Review Cats turn Lions into wet pussies at the Gabba by 26 points

[CHAWKTS]

Knevitt and Hardie both deserve a run in the senior side.

In full agreement. And Mannagh is at the level too.

They want Osin to get games as well.

Of course Rohan and Guthrie came into year as automatic best 22

That is before we want games into COS and Wiltshire

Phew… how do we make all this happen?

First step is go slowly go past 2E…but that helps only at the margin

And “management” can only go so far (max 2 per game and more likely average 1 per game?)

I am sure some injuries will give opportunities at some stage but this is going to test player management skills

 

[CHAWKTS]

As you’re maybe aware, no matter the will, as you get older, your body feels likes it’s moving through jelly compared to how it felt in your 20s.

Actually I think you meant that as you get older your body turns into jelly?

 

[iameviljez]

In full agreement. And Mannagh is at the level too.

They want Osin to get games as well.

Of course Rohan and Guthrie came into year as automatic best 22

That is before we want games into COS and Wiltshire

Phew… how do we make all this happen?

I can't see Hardie or Knevitt getting in unless we cop a few injuries, let alone Wilshere.

 

[iameviljez]

Actually I think you meant that as you get older your body turns into jelly?

I wish it was that fluent. It turns into a hessian sack filled with clay

 

[CHAWKTS]

Potentially- one way to look at what Fagan said about their out vs our out was that we managed the loss better as a team. As in we adapted. Whereas they did not.

The other way is that it took a more crucial piece of their team out and forced a crucial forward (structural setup piece) to be moved.

However, this is arguable, as wet weather typically isn’t a kick mark hold uncontested possession game style. It’s a contest, ugly, territory game. Evasive Small forwards and contested beast mids are the key.

Well, they actually have very good small forwards and very good contested midfielders.

We might be equivalent or better with our small forward stocks, but our mids are very green compared to theirs.

And, Daniher is a near 200 game player, who’s played a fair bit of ruck, virtually the same height as Conway and way stronger. So he shouldn’t be beaten.

Fagan needs to looks at himself. The tactics were terrible. One extra mid and using a mid as ruck. The cats just went to their strength against this - rebound with speed and let the small guys run into it.

Good points…

To me I think a lot comes down to culture and sacrifice. Our team genuinely enjoy other players success and do a huge amount of work for team mates. Not just experienced players (Jeremy, Danger etc) but every player that comes in has same view (Clark and Dempsey this year) which suggests it isn’t a fluke.

Whereas Brisbane look like a bunch of players (who are mostly very unlikable TBH) looking to get on the end of it.

I might be being extreme but even a small amount of difference in this makes a huge difference.

I love our club

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Jhye Clark seems to be this board's new whipping boy. Seriously, give the young guy a break!

I haven't seen that, but anyone dismissing Clark knows nothing about football. He is going to be a terrific midfielder in the future. I'm glad the Cats are giving him games so he can develop and from what I've seen so far, he has deserved his spot in the ones. But I suspect he will be in and out for the year so that they can rotate other players through. But in a couple of years, he will be one of our main mids.

 

[Strange Cat]

I haven't seen that, but anyone dismissing Clark knows nothing about football. He is going to be a terrific midfielder in the future. I'm glad the Cats are giving him games so he can develop and from what I've seen so far, he has deserved his spot in the ones. But I suspect he will be in and out for the year so that they can rotate other players through. But in a couple of years, he will be one of our main mids.

I think that’s really the secret to our success over the years in that we don’t have to throw the kids into the deep end and develop them at AFL level with all that pressure and stress

 

[#6 Thorp #7 Selwood LOL]

Wins like that build and harden culture. Brisbane had it all to play for, and by the end of the night they no longer wanted to be out there. Yeah we got a bit lucky with O going down, but to face the same issue when we lost Literally Tom Stewart, and then get better in the second half… that’s the stuff right there.

 

[dazbroncos]

I haven't seen that, but anyone dismissing Clark knows nothing about football. He is going to be a terrific midfielder in the future. I'm glad the Cats are giving him games so he can develop and from what I've seen so far, he has deserved his spot in the ones. But I suspect he will be in and out for the year so that they can rotate other players through. But in a couple of years, he will be one of our main mids.

Clark has played less than 5 games and spent all last year on the sidelines.

Any expectation needs to be pushed to 2025 as this is really his first year.

Based on what ive seen so far he'll be an ovenight success in the MF 3 years in the making come 2026.

Let them slow cook FFS. Its called development.

GO Catters

 

[Warhorse]

What a great weekend. VFL played very well with our depth players clearly deserving of game time. Beat the brakes off the Lions and they looked broken by the end of the game.

Clark has played less than 5 games and spent all last year on the sidelines.

Any expectation needs to be pushed to 2025 as this is really his first year.

Based on what ive seen so far he'll be an ovenight success in the MF 3 years in the making come 2026.

Let them slow cook FFS. Its called development.

GO Catters

I agree but we clearly have deserving players in the VFL

 

[dazbroncos]

I think that’s really the secret to our success over the years in that we don’t have to throw the kids into the deep end and develop them at AFL level with all that pressure and stress

totally agree...


also other people.....

yeah lets be like north and GWS and GC and cook all our kids from day 1 in the AFL... break them physically and mentally too whilst at it. 4 seasons of spankings. Saints kids must luv their playing AFL from rd 3-22 each year and then having September off.

But hey at least they are playing right?!?!?!

Expectation levels can GAGF.

There .. I said it.

GO Catters

 

[iameviljez]

I agree but we clearly have deserving players in the VFL

I agree that it's probably a good time to give Knevitt or Hardie an opportunity, and Clark a full game in the VFL to go and get leather poisoning.

One very hard juggling act in team selection is never giving your 2nds players the impression that there is a glass ceiling on the VFL team. I think we are at risk of that if Hardie puts in another few excellent weeks

 

[Pure_Ownage]

In full agreement. And Mannagh is at the level too.

They want Osin to get games as well.

Of course Rohan and Guthrie came into year as automatic best 22

That is before we want games into COS and Wiltshire

Phew… how do we make all this happen?

First step is go slowly go past 2E…but that helps only at the margin

And “management” can only go so far (max 2 per game and more likely average 1 per game?)

I am sure some injuries will give opportunities at some stage but this is going to test player management skills

You look at the older players i think in terms of rotating them to give the guys you named games. 6-0 allows us to do it. Then by about round 20 you make a call on who the best 22 is.
Bews is gone (not coming back)
Soon i think tuohy will join him in the vfl
Tuohy out allows games into clark/hardie/mannagh.
You rest stanley every 3rd week or so and play conway.
You rest hawkins another 3 or 4 times this year and play neale.
The hard one is how you get rohan games as hawkins aside all the other fwds are young (and its the older guys we will want to rest).
I would probably rest duncan (who looks like he is struggling) at stages and maybe play rohan off the hbf (its the only way he makes the side anyway).
We probably wont rest blitz as we dont have a like for like swap but hawk danger duncan stanley etc will all get rested.
I still think parf will just miss the 23 due to his lack of versatility.

Our squad for this year is essentially last nights 23 (swap either conway or stanley as the ruck) plus guthrie then mannagh and hardie as the next 2 in, then knevitt just behind them. Mullin is 29th as the emergency defender (though honestly if a defender got injured i think we would just move bowes or moc/atkins back there and keep parf in) and neale or rohan in case of a fwd injury.

Outside that 30 no else is in contention this year (although i like stevens humphries osullivan and clohesy long term). COS or humphries might get a game or two to reward effort but they wont be in the 23.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

I agree that it's probably a good time to give Knevitt or Hardie an opportunity, and Clark a full game in the VFL to go and get leather poisoning.

One very hard juggling act in team selection is never giving your 2nds players the impression that there is a glass ceiling on the VFL team. I think we are at risk of that if Hardie puts in another few excellent weeks

Same with mannagh although it was the right call to take mannagh given another finals team would have if we hadnt.

 

[Strange Cat]

totally agree...


also other people.....

yeah lets be like north and GWS and GC and cook all our kids from day 1 in the AFL... break them physically and mentally too whilst at it. 4 seasons of spankings. Saints kids must luv their playing AFL from rd 3-22 each year and then having September off.

But hey at least they are playing right?!?!?!

Expectation levels can GAGF.

There .. I said it.

GO Catters

Everyone wants the kids to be like Joel

But they forget why there’s a stand named after him…we are not getting another Joel anytime soon

 

[iameviljez]

Same with mannagh although it was the right call to take mannagh given another finals team would have if we hadnt.

Ehhh... I don't think that drafting a player so another team doesn't draft them - only for them to sit in the VFL - is particularly wise or productive.

I suspect that the emergence of Dempsey, Parfitt and Bruhn has probably pushed him out of the side that we thought he was a good chance to slot into at this point in time.

 

[JackFlash]

It was a great win in the wet in Brisbane which can be treacherous when it rains up there. They will need to be careful with selection this week, Stewart is the teams best player and he will be missing this week, no time for any experiments. A very potent Carlton forward line will need to be checked.

 

[fpm84]

Surprised that there are a few people critical of Hawkins’ game. There was near zero influence from any key forward given the weather (I suspect it’d be years since Hawkins, Cameron, Daniher and Hipwood were all held goalless in the same round). In a low scoring scrap, Hawk contributed two pieces of play that were pivotal to the final result, setting up MOC (third quarter) and Stengle (fourth quarter) following strong contested marks.

I am a long, long way away from questioning his place in the side.

That said, I hope we have a Selwood 2022-seque management plan in place to ensure he makes it to September in good shape.

 

[iameviljez]

Surprised that there are a few people critical of Hawkins’ game. There was near zero influence from any key forward given the weather (I suspect it’d be years since Hawkins, Cameron, Daniher and Hipwood were all held goalless in the same round).

In isolation, I thought his game was ok given the atrocious conditions. But it's just that given his form and age, people are (not wrongly) alert to signs of slowing down.

 

[iameviljez]

They will need to be careful with selection this week, Stewart is the teams best player and he will be missing this week, no time for any experiments

It'll be a straight swap for O'Sullivan, it's hardly like we are stacked for defensive marking power in the 2s.

 

[catempire]

I can't see Hardie or Knevitt getting in unless we cop a few injuries, let alone Wilshere.

Yes, at the risk of repeating myself, not needing to access depth is a GOOD THING.

The best of them can get a cheap game or two as we manage loads in the back half of the season. Looks like Humphries will be near the front of the queue on current form.

 

[you pick one]

Scotty said during the Covid season that Queensland has the most Geelong supporters outside of, well, Geelong (and VIC) and you could tell last night at the Gabba! They had great support from us despite the weather.

I also loved the amount of drunk Cats supporters singing the Geelong song during the rainy scramble outside of the Gabba after the game. I may have been one of them.

My group were singing Take me home country roads.

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Everyone wants the kids to be like Joel

Or Judd. Or Nick Daicos. Or Harley Reid.

These kinds of players are a rarity, and you have to be lucky to get one. IIRC, Joel slipped down the draft because he had a ??broken leg?? the year before.

Player development is a gradual process, often taking at least 50 AFL games to reach the level required to play in the ones regularly. Some argue that it's around 100 AFL games when players hit their prime. The Cats have shown consistency in their approach, focusing on developing players in the VFL before they transition to regular games in the ones. People need to be patient and stop expecting these young guys to be stars right away. They will be inconsistent, but that is normal for a young player.

 

[iameviljez]

I would probably rest duncan (who looks like he is struggling) at stages

Actually I thought he was pretty good in atrocious conditions last night.

 

[standupand]

I think that’s really the secret to our success over the years in that we don’t have to throw the kids into the deep end and develop them at AFL level with all that pressure and stress

I agree, although we haven't always had the kids in the first place, and it has to also be said that in our recent premiership years a key feature of the approach to team management has been an injection of a bit of youth.

In 2007 Selwood of course and Hawkins.

In 2011 guys like Duncan, Christensen, Menzel, Guthrie, Vardy became important contributors at AFL level over the year.

In 2022 nobody expected SDK to be given as much responsibility as he was and to become such a critical part of our backline.

This year there also seems to be quite a conscious decision to back in guys like Clark, Conway.

Whether it's about managing your senior players through the year by using list depth or whether it's about the right mix of the present and the future at the club - times we haven't put faith in youth are times we've struggled to take the next step.