Autopsy Cats lose to Suns by 64 points.

[bombersboy]

So WAS Holmes.

You can improve footy skills and experience brings some nous. Neale has already added an excellent kick to physical and athletic abilities....he needs experience in the higher level to improve nous and skills.

The VFL is not the place to get him ready quickly. Last years VFL team were awful and if anything rewarded random acts rather than good positioning or presenting well.

With all the managing likely from here in the AFL this years good VFL start is likely to return to last years standard.

IMO

I would agree if it looked like he had any competitiveness in his nature but he looks like he could be void of it. Probably a great young fella but plays like a poor man's Josh Schake.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Given the conditions above, we were NEVER winning that game. The loss to port was far more disappointing.

Bingo! Which is why I was fuming after the Port game. We 'managed' our way to losing 4 points with a tough interstate trip to follow.

 

[The_Koulouriotis_Fan]

View attachment 1991239

Wild. Would have to be one of the biggest aggregate + expected scores ever.

We had 27 shots? Only 7 less and lost by 64… I mean 26.8 is unheard of but damn even when we’re smashed we can still find a way to have shots

 

[Hinkley29]

Buckley and Taylor are a formidable key defender duo so we definitely need Hawkins and Cameron back in.
Which is why I can't quite understand year of the cat disagreeing with Neale going out. Those two would chew him up and spit him out.

He was very poor last night and the Suns defenders aren't as good, albeit Ballard is quality player.

You can’t judge Neale on that game last night.

The midfield was atrocious and the conditions were very difficult for marking.

He was set up for failure.

 

[Mattlock]

Last 3 weeks suck, it has exposed holes. Plenty of time to fix them however.

 

[Mr Meow]

Bingo! Which is why I was fuming after the Port game. We 'managed' our way to losing 4 points with a tough interstate trip to follow.

The ironic thing is that Bruhn last night only played at the same level as Clark a week before. Bowes was just okay. Neither were close to their round 1-7 form. So I have to revise my whole "plug Bowes and Bruhn into the Port game and we probably win" thesis. Maybe they were managed for a reason. They didn't look great last night.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

You can’t judge Neale on that game last night.

The midfield was atrocious and the conditions were very difficult for marking.

He was set up for failure.

Judge his future on last night. Of course not.
Contend he was poor. That's just a view on the game.

Still want Hawkins and Cameron in for GWS.
4 losses goes beyond 'blip' territory and becomes a team on the slide.

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

The ironic thing is that Bruhn last night only played at the same level as Clark a week before. Bowes was just okay. Neither were close to their round 1-7 form. So I have to revise my whole "plug Bowes and Bruhn into the Port game and we probably win" thesis. Maybe they were managed for a reason. They didn't look great last night.

Hopefully our future midfield consists of Conway, Holmes, Dempsey, Oisin, Bruhn and Jhye. Not sold on Bowes, he's pretty hit and miss.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Essentially he is far off the mark for an AFL player and is looking at beung delistsd probably end of year or end of next year depending who we draft.

If they delist Neale end of current contract I would be astounded.

 

[Mr Meow]

Judge his future on last night. Of course not.
Contend he was poor. That's just a view on the game.

Still want Hawkins and Cameron in for GWS.
4 losses goes beyond 'blip' territory and becomes a team on the slide.

Neale was absolutely no worse than Rohan. In fact he was significantly better.

Drop Rohan. Bring Hawkins and Cameron in. Emphasise to Neale that the only way he can hold his spot with the other talls in is to be better at contesting aerial balls and bringing more to ground. Like it or not, we DO need Cameron on the wing around half the time anyway.

If Neale clunked a few of those sitters (humidity a factor? Still disappointing) he ends up with 6 shots at goal on a dog of a night for our team. I don't see how that can be auto reversion to the VFL.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Neale was absolutely no worse than Rohan. In fact he was significantly better.

Drop Rohan. Bring Hawkins and Cameron in. Emphasise to Neale that the only way he can hold his spot with the other talls in is to be better at contesting aerial balls and bringing more to ground. Like it or not, we DO need Cameron on the wing around half the time anyway.

If Neale clunked a few of those sitters (humidity a factor? Still disappointing) he ends up with 6 shots at goal on a dog of a night for our team. I don't see how that can be auto reversion to the VFL.

I'm quite open to the idea of Rohan getting dropped. Doesn't quite look the same as prior years atm.
Would be more inclined for Mannagh instead. Can play small forward and also go through the midfield a bit as well.

 

[CabWesty]

He’s a bit Mason Cox atm. Will we have to wait for that epiphany where he tears a game apart. - like Tomahawk did.

He’s only played a handful of games and is coming in as the replacement for one of the best key forwards in Geelong history. I think we could put the dropped marks down to nerves. Hopefully he’ll get better with more consistency at the top level

 

[The_Koulouriotis_Fan]

I thought Brad Close was extending disappointing for the first 3 quarters of last night’s game; he simply had to do more.
Bobbed up a bit in the last which is a testament to his fitness, but he looked half-interested for much of the match.
When was the last time we saw him pull off a team-lifting run-down tackle? Was doing it regularly in ‘22, haven’t seen it at all this year.

I like what he can contribute at his best; when he is humming he can really help the forward line gel.

Got suspended for one last year which was absolute crap. Probably scared to tackle now.

 

[CabWesty]

Especially considering when some have said he can't run out games has no tank etc etc...
Bloody humid crappy conditions but the big fella kept pugging away.
Onwards and Upwards Chilli

Apparently the only thing chilly last night was the ice room.

 

[Mr Meow]

I'm quite open to the idea of Rohan getting dropped. Doesn't quite look the same as prior years atm.
Would be more inclined for Mannagh instead. Can play small forward and also go through the midfield a bit as well.

I do want to see Mannagh in the 1s as well. I'd honestly just do some reshuffling with Tuohy and Rohan making way for Mannagh and Cameron.

Hawkins in for...Cam Guthrie? It's not like for like but we can simply push Miers and Holmes into midfield more.

Semi-cooked or not I also think we need to see if Duncan, rested, can offer us the good ball movement off the half back line that we missed last night. We can probably afford to drop Atkins, who at this stage is still offering us less than Parfitt. Give Mullin more midfield time.

Out: Cam Guthrie, Rohan, Tuohy, Atkins
In: Duncan, Hawkins, Cameron, Mannagh

They can all be sold as "management" if need be.

Realistically I think they'd drop Neale before Atkins, but why not pull the trigger on Cameron/Hawkins/Neale.

 

[Gavin Excell]

You can’t judge Neale on that game last night.

The midfield was atrocious and the conditions were very difficult for marking.

He was set up for failure.

Exactly
He must be given a chance

 

[Mattttty]

We’re doing a rebuild on the run, to be 7-3 while transitioning is a remarkable testament to the club, could be doing a Richmond anchored to the bottom for the foreseeable future, thats not in our DNA.

Oh, I totally agree. These losses are rough but bigger picture we're doing great. You can see the young stars we're developing at the moment - and it's really exciting!

 

[rapidfire7]

Not sure how AFL fantasy points work but for fun

Jack Henry 20 lowest on the ground
Clark got 28 in just over a 1/4
Guthrie who we all stuck the boots into got 38

That just shows how bad J Henry actually was

Yes really bad. He is not a key defender. Lacks composure and completely out of his depth on the last line. Even Sav would have done better.

 

[Hinkley29]

Judge his future on last night. Of course not.
Contend he was poor. That's just a view on the game.

Still want Hawkins and Cameron in for GWS.
4 losses goes beyond 'blip' territory and becomes a team on the slide.

Agree wholeheartedly

Yes, Cameron and Hawkins are needed for next week.

Yes, I agree he was poor, but he had no chance. You could have put Wayne Carey at the beginning of his career in that game last night and he would have sucked.

 

[CabWesty]

"a few dodgy calls" - Anyone who watched that game closely as I did would be staggered by your summation. The umpiring hurt Geelong, especially early in the game when Cats players were having a crack. I noted 4 GC HTBs ignored by one umpire and 2 illegal disposals, one throw, one flick pass, in the first quarter alone. And multiple of those 9 free kicks (GC) to 1 (Geelong) were for the slightest holding and tough but legal tackles. Geelong was punished by the umpiring for no obvious reason.

Not to mention probably 5 or 6 pushes in the back that should have been called for Geelong.

 

[bombersboy]

Neale was absolutely no worse than Rohan. In fact he was significantly better.

Drop Rohan. Bring Hawkins and Cameron in. Emphasise to Neale that the only way he can hold his spot with the other talls in is to be better at contesting aerial balls and bringing more to ground. Like it or not, we DO need Cameron on the wing around half the time anyway.

If Neale clunked a few of those sitters (humidity a factor? Still disappointing) he ends up with 6 shots at goal on a dog of a night for our team. I don't see how that can be auto reversion to the VFL.

If you watch Neale he drops those marks in the dry - AFL and VFL. That is just what you get with him. His one wood though is his kicking Give him 4 kicks and he probably kicks 2 or 3 but you need someone else like Rohan around to handle the competing.

 

[rapidfire7]

Play Hardie and plan Mannagh in the middle. Midfield is slow and for 3 weeks now getting the same old same old.

Mix it up. Do something new ffs.

Totally agree on these 2. What is the damn point of recruiting guys in their mid 20s and above and not playing them, even when they are tearing it up in the twos..

 

[Mr Meow]

If you watch Neale he drops those marks in the dry - AFL and VFL

I have to admit that you're right, although I don't watch him week in, week out like some of you.

However I don't think he'd usually drop that many easy ones? Given it doesn't appear to be a strength he needs to get on his bike and work hard around the ground, including contesting aerial balls that might even be to opposition KPDs advantage. Is he capable of that? Ultimately I think we need to give him a stretch of games in the 1s to work on it. And I say we just bite the bullet on him replacing Rohan to do that.

 

[Finknottle]

I wouldn't be expecting much from Cameron or Hawkins given their current form. GWS should start as warm favourites. It will be very impressive if Geelong can get over the line.

 

[bombersboy]

Not to mention probably 5 or 6 pushes in the back that should have been called for Geelong.

I counted 2 or 3 blatant one handed throws not called through the game.