2 hours ago, fr_ap said:

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! 

Yes Geelong have been consistently contenders but Scott went 11 years until he won that second flag and Longmire is 11 years in and counting. We're 2 years in and counting.

Oh yeah crazy Bevo 7 years in - but who's counting?

Edited April 30, 2024Apr 30 by old55

1 hour ago, old55 said:

Yes Geelong have been consistently contenders but Scott went 11 years until he won that second flag and Longmire is 11 years in and counting. We're 2 years in and counting.

Oh yeah crazy Bevo 7 years in - but who's counting?

Tis a good point. Maybe Scott has underachieved? 

Or maybe, as we all seem to remember when almost every premier fails to go back to back...it's incredibly hard and you need a truckload of luck 

3 hours ago, fr_ap said:

t 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

Both above Gws?

13 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 don’t think anyone is underrating Geelong however most dees supporters together with the general public have this game as a close 50/50…

Comments on this forum are trying to dissect which part of our game will neutralise geelong and which parts will make them pay.  

 

17 hours ago, binman said:

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.

I think the club noted what happened early last year. The full mechanics of our game style are yet to be fully clear. I’m looking forward to seeing it all as the year goes on

12 hours ago, Oxdee said:

I don’t think anyone is underrating Geelong however most dees supporters together with the general public have this game as a close 50/50…

Comments on this forum are trying to dissect which part of our game will neutralise geelong and which parts will make them pay.  

Agree with the second comment. That part of the thread has been a good discussion point.

It's the "oh their 7-0 but they're not playing well and haven't beaten anyone" narrative that's crept into the discussion.

Geelong have been the best performed team so far this year. I don't know how one can argue otherwise.

Sydney put in an immature performance against Richmond, GWS went to sleep 2 weeks in a row and it almost cost them the full 8 points, while Carlton have lost just as many quarters as they've won. 

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

It's the "oh their 7-0 but they're not playing well and haven't beaten anyone" narrative that's crept into the discussion.

Geelong have been the best performed team so far this year. I don't know how one can argue otherwise.

Sydney put in an immature performance against Richmond, GWS went to sleep 2 weeks in a row and it almost cost them the full 8 points, while Carlton have lost just as many quarters as they've won. 

It's a fact that the draw is inequitable. It's perfectly valid to argue that team x hasn't performed or been tested against good sides.

For example, Port Adelaide beats up on weaker sides but performs poorly against top 4 sides.

Their ladder position flatters them

Does McAdam come in?

I think this is the perfect time for him to light up the G.

In - McAdam, Hunter

Out - Woewodin, Laurie

HF - McAdam, van Rooyen, Neal-Bullen

F - Fritsch, Petty, Pickett

Int - Turner, Billings, Sparrow, Chandler

23rd - Laurie

 

Edited May 1, 2024May 1 by SthSea22
.

Geelong 10 flags in 125 years. Massive underachiers having had a massive home ground advantage throughout that period.  We had a near 60 year hiatus from winning a premiership and they still can't catch us!

1 hour ago, SthSea22 said:

Does McAdam come in?

I think this is the perfect time for him to light up the G.

In - McAdam, Hunter

Out - Woewodin, Laurie

HF - McAdam, van Rooyen, Neal-Bullen

F - Fritsch, Petty, Pickett

Int - Turner, Billings, Sparrow, Chandler

23rd - Laurie

 

No! People need to listen the club.  McAdam will play a full game at Casey before being selected

1 hour ago, SthSea22 said:

Does McAdam come in?

I think this is the perfect time for him to light up the G.

In - McAdam, Hunter

Out - Woewodin, Laurie

 

 

Whilst Hunter has moments of brilliance, I'm not sure he really offers anything more than what we have in the side at the moment. His underground handballs are frequently intercepted, and he doesn't exactly offer speed in the spread out of the contest or around the ground. I commend his ability to kick the miraculous goal, but he doesn't hit the scoreboard enough IMO to justify inclusion on that ground. 

I'd much rather give the game time to Windsor; his skills are far superior and he can also kick a classy goal (though I wouldn't depend on him week in week out for a Joe the Goose). 

6 hours ago, Demonland said:

 

May on May Day! ☺️

I hate this lot, their colours make me ill. Just wanted people to know.

What will our mindset be? I’d be treating the next two games with a finals like mindset. Don’t want to be that team that makes the 8 on the back of beating teams outside the 8.

37 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

I hate this lot, their colours make me ill. Just wanted people to know.

What crowd are you anticipating FTB?

Us by 17

71,453

3 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

What crowd are you anticipating FTB?

Hard to gauge because we haven't had a game at the MCG where both teams are in the 8 in a non-covid year since Rd 1 2018 which drew 54K on a Sunny Sunday 3:20pm that was at the same time as the F1.

AFL, MCC and public sales are way ahead of the round 1 game against the Dogs (44K). However, also have to consider that Saturday Nights never draw well, and it makes it hard for Cats fans to come up from Geelong.

My guess is 48K but wouldn't be surprised if its as low as 40K or high as 55K.

2 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

My guess is 48K but wouldn't be surprised if its as low as 40K or high as 55K.

Geez, that would be very disappointing if we get those numbers. Minimum 60k I was thinking.

Weather looking good, I am predicting at least 55k, but closer to 60k.

Really no excuse, this is a top 4 clash against a long time rival. 

This is probably/certainly a mad idea, but what about gettitng JVR to play on Cameron. He may learn a lot.

2 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Geez, that would be very disappointing if we get those numbers. Minimum 60k I was thinking.

 

Just now, Jaded No More said:

Weather looking good, I am predicting at least 55k, but closer to 60k.

Really no excuse, this is a top 4 clash against a long time rival. 

We arent even close to looking at 60K.

If we look at things objectively, we bring 25-30K to a game like this, i can't see any more than 20K of them attending and its not going to be a big neutral turn out.

MCC sales arent good enough for this to be a 60K which is what we rely on. Happy to be wrong, but we are looking at high 40s, low 50s.

Just now, sue said:

This is probably/certainly a mad idea, but what about gettitng JVR to play on Cameron. He may learn a lot.

He would learn a lot, but we would also concede a hell of a lot.

JVR/May arent mobile enough to play on Cameron. No Key backs in the competition are.

I'd put Tmac on him and tell him to run straight lines up the wing all night with him.

19 minutes ago, FearTheBeard said:

Hard to gauge because we haven't had a game at the MCG where both teams are in the 8 in a non-covid year since Rd 1 2018 which drew 54K on a Sunny Sunday 3:20pm that was at the same time as the F1.

AFL, MCC and public sales are way ahead of the round 1 game against the Dogs (44K). However, also have to consider that Saturday Nights never draw well, and it makes it hard for Cats fans to come up from Geelong.

My guess is 48K but wouldn't be surprised if its as low as 40K or high as 55K.

That's an explosion in a fact factory!

32 minutes ago, sue said:

This is probably/certainly a mad idea, but what about gettitng JVR to play on Cameron. He may learn a lot.

Cameron would blow JVR's tank up in the first half.