Opinion This year’s Geelong team is different…

[TEDDY24INC]

Can Hawkins perform vs other big players like May and can he perform in big finals games, has not done it for a few years in finals

He has struggled to exert influence when our mids have been smashed

 

[Willo_]

This season hasn't been without concern for me, i still worry about the depth of our midfield and that it is our weakness..

BUT that being said, SDK doing what he has, has allowed us to let Blitz roam and help solidify things (and he has been very good, could argue career best form), Atkins going in he has taken to like a fish to water and we are seeing the combativeness and VFL ability transfer across and with the improvement of Close and Stengle coming in, plus a fit Jezza our forward line is a much more lethal beast..
We have still had some moments and struggles to stem bleeding at times (Hawks games, Saints) but I also think a couple of really positive signs that things may be different this time round, and we may be building into the year with a harder edge are that when our mids started getting pantsed by the Dogs midfield, we still were difficult to score against, so for their play they didn't make too much of an imprint and then we steadied.. and more importantly of all, the Tigers game was following the EXACT script we had seen in a couple of huge games against us, and into the 4th with us starting to fall behind but still in touch instead of just rolling over and it blowing out we punched them back in the face and were able to get the win.

Still have my worries, but starting to see some things that give me real hope

 

[Drunkcat]

He has struggled to exert influence when our mids have been smashed

What about vs Richmond the game we won could not get a kick.....Tonight again in a big game be good to see who can handle it and who can not

 

[Willo_]

Can Hawkins perform vs other big players like May and can he perform in big finals games, has not done it for a few years in finals

the mids have generally been smashed so his opportunities have been limited... but he also does tighten up with his kicking in big games imo... it is vital that he gets an early one, even a cheapie to get him feeling good.. if he struggles to get near it and then does when we need a goal I find he often misses

 

[fpm84]

Can Hawkins perform vs other big players like May and can he perform in big finals games, has not done it for a few years in finals

Five goals in last year's semi...

 

[Drunkcat]

Five goals in last year's semi...

Yeah in a final we were never going to lose so do better than that crap.... not talking about the soft finals

 

[Willo_]

Five goals in last year's semi...

I understand the point being made, often in Qualifying and Prelims, Hawk has battled... all our players have filled their boots in semis

it is a chicken or the egg question potentially, does he struggle because the team is, or does the team struggle because he does?

(fwiw i mentioned just before i think he tightens up a touch in the big moments having shots recently, but i also think if he got a goal early that would change everything)

 

[Drunkcat]

I understand the point being made, often in Qualifying and Prelims, Hawk has battled... all our players have filled their boots in semis

it is a chicken or the egg question potentially, does he struggle because the team is, or does the team struggle because he does?

(fwiw i mentioned just before i think he tightens up a touch in the big moments having shots recently, but i also think if he got a goal early that would change everything)

It's a thing with a lot of players having bad finals, how many times do you keep playing Rohan with such poor results, think that's why people are worrying now close to finals again

 

[goyoucatters]

The personnel mostly looks more solid across the board. Cameron has given us a huge lift (now that he's fit), Stengle has been fantastic, and 'The King' has been everything his name suggests. Atkins' injection into the mids group looks crucial and Close has been generally showing plenty of improvement as well. If Sels and Danger can finish the year strongly (and Parf can stay on the park), I think we can compete around the ball with the better mid groups.

Zuth has ticked up as well, Toma is still immense, and Blitz/Duncan/Guth (and even Rhys) have provided stacks of solid output. Smith and Tuohy have again been really strong, and Stewart has worked really well off the reliability of so many of the other dependable defenders.

Most of all, though, I've been stoked to see us genuinely playing a less measured style of footy for so much of the time. I believe our best football has shown a greater desire to chase and win it back, rather than simply holding defensive 'shape'. And, having won it back more often, our willingness to then go quickly has significantly improved, which is just what a dynamic forward group like ours wants to see.

Added to that, the shift to taking the ball out of the front of the stoppage much more often is another huge factor in our improvement for mine. It's the key area where Melbourne completely embarrassed us last year. So I'm really hoping to see an extension of these aspects of our game style into the end of this season. The Dees coasted to a flag with a serviceable forward line, based on having their defensive intent and their subsequent springboard to offence completely right. So if we can generate a similar quantity and quality of forward entries to them over the course of a game, I back our superior forward set-up to offer the hope of better capitalising on the comparable supply.

So while I rate the improvement in the output of certain players, I think the alterations to our game plan are our biggest point of difference this year. Without these, we'd simply be making up the numbers yet again. With these tweaks in place, we might just be in there with a show.

 

[witsend]

It's a thing with a lot of players having bad finals, how many times do you keep playing Rohan with such poor results, think that's why people are worrying now close to finals again

I wonder if the change in game plan will suit Rohan in finals? Things tend to tighten up and become more cautious in big finals. Hopefully a more attacking mindset will suit Rohan.

 

[Willo_]

It's a thing with a lot of players having bad finals, how many times do you keep playing Rohan with such poor results, think that's why people are worrying now close to finals again

no doubt there are question marks, and no doubt we have our worries.. time will tell.
I saw a Richmond ****wit on twitter beating his chest about how Geelong haven't won 2 finals in a row in years (which is wrong anyway because we did in 2020) so he wouldn't buy the Geelong hype..

And I thought to myself how that is fair enough, but before 2017 Richmond hadn't won a single final in many many years.. so things can change when change occurs and history can guide you, but doesn't lock in your path with certainty

 

[Drunkcat]

no doubt there are question marks, and no doubt we have our worries.. time will tell.
I saw a Richmond ******* on twitter beating his chest about how Geelong haven't won 2 finals in a row in years (which is wrong anyway because we did in 2020) so he wouldn't buy the Geelong hype..

And I thought to myself how that is fair enough, but before 2017 Richmond hadn't won a single final in many many years.. so things can change when change occurs and history can guide you, but doesn't lock in your path with certainty

I like when someone gives you a levelheaded reply thanks

 

[Willo_]

I like when someone gives you a levelheaded reply thanks

I am more hopeful than confident, but tonight might change my tune. It will be about the way we handle things more than the result for me I think

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Our Achilles heal is our midfield.
It may look a little different but it isn’t a top 4 mid group for me.
When the whips are cracking we might be found out.
Hope I am wrong but… I have my reservations.
But I’m an optimist.
GiddyUp!

You're on the money, but I reckon it'll only truly be exploited against Melbourne. Their midfield when on is the benchmark.

We beat the Dogs in their pretty easily, and had the Tigers measure as well until Baker was thrown in the mix and changed the dynamic.

If you look at the competition of 10-15 years ago then it's not even close to a premiership midfield..but footy these last few years has been substandard in comparison.

Clubs have won flags with glaring issues due to a clear talent vacuum since the introduction of the expansion clubs. Look at that Melbourne forward line last year. The Dogs of '16, Tigers of '17 or even the GF making Pies of '18 and Eagles of '15.

These sides had glaring weaknesses, or just simply don't look that talented across the park...but they got there anyway.

It's dissapointing that the quality of the game has suffered, but we're in with a huge chance, along with a few others who'd just be making up the numbers 10-15 years ago.

 

[Warhorse]

Wait until finals.

 

[Footy Smarts]

I'd say we've been a different team since 2020 when our midfield stopped being completely 1-way. Kelly and Ablett moved out, Danger and Selwood spent less time in there and Guthrie, Parfitt and Blicavs moved in there a lot more. Then we looked at O'Connor in there but have settled on Atkins. Overall we started valuing defence in midfield as well as offence.

We could easily have won the flag in 2020 but had a mixture of individual players choking under pressure and Martin playing one of the best games of all time.

Last year everything went wrong in finals. No Parfitt, no O'Connor and no Stewart meaning Blicavs had to play back. So our midfield looked a lot more like pre 2020.

I don't know if we're good enough to win the flag but our team is more balanced than pre 2020 when our lack of accountability in midfield gave us very little chance.

 

[Lana]

We're definitely different, I don't think we're better, we've been really good for a really long time.

Our strengths drift, players get older, other develop or a recruited.

We've been good enough to win it, just need to have that patch of luck to move us beyond the rest of the pack of good teams.

 

[dazbroncos]

Best forward line in the comp.
A top 4 back line.
Midfield somewhere around 5th - 8th.

That's where I see us, and how far we can go this year depends entirely on how our mids stack up against good opponents in finals.

Does Selwood have another 10 quality games in the tank for the year?
Can Danger get through without another major niggle? We saw last week how potent our midfield can look with vintage Danger.
Is Atkins in the middle of a purple patch or is his form sustainable against the best teams?

Glass half full belief is that if our midfield can at least break even with anyone, our backline and forwards are good enought to get it done.

You need luck to win flags..be it a toe poke that comes off.. a clean run with injury and suspension… the oppo are spent before the first bounce.. or it’s just your day.. but you can win it if these things play out… conversely.. you can be the best you’ve been all year abs still get done

Go Catters

 

[Pollywaffle]

Difference between Petracca and Dangerfield right there

 

[Pollywaffle]

Get the feeling the umpires will decide this…..

 

[Seeds]

This umpiring is bullsh*t

 

[catempire]

Last year we were 0-3 against this mob.

It’s already different.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

We play very different to last year and thanks to some structural holes being filled-atkins as a bullock inside mid, sdk as an intercept kpd to release blicavs, holmes developing as a winger plus menegola back which gives us far more 2 way running to support the defence, stengle as the specialist small forward we lacked, cameron properly fit which takes pressure off hawk. Also while we do control the ball with short kicking like last year its not backwards and sideways like last year we are constantly taking territory (id love to see our metres gained lately compared to last year). Time will tell if we can mentally stand up to the finals heat but structurally we are a far better team than last year.

 

[winty]

Big difference for me is the evenness across the board. We're getting solid contributions by pretty much everyone on the park this year. In previous years we'd have to rely on the top 6-10 players having good games and if they struggle, we struggle as a side. Now we're seeing other players step up to pick up the slack if need be.

Sometimes it's the bottom 6 players on the ground who can win you games. This year the gap between our top 6 and bottom 6 seems to have narrowed significantly.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Tonight we saw 1 goal from Hawkins only, 1 goal from Stengle, zero from Cameron, zero from Dangerfield yet comfortably accounted for the current Premier.
Without a doubt this team is different this season, if that's enough to win the flag or not who knows, but we certainly are different and IMO entirely in a positive direction.