Training Pre-season 2017

[animalrocks]

Any update on Dangerfield.......came off limping with a knee concern.....then reported as corked thigh.

 

[you pick one]

Thanks for the updates on the pre-season.

I like your confidence in Stewart - but like Menegola he comes with a mature body and some decent footy experience. I have not been thinking about him but given his size he would need take Kolo or Thurlow's position the back 6. So unless he forces his way into the team or Thurlow starts in the VFL - it is hard to see him getting early games. But I am excited that you could see him in the seniors this season.

As for your comments re Thurlow - good news indeed. Also maybe Parfitt and Black are outside chances to play seniors this season - which is good for our depth, pressure on the best 22 and for our VFL side.

Maybe things are in a bit better shape than I thought. Early wins will be very useful with so many clubs looking on the improve with few look like going the other way. That means it will be a real *hit fight just to make the 8 let alone the TOP 4. And that would also indicate percentage will likely play a significant part in how things end up.

Scott hasn't dropped Mackie yet,and I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Jon Douglas]

Scott hasn't dropped Mackie yet,and I'm not holding my breath.

A lot of people seem down on Mackie but over a decade he has been a fine player and I do not think he had that bad a year last season. The backline was not the issue - kicking goals I think was a bigger issue.

I think it will be his last season and I believe it is his last year contracted to the club. I expect him to start best 22 - but if Stewart and Thurlow both play well - then by year's end - who knows will fill that role in the backline ?

If Stewart has a big frame, shows some VFL form and adds some dash to the backline - then that would be a very good thing. Big strong bodied players who are physical around the ball but can still have a dash are usually a really good inclusion in the team.

 

[Daniel McL]

Typical Geelong just slipping this in as part of the Dangerfield corkie news.

"Scott Selwood, Sam Menegola and George Horlin-Smith were part of the rehab group and did not take part in the intraclub match."

Edit: If those 3 guys missed the match through minor niggles then I'm okay with that (just wish the club would say exactly why they were part of the rehab group).

 

[Bobby_]

That will be the end of Henderson for the next month.
No way will the club risk him after injuring his calf.

 

[you pick one]

A lot of people seem down on Mackie but over a decade he has been a fine player and I do not think he had that bad a year last season. The backline was not the issue - kicking goals I think was a bigger issue.

I think it will be his last season and I believe it is his last year contracted to the club. I expect him to start best 22 - but if Stewart and Thurlow both play well - then by year's end - who knows will fill that role in the backline ?

If Stewart has a big frame, shows some VFL form and adds some dash to the backline - then that would be a very good thing. Big strong bodied players who are physical around the ball but can still have a dash are usually a really good inclusion in the team.

I agree with all that and is why I believe Taylor stiffening up the forward line is a good thing,it allows us to blood a player or two in the back half as we search for pace, and there for over all play a more balanced side,this also divides the board but in my opinion Blits is a big chance of losing his spot to team balance this year which would be a shame,you can't fault his effort or dedication.

 

[you pick one]

Typical Geelong just slipping this in as part of the Dangerfield corkie news.

"Scott Selwood, Sam Menegola and George Horlin-Smith were part of the rehab group and did not take part in the intraclub match."

Edit: If those 3 guys missed the match through minor niggles then I'm okay with that (just wish the club would say exactly why they were part of the rehab group).

I find the similarity of the three players interesting, coincidence?

 

[Spazz Cat]

Just on Lang - am i alone in thinking he is too small to be an effective modern day mid?

Don't think it matters. Jansen was a massive big bodied mid and was shithouse.
Most important things IMO are getting the ball and using it well.

 

[thegerman]

The major thing I took from today is most looked very fit, there was a lot of switching play, with long kicks sideways. The difference from last year that I could see was that players from that were not stopped or held up. They got forward of the switch and took off.

So a lot of hard running.

 

[Spazz Cat]

The major thing I took from today is most looked very fit, there was a lot of switching play, with long kicks sideways. The difference from last year that I could see was that players from that were not stopped or held up. They got forward of the switch and took off.

So a lot of hard running.

Hey mate, did you happen to see Henry or Simpson out there? Haven't heard much about either so far.

 

[you pick one]

Interesting Blitz played he was on the AFL injury list this week as being 2 to 3 weeks with a knee.
Esava played also on that injury list 2 week with a calf.

 

[nananana catman]

How did Scott Selwood and Menegola go from 'training the house down' to not playing, and Menzel vice versa?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

That will be the end of Henderson for the next month.
No way will the club risk him after injuring his calf.

Jesus Christ mate are you going to be a cynic for the rest of your Hawthorn supporting days?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Interesting Blitz played he was on the AFL injury list this week as being 2 to 3 weeks with a knee.
Esava played also on that injury list 2 week with a calf.

So the injury list updates are about as reliable as Balmey's two weeks diagnosis is what we can take from that.

 

[Jon Douglas]

I agree with all that and is why I believe Taylor stiffening up the forward line is a good thing,it allows us to blood a player or two in the back half as we search for pace, and there for over all play a more balanced side,this also divides the board but in my opinion Blits is a big chance of losing his spot to team balance this year which would be a shame,you can't fault his effort or dedication.

I think Blitz will stay in for a while yet. Our midfield is short of an other A grader to be one of the better midfields. This is the key battle in many games.

We have lost Caddy - who did play a fair bit in the midfield. Lang is not ready to be a full time mid. So we Blitz to play as a mid, along side Scooter, Menegola and Guthrie. Add in Joel and Danger then Smith and Stanley and that is the main midfield group IMO. A few cameos from some others like Motlop, Cocky and Lang to allow us to rest Danger or Joel forward and rotate our topline mids thru the bench.

Blitz can be an ok mid for us because he will seriously give it his best, he will run all day, tackle and get the occasional hit out and mark. Agile for a big man. His main problem is that he does not seem to run forward and find space or a mismatch - and he does not go back and fill a hole while the backline struggles to structure up. He should run his opponents into the ground, especially late in quarters. That would give us an out of defence target or running further forward and finding space closer to goal.

Personally I think he could be slowly taught the art of a KPB - and hopefully over time, as get some new good mids in, he and Guthrie can go back to the defence. The fact he is not a natural footy player and not learning the skills and where to run - to make good decisions under pressure, when he was younger maybe a difficult thing to totally overcome. Last season was the first season since he has been at the club that he did not improve - and actually went backwards a bit. So yes the jury is out right now how he will perform more a pure mid - but most of his career he has adapted and played well. Maybe he can do this again.

 

[Seeds]

Thanks for the updates on the pre-season.

I like your confidence in Stewart - but like Menegola he comes with a mature body and some decent footy experience. I have not been thinking about him but given his size he would need take Kolo or Thurlow's position in the back 6. So unless he forces his way into the team or Thurlow starts in the VFL - it is hard to see him getting early games. But I am excited that you could see him in the seniors this season.

As for your comments re Thurlow - good news indeed. Also maybe Parfitt and Black are outside chances to play seniors this season - which is good for our depth, pressure on the best 22 and for our VFL side.

Maybe things are in a bit better shape than I thought. Early wins will be very useful with so many clubs looking on the improve with few look like going the other way. That means it will be a real *hit fight just to make the 8 let alone the TOP 4. And that would also indicate percentage will likely play a significant part in how things end up.

Or Thurlow takes Enright spot, Touhy takes Mackie, Kolo moves to Taylor's position and Stewart takes kolos spot. They can all fit

Not to mention that you can also start a defender on the pine and rotate the defence through the game so Mackie doesn't have to miss out either..

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

People still don't rate Kolodjashnij, it's mind boggling.

 

[Seeds]

How did Scott Selwood and Menegola go from 'training the house down' to not playing, and Menzel vice versa?

Yep so the two players who were training the house down and getting the puff pieces during trading are both likely to miss the start for the preseason. Lol.

 

[Seeds]

People still don't rate Kolodjashnij, it's mind boggling.

Um did you post this in the right thread?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Um did you post this in the right thread?

Considering you've demoted him from our best 22 with no basis... yes.

 

[Seeds]

Considering you've demoted him from our best 22 with no basis... yes.

No I didn't. Read my post again.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

No I didn't. Read my post again.

Nice edit.

 

[Seeds]

Nice edit.

no I didn't edit that bit of the post. I promoted Kolo to take over from Taylor's position last year when I first wrote the post. You just misread it.

 

[TEDDY24INC]

Great insight here from the skip, notable points
A) prelim loss hurts nearly as deep as 08, know what went wrong.. If the club respond as well as 08 I'll be thrilled
B) Taylor's nous and attention to detail will be very benificial up forward
C) scooter flying
D) Lang and cocky to step up




A CANDID Joel Selwood has conceded his team “got it wrong” in last year’s preliminary final loss to Sydney, saying the result hurt more than any other defeat, barring the 2008 Grand Final against Hawthorn.

But the Cats skipper has dismissed external suggestions his team is too reliant on himself and Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield.

Stressing this would be the only time he would speak about Geelong’s embarrassing first half against Sydney, preferring to look to the future, he said the club would make minor tweaks rather than wholesale changes.

MARK ROBINSON: GEELONG’S 60 SECONDS OF SOFTNESS

TEAM PHOTO: CANDID CATS SHOW OFF THEIR SOFTER SIDE

INJURY SCARE: DANGERFIELD LIMPS OFF TRAINING TRACK

“We know what happened,” Selwood said.

“We didn’t get it right. We had a bad day. To be honest, this is the only time I will talk about it. I am happy to do the story once, but I won’t speak about it (again).

“We got a lot of things wrong. It was (our) set-up; it was a little bit of prep(aration) stuff that we would change now. In the moment, we probably thought we were going into the game fresh.

Geelong captain Joel Selwood leads his team off after losing the preliminary final.
“We expected to play well from the word go, like we do every time. But to take 40 minutes to start the game the way we did (was very disappointing). We won the next 70 minutes, where we won a lot of the ball, and won a lot of the inside 50s, even if we weren’t using it well.

“But the game was gone.”

Selwood said the pain surrounding the loss was more about missed opportunity rather than a stinging criticism that the club attracted immediately after the match and also this preseason.

“It probably hurt the most it has since that Hawthorn one (in 2008),” he said.

“It was a similar case in that game. We got it wrong when we shouldn’t have got it wrong and it has happened twice now in big games. They are probably the wrong sort of games to get it wrong in, but I have played almost 230 games, and I have been on the other side of it, too.”

A three-time premiership player, and one of the most resilient footballers in the game, Selwood was hardly at fault on match day. He and Dangerfield each had 39 disposals in the 37-point preliminary final loss, but he concedes that everyone was culpable.

Joel Selwood is tackled by Lance Franklin in last year’s preliminary final.
He remains confident the Cats will smash the post-game perception espoused by many commentators, including Jason Dunstall, that Geelong is “a two-man team”.

“(That talk) has never had much of an impact on me ... I have a lot more belief in my teammates than the outside world does,” Selwood responded.

“I have to make sure those guys (his teammates) know that I have much more respect for them (than others do). I believe in them a lot more. When I take the field, I am going to try and make them the best footballers they can be, and they have to repay me and help make me the best footballer that I can possibly be.”

The Cats have welcomed some new recruits including former Carlton defender Zach Tuohy and ex-Kangaroo forward Aaron Black; Harry Taylor is being trialled in attack; Mitch Duncan, Cam Guthrie and Steven Motlop look on track to make bigger impacts this year for varying reasons and some young Cats are looking to grasp more opportunities including Nakia Cockatoo and Darcy Lang.

This year marks 10 years since Selwood’s debut season - and first premiership - with the Cats, and the 28-year-old says that hunger for more success with this new wave of teammates is what drives him so hard.

This time last year he was struggling in the pre-season with a foot injury, but off the back of little or no pre-season he responded to have yet another brilliant season, finishing the year with 24 games under his belt and a second All-Australian captaincy appointment.

Jed Bews tackles Joel Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Sarah Matray
The good news is he has hardly missed a beat this pre-season, though he is unlikely to play in Thursday’s JLT Community Series game against Hawthorn, but will play in the next two pre-season games.

Selwood has parked the disappointment from last year, and channelled it into aiming to get the best out of himself again - and his teammates - as he chases a more palatable result in 2017.

“The game of footy is serious, and people will say ‘what are you saying’, but sometimes we do take the game too seriously at times,” he said.

“I was as disappointed as anyone about the (preliminary final) result, but it wasn’t going to fix it because the game was gone.”

Selwood remains confident his team will again be a serious contender for the premiership this year: “We are a part of Geelong ... that’s the way I have been brought up and that won’t change.”

Scott Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Jay Town.

Joel Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Sarah Matray
JOEL SELWOOD ON ...

THE PROGRESSION OF HIS BROTHER SCOTT

“He came to the footy club (last year) and was grinding away with an ankle (injury). He would have liked to be out there early in the season, but he was patient and probably learnt from previous times when he tried to play with. He has taken that attitude into the preseason. He has been one of our best runners over the preseason and he has set the standards.That is a nice thing on my behalf, and Harry Taylor’s behalf, because for a lot of years we were the ones doing it. You need people to lift the standards to get better and he has been a big part of that.”

HOW LONG WILL HE BE CAPTAIN?

“To be honest, there are guys who could step into it, but at the moment they are doing a great job, and if I can take that pressure off them, then I will do it. It is interesting, at 23, when I first became captain ... I saw things a bit black and white, and now I see grey a lot more. It is more about the support I can give my teammates. I love it, but there will be an end period, like everything.”

HOW A TACKLING INTERPRETATION RULE MIGHT IMPACT ON HIM

“It will be another thing we will have to look at and read through the JLT (Community Series). The umpires will do the best job they can, and the player will just have to adjust accordingly.”

THE END OF THE THIRD MAN-UP RULE

“The game will be different, but we’re not sure how just yet. We have two really good ruckmen (Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley) and we have a guy who is 196cm (Mark Blicavs) who can run the ground really well.”

Darcy Lang at Geelong training. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

Nakia Cockatoo at Geelong training. Picture: Glenn Ferguson
YOUNG PLAYERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

“I look forward to Darcy Lang’s year. His name got flung around a bit at trade time and for him that was probably the best thing that could have happened. He took it the right way and got to work. He is absolutely working his backside off. ‘Cocky’ (Nakia Cockatoo), we look forward to his growth. He is still so raw. I don’t like to put the pressure on them, we want them to be the best they can, and that will take time.”

TAYLOR IN ATTACK

“I think we will see him kick a lot of goals this year. He is one of the best marks one-on-one. It will be great for Harry, but it will also give ‘Hawk’ (Tom Hawkins) a hand. Harry will be another leader down there. He is good with set-ups and attention to detail and with the high expectations Harry has, it will be an asset if he spends more time there.”

THOSE CHEESY GEELONG TRAVEL AD

“To be honest, it is for a friend and it’s a bit of fun. The thing about footy is that it is pretty serious and it is nice for teammates to see that sometimes you can relax. I had to drag my partner (Brit Davis) into it (for a mock proposal in the latest version of the ad). I don’t think I would do it (a real proposal) like that.”

 

[catempire]

Great insight here from the skip, notable points
A) prelim loss hurts nearly as deep as 08, know what went wrong.. If the club respond as well as 08 I'll be thrilled
B) Taylor's nous and attention to detail will be very benificial up forward
C) scooter flying
D) Lang and cocky to step up




A CANDID Joel Selwood has conceded his team “got it wrong” in last year’s preliminary final loss to Sydney, saying the result hurt more than any other defeat, barring the 2008 Grand Final against Hawthorn.

But the Cats skipper has dismissed external suggestions his team is too reliant on himself and Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield.

Stressing this would be the only time he would speak about Geelong’s embarrassing first half against Sydney, preferring to look to the future, he said the club would make minor tweaks rather than wholesale changes.

MARK ROBINSON: GEELONG’S 60 SECONDS OF SOFTNESS

TEAM PHOTO: CANDID CATS SHOW OFF THEIR SOFTER SIDE

INJURY SCARE: DANGERFIELD LIMPS OFF TRAINING TRACK

“We know what happened,” Selwood said.

“We didn’t get it right. We had a bad day. To be honest, this is the only time I will talk about it. I am happy to do the story once, but I won’t speak about it (again).

“We got a lot of things wrong. It was (our) set-up; it was a little bit of prep(aration) stuff that we would change now. In the moment, we probably thought we were going into the game fresh.

Geelong captain Joel Selwood leads his team off after losing the preliminary final.
“We expected to play well from the word go, like we do every time. But to take 40 minutes to start the game the way we did (was very disappointing). We won the next 70 minutes, where we won a lot of the ball, and won a lot of the inside 50s, even if we weren’t using it well.

“But the game was gone.”

Selwood said the pain surrounding the loss was more about missed opportunity rather than a stinging criticism that the club attracted immediately after the match and also this preseason.

“It probably hurt the most it has since that Hawthorn one (in 2008),” he said.

“It was a similar case in that game. We got it wrong when we shouldn’t have got it wrong and it has happened twice now in big games. They are probably the wrong sort of games to get it wrong in, but I have played almost 230 games, and I have been on the other side of it, too.”

A three-time premiership player, and one of the most resilient footballers in the game, Selwood was hardly at fault on match day. He and Dangerfield each had 39 disposals in the 37-point preliminary final loss, but he concedes that everyone was culpable.

Joel Selwood is tackled by Lance Franklin in last year’s preliminary final.
He remains confident the Cats will smash the post-game perception espoused by many commentators, including Jason Dunstall, that Geelong is “a two-man team”.

“(That talk) has never had much of an impact on me ... I have a lot more belief in my teammates than the outside world does,” Selwood responded.

“I have to make sure those guys (his teammates) know that I have much more respect for them (than others do). I believe in them a lot more. When I take the field, I am going to try and make them the best footballers they can be, and they have to repay me and help make me the best footballer that I can possibly be.”

The Cats have welcomed some new recruits including former Carlton defender Zach Tuohy and ex-Kangaroo forward Aaron Black; Harry Taylor is being trialled in attack; Mitch Duncan, Cam Guthrie and Steven Motlop look on track to make bigger impacts this year for varying reasons and some young Cats are looking to grasp more opportunities including Nakia Cockatoo and Darcy Lang.

This year marks 10 years since Selwood’s debut season - and first premiership - with the Cats, and the 28-year-old says that hunger for more success with this new wave of teammates is what drives him so hard.

This time last year he was struggling in the pre-season with a foot injury, but off the back of little or no pre-season he responded to have yet another brilliant season, finishing the year with 24 games under his belt and a second All-Australian captaincy appointment.

Jed Bews tackles Joel Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Sarah Matray
The good news is he has hardly missed a beat this pre-season, though he is unlikely to play in Thursday’s JLT Community Series game against Hawthorn, but will play in the next two pre-season games.

Selwood has parked the disappointment from last year, and channelled it into aiming to get the best out of himself again - and his teammates - as he chases a more palatable result in 2017.

“The game of footy is serious, and people will say ‘what are you saying’, but sometimes we do take the game too seriously at times,” he said.

“I was as disappointed as anyone about the (preliminary final) result, but it wasn’t going to fix it because the game was gone.”

Selwood remains confident his team will again be a serious contender for the premiership this year: “We are a part of Geelong ... that’s the way I have been brought up and that won’t change.”

Scott Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Jay Town.

Joel Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Sarah Matray
JOEL SELWOOD ON ...

THE PROGRESSION OF HIS BROTHER SCOTT

“He came to the footy club (last year) and was grinding away with an ankle (injury). He would have liked to be out there early in the season, but he was patient and probably learnt from previous times when he tried to play with. He has taken that attitude into the preseason. He has been one of our best runners over the preseason and he has set the standards.That is a nice thing on my behalf, and Harry Taylor’s behalf, because for a lot of years we were the ones doing it. You need people to lift the standards to get better and he has been a big part of that.”

HOW LONG WILL HE BE CAPTAIN?

“To be honest, there are guys who could step into it, but at the moment they are doing a great job, and if I can take that pressure off them, then I will do it. It is interesting, at 23, when I first became captain ... I saw things a bit black and white, and now I see grey a lot more. It is more about the support I can give my teammates. I love it, but there will be an end period, like everything.”

HOW A TACKLING INTERPRETATION RULE MIGHT IMPACT ON HIM

“It will be another thing we will have to look at and read through the JLT (Community Series). The umpires will do the best job they can, and the player will just have to adjust accordingly.”

THE END OF THE THIRD MAN-UP RULE

“The game will be different, but we’re not sure how just yet. We have two really good ruckmen (Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley) and we have a guy who is 196cm (Mark Blicavs) who can run the ground really well.”

Darcy Lang at Geelong training. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

Nakia Cockatoo at Geelong training. Picture: Glenn Ferguson
YOUNG PLAYERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

“I look forward to Darcy Lang’s year. His name got flung around a bit at trade time and for him that was probably the best thing that could have happened. He took it the right way and got to work. He is absolutely working his backside off. ‘Cocky’ (Nakia Cockatoo), we look forward to his growth. He is still so raw. I don’t like to put the pressure on them, we want them to be the best they can, and that will take time.”

TAYLOR IN ATTACK

“I think we will see him kick a lot of goals this year. He is one of the best marks one-on-one. It will be great for Harry, but it will also give ‘Hawk’ (Tom Hawkins) a hand. Harry will be another leader down there. He is good with set-ups and attention to detail and with the high expectations Harry has, it will be an asset if he spends more time there.”

THOSE CHEESY GEELONG TRAVEL AD

“To be honest, it is for a friend and it’s a bit of fun. The thing about footy is that it is pretty serious and it is nice for teammates to see that sometimes you can relax. I had to drag my partner (Brit Davis) into it (for a mock proposal in the latest version of the ad). I don’t think I would do it (a real proposal) like that.”

Very good. I'm glad I'm on the same page as him in terms of what went wrong in the Prelim and that it is setup, prep and approach that will be worked on rather than wholesale personnel changes.