Review Geelong defeats North by 30 points. Rd 5, 2021

[Vdubs]

Can't agree with you there about the average list Vdubs. I personally see about 3 passengers we carry every single week but look at the teams who have recently won premierships and they all have one thing in common, champion forward, champion defender and at least 3 elite midfielders.

West Coast - Darling + Kennedy + McGovern + Gaff, Shuey + Yeo
Richmond - Rance/Grimes + Riewoldt + Martin + Cotchin + Edwards

Geelong have had Taylor/Stewart + Hawkins + Selwood + Duncan + Dangerfield. You can now add on Cameron + Guthrie as Guthrie is very much an elite midfielder these days.

Not many teams have had the list that we have. Scott's been privileged. All he's missing is an A grade ruckman but it was he who wanted to turn a pea heart-inconsistent power forward at St Kilda into a ruckman at Geelong.

Our bottom 6-10 lets us down, and this year, without Taylor and GAJ, we are indeed middle of the road.

 

[foodles05]

Fair enough, but I muchly disagree with your assertion.
Mentally weak players do not make top 4 teams year after year.
CS was the antithesis of mentally weak as a player, and as a person.
We have a very average list.

I'm still confused. The point I made was questioning how we our coach could possibly be creating mentally weak players (an assertion from someone else i was replying to) if we made it to the GF in the most mentally challenging year ever. I think we are in furious agreement hahaha.

 

[Vdubs]

I'm still confused. The point I made was questioning how we our coach could possibly be creating mentally weak players (an assertion from someone else i was replying to) if we made it to the GF in the most mentally challenging year ever. I think we are in furious agreement hahaha.

Sorry to confuse you. I was reading a similar post about the fact we made it to a GF, but I hadn't read the reason for your post. Cross-pollenation of posts. I think CS does NOT create mentally weak players.
I also think last year suited us for the reasons I said, and that CS again helped us overachieve.
Agreed, we are in agreement.

 

[foodles05]

Sorry to confuse you. I was reading a similar post about the fact we made it to a GF, but I hadn't read the reason for your post. Cross-pollenation of posts. I think CS does NOT create mentally weak players.
I also think last year suited us for the reasons I said, and that CS again helped us overachieve.

Yeah I think some of your points may well be valid regarding older list but I think we all (like the pundits) often get caught up in making definitive assessments too early in the season. I think you points may turn out to be exactly true but not sure we can bank them yet. I think we are still capable of turning it around and being in the top tier despite our age demographic and the longer quarters ect.

 

[catempire]

What a load of rubbish. Chris was a brute of player. You also realise his dad died when he was 8 and has still been able to achieve more than most of in here by some margin. Shocking comment

Antithesis means the antithesis of what you think it does.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Fair enough, but I muchly disagree with your assertion.
Mentally weak players do not make top 4 teams year after year.
CS was the antithesis of mentally weak as a player, and as a person.
We have a very average list.

We have an average list when we have injuries like every team.
Look straight down the middle of the ground when we don't though.
Hawkins, Cameron, Danger, Stewart Blitz.
That ain't average.
Our bottom six is no worse than anyone elses either. They are actually more experienced.
Its just theres always a couple of teams every year better than us.

 

[Vdubs]

We have an average list when we have injuries like every team.
Look straight down the middle of the ground when we don't though.
Hawkins, Cameron, Danger, Stewart Blitz.
That ain't average.
Our bottom six is no worse than anyone elses either. They are actually more experienced.
Its just theres always a couple of teams every year better than us.

Ideally, maybe. But if Stewart is our CHB, we are missing out.
Being average does not mean we are rubbish, just 1 of about 12 teams trying to make the 8, amongst this year's top 3 certainties.
We are no longer a top 3 or 4 lock.
Tigers, Port, Dogs, Demons, then?

 

[Heckler]

Everyone here agrees the game was lackluster.
Error filled, scrappy with zero intensity.
This is generally the case against poor opposition.
While supporters want to see a 10 goal drubbing
The players prefer to take a mental bye.
Content to get the win without injury
It's a long hard season and impossible to be up for every game.
Expect team attitude to be different against WCE next week
Meanwhile : Danger and Rohan needed a run
Dahlhaus needed to find form
Jordan needed a kick in the pants.
Close needed more game time.
Cameron needed another week
The supporters needed a glimpse of San De Koning
All the Grumpy Cats here need to chill.

 

[Tristan34]

We have an average list when we have injuries like every team.
Look straight down the middle of the ground when we don't though.
Hawkins, Cameron, Danger, Stewart Blitz.
That ain't average.
Our bottom six is no worse than anyone elses either. They are actually more experienced.
Its just theres always a couple of teams every year better than us.

I dont think we are mentally weak at all.. I personally think our team focuses too mich on the defensive side.. I'm not sure of its the coach, or all the naturally defensive players we have in the team... We lack speed and elite tacklers right now... We get hit on the rebound easily atm.. It could change, as it's early in the season

 

[steady2]

Rohan is always appalling but he just stays in the team no matter what.
His uncontested brand of footy is what annoys me most. His size and speed, he should be getting more of the ball and exploding away.

Blicavs, Rohan, Stanley, Dahlhaus, these guys would not last very long if they were playing 90's footy. Dahlhaus at least goes in but he's cooked, and has been for 18 months.

I thought those couple of games Henry played forward he more than made up for Rohan's absence. Although Rohan has pace to burn.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Ideally, maybe. But if Stewart is our CHB, we are missing out.
Being average does not mean we are rubbish, just 1 of about 12 teams trying to make the 8, amongst this year's top 3 certainties.
We are no longer a top 3 or 4 lock.
Tigers, Port, Dogs, then?

I think we're a top 4 lock when everyone's on the field and at full fitness.
But it's going to be a little while before we get there.
Will it be too late this year? Maybe.
But its not a bad start to the year at all.
3-2 and we haven't got going. That's allright.

 

[00VicWard001]

Our bottom 6-10 lets us down, and this year, without Taylor and GAJ, we are indeed middle of the road.

Not sure this is correct, I know they are not like for like- but Cameron, Smith and Higgins brings far more to the team than 2020 Ablett and Taylor.

Our bottom 6 have improved significantly and are fairly solid contributors (Clark, Miers, Atkins, Bews, Kolo and Dahlhaus).

 

[ATSAM]

Not sure this is correct, I know they are not like for like- but Cameron, Smith and Higgins brings far more to the team than 2020 Ablett and Taylor.

Our bottom 6 have improved significantly and are fairly solid contributors (Clark, Miers, Atkins, Bews, Kolo and Dahlhaus).

No- one brings more than Ablett and Taylor. Ablett was such a creative player and such a beautiful kick. He led and was followed. Taylor so reliable, great hands and backline backup. The back line players would have felt so secure knowing that he was there and he didn't have to be quick just know where to be.

 

[bombersboy]

Disappointed like most with how we are playing, but on reflection to be 3-2 when we could not play any worse is actually pretty good. What stood out to me the most was how poor our kicking and decision making at times were. I don't think we can get any worse. Our kicking is a lot better than what was on display. It will turn around at some point.

 

[00VicWard001]

No- one brings more than Ablett and Taylor. Ablett was such a creative player and such a beautiful kick. He led and was followed. Taylor so reliable, great hands and backline backup. The back line players would have felt so secure knowing that he was there and he didn't have to be quick just know where to be.

There’s a reason both retired at the end of 2020. They were done and the game was passing them by. Clearly I’m not talking about peak Ablett or Taylor.

 

[Cataholic]

A lot of the issues I don’t feel are a matter of chuck it out and restart again, but more a case of tinkering and adjustments to be made. The timing is quite off when to move it off quick or when to slow it down and methodically work through, these things are often a matter of seconds difference apart and can be improved on within a season quite drastically.

the bigger worry for me is contested work at stoppages and also run and carry away from a stoppage. We are turning the ball over too easily in these vulnerable positions and getting scored against on turnovers. Need to get more trajectory running the ball away from a stoppage around the ground instead of just high long pressured Kicks forward or getting tackled and turning it over. Stoppage work is probably a top priority and the. Everything will trickle from there onwards and become easier

Apparently CS told the group after the game that he now wants them to play on instinctively.

Don't know if he's given up on his careful gameplan or what, but it seems like he's willing to take a chance on seeing where uncontrolled footy takes us.

This will be interesting.

 

[Vdubs]

Not sure this is correct, I know they are not like for like- but Cameron, Smith and Higgins brings far more to the team than 2020 Ablett and Taylor.

Our bottom 6 have improved significantly and are fairly solid contributors (Clark, Miers, Atkins, Bews, Kolo and Dahlhaus).

Agree, not correct imho.
Higgins, I doubt that.
How many games did Harry miss in 2020?
JC 5 already.
Agree about bottom 6 you mentioned, but Rohan , Tuohy, and the new kids we have tried fit in there as well.

 

[Vdubs]

There’s a reason both retired at the end of 2020. They were done and the game was passing them by. Clearly I’m not talking about peak Ablett or Taylor.

Higgins could have done the same.

 

[Vdubs]

I think we're a top 4 lock when everyone's on the field and at full fitness.
But it's going to be a little while before we get there.
Will it be too late this year? Maybe.
But its not a bad start to the year at all.
3-2 and we haven't got going. That's allright.

Not top 4- Demons, Tigers, Dogs, Port surely are ahead of all others.
Looking at the Demons list, their depth is outrageous. Ben Brown could come back in, but Weideman kicked 7 in the 2's, and they are already firing up forward.

 

[cats_09]

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Not sure this is correct, I know they are not like for like- but Cameron, Smith and Higgins brings far more to the team than 2020 Ablett and Taylor.

Our bottom 6 have improved significantly and are fairly solid contributors (Clark, Miers, Atkins, Bews, Kolo and Dahlhaus).

I think structurally Taylor out is really hurting. Everyone loves Blitz in the backline but having him rotating in the ruck as a wing gave us flexibility and strategic options that other teams don't.

 

[cats_09]