21 hours ago, Tarax Club said:

Can the resolve from our flag year be re-ignited, or is it like grasping the nettle?

Sentimentality aside the three 2021 performances against the sCats represent a relatively recent high water mark. The two contests since have resulted in being ultimately being runover in the last quarter at Kardinia Kittylitter Park. Payback seemingly for our opportune good fortune in the premiership season.

The usual suspects represent the biggest threats Jezza 🔔end and the 🦅 . (His portrait remains out of public view in GFC boardroom cloakroom). Add the quality of recent recruitment and Chris Scott's maturation as head coach.

The big challenge is can the Demons change a good red into vinegar and start to sour the sCats season?

Fingers crossed third time lucky.

 

16 hours ago, DubDee said:

I’ve been saying the same thing for 15 years. 

they will trade and stay were they are. 

i’ve given up that they will ever be rubbish

They are like cockroaches, which apparently would survive a nuclear holocaust.

3 hours ago, binman said:

We are number one in the AFL for rebound 50s.

Tigers, who are playing an almost identical game to us, are number two.

Cats are number three.

Good point we seem to be less concerned now about inside 50 dominance and more about trying to play offence from D50

This is ok when playing teams like the Tigers last week who had a non existent forward line 

It becomes far more challenging when the opposition has some weapons inside F50 - that is certainly the case in the next two games 

It will be very interesting to see how this new approach goes - or do we modify our method for these teams 

1 hour ago, Oxdee said:

Carlton had more scoring shots and more inside 50’s. It’s not that far fetched to suggest that a Geelong loss had potential. 
A team with a slightly better defence and a more efficient forward line could have taken the points. 

I agree that Geelong were lucky to win and certainly had the potential to lose. My point was more that IMV, you are looking at the wrong stats. I don't think Scott would rate those indicators.

3 hours ago, binman said:

We are number one in the AFL for rebound 50s.

Tigers, who are playing an almost identical game to us, are number two.

Cats are number three.

Exactly. Rebound 50s is a stat Scott would rate highly.

Edited April 30, 20241 yr by Binmans PA

1 minute ago, Sydee said:

Good point we seem to be less concerned now about inside 50 dominance and more about trying to play offence from D50

This is ok when playing teams like the Tigers last week who had a non existent forward line 

It becomes far more challenging when the opposition has some weapons inside F50 - that is certainly the case in the next two games 

It will be very interesting to see how this new approach goes - or do we modify our method for these teams 

We have the best backline in the league by a considerable margin. Having a 10% better backline than the next best in the league is huge. 

There's some extraordinary disrespect and under estimation of Geelong in this thread.

They've clearly been the most consistent team all year so far and been on their game mentally every week, as opposed to us when we've had 2 games when we were clearly "off" for one reason or another.

I also can't buy into the "they haven't beaten anyone" notion.

Sure they've had some easy games against North and Hawthorn, but they've just beaten Brisbane at home (who had just given us a bath) and then put 120 points on a genuine premiership contender in Carlton. They've also won 2 games in Adelaide which seems to have been lost on some.

Geelong are top of the ladder for a good reason, and Saturday night is a massive audit for us.

4 hours ago, IRW said:

Yeah they're [censored]  and you're hilarious 

The Dee's are a shoe in

Not sure of your point. 
BTW I don't think we'll win as I don't think our forward line is anywhere strong enough.
Petty is a liability but we've no alternative.
I live 20km from Geelong and hate them with a passion. They'll remain strong as they'll have a huge war chest with the departure of Dangerfield, Hawkins et al.

This year we seem determined to roll back to defend from 80 m back.  If we get it before then, then we move it forward, otherwise we are not too upset with sides moving it down to the top of the centre square.  From there, our defence has been enormous, soaking up a high number of oppo entries this year.  I suppose our aim is to sling shot from here forward into a more open forward line and increase conversion of our own inside 50s.

Geelong are good at working it fast between the arcs, which means for us to win on Saturday, we need to:

create more contests as they move the ball. Post clearance possies will be important

dominate the d50

be efficient going forward

lots and lots of pressure and 2 way running.

If we do this, I am not scared of the cats.  Otherwise we are like a hooker at a bucks night…

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

There's some extraordinary disrespect and under estimation of Geelong in this thread.

They've clearly been the most consistent team all year so far and been on their game mentally every week, as opposed to us when we've had 2 games when we were clearly "off" for one reason or another.

I also can't buy into the "they haven't beaten anyone" notion.

Sure they've had some easy games against North and Hawthorn, but they've just beaten Brisbane at home (who had just given us a bath) and then put 120 points on a genuine premiership contender in Carlton. They've also won 2 games in Adelaide which seems to have been lost on some.

Geelong are top of the ladder for a good reason, and Saturday night is a massive audit for us.

I will never respect a side that gets the draw they get. Sides are forced to play them on a 2 bit public school oval that nets them a ridiculous sum of money. They have a massive unfair advantage. 

17 hours ago, DubDee said:

I’ve given up that they will ever be rubbish

Yep.  Geelong are the team that doesn't have to do rebuilds

11 minutes ago, buck_nekkid said:

...

If we do this, I am not scared of the cats.  Otherwise we are like a hooker at a bucks night…

Interesting analogy.

1 hour ago, leave it to deever said:

 

Use it or lose it?

7 hours ago, DEE fence said:

They will not flush.

Just need a better cistern system.

3 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

You want to play Petracca on Cameron? Has Petracca ever played in defence before? Wow...that really is rolling the dice.

It's not my preference - more just putting forward ideas to disrupt Geelong.  In reality it is more likely to be Neal-Bullen that follows Cameron as Petracca runs forward but he's likely to get exposed in marking contests (hence why I was suggesting Rivers)

1 hour ago, Tarax Club said:

Use it or lose it?

Your in better shape than the one who answers with cartoons TC.

4 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

You want to play Petracca on Cameron? Has Petracca ever played in defence before? Wow...that really is rolling the dice.

Could not consider Tracca playing a game in defence. He has delivered some relatively quiet games across the season so far this year, so we could naturally consider it is his 'rebound' time, rapidly approaching. Rivers, Clarrie and Tracca giving the Cats a very hard time would be wonderful to see - breaking midfield restrictions, running further into the forward line at full pace (with the ball) and lining-up the big sticks with more characteristic accuracy. Our smalls need to have smarts switched on across the fwd line to provide real options to goal, in support and in un-marked territory. We can knock the Cats off - the road trip to the 'G will exhaust them in the first instance and secondly, such travel will handicap their endurance across a whole game. 'Carna Dees!

1 hour ago, leave it to deever said:

You’re in better shape than the one who answers with cartoons TC.

Deever, probably need to pull my head in. Verbosity Meter is going off its #*#%!  

21 minutes ago, Tarax Club said:

Deever, probably need to pull my head in. Verbosity Meter is going off its #*#%!  

"Brevity may be the soul of wit but verbosity is its relishable foreplay "

Litd.

Edited April 30, 20241 yr by leave it to deever

6 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

There's some extraordinary disrespect and under estimation of Geelong in this thread.

They've clearly been the most consistent team all year so far and been on their game mentally every week, as opposed to us when we've had 2 games when we were clearly "off" for one reason or another.

I also can't buy into the "they haven't beaten anyone" notion.

Sure they've had some easy games against North and Hawthorn, but they've just beaten Brisbane at home (who had just given us a bath) and then put 120 points on a genuine premiership contender in Carlton. They've also won 2 games in Adelaide which seems to have been lost on some.

Geelong are top of the ladder for a good reason, and Saturday night is a massive audit for us.

I agree with the Cats being a good team. The blues win showed scary efficiency going forward and their backline is very strong. Bit the two wins in SA were not the same only one was v a SA team in the Crows.

I don't feel at all confident with the way our forward line has been performing. Jvr and Petty really have to give us something. 

I'm confident that our midfield is a cut above and despite looking flat lately will rise to the occasion. I'd drop Woey for Hore and possibly McAdam as a sub for some more goal firepower. 

 

6 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

I agree with the Cats being a good team. The blues win showed scary efficiency going forward and their backline is very strong. Bit the two wins in SA were not the same only one was v a SA team in the Crows.

I don't feel at all confident with the way our forward line has been performing. Jvr and Petty really have to give us something. 

I'm confident that our midfield is a cut above and despite looking flat lately will rise to the occasion. I'd drop Woey for Hore and possibly McAdam as a sub for some more goal firepower. 

 

How many times does the club need to say that McAdam is due longer minutes at Casey before returning before people stop selecting him V the Cats? 

As we haven't seen a "What they are saying down at Kadinia Park" thread, I thought I would head over to big footy to check out whether there were any memorable quotes

 

Conclusion they are in cocky mode and the comments bordering on back slapping vomit producing drivel.

Boy how much fun will it be when we knock them off on Saturday night..

(rubs hands together)

8 hours ago, old55 said:

Well we've lost by more than 40 pts once in the past 4 seasons and by 30 or more twice so I'd say you've done your dough.

They are simply amazing stats.

Add the fact that since the start of the 2021 season we have only given up 100 points three times (next best 9) and you get a great sense of how remarkably effective our defence is. 

And how central defence is to goody's coaching philosophy.

I wonder if there has EVER been a more effective defence over any four season block?

It's worth noting too that Daniel hoyne, in discussing our new method at the start of the season warned dees fans we are likely going to give up more goals this season ('you've got to give up something to get something' ie a more expansive, turnover based game will open us for goals the other way).

Hoyne might still be proved correct, but not on the evidence of the 7 games so far.

Whilst I still think Carlton are the team to beat this year, it's hard to deny Geelong is pretty much the best run club in the AFL. Yes, they have natural advantages (the home ground and the region). But they consistently make the most of them by recruiting and developing incredibly well.

We all saw the cliff coming - so they go and get Cameron to win them another flag with that generation. Now another cliff - they bring in a cohort of 22-24 year olds with senior experience - Bruhn, Bowes, O Henry - for really not much in capital (negative capital in the sake of Bowes). With our list profile - where that is an age group we are light on outside of Kozzie, Riv and Sparrow - we'd be lucky to have acquired any of those three. 

Add to this a drafting and recruiting staff that really very rarely miss even though they aren't getting top top picks - think SDK, Holmes, J Henry et.al - and you have a perennial contender. 

Arguably the best off field stuff in the AFL, an amazing culture of high achievement and one of if not the best coaches in the game too. 

They make smart decisions - where we sometimes rush players in, they rest their ageing or banged up stars when they don't need them (in turn passing responsibility to the next generation). A club that knows how to do it and plays the long game (vs. Us playing track with a broken leg etc. in our desperation to win again in our brief window)

A lucky club in some ways, but extraordinarily well run. They are an example we should be trying to follow. 

I don't like them at all, but respect what they do. Sydney the closest thing from a consistency and cultural perspective. Perhaps no small coincidence they also benefit from an academy which is analogous to the recruiting advantages of the Vic surf coast. 

I suspect we aren't quite at their level this year especially with the level of youth we are carrying in the team, but very happy to be pleasantly surprised otherwise! 

2 hours ago, binman said:

I wonder if there has EVER been a more effective defence over any four season block?

Not sure about 4 yrs but Port defence was pretty good 2002-2004 in a higher scoring era, they finished top with close to lowest points against, for just the one flag.

10 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

There's some extraordinary disrespect and under estimation of Geelong in this thread.

They've clearly been the most consistent team all year so far and been on their game mentally every week, as opposed to us when we've had 2 games when we were clearly "off" for one reason or another.

I also can't buy into the "they haven't beaten anyone" notion.

Sure they've had some easy games against North and Hawthorn, but they've just beaten Brisbane at home (who had just given us a bath) and then put 120 points on a genuine premiership contender in Carlton. They've also won 2 games in Adelaide which seems to have been lost on some.

Geelong are top of the ladder for a good reason, and Saturday night is a massive audit for us.

Correct, and they're playing with a level of ball movement frankly I'm not sure I've ever seen before, that's how well drilled and connected they are. Every player seems to move in and out of gaps to create beautiful flowing ball movement.

I have huge concerns about our ability to zone them up and force long kicks at any time and I suspect they'll bypass Lever with easy - sending Miers and Close up the ground - and isolate match ups deep or even get over the back.

And they're doing it all whilst still keeping pressure and creating spare defenders.

The only thing they are giving up at times is clerances but we've been a long way below our best all year in that regard and the one time we really punished a side from clearances was the 2021 grand final. We rarely get anywhere near the return from clearance dominance.