Preview How do you see the Cats 2024 Finals going?

[Catman]

Such an exciting finals series, I don't have high expectations, and that is a good thing. There is no pressure on us.

Hope is a fantastic thing and it's what professional sport is all about.

You just never know - exciting times!

Absolutely. There isn't the pressure of 2022 that despite us clearly being the best side, our repeated finals failures were always in the back of our minds.

 

[Strange Cat]

That's the good thing. There isn't the pressure of 2022 that despite us clearly being the best side, our repeated finals failures were always in the back of our minds.

Plus the added pressure of wining 16 games straight

 

[kickazz]

Hmm this poll is a tad presumptuous, lose to WCE and we aint getting top 4. I know that's really unlikely but are we getting just a tiny bit ahead of ourselves?

 

[Klink]

Hmm this poll is a tad presumptuous, lose to WCE and we aint getting top 4. I know that's really unlikely but are we getting just a tiny bit ahead of ourselves?

Very true. I actually think we will win this by 100+ - but you're absolutely correct. Nothing is guaranteed and we need to beat WC first..

 

[00VicWard001]

Absolutely. There isn't the pressure of 2022 that despite us clearly being the best side, our repeated finals failures were always in the back of our minds.

That first week against Collingwood was electric. Especially since they dominated us in the first 20 minutes and we were all thinking "Oh Oh, here we go again, another first week loss!"

 

[Klink]

That first week against Collingwood was electric. Especially since they dominated us in the first 20 minutes and we were all thinking "Oh Oh, here we go again, another first week loss!"

I was thinking that the entire game! They could of easily won that game, the Pies.

It would of been very difficult to win it from there. When we scraped over the line, I knew we would win the flag. The determination and resilience we displayed that day gave us the belief we needed..

That game was the perfect preparation and just what we needed. Thanks, Pies!

 

[CHAWKTS]

I'm thinking straight sets because the stats show that Geelong does not have the profile of a team in the top 4 contending for a flag. The teams above us and several teams below us on the ladder have that profile, but not us. Normally, I might be upset about such a thing, but as Kingy said tonight on 360, the fact we have even made the top 4 shows that we have the best coach in the competition by a mile. Scotty has taken our understacked team and made the best of it. That is something we should all be proud of.

I have said all year that the side needs two elite midfielders. The guys have tried hard, and you can only congratulate them on their efforts. The coaches make the most of what we have. But we just don't have the cattle to win a flag. Shut down Paddy, Stewart, and Cameron, and the side pretty much crumbles. That's why I think we'll go out in straight sets. But the fact we'll end the season 4th is a mighty effort considering the current squad we have.

Agree that these are the keys. I don’t think it is so much that the teams crumbles it is just that they are not quite good enough unless it’s stars play well. Interesting that none of those players are “link” players. Probably kick 90% of the time and mostly long kicks.

It has been crucial all year that they all play well. SEN noted that Stewart was tagged again for the first time properly since he moved into MF. Apparantly when he has been fully tagged we are 0-6! When he hasn’t been tagged we are 12-2 (think he has missed a couple). He will be off the chain this week but come finals time he will be tagged!

Where I am hopeful (and it is hope over rationale) is that the week off will benefit those three dramatically. There is no reason they can’t then get up for a huge week 1. Win that and get another week off and go hard (at mcg) in preliminary. It isn’t impossible. But if we lose first week I will be flipping to a straight set out scenario

 

[witsend]

While not thinking this is particularly “our year”, you’ve gotta be in it to win it.
I think the big issues are:
Tom Stewart-Has to influence or history shows we pretty much lose every time he’s hard tagged.
Midfield inconsistency. Exactly what is our best mf rotation? Danger, Stewart, Atkins, Blicavs at their best proved effective. Bowes and Bruhn are good but drift in and out during games. I still see Holmes as an outside mid/hbf. We are extremely vulnerable against mfs with a couple of A+ players. With 666 if any of those elite groups get a centre bounce/stoppage run on, we can leak multiple match losing goals in a matter of minutes. God forbid that would happen against Sydney, Port or Brisbane interstate.
Wildcard: is Cam Guthrie absolutely ruled out? Let’s not forget he was B & F in 2022, a Premiership year!
Cameron -far from his best. Even his 6 goal game didn’t feel like he imposed himself. I just sense a lack of urgency. I’m sure he’s “trying” but I wonder if the concussions have subconsciously made him less aggressive at the contest? Or has he lost the hunger required to show the leadership and physical presence we used to get from Hawkins?
Speaking of Hawkins. Play or not play? I feel it would be detrimental to Neale to be dropped now. Neale has shown enough to be given a chance to have a breakout game or two in finals. BUT it’s a brave person who would not want Hawkins in the goal square if fit. Who do you think the opposition would fear most and put more time into? Hawkins or Neale? I suspect Hawkins. We also need to factor leadership and structure.
I suspect we might end up seeing a Mooney/Hawkins passing of the baton moment. Hawkins is the ultimate clubman, and if he puts his hand up to play, then I believe he’s the best choice.
SDK-looks like the club has been ultra conservative again so hopefully he’s back at full fitness. Surely he plays back not ruck, coming off a LTI?
A lot of the clubs and my positivity has come from the youth. Will it stand up in finals?
Danger-If fit (which he looks) needs another final series like 2022.
Go Cats


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[BlakeyNoFlakey]

Have to laugh however that Kingy has to be the one to get the straight sets shot in first… then the backhanded compliment of well done to get this far..

I didn't think he was being nasty about the club; I thought he summed it up pretty well and fairly. I don't always agree with Kingy, but I have to say that for the last few months, everything he's said (about all the teams & players) has been spot on. So credit goes where it's due.

 

[00VicWard001]

I was thinking that the entire game! They could of easily won that game, the Pies.

It would of been very difficult to win it from there. When we scraped over the line, I knew we would win the flag. The determination and resilience we displayed that day gave us the belief we needed..

That game was the perfect preparation and just what we needed. Thanks, Pies!

It's pretty much how the Hawks got their first premiership, and the Tigers too. Beating us gave both those teams the belief...

However, this time, I believe we are the other side of the ledger. We are not the colossus standing in between an up and comer and the premiership.

This year, there is no team that holds that position. Every team is equally flawed and equally worked out. Every team has a distinct advantage and signficant issues too.

It's one of the most interesting finals series I've seen in a long time and it's literally anyones to win (or lose).

 

[00VicWard001]

While not thinking this is particularly “our year”, you’ve gotta be in it to win it.
I think the big issues are:
Tom Stewart-Has to influence or history shows we pretty much lose every time he’s hard tagged.
Midfield inconsistency. Exactly what is our best mf rotation? Danger, Stewart, Atkins, Blicavs at their best proved effective. Bowes and Bruhn are good but drift in and out during games. I still see Holmes as an outside mid/hbf. We are extremely vulnerable against mfs with a couple of A+ players. With 666 if any of those elite groups get a centre bounce/stoppage run on, we can leak multiple match losing goals in a matter of minutes. God forbid that would happen against Sydney, Port or Brisbane interstate.
Wildcard: is Cam Guthrie absolutely ruled out? Let’s not forget he was B & F in 2022, a Premiership year!
Cameron -far from his best. Even his 6 goal game didn’t feel like he imposed himself. I just sense a lack of urgency. I’m sure he’s “trying” but I wonder if the concussions have subconsciously made him less aggressive at the contest? Or has he lost the hunger required to show the leadership and physical presence we used to get from Hawkins?
Speaking of Hawkins. Play or not play? I feel it would be detrimental to Neale to be dropped now. Neale has shown enough to be given a chance to have a breakout game or two in finals. BUT it’s a brave person who would not want Hawkins in the goal square if fit. Who do you think the opposition would fear most and put more time into? Hawkins or Neale? I suspect Hawkins. We also need to factor leadership and structure.
I suspect we might end up seeing a Mooney/Hawkins passing of the baton moment. Hawkins is the ultimate clubman, and if he puts his hand up to play, then I believe he’s the best choice.
SDK-looks like the club has been ultra conservative again so hopefully he’s back at full fitness. Surely he plays back not ruck, coming off a LTI?
A lot of the clubs and my positivity has come from the youth. Will it stand up in finals?
Danger-If fit (which he looks) needs another final series like 2022.
Go Cats


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I think they worked out how to get rid of the tag.

When he was a defender, all you had to do was to park a defensive forward on him to scrag him and tag him. You had some idea where he would be at any point of the game - (in defense and always near where the ball was going to go or where the ball was). It's an easy gig for that defensive forward. Just harrass him and try and score off him.

Now, Stewart is an extra on the field - he's not really where the ball is always, he's now operating in 3/4 of the field, not 1/2. This means that to have a dedicated player on him - teams have to sacrifice their structure.

It's a nightmare to manage as a coach. You dont know where he will be. And he's simply not a high enough possession getter in the midfielder to put a dedicated tagger on him. His whole go is effective possessions that impact the game, not accumulating possessions. ANd you dont know when he will get those effective possessions.

He literally players as a defender in the midfield that creates 1%ers. If he sees an opportunity, he goes for it and kicks it forward, but generally he just goes in hard and hits opposition midfielders hard. Plus he has the closing speed to pressure effectively.

As a loose player, whenever he feels like it, or the ball is in a specific spot, he goes and helps the defense out - as a midfielder. Or when the ball is in our half, he stays in the centre, waiting for an intercept.

His role, is now a midfield/defense variation of Cameron's role (or what it was when we were on our streak - forward/wing). And commentators were talking about what a nightmare it was for opposition players to deal with him as he was all over the field.

 

[My Tilly]

4:17 Mark


David King

 

[goyoucatters]

4:17 Mark


David King

I'm no apologist for David King. And his incessant cries of 'Who's going to play that lead-up, Cameron Mooney role?' going into the 2011 finals series are still some of my favourite moments of footy analysis gone wrong in my 40+ years of watching the game.

Having said that, he is absolutely all over it in that analysis. Based on those underlying numbers over the past six weeks, we probably should have expected 1-2 wins, at most. Yet here we are, still contending for top 4 as we go into the final week of the H&A.

Our coach is clearly the best going around, given the balance of our list at this point in time. And while I don't think there's any realistic prospect of us hoisting the cup in a month or so, the very fact that we're going to roll into September (yet again) with meaningful finals to play is almost unbelievable in my view. He's the cheat code par excellence when it comes to extracting the very best from the very least.

#onyascotty
#lovethisclub

 

[kickazz]

Having said that, he is absolutely all over it in that analysis. Based on those underlying numbers over the past six weeks, we probably should have expected 1-2 wins, at most. Yet here we are, still contending for top 4 as we go into the final week of the H&A.

The numbers putting us as second least likely to score on turnover stuck out for me - that's where we used to kill it. And I've watched countless times this year where we seem to be moving the ball forward well only to screw up the I50 with a poor kick or poor structure ahead of the ball.

 

[goyoucatters]

The numbers putting us as second least likely to score on turnover stuck out for me - that's where we used to kill it. And I've watched countless times this year where we seem to be moving the ball forward well only to screw up the I50 with a poor kick or poor structure ahead of the ball.

Absolutely. We thoroughly killed in that area when we went on our colossal run in the back end of 2022. And it is the absence of this ruthlessness (and the scoreboard pressure that it consequently produces) that leaves me with the overwhelming sense that we can't replicate something like that fantastic finals series again this season.

 

[My Tilly]

The numbers putting us as second least likely to score on turnover stuck out for me - that's where we used to kill it.

That may also be due to the change of personnel. Getting used to Shannon Neale's leading patterns as opposed to Tomahawk who would like to be isolated in his favorable part of the ground.
Also having Cameron roaming high up the wing probably doesn't help at times.

I'm bullish on our chances but the ground plays a determining factor. Feels like this current team is best suited to the wider expanses of a MCG for example.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

While not thinking this is particularly “our year”, you’ve gotta be in it to win it.
I think the big issues are:
Tom Stewart-Has to influence or history shows we pretty much lose every time he’s hard tagged.
Midfield inconsistency. Exactly what is our best mf rotation? Danger, Stewart, Atkins, Blicavs at their best proved effective. Bowes and Bruhn are good but drift in and out during games. I still see Holmes as an outside mid/hbf. We are extremely vulnerable against mfs with a couple of A+ players. With 666 if any of those elite groups get a centre bounce/stoppage run on, we can leak multiple match losing goals in a matter of minutes. God forbid that would happen against Sydney, Port or Brisbane interstate.
Wildcard: is Cam Guthrie absolutely ruled out? Let’s not forget he was B & F in 2022, a Premiership year!
Cameron -far from his best. Even his 6 goal game didn’t feel like he imposed himself. I just sense a lack of urgency. I’m sure he’s “trying” but I wonder if the concussions have subconsciously made him less aggressive at the contest? Or has he lost the hunger required to show the leadership and physical presence we used to get from Hawkins?
Speaking of Hawkins. Play or not play? I feel it would be detrimental to Neale to be dropped now. Neale has shown enough to be given a chance to have a breakout game or two in finals. BUT it’s a brave person who would not want Hawkins in the goal square if fit. Who do you think the opposition would fear most and put more time into? Hawkins or Neale? I suspect Hawkins. We also need to factor leadership and structure.
I suspect we might end up seeing a Mooney/Hawkins passing of the baton moment. Hawkins is the ultimate clubman, and if he puts his hand up to play, then I believe he’s the best choice.
SDK-looks like the club has been ultra conservative again so hopefully he’s back at full fitness. Surely he plays back not ruck, coming off a LTI?
A lot of the clubs and my positivity has come from the youth. Will it stand up in finals?
Danger-If fit (which he looks) needs another final series like 2022.
Go Cats


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very Good summation , and i like your point re Bruhn and Bowes , and theres plenty of other Geel players , they drift in and out of games - thats Geelongs achilles heel

Thats the one thing most Geelong supporters would ask , how about giving a genuine 4 quarter effort

 

[Mr Meow]

Kingy summed it up pretty well I thought.

He did, but the same could've been said for most Geelong sides 2014-2021 as well.

Sure we might've had an elite 5 or 6 closer to their prime. However there were serious weaknesses below that and our bottom 6/7 was often terrible. One of the slowest defences going, a lack of midfield depth beyond the top 2 or 3 and some really dysfunctional forward lines that left Hawkins triple teamed in big finals. We often "over performed" in Home and Away seasons but had to drill Selwood, Danger et al. into the ground to do so. Then against swarming pressure teams there was simply too much left to too few.

So I'd say Kingy's verdict has been true of Scott-coached Geelong teams for most of his tenure. He keeps us competitive and in with a shot (somehow) but a really elite or even ferocious team splits open the cracks at the pointy end.

Through all of that, only one straight sets exit though. Is this side worse than the 2014 Cats? I'm not sure.

 

[My Tilly]

Those years (2014-2021) seemed to be a bit more competitive. There were some stand out teams whereas the past 18 months, there has not been a stand out. As they say, this season is wide open for anyone to win the flag if they find form between now and the next month.

What we just saw from Geelong on the weekend has put off a lot of people.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

All fair points and probably the most realistic of outcomes..

Have to laugh however that Kingy has to be the one to get the straight sets shot in first… then the backhanded compliment of well done to get this far..

We have head ****ed him so hard lol

Go Catters

....And by October, he'll say we screwed up the trade period, can't see where the improvement is going to come from, and tip us to finish 12th when February comes.

It's rinse and repeat every year, and while he's not the only one, he's certainly the biggest proponent of it.

Even as Cats supporters, we don't immediately just predict the worst scenario for Hawthorn, or Collingwood, or whoever you've got grievance with every year.

Well...at least normal people don't tend to.

It takes deep hatred, envy, or just an awesome ability to troll to do what he does. It's Skip Bayless/LeBron esque.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

He did, but the same could've been said for most Geelong sides 2014-2021 as well.

Sure we might've had an elite 5 or 6 closer to their prime. However there were serious weaknesses below that and our bottom 6/7 was often terrible. One of the slowest defences going, a lack of midfield depth beyond the top 2 or 3 and some really dysfunctional forward lines that left Hawkins triple teamed in big finals. We often "over performed" in Home and Away seasons but had to drill Selwood, Danger et al. into the ground to do so. Then against swarming pressure teams there was simply too much left to too few.

So I'd say Kingy's verdict has been true of Scott-coached Geelong teams for most of his tenure. He keeps us competitive and in with a shot (somehow) but a really elite or even ferocious team splits open the cracks at the pointy end.

Through all of that, only one straight sets exit though. Is this side worse than the 2014 Cats? I'm not sure.

It's hard to measure, but the era was different too.

That 2014 top 4 was a pretty strong group, at least compared to today's era.

Hawthorn in the midst of a dynasty, Sydney would've been themselves if they could have performed on GF day, and Freo were a consistent defensive force in those early Lyon years, while Geelong (a bit like right now) were bridging the gap between two eras.

We don't have a glut of quality like that at the top this year, and haven't for some time.

It's not an exact science, but Fremantle of that year finished 4th, with the same amount of losses and a better percentage than the minor premiers of 2024 in Sydney.

The other three aspirants finished with 5 losses a piece, while this year, that number will be 7 or 8.

You can mount the argument that we have a better middle tier in todays game, and that the 6-12 sides might be better than years gone by...but the top end just isn't close to what it once was.

 

[Cats_R_Cool_4_Ever]

Gotta be in it to win it! Let’s go all the way - Bring home another Flag boys!! ️

 

[Commando]

We may not have a regular premiers profile but this certainly isn't a regular premiership season!

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Really not sure.
Could win the flag.
Could be embarrassed in 2 straight finals and walk away in disgust.
Who knows? Depends on which Geelong turn up.

 

[Willo_]

While I don't at all expect us to go well, and for me it is either straight sets, or get rolled week 1, win week 2, get rolled in a prelim..
What i will say is this year is a bit bat shit crazy... we could easily drop the first final and Danger go nuclear for a few games and pinch a flag and while it would be a surprise i don't think it would be the biggest shock.

In summary, Low expectations, NFI actual idea how we go