Preview Rd 6 Geelong V Brisbane Sat April 20 720 pm @ Gabba

[Hello Kitty]

If you can’t see that Hawkins (even at this late stage of his career) isn’t a strong net positive for our team then I don’t know what to tell you.

Call me crazy, but the contribution to scoring goals is the main thing I look for in a forward line player. Tom is still wildly effective in the most important thing a forward needs to do.

But hey, if tackling and the nebulous “pressure” is what turns you on, who am I to judge.

From Scotty
"He's the ultimate team man," Scott said of Hawkins.

"We've flagged consistently that we will manage our list.

"The good news is he was available to play this week and we think he'll be better next week for missing (against North).

"The conversations aren't difficult because I think our players understand it."

Hawkins is the heart + soul of our forward line. He's as solid a team player as we've ever seen. The number of times he altruistically passes the ball to a young player to kick a goal is proof that he gives so much of himself to help his teammates.

Achievements:
Triple Premiership player;
Coleman medallist;
Club best + fairest;
Five All Australians;
Cats leading goalkicker - 11 times;
350 career games + many more I hope.

All of these prove his strength of contribution in not only our forward line, but for the team.

 

[catempire]

Yeah maybe, but from the second he started talking about Neale I was certain he wasn't playing.

Keep expectations low for a young player going into a game and congratulate them on exceeding them once they've played.

It was the content of the comments for me. Was surprised he said it was their preference to play him. An honourable omission could have been worded much differently.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

It was the content of the comments for me. Was surprised he said it was their preference to play him. An honourable omission could have been worded much differently.

But also, he's been saying that and line about wanting to play all three all year. The one time he didn't say that was the time he played him, and every other time he said it Neale hasn't played.

 

[catempire]

But also, he's been saying that and line about wanting to play all three all year. The one time he didn't say that was the time he played him, and every other time he said it Neale hasn't played.

I’m more inclined to thin what he says has little value.

I reckon had the fixturing been different and we were playing a bottom 4 team this week Neale would have played. It just wasn’t the week to trial an unconventional setup.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I’m more inclined to thin what he says has little value.

I reckon had the fixturing been different and we were playing a bottom 4 team this week Neale would have played. It just wasn’t the week to trial an unconventional setup.

Yeah I potentially

 

[Mangy Carl]

That one is never going to change no matter what happens.

If a premiership can't stop posters from going "hUr DeRR why doN'T OuR MiDs Get MORe oF the baLL?" then nothing will.

Lower TOG = Less opportunity to acquire possessions. I can't believe how hard that has been for some to grasp.

We did it though a 16 game winning streak, resulting in a fresh group come September which dominated the finals.

We've been April premiers plenty of times. I'd say we would all prefer the real thing, but some don't and prefer the eye popping stats for some reason.

Our mids get FAR less gametime than opposition mids..

Bruhn has had 65%, 63%, 67% and 66% in his 4 games.
Parfitt, 69%, 62%, 70% and 68%.
Danger, 75% and 73%
Bowes, 73% and 75% (2 full games)
Atkins 77%, 75% and 72%
Stanley 73%, 67%, 80% and 78%.

When we played the Doggies, their main mids had -
Bont - 85%
Treloar - 86%
Libba - 87%
English - 85%

That 'should' be keeping our mids very fresh, however, I'd certainly like to see Bruhn getting more time...

 

[CHAWKTS]

Yeah maybe, but from the second he started talking about Neale I was certain he wasn't playing.

Keep expectations low for a young player going into a game and congratulate them on exceeding them once they've played.

See now you are just making me feel silly. I pride myself on cynicism and reading BS but I was 100% sure Neale was going to play after hearing CS talk.

 

[twhowler]

Come in peace hope it's a good game etc...

A few things this game will hinge on i think, interested in your thoughts

6 day break - i reckon this is a furphy. especially as you played north at home.

Wet weather - meant to be raining all game. Normally i would say well big bodied cats should have the advantage... but i noticed we are somehow older and more experienced than the geriatrics! Not sure this is an advantage to either side, although if we get on top in clearances it might be harder for geelong to play a slick transition game in the wet, which brings me to...

Midfield battle - is neale's ankle okay? will geelong smash him anyway a la 2022 prelim? Will Dangerfield be absolutely cherry ripe from a few weeks off? Geelong's forward line is looking very potent so i think the lions need to win midfield. dunkley looks in better form. rayner has had a few really good games but never 2 in a row! who would tag neale, o'connor?

Cameron - charlie. lots of attention on him now. he was in great form in the second half v dees. who gets him?

cameron - jeremy. back in ominous form and no doubt pumped to get to 600 goals. not sure who we play on him as Gardiner used to get the job but is playing forward. maybe we switch him back as gardiner has done okay on him.

Hawkins - boy has he hurt us over the years. Is he perhaps starting to fade a little bit? has played 2 excellent games, but 2 quiet ones. has had a break so suspect we get one of the good ones

Geelong's best vs Brisbane's best-ish at the gabba - No doubt the cats have surprised me and a few others. They are going well and basically injury-free. Lions seem to be back in form (honestly who knows) but missing a few (bailey, mckenna, ashcroft, i guess i need to stop including doedee and coleman as they are out for the year) and back at the gabba. So that combination suggests a pretty even contest

Who has more to gain / lose? No doubt this would be a huge scalp for the cats and make the footy world put them back as a flag fancy. it also feels like a bit of a free hit given you are 5-0 and for once don't have a top 6 draw. My point being the win would be big for you but you are in a great position in terms of top 4. For us - it's about the four points. We desperately need them, and also going 0-3 at the gabba would be a disaster for our confidence, and also mean we are 2-4 before traveling to canberra to play the giants. I think for that reason it's a much bigger game for us.

The one thing you get from Geelong (well one of the things) is they don't do those horrid fold games interstate most teams do at least every now and then. you will give a 'minimum' of performance if that makes sense that will be at least a 'good' performance.

i have tipped us but think the game is a bit closer than the odds. I can see us playing well and being desperate and winning by 3-4 goals. but can also see us nervy, too keen to try to win, giving away frees etc. I think the gabba crowd is pretty good but can sometimes fall in to a malaise when the side is playing flat footy. i think the murmuring will start about our home form IF we start to struggle on the scoreboard.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

See now you are just making me feel silly. I pride myself on cynicism and reading BS but I was 100% sure Neale was going to play after hearing CS talk.

I dunno, it felt really like a the compliment sandwich people train you to do when coaching people.

Start with talking them up, then punch them in the guts, then tell them they have a bright future.

 

[Lana]

Our mids get FAR less gametime than opposition mids..

Bruhn has had 65%, 63%, 67% and 66% in his 4 games.
Parfitt, 69%, 62%, 70% and 68%.
Danger, 75% and 73%
Bowes, 73% and 75% (2 full games)
Atkins 77%, 75% and 72%
Stanley 73%, 67%, 80% and 78%.

When we played the Doggies, their main mids had -
Bont - 85%
Treloar - 86%
Libba - 87%
English - 85%

That 'should' be keeping our mids very fresh, however, I'd certainly like to see Bruhn getting more time...

I think keeping our midfield fresh give us a massive advantage. The opposition is getting into repeat sprint battles with players who have run 2-3kms less over the night.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

If'... we were to win the premiership there is no way I see Hawkins going on...

Our only other 2011er and to my knowledge the very last player alongside Hawkins recruited while Mark Thompson was still coach (taken at pick 28 in the 2009 draft), Mitch Duncan, might hang 'em up too.

 

[iameviljez]

That is laughable.

Anyone who ever suggests this quickly retreats when presented with the VFL point. We’re to believe there’s this other category in existence where a player doesn’t play footy for a weekend and isn’t being managed.

We'll see in a couple of weeks

 

[Strange Cat]

Our only other 2011er and to my knowledge the very last player alongside Hawkins recruited while Mark Thompson was still coach (taken at pick 28 in the 2009 draft), Mitch Duncan, might hang 'em up too.

Just thinking Mitch would also Probbly go as well …still long year not only does the team have to make it but the players have to as well

 

[D BRIDGE]

But also, he's been saying that and line about wanting to play all three all year. The one time he didn't say that was the time he played him, and every other time he said it Neale hasn't played.

It’s all just words from Scott.

How many times has he mentioned playing 2x rucks?

How many times has he mentioned playing all 3x talls together?

In the end actions speak louder than words.

He says it and says it with confidence, so you kinda believe him.

But In the end… it just doesn’t happen, and that’s fine… but I just can’t go believing what he says.

 

[standupand]

Our mids get FAR less gametime than opposition mids..

Bruhn has had 65%, 63%, 67% and 66% in his 4 games.
Parfitt, 69%, 62%, 70% and 68%.
Danger, 75% and 73%
Bowes, 73% and 75% (2 full games)
Atkins 77%, 75% and 72%
Stanley 73%, 67%, 80% and 78%.

When we played the Doggies, their main mids had -
Bont - 85%
Treloar - 86%
Libba - 87%
English - 85%

That 'should' be keeping our mids very fresh, however, I'd certainly like to see Bruhn getting more time...

Not all our midfielders are endurance beasts so it makes sense to rotate them. I would guess that Blitz for example (who wasn't listed there) would play pretty high TOG.

What I find more interesting is the capacity nowadays for sides to win with lower team possession differential.

Against the roos we lost the possession count by more than 30 and yet dominated the game.

That sort of thing would have been unheard of 10-20 years ago and it shows not just how meaningless possession numbers can be but also how far the game has developed tactically in recent times.

Over-possession usually = slow ball movement = easier to defend. We don't want our players having too many touches.

 

[Tandy]

Come in peace hope it's a good game etc...

A few things this game will hinge on i think, interested in your thoughts

6 day break - i reckon this is a furphy. especially as you played north at home.

Wet weather - meant to be raining all game. Normally i would say well big bodied cats should have the advantage... but i noticed we are somehow older and more experienced than the geriatrics! Not sure this is an advantage to either side, although if we get on top in clearances it might be harder for geelong to play a slick transition game in the wet, which brings me to...

Midfield battle - is neale's ankle okay? will geelong smash him anyway a la 2022 prelim? Will Dangerfield be absolutely cherry ripe from a few weeks off? Geelong's forward line is looking very potent so i think the lions need to win midfield. dunkley looks in better form. rayner has had a few really good games but never 2 in a row! who would tag neale, o'connor?

Cameron - charlie. lots of attention on him now. he was in great form in the second half v dees. who gets him?

cameron - jeremy. back in ominous form and no doubt pumped to get to 600 goals. not sure who we play on him as Gardiner used to get the job but is playing forward. maybe we switch him back as gardiner has done okay on him.

Hawkins - boy has he hurt us over the years. Is he perhaps starting to fade a little bit? has played 2 excellent games, but 2 quiet ones. has had a break so suspect we get one of the good ones

Geelong's best vs Brisbane's best-ish at the gabba - No doubt the cats have surprised me and a few others. They are going well and basically injury-free. Lions seem to be back in form (honestly who knows) but missing a few (bailey, mckenna, ashcroft, i guess i need to stop including doedee and coleman as they are out for the year) and back at the gabba. So that combination suggests a pretty even contest

Who has more to gain / lose? No doubt this would be a huge scalp for the cats and make the footy world put them back as a flag fancy. it also feels like a bit of a free hit given you are 5-0 and for once don't have a top 6 draw. My point being the win would be big for you but you are in a great position in terms of top 4. For us - it's about the four points. We desperately need them, and also going 0-3 at the gabba would be a disaster for our confidence, and also mean we are 2-4 before traveling to canberra to play the giants. I think for that reason it's a much bigger game for us.

The one thing you get from Geelong (well one of the things) is they don't do those horrid fold games interstate most teams do at least every now and then. you will give a 'minimum' of performance if that makes sense that will be at least a 'good' performance.

i have tipped us but think the game is a bit closer than the odds. I can see us playing well and being desperate and winning by 3-4 goals. but can also see us nervy, too keen to try to win, giving away frees etc. I think the gabba crowd is pretty good but can sometimes fall in to a malaise when the side is playing flat footy. i think the murmuring will start about our home form IF we start to struggle on the scoreboard.

Some good observations tough game and could go either way I reckon. Looking forward to this one. Brisbane more to lose for sure. If they can't win at home that's a concern. Although now they win at the G so idk

 

[standupand]

Come in peace hope it's a good game etc...

A few things this game will hinge on i think, interested in your thoughts

6 day break - i reckon this is a furphy. especially as you played north at home.

Wet weather - meant to be raining all game. Normally i would say well big bodied cats should have the advantage... but i noticed we are somehow older and more experienced than the geriatrics! Not sure this is an advantage to either side, although if we get on top in clearances it might be harder for geelong to play a slick transition game in the wet, which brings me to...

Midfield battle - is neale's ankle okay? will geelong smash him anyway a la 2022 prelim? Will Dangerfield be absolutely cherry ripe from a few weeks off? Geelong's forward line is looking very potent so i think the lions need to win midfield. dunkley looks in better form. rayner has had a few really good games but never 2 in a row! who would tag neale, o'connor?

Cameron - charlie. lots of attention on him now. he was in great form in the second half v dees. who gets him?

cameron - jeremy. back in ominous form and no doubt pumped to get to 600 goals. not sure who we play on him as Gardiner used to get the job but is playing forward. maybe we switch him back as gardiner has done okay on him.

Hawkins - boy has he hurt us over the years. Is he perhaps starting to fade a little bit? has played 2 excellent games, but 2 quiet ones. has had a break so suspect we get one of the good ones

Geelong's best vs Brisbane's best-ish at the gabba - No doubt the cats have surprised me and a few others. They are going well and basically injury-free. Lions seem to be back in form (honestly who knows) but missing a few (bailey, mckenna, ashcroft, i guess i need to stop including doedee and coleman as they are out for the year) and back at the gabba. So that combination suggests a pretty even contest

Who has more to gain / lose? No doubt this would be a huge scalp for the cats and make the footy world put them back as a flag fancy. it also feels like a bit of a free hit given you are 5-0 and for once don't have a top 6 draw. My point being the win would be big for you but you are in a great position in terms of top 4. For us - it's about the four points. We desperately need them, and also going 0-3 at the gabba would be a disaster for our confidence, and also mean we are 2-4 before traveling to canberra to play the giants. I think for that reason it's a much bigger game for us.

The one thing you get from Geelong (well one of the things) is they don't do those horrid fold games interstate most teams do at least every now and then. you will give a 'minimum' of performance if that makes sense that will be at least a 'good' performance.

i have tipped us but think the game is a bit closer than the odds. I can see us playing well and being desperate and winning by 3-4 goals. but can also see us nervy, too keen to try to win, giving away frees etc. I think the gabba crowd is pretty good but can sometimes fall in to a malaise when the side is playing flat footy. i think the murmuring will start about our home form IF we start to struggle on the scoreboard.

Last year and 2021 I would definitely describe as "minimum" performances from the cats at the Gabba.
Who gets CC is a good question. Typically a job for Bews but he's out of favour. Mullin might have been an option but he's in Italy. Maybe he and Holmes could go head to head idk? We don't have good match up so I think it will be a matter of team defence based on the type of entries you're generating.

 

[supahoops]

Feel as though Atkins may get time on CC with Zuthrie going to Linc or Rayner when forward. O’Connor to Neale and expect Blicavs and a Raging Bull PFD to play above average midfield minutes. Not going in with great hope given our form up here lately and the bookies seem to agree but would be huge if we. A get up as I fancy us to get the job done against Carlton, 7-0 would be beyond the expectations of even the most optimistic amongst us surely.

 

[CHAWKTS]

I think keeping our midfield fresh give us a massive advantage. The opposition is getting into repeat sprint battles with players who have run 2-3kms less over the night.

Agree. Add to that the courage of managing each player on a rotation (which will happen over next 6-7 weeks with full contingent) and it could be a master stroke?

 

[BIGANT]

Full marks too CS in yesterday's presser when asked about the CC suspension dismissal. Said as much with out giving ammo to the bears and there mc staff.

 

[twhowler]

Last year and 2021 I would definitely describe as "minimum" performances from the cats at the Gabba.
Who gets CC is a good question. Typically a job for Bews but he's out of favour. Mullin might have been an option but he's in Italy. Maybe he and Holmes could go head to head idk? We don't have good match up so I think it will be a matter of team defence based on the type of entries you're generating.

2021 wasn’t great. Last year neither side amazing but you were dominating by the end, pretty good for a minimum performance i reckon haha.

Cameron really needs a tight match-up i think and tbh it can unsettle him a bit - gets frustrated if he can’t get involved. I have no doubt scott will have a plan, he always bloody does

 

[Strange Cat]

If CC injures someone and gets reported would the MRP be liable? I doubt anything would happen but you think there would be a big backlash with the whole “good guy” defense

 

[Mr Meow]

It’s all just words from Scott.

How many times has he mentioned playing 2x rucks?

How many times has he mentioned playing all 3x talls together?

In the end actions speak louder than words.

He says it and says it with confidence, so you kinda believe him.

But In the end… it just doesn’t happen, and that’s fine… but I just can’t go believing what he says.

Join the dark side and enjoy people trying to make sense of it. It took me way too long. Up until about 2019 I used to soak all of his babble up.

Great coach, but if you want some sort of tactical or squad management/preference insight from his pressers, you're just gonna get burnt over and over.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Join the dark side and enjoy people trying to make sense of it. It took me way too long. Up until about 2019 I used to soak all of his babble up.

Great coach, but if you want some sort of tactical or squad management/preference insight from his pressers, you're just gonna get burnt over and over.

He would make an amazing politician, at least on the media front.

 

[Mr Meow]

He would make an amazing politician, at least on the media front.

Chris Scott for PM would be delicious.