if we are not match fit, there is little to be done about out it now except ride it out until we build up that fitness as the season goes on.