Game Day RD 16 Geelong v Essendon Sat Jun 29 730pm @ MCG

[dazbroncos]

Same place as last week.
Same team as last week in that weve beaten them relentlessly over 2 decades and they want their go again.
Different team with three changes on our end - Neale, Humphries and Knevitt. Clearly more of the future than the past.

Will be interesting if we get a response? Can we get a give a better effort or is this what we are now?

Heppel 250th so they will be motivated.

SDK in the ruck maybe again?!?!

LAte change with the potential of wet weather? No Stanley or Conway to ruck?

Lots of questions and we wills ee what happens.

At our best, we can win this but our best has been MIA for 2 months. PFD free to play, Stewy and Miers can the break their weekly attention
Can Close, Atkins, Stengle, Holmes get on top and stay there or will we let the Dons get a sniff and start running forward of the ball.

GO Catters

 

[Romeoh1]

Looking forward to this game. Comon cats- find some better form.

 

[Play it Sam]

MCG in the rain, freezing- take your tartan blanket.
Scott was glowing about Humphries, Knevitt and Neale. Good luck to them. Tempering expectations, but hope Knevitt can translate the VFL form, and good tank- and we'll see another blond ghost popping up in good spots around the ground. Go Cats.

 

[cats_09]

 

[STPer18]

DANGER game.

 

[cats_09]

Historically the club culture appears to has been to be ‘cold’ to players who are disgruntled (not saying that Shaun is). Although lots here will disagree I thought club was absolutely brutal with Mark Blake stuck on 99 games, notwithstanding we had Mummy etc at time. Forward pocket in VFL can be a frustrating position, particularly with Cats average delivery - hope that naming Mannagh at half back is recognition they could get his skills better utilised.

I think you've confused the years in regards to Blake, Mumford etc

Mumford was traded to Sydney following the 2009 season

Blake reached 99 games in the 2010 QF loss to St Kilda

In 2011, Scott backed in Ottens to get the job done as the senior ruck options, with support from West (took over the #2 spot late in the year), Vardy, Simpson and even Hawkins was involved

 

[cats_09]

Anyone after GA seating for tonight, you've got plenty more options than last week

GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING AND CHEER SQUAD LOCATIONS​

General Admission seating is available in the following locations, subject to change.

View a map of the MCG here.

Shane Warne Stand

• M6-M7
• Q1-Q6
• Q7 Rows H-DD
• Q8-Q15 Rows P-DD

Ponsford Stand

• M35-M36
• Q29-Q36

Olympic Stand

• Q49-Q57

AFL Reserve Please note: the AFL Reserve is open for AFL members only.

• Q15-Q24 Rows K-DD
• Q25-Q28

CHEER SQUAD LOCATIONS
Geelong: M3 Rows A-P (Punt Road end)
Essendon: M33 rows A-Z (City end)

 

[CatToTheFuture]

We should be faster with the changes.

we can and should win this game

 

[Generalissimo]

we can and should win this game

I admire your optimism. I suspect we're going to get absolutely pantsed.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I admire your optimism. I suspect we're going to get absolutely pantsed.

We are a fraudulent top 8 side but so are Essendon

 

[cats_09]

We should be faster with the changes.

we can and should win this game

Going to be interesting to see at what stage the showers ease

Melbourne area​

Cloudy. Very high chance of rain, easing to showers in the late afternoon and evening and mostly contracting to eastern suburbs at night. Winds north to northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h tending west to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the late afternoon.


I feel like with Thursday nights selection, we've started to see a shift with our approach - want to see who stands up tonight & who doesn't

Don't care if a player has been a great of our game, if the efforts not there we need to start seeing more calls made

 

[CHAWKTS]

Game Day feelings have started to be strange!

Swans I genuinely thought we could cause an upset with them coming off the bye and “due for a loss”. At qtr time my feelings looked prophetic…

Against the Blues I thought we would lose by 10 goals. Could not see how we could get close when you lined up the teams. Unfortunately that was prophetic!

Today I honestly have ZERO idea! I can’t bring myself to rate Essendon - but they are third on the ladder! And I can’t stop the feeling that we are just not that good - but then I just think that Danger, Stewart and Jezza are all due to rip a game apart and believe they still can.

In any event I am excited about the game given the changes. We have stoped talking about the transition and are definitely doing it. We have 7 players named who did NOT play in our premiership less than 2 years ago (with 2 more players injured who would be in our team)…that is transition in action.

In terms of the game, I don’t know what the weather does? I have a feeling we will decide to use strong bodies in the midfield today (Danger, Stewart and Blitz) and inject youth speed out of our backline (Homes, Humphries) and on the wing (Knevitt, Dempsey). Lets give Atkins a tagging role on Merritt and stop their run?

Not a great Day for Scratcher but just want to see him compete hard alongside Rohan. Same with Sam. Compete and build confidence.

Dempsey and Mitch on the wings (and 2E I suppose?) - rain might dull their aerial strengths but hopefully they both use their running capacity. Would like to see Mitch rotate through MF too.

And need our small forwards doing the work. Some sloppy goals!

There could be 4th spot up for grabs with a decent win - and 12th spot if lose by a bit!! I honestly don’t know how good either team is so it is really hard.

Both teams have only won 1 game against teams in the 8! That is actually quite amazing in round 15 given both teams are in the 8!! So whilst I feel a bit despondent about our record…I am buoyed by Essendon’s

This is going to be a long day waiting for kick off!

 

[Finknottle]

Essendon have a better midfield and backline, forward lines for both teams are ordinary. Essendon's ruck combination should give them an advantage around the ground. Geelong would have to defy their form to win this one.

 

[Commando]

This is definitely a game that we can win but I'm not sure we will...

In fact absolutely anything could happen tonight and it wouldn't surprise me

 

[moond0g]

I know Essendon are 3rd on the ladder, but their percentage is the 10th best. They’re a middle of the pack team, just like us.

We’re a good shot at winning this.

 

[Play it Sam]

Going to be interesting to see at what stage the showers ease

Melbourne area​

Cloudy. Very high chance of rain, easing to showers in the late afternoon and evening and mostly contracting to eastern suburbs at night. Winds north to northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h tending west to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the late afternoon.


I feel like with Thursday nights selection, we've started to see a shift with our approach - want to see who stands up tonight & who doesn't

Don't care if a player has been a great of our game, if the efforts not there we need to start seeing more calls made

Country game. Should have played it at Dartmoor.
Well I guess it rains in the country.

 

[coylez]

4 tickets avail selling cheap, bay P16, row A, undercover, pm if interested

 

[Play it Sam]

Game Day feelings have started to be strange!

Swans I genuinely thought we could cause an upset with them coming off the bye and “due for a loss”. At qtr time my feelings looked prophetic…

Against the Blues I thought we would lose by 10 goals. Could not see how we could get close when you lined up the teams. Unfortunately that was prophetic!

Today I honestly have ZERO idea! I can’t bring myself to rate Essendon - but they are third on the ladder! And I can’t stop the feeling that we are just not that good - but then I just think that Danger, Stewart and Jezza are all due to rip a game apart and believe they still can.

In any event I am excited about the game given the changes. We have stoped talking about the transition and are definitely doing it. We have 7 players named who did NOT play in our premiership less than 2 years ago (with 2 more players injured who would be in our team)…that is transition in action.

In terms of the game, I don’t know what the weather does? I have a feeling we will decide to use strong bodies in the midfield today (Danger, Stewart and Blitz) and inject youth speed out of our backline (Homes, Humphries) and on the wing (Knevitt, Dempsey). Lets give Atkins a tagging role on Merritt and stop their run?

Not a great Day for Scratcher but just want to see him compete hard alongside Rohan. Same with Sam. Compete and build confidence.

Dempsey and Mitch on the wings (and 2E I suppose?) - rain might dull their aerial strengths but hopefully they both use their running capacity. Would like to see Mitch rotate through MF too.

And need our small forwards doing the work. Some sloppy goals!

There could be 4th spot up for grabs with a decent win - and 12th spot if lose by a bit!! I honestly don’t know how good either team is so it is really hard.

Both teams have only won 1 game against teams in the 8! That is actually quite amazing in round 15 given both teams are in the 8!! So whilst I feel a bit despondent about our record…I am buoyed by Essendon’s

This is going to be a long day waiting for kick off!

As long as you call it transition and not God forbid, rebuilding.
You know, the thing we haven't done in 14 years?
There's a lot on the table to lose tonight.

Looking forward to a bit of MCG mongrel in Rohan, and if Neale doesn't take his chances by flying IN FRONT, you'll hear me scream from here. Given the way we bomb it in, probably can't see that changing.

 

[cats_09]

In case anyone is wondering

 

[Play it Sam]

In case anyone is wondering

LOL not one thing about what country round actually is.
Should have recycled this:

 

[Finknottle]

Essendon's odds coming in. Essendon $1.72, Geelong $2.10. Seems about right. Essendon were $1.85 earlier in the week. Given the rain and inability of both teams to hit the scoreboard, I think it will be a dour struggle with not a lot in it at the end.

 

[Alex Matt]

Been looking forward to this game since the fixture came out. Only my second Geelong game for the year (saw them in Brissy) but boy it’s not looking great weather wise.

 

[CHAWKTS]

Essendon's odds coming in. Essendon $1.72, Geelong $2.10. Seems about right. Essendon were $1.85 earlier in the week. Given the rain and inability of both teams to hit the scoreboard, I think it will be a dour struggle with not a lot in it at the end.

First goal wins

 

[cats_09]

LOL not one thing about what country round actually is.
Should have recycled this:

It should have been a twilight match at worse

When it used to be held earlier in the day, they had a raft of activities, and maybe the weather's played a part in things today, but it seems a token idea for a match more than anything else

 

[jdBombers3598]

I smell another drubbing

Cats by about 70