Unofficial Preview Changes v Geelong (Preliminary Final)

[buttermuffs]

Re the bolded - second last paragraph - John Ralph, you are a goose. Logan played in only his second final last night on the back of kicking two goals in his first final, so where does "another goalless final" even come into it. Wish I could be as bad at my job as these clown's and get away with it week after week.

It’s reads as if it was meant to be criticism for Hipwood, expecting him to be subbed out instead of Morris and before he got his goal.

Best explanation I have because that’s abysmal.

 

[SizeMatters]

Payne was pathetic.

One that needs to lift if selected.

 

[buttermuffs]

Remarkably, given he's only been at the club for two seasons, but Josh Dunkley

5

Josh Dunkley

Age

27

Ht

191cm

Wt

87kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.8

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.3

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

20.7

5star

K

7.0

3star

HB

13.7

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

5.3

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

14.2

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

4.0

5star

CL

1.4

4star

notches up game #50 for the Lions against the Cats; he's made very light work of that milestone.

23 game season has made it so as long as you make finals and only miss one game 50 games in two seasons is possible.

 

[morsie]

Just bought tickets to the game... never seen an in person Lions win at the MCG. Currently on a 3 game losing streak for going to the MGC (Hawks loss in 2023, 2023 GF and Pies this year). Here's hoping 4th time lucky!

Only win I have see at MCG was 2003 GF

 

[morsie]

Payne was pathetic.

One that needs to lift if selected.

Did u watch the last quarter?He lifted bigtime

 

[Elixuh]

Payne was pathetic.

One that needs to lift if selected.

It was almost as if, and hear me out, we were getting dominated up the ground and gws were kicking pinpoint to Hogan - the best forward in the league this year. I’m shocked to be sitting here.

He played an excellent last quarter.

 

[Gadzorks]

Payne was pathetic.

One that needs to lift if selected.

His last quarter seemed good. Hopefully his knee is still improving. Such an important cog when fit.

 

[Lion_LegacyXL]

His last quarter seemed good. Hopefully his knee is still improving. Such an important cog when fit.

Him getting another few days of recovering is going to be a huge benefit.

 

[Elixuh]

Joe is my favourite player at the Lions by daylight and has been for years. But I thought he really lowered his colours at the end of the game on Saturday. I saw him smiling, laughing and most disturbingly, doing interviews.

 

[martinson]

His last quarter seemed good. Hopefully his knee is still improving. Such an important cog when fit.

Main issue is his confidence takes a big hit every time he's had to carry something. The good thing was like the rest of the team he improved the longer the game went.

He needs to be as fit as he can possibly be to be competitive . You'd love to see him in a bit better shape than last Saturday.

100% fit and well he's a weapon. Not sure we'll see that but hoping for a vast improvement.

 

[McIvor]

Haven't watched the replay, but I believe he was moved to the middle.

What; really? lol

I've watched the full replay once, the second half once and when we were 44 points down in the third twice and countless highlights, oh and the final few minutes before Joe kicked his last two at least 2-3 times. Our household clearly can't get enough lol

 

[Denno]

Main issue is his confidence takes a big hit every time he's had to carry something. The good thing was like the rest of the team he improved the longer the game went.

He needs to be as fit as he can possibly be to be competitive . You'd love to see him in a bit better shape than last Saturday.

100% fit and well he's a weapon. Not sure we'll see that but hoping for a vast improvement.

Plus he'll likely have Shannon Neale to contend with (instead of Hogan).

Between a further weeks recovery, a good last quarter, and a lesser opponent, I'm confident he'll be much better on Sat.

As much as I'm worried about their small forwards, we should have the edge in terms of the talls (assuming Lester gets Cameron).

 

[Nathan Barley]

How many times when we had Payne and Hawkins one out did he get any help?

In a lot of the marking contests Andrews got shepherded out as well

We left him high and dry way too often

 

[luthor]

How many times when we had Payne and Hawkins one out did he get any help?

In a lot of the marking contests Andrews got shepherded out as well

We left him high and dry way too often

The Giants got away with a lot of blocking, shoving and holding that were ignored by the umps

Also, Hogan's goal just before 3/4 time resulted from a blatant push out in the back on Payne.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

I believe it was Leigh who said clubs tend to start like how they finished last quarter. I want to totally subscribe to that idea as a 6.2 would be a pretty good start any day !

I want our first half against Carlton and our last quarter against the Giants and our third quarter can look after itself

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

How many times when we had Payne and Hawkins one out did he get any help?

In a lot of the marking contests Andrews got shepherded out as well

We left him high and dry way too often

I talk about a porcupine down back, multiple fists raised to the sky spoiling at all defensive contests. Remember the 2001 to 2004 teams.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Hipwood looked most limited when he could hardly kick over the man on the mark in the second quarter but he really roosted that right foot snap in the last quarter. Kick right foot?

 

[paulige]

It was almost as if, and hear me out, we were getting dominated up the ground and gws were kicking pinpoint to Hogan - the best forward in the league this year. I’m shocked to be sitting here.

He played an excellent last quarter.

Yep... and while he 'coughed up' 5 goals, as you mentioned it was to the domininant forward of 2024.

And one of them was when Payne very unfortunately overran the footy, where he had left Hogan behind, only for it to conveniently bounce up into Hogan's arms.

And another was courtesy of losing a 1-on-1 to a very clear push in the back.

Hogan absolutely did get the better of him, but it wasn't the 'mare some will try to make it out to be. Back him in!!!

 

[paulige]

Joe is my favourite player at the Lions by daylight and has been for years. But I thought he really lowered his colours at the end of the game on Saturday. I saw him smiling, laughing and most disturbingly, doing interviews.

I too, hate it when players who just want to play footy and enjoy life end up playing footy and enjoying life. Irks me.

 

[Tom14]

"Put it to bed": Champion Data's major objection to Geelong's midfield reproval

"If I hear anyone talk about that Geelong midfield as their weakness, I will vomit!”

www.sen.com.au

That’s why you don’t look at names. You look at output.

“Put it to bed. Since Dangerfield has come back in, since Round 16, they are clearly the number one team for points differential at clearance.”

“Their ability to put it on the scoreboard is number three, and their ability to defend it, no one is harder to score against at clearance, than Geelong, and their raw clearance differential in terms of how many that you win, and you lose, is top four in the competition.”

“So don’t get sucked in, and I do not want to hear anything!”

“‘Anyone who says Giants or Brisbane, they can get Geelong at clearance because that’s their weakness’, throw it in the bin. It’s just not.”

Yeah I saw that from Hoyney. That run does include big wins against north and west coast - would love to know whether those 2 games skewed it a bit.

Regardless, clearly much better with danger back and absolutely brained port in the first final.

Here's a further layer of context, from the great geelong finals dossier on the shinboner:

Obviously Danger came back in round 16 - so we are interested in the Dogs and saints game, coincidentally the Cats 2 losses since round 16.

Here's the full table of contested possession and clearances for Geelong's games since round 16. Would love to have points from stoppage data for all of these games, but we don't.

Round	Cats Opponent	Clearance Differential	Contested Possession Differential	Result
16	Bombers (MCG)	-6	+9	Cats by 45
17	Hawks (GMHBA)	-3	+18	Cats by 51
18	Pies (MCG)	+7	-3	Cats by 20
19	Dogs (GMHBA)	0	-17	Dogs by 47
20	Norf (Blundstone)	-2	-11	Cats by 40
21	Crows (GMHBA)	+20	+23	Cats by 5
22	Freo (Optus)	+3	+12	Cats by 11
23	Saints (Marvel)	+5	-11	Saints by 18
24	WCE (GMHBA)	+4	0	Cats by 93

 

[Toffee Lion]

Tickets secured next to the lions cheer squad.

 

[Jim Stynes11]

Chris Scott probably messaged to tell him de koening isn’t playing. So that means he definitely is playing.

Chris Scott probably knew everyone would think that. So that means he definitely isn't playing

 

[Elixuh]

Chris Scott probably knew everyone would think that. So that means he definitely isn't playing

 

[M Malice]

Chris Scott probably knew everyone would think that. So that means he definitely isn't playing

 

[McIvor]

Hipwood looked most limited when he could hardly kick over the man on the mark in the second quarter but he really roosted that right foot snap in the last quarter. Kick right foot?

I remember one or two games when Aka's right leg was stuffed and he could barely kick on his righ and he unsurprisingly had no issue just kicking on his left, even set shots from 45m+ out.