Weekly Prize - Join Any Time - Tip Round 9
The Golden Ticket - MCG and Marvel Medallion Club tickets and Corporate Box tickets at the Gabba, MCG and Marvel.
I'm happy with how it is. Cameron and Stewart haven't played worse because they are 31. Richmond veterans appear cooked at 30 but Geelong's tend to squeeze more (quality) juice out of the orange.Just alter that first section to 31+yo's for me thanks Meow.
Puts it into perspective doesn't it? GF's are hard to win. Collingwood have lost the most GF's by a mile. Yeah winning it every now & than eases the pain but there is a lot of heartache there.
I would hereby like to congratulate the rebuilding Geelong FC on suddenly turning 27 years 10 months old on average and including 1 player with under 50 games experience for the game against Carlton this week.
That's only relevant to really old people and to your credit, you are that (happy 80th, by the way). Over the past 35 years, which would be closer to the average BigFooty user's football experience, it is 3 Richmond premierships to 8 for the others collective. The only thing Richmond have done well in that time is capitalise the one time they had a strong side.
I would hereby like to congratulate the rebuilding Geelong FC on suddenly turning 27 years 10 months old on average and including 1 player with under 50 games experience for the game against Carlton this week.
Of course, in fact they went back even further. Otherwise the 60 year cut off point is also irrelevant.
And 5 good kids is better than 10 where the jury is still out. Most of our depth who have played this season would be best 23 for Richmond right now.
Firstly Medicority, those 3 teams have won 10 GF's over the past 61 years, not 8, but accuracy has never been a strength of yours! Not sure what significance 61 years has?
www.afl.com.au
They're playing like a young side, with the manic pressuring and elite attacking transitions following intercepts. Although not all "kids", Bruhn, Holmes, Parfitt, Atkins, Bowes, Dempsey, Zuthrie, Miers, Close, Stengle, Clark and co have been strong on the ol' pressure index. O.Henry contests things better. There's been a bit more zip about the group.Nine lives and counting: How the Cats keep coming back
It seems the death of Geelong has been much exaggerated as Chris Scott has them atop the ladder again
Nine lives and counting: How the Cats keep coming back
It seems the death of Geelong has been much exaggerated as Chris Scott has them atop the ladder again
HOW DO they do it?
Geelong is back on top of the ladder – defying football gravity once more – after the lengthy spell of (say it under your breath) one season out of the finals.
With a 6-0 start to 2024 and with seven games to come at GMHBA Stadium, the Cats are in a very strong position to lock away a top-four berth.
If the Cats were a Hollywood blockbuster, they'd surely be The Terminator – the unkillable force that finds different ways to adapt, different methods to pounce, different means to attack. They will, seemingly, always be back.
Again it has been coach Chris Scott and his football department's capacity to change that has Geelong in premiership contention after its post-2022 premiership reset last year.
Defensively the Cats have made the biggest jump to find themselves back in premiership contention, after falling out of the finals for just the second time in Scott's 14-year reign last season.
Champion Data shows them ranked first this season for points against, points against from turnover and scores against per inside-50 percentage. Not only are they stopping their opponents from the biggest score source in turnover, but once they get it inside-50 Geelong's opposition still can't get through its organised defence. They are also second for goals against per inside-50 percentage.
Last season the Cats were seventh for points against, 10th for points against from turnover and 16th for scores and goals against per inside-50 entry.
Geelong's pressure index has clearly been a focus, too, with the Cats ranked No.1 in the AFL for tackles (an average of 69 a game) and third for pressure rating (averaging 187 on the scale).
Scott's spinning of the magnets has also reenergised a group that was quiet in last year's off-season, having dominated the previous trade period in 2022 when they brought in Tanner Bruhn, Ollie Henry, Jack Bowes and a top-10 pick, which became Jhye Clark.
The natural development of Bruhn and Clark as midfielders and Henry's continued excitement in the forward half have been central to the renewal on the run, while Bowes has also been one of a number of positional switches to succeed.
Last season in his first year at the Cats the former Sun spent 71 per cent of his time as a defender. This year he has flipped that to be 83 per cent in the midfield, with a better understanding of the Geelong system also important in his step up.
The recently re-signed Max Holmes' move to defence has worked – his dashing run off half-back last week against Brisbane breaking open an otherwise still game. Holmes played 95 per cent of his game time as a midfielder last year – it's at 28 per cent this year and 72 per cent in defence.
Mark O'Connor's move into the midfield from defence – 63 per cent defence last year to 79 per cent midfield this season – has seen Tom Atkins flip to the back half, with the reliable Cat now splitting his time nearly in half between defence and the midfield. Last year, Atkins was a permanent midfielder, spending 96 per cent of his game time in the Cats' engine room.
Reinvention has come in many forms, but it is the Cats' coaching and football department's ability to find the new in the old that has also sparked another tilt.
Geelong has never viewed age as a barrier to new frontiers – its Grand Final team two years ago was the oldest premiership team in history and had an average experience of 146 games per player across the season – and it has looked to its veterans to expand their skillsets too.
Champion forward Jeremy Cameron's shift further up the ground, although marginal, has paid dividends for the forward group, with Cameron spending nine per cent of his game time in the midfield this year compared to one per cent last season.
Mark Blicavs has also been sent more to the wing, where he's played about 40 per cent of this season, as the Cats continue to blood young ruckman Toby Conway alongside Rhys Stanley. Last year Blicavs spent six per cent of his time on the wing, a significant switch.
This season Geelong is also reaping the benefits of not rushing its younger players whilst also doing the same for its next group. Ollie Dempsey has been a three-year overnight sensation, showing flickers of his talents at VFL level (enough to be a trade target for several clubs across the past two years) with tastes of the top level. In 2024, he has been consistent as a half-forward in their mix.
Zach Guthrie, a premiership player in 2022 and now a half-back weapon, is testament to the no-rush policy after taking time to break into the team at the start of his career.
Connor O'Sullivan is at the start of that process, having been brought into the side to make his debut in round five against North Melbourne, and they are taking a patient approach with fellow tall Shannon Neale.
Perpetual contending relies on a number of factors being tied together brilliantly – the strands are connecting so far this season at the Cats.
The VFL and zones are dead. Have been for decades. Poor tigs
Kicking comes a bit with confidence and continuity, something he has very little of. Nobody in the AFL can hack a ball like he did on Wednesday, especially one with a B & F to his name. Will never be. good kick, but has been a lot better than that. 6 games in a row and I'd wager his kicking will be much better.
Finished top going 15-6-1 too. A very weak return for a minor premier.
Nankervis has been very good this year, beat Grundy and Marshall. Even against Gawn he had 18 disposals and 7 marks, and one beautiful clanger. The hitouts weren't a complete domination either, 26 to 18 with Naismith getting 9 as well.
I've held the opinion that Nankervis has been underrated for his influence during the 3 Richmond premierships 2017-2020. He just looks a bit less effective to me at times this year. Like you said, he can still play to a decent level at times. But I'm not sure if he's going to be one of those ruckmen playing at 34 and I'd like to see Ryan given a chance - either at Naismith or Nankervis expense pretty soon.
