Opinion Geelong Team of the 21st Century

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Harley was a good player but no star. Henry is now a premiership player and should be talked about in the same conversation as Harley. I'd take Henry. Bews was mentioned only because we haven't had an elite small defender over the period discussed to include.
Enright is the definition of elite small defender.
 
Harley gets lost a bit on the recency bias IMO - not saying you've applied that here but in general.

Harley's leadership was immense in 06-09 and IMo we dont win those falgs with him guiding the playing the group like did.

For that .. I add points to is relevance in these things.

GO Catters

Did u do shots before typing the second paragraph? Lol

But I agree, Harley was huge.
 

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For mine - updated:

B: Enright, Scarlett, Harley (vc)
HB: Stewart, H. Taylor, Milburn
C: Duncan, Selwood (C), Mackie
FO: Ottens, GAJ, Danger
HF: S. Johnson, Mooney, J. Cameron
F: Chapman, Hawkins, Stokes
INT: Bartel, Blics, J. Kelly, Guthrie

EMG: S. King, Ling, J. Corey, Lonergan

Hard to leave out Ling and Corey, but it gets too slow and inside mid heavy if theyre both in there as well. Cameron is another contentious one, but he's still a Coleman medalist, 2 x AA, 2x B+F and Premiership player - so he's done enough in his career to deserve being in the team - regardless of him only being here a couple of years.

Very good team that you have selected
 
Woah. Give you Mackie over Harley.
Love Henry and especially Bews but not over Harley.
Not often you and I agree but let’s just hope the fella you’ve quoted is just getting in early and ends up correct by the time Jack and Jed’s careers are complete.
 
I know he took the little guys but I think Enright was better employed as we effectively now play Stewart. As that intercepting mid sized defender rather than as a lock down defender of small forwards.

I prefer the role based characterisation

For defenders

Key/non-key then Lock down, intercepting, rebounding.

An AFL player can make a career out being strong in one of those areas but they usually display competency is more than one area. The game is more fluid so during a game player move in and out of those roles.

The best players fit into a hybrid role where they seamlessly move between different roles in a game. For a non-key defender Enright had the rare ability to stop his opponent, win the ball back and then use in well. Where lesser players tend to give up on one area to be better at another.
 
Stewart Scarlett Enright
Mackie Taylor Duncan
Ottens Selwood Ling
Dangerfield Bartel Blicavs
Ablett Cameron Stengle
Chapman Hawkins Johnson

Close Guthrie Kelly Kelly
Great team. I’d drop one of the Kelly’s for Joel Corey. Underrated or forgotten ball magnet and B&F
 
B: Enright, Scarlett, Milburn
HB: Stewart, Taylor, Mackie
C: Duncan, Selwood, Corey
FO: Ottens, GAJ, Dangerfield
HF: S. Johnson, Cameron, Bartel
F: Stengle, Hawkins, Chapman
INT: Blicavs, Guthrie, Close, Tuohy
Medisub: Kelly

I tried not to do the tempting thing and simply fill it with midfielders i.e pick a well balanced team that actually makes sense. Although with Corey, Bartel, Johnson, Chapman, Guthrie and Blicavs that's still 6 potential stoppage midfield rotations outside of the starting 3 - I guess this isn't too far off our 2022 approach though. Chapman and Johnson might stay forward exclusively in this team.

Corey like latter day Guthrie was so reliable and an immense ball winner who stepped up finals - it's impossible to drop him. He and Bartel would be straight in there at the coal face to release Danger or Ablett across half forward for little periods.

Toughest omissions were Stokes (but I'd just love to see Close in such a creative team, also adding elite pressure/running defensively) and Kelly (I opted for more of a defender who can play elsewhere rather than a midfielder who can play defence - team balance). The latter would be a great sub option. But Tuohy can either play wing outright or release Mackie to wing where ultimately is where he got a lot of his ball. His elite ball use and creative threat would fit this side well.

Mooney and Harley were great but I've favoured a more dynamic set up.
 
Some really great teams there and it shows how ridiculously lucky we've been to see these guys running around KP across the past two decades. I'll see if I have time to put my own together later but I just wanted to say that I think Wojcinski would be pivotal. Looking across the lines most of the teams lack that pace that he'd provide. I'm not sure if any triple cup winners should be absentees either. Those guys are football gods.
 
Exclusively based on AA selections - 24 in total by my count, 12 multiple I think, 7 picked 4+ times and probably should have been 4 given that SK missed a fourth selection in 2011 when he averaged 22 and 2.3 goals a game. Wow.

Enright Scarlett Stewart
Mackie Taylor Harley
Selwood Guthrie T Kelly
Johnson Cameron Chapman
Stengle Hawkins Bartel
Ottens Dangerfield Ablett

Mooney, J Kelly, Blicavs, Corey

And that doesn’t include Egan, Ling, Milburn



All Australian Geelong 22 2007-2022 - i shoehorned Ottens in there as he wasn’t AA while with us but he still played like it
 

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CHANGES AT END OF 2024:
IN: C.SCOTT
OUT: M.THOMPSON


FBT.STEWART*M.SCARLETTT.HARLEY (vc)
HBC.ENRIGHTH.TAYLORD.MILBURN
CJ.BARTELJ.SELWOOD (c)C.GUTHRIE*
HFP.CHAPMANJ.CAMERON*S.JOHNSON
FFC.MOONEYT.HAWKINST.STENGLE*
RRS.KINGP.DANGERFIELD*G.ABLETT
INTJ.COREYC.LINGM.BLICAVS* - J.KELLY
COACH:CHRIS SCOTT*


For a long time I wrestled the idea of which dual premiership coach to go for out of mark thompson, the man who started all the success, vs chris scott, the man who has demonstrated incredible longevity at elite level.

This year I have finally bit the bullet and decided to change it to scott as this much sustained performance is difficult to ignore. Also I think bomber had a better list.

Would love to know cats fans opinions on which coach you would prefer?



No changes to the playing team and I don't anticipate any in near future as this is in my opinion the hardest team to crack in to of all the one I have done for this century. The king vs ottens debate has been done to death in this thread already and I realise i am in the minority on this. I acknowledge ottens had more impact winning premierships but I still think king was overall the better player over a longer time.
 
Last edited:
CHANGES AT END OF 2024:
IN: C.SCOTT
OUT: M.THOMPSON


FBT.STEWART*M.SCARLETTT.HARLEY (vc)
HBC.ENRIGHTH.TAYLORD.MILBURN
CJ.BARTELJ.SELWOOD (c)J.COREY
HFP.CHAPMANJ.CAMERON*S.JOHNSON
FFC.MOONEYT.HAWKINST.STENGLE*
RRS.KINGP.DANGERFIELD*G.ABLETT
INTC.LINGM.BLICAVS*C.GUTHRIE* - J.KELLY
COACH:CHRIS SCOTT*


For a long time I wrestled the idea of which dual premiership coach to go for out of mark thompson, the man who started all the success, vs chris scott, the man who has demonstrated incredible longevity at elite level.

This year I have finally bit the bullet and decided to change it to scott as this much sustained performance is difficult to ignore. Also I think bomber had a better list.

Would love to know cats fans opinions on which coach you would prefer?



No changes to the playing team and I don't anticipate any in near future as this is in my opinion the hardest team to crack in to of all the one I have done for this century. The king vs ottens debate has been done to death in this thread already and I realise i am in the minority on this. I acknowledge ottens had more impact winning premierships but I still think king was overall the better player over a longer time.
Chris Scott ahead of Bomber, IMO, only because of his incredible longevity and track record H&A
 
B enright lonergan scarlett
Hb stewart taylor mackie
C holmes dangerfield riccardi
Hf johnson, mooney chapman
F cameron hawkins stengle
Ruck ottens selwood ablett
Inter. Bartel, corey, king, motlop.

My team has holmes and motlop due to need for pace. Kelly, ling, harley probably more deserving but miss out due to structural issues. Lonergan is underrated. Was an absolute gun lockdown defender who regularly destroyed franklin and won us the 2011 gf. He makes it.

Emergency. Kelly, ling, harley, graham.

Coach. Bomber thompson.

Special mention. Dan menzel. I think even post knee his form was good enough to nearly sneak in.

And blicavs is no where near this effing team. Seriously i would rank rhys stanley more likely to make this team. I literally am dumbfounded that he is making the bench on teams. Dumbfounded.
 
He has same amount of flags as thompson but from a lot more seasons. Makes thompson the better coach.
Longevity handicaps averages though.

I mean, who's a better batsman, Adam Voges or Allan Border?

I think Thompson was an excellent coach of that group of kids.

He also developed a game plan to tackle the dominant style of the time, and it was pretty darn good.
It got found out a bit though after a while, and we never truly got a chance to see him adapt like we have with Scott.
 
Longevity handicaps averages though.

I mean, who's a better batsman, Adam Voges or Allan Border?

I think Thompson was an excellent coach of that group of kids.

He also developed a game plan to tackle the dominant style of the time, and it was pretty darn good.
It got found out a bit though after a while, and we never truly got a chance to see him adapt like we have with Scott.
Chris scott eventually changed a game plan that didnt work. But it took an awfully long time to do i and nuffies like me were banging on for 6 years that he had the game plan wrong. Thompson left well the very season after his game plan became outdated but by all reports he wanted to change game plan the year befor but the players rejected it. No 6 year delay like with scott. He should of been more forceful though.
 
B: Enright, Scarlett, Milburn
HB: Stewart, Taylor, Mackie
C: Duncan, Selwood, Corey
FO: Ottens, GAJ, Dangerfield
HF: S. Johnson, Mooney, Cameron
F: Bartel, Hawkins, Chapman
INT: Bartel, Guthrie, Ling, Tuohy
Medisub: Kelly
B: Enright, Scarlett, Milburn
HB: Stewart, Taylor, Mackie
C: Holmes, Selwood, Corey
FO: Ottens, GAJ, Dangerfield
HF: S. Johnson, Mooney, Cameron
F: Stengle, Hawkins, Chapman
INT: Bartel, Guthrie, Ling, Rooke
Medisub: Kelly

Mr Meow: Backline 'perfect'..... Holmes for Duncan on wing with Duncan out of side. Also, I wouldn't have Close or Touhy in the team. Ling is the best tagger that's played the game and would take-out one of oppositions best players in a heartbeat (can't buy that). Agree with Mooney, as was too good a footballer not to be in the team with Cameron as roving flanker. Prefer Max Rooke as 4th interchange but Blicavs does give a 2nd rucking option but I don't think he's needed plus Max Rooke was a big occasion finals player, Blicavs was not. Not many people are aware of this, but Max Rooke got best on grounds (BOG's) when playing against both Chris Judd and Adam Goodes, he was some player and tough as nails. I've tried to pick a side that would make a 'great finals team' with plenty of toughness, plenty of skill, plenty of flexibility and 'all great players' in their own right but also 'big occasion players', Stengle would be the only query. Players like Swannie, Sam Mitchell, etc loathed having Lingy play on them, that's how good a player and tagger he was and in 'big finals match' he'd be one of the first picked. Stengle and Stokes was close to a toss-up with Stengle having more forward skill and craft getting the nod.
 
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And blicavs is no where near this effing team.
Disagree 100% about Blicavs. You don't win 2 B&F's by chance at Geelong, and for me his versatility earns him a spot on the interchange at a minimum, ahead of Motlop who was way too inconsistent to be in the conversation IMO

Also, I'd argue Riccardi's best football was arguably in the late 1990's when he won his sole B&F and polled the majority of his Brownlow votes
 
What is your definition of a small defender vs a medium defender
Like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder.
We have seen Kolo play on all of small, medium, and large forwards.


Common sense and pragmatism would suggest that players like Stengle, Kosi, CC, BHill etc are best suited to be manned up by players of similar stature and acceleration, so really hoping Mullin continues to evolve.
Similarly, players like OHenry, Fritsch, Georgiades, Hayward, Rayner etc would demand defenders of similar heioght and marking capacity
 
B: Enright, Scarlett, Milburn
HB: Stewart, Taylor, Mackie
C: Holmes, Selwood, Corey
FO: Ottens, GAJ, Dangerfield
HF: S. Johnson, Mooney, Cameron
F: Stengle, Hawkins, Chapman
INT: Bartel, Guthrie, Ling, Rooke
Medisub: Kelly

Mr Meow: Backline 'perfect'..... Holmes for Duncan on wing with Duncan out of side. Also, I wouldn't have Close or Touhy in the team. Ling is the best tagger that's played the game and would take-out one of oppositions best players in a heartbeat (can't buy that). Agree with Mooney, as was too good a footballer not to be in the team with Cameron as roving flanker. Prefer Max Rooke as 4th interchange but Blicavs does give a 2nd rucking option but I don't think he's needed plus Max Rooke was a big occasion finals player, Blicavs was not. Not many people are aware of this, but Max Rooke got best on grounds (BOG's) when playing against both Chris Judd and Adam Goodes, he was some player and tough as nails. I've tried to pick a side that would make a 'great finals team' with plenty of toughness, plenty of skill, plenty of flexibility and 'all great players' in their own right but also 'big occasion players', Stengle would be the only query. Players like Swannie, Sam Mitchell, etc loathed having Lingy play on them, that's how good a player and tagger he was and in 'big finals match' he'd be one of the first picked. Stengle and Stokes was close to a toss-up with Stengle having more forward skill and craft getting the nod.
I would omit Mooney and Rooke and include Blitz not sure who I would replace mooney with

Still good team selection
 

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Opinion Geelong Team of the 21st Century

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