Preview Rd 4 Geelong V Melbourne Fri April 4 2025 740 pm @ GMHBA

[cats_09]

The mind games shit me, plantar fascia is obviously an ongoing thing why wasnt he on yesterday's injury update.

I don't think this is mind games for Knevitt - this is from yesterday's training photo album




It may be that he has been experiencing some soreness which is why he was sub on Saturday, but he's continued to train with the team and it's reached a point in the past 24hrs that they've sent him off for scans

Don't forget that Blicavs played majority of last season with a plantar fascia issue that wasn't revealed until after the season was over

 

[STPer18]

Also this.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Knevitt plantar fascia!? Oh man that kid can't catch a break

 

[Munich]

Oh look Neale's fine.

Colour me surprised.

 

[The Unforgiven]

Agree with the first bit.

But I think we beat Hawthorn.

I'd love to inflict Hawthorn's first loss upon them. Port has a decent record against them at home, but either way, it will be a tough game Easter Monday. I hope you're right.

 

[cat_fanatic]

We are fielding a very strong team this week.

Melbourne will come out firing but I'd expect us to run over the top with the quality we have on the field.

I feel like a few things just haven't gone our way against the Saints and Brisbane but we're not far away. We should have developed a counter to the 'keepings off' game plan that has been used against us.

Hopefully Kolo back against Hawthorn and we will be close to full strength (if you don't count Cuthrie and Bruhn).

 

[Whiskers]

We really shouldn’t be 1-2, it’s going to come back to bite us.
Saints weren’t fit all we had to do was be somewhat competitive early and the lions are nowhere near their best.

Playing lions Opening Round would have been great. They were even less prepared and we would’ve had a bye leading into this with Melbourne on b2b 6 day breaks. Instead we come back from Brisbane.
Even Adelaide next week, far fresher with them going 6 day break, playing in the afternoon on GC than 5 day break.

However these matches are somewhat tougher now not being as fresh as we could’ve been.
It’s a tough stretch ahead and even the Collingwood game they’ll have two 8 day breaks leading in with us going b2b 6 day breaks.

On the back foot here when the fixture had suited us.

 

[Munich]

Why Hawthorn? They are probably the best side in it ATM.

Adelaide will be tough to beat over there, I actually rate them as going better than the Hawks.

 

[Mr Meow]

Negativity or positivity should be backed up by statements of fact - not biased opinions based on your own world views. If someone sat here saying 'our list is better than every one else's, and we should never lose', I'd be saying the same thing.

I've proved that it's objectively wrong that Melbourne's list is better than ours, and supported the statement Dubs disputed, that 6 or 7 players wouldn't get a game in our team (it's closer to 11 based on my analysis). So the only conclusion I can reach, is that he's being negative and contrarian for the sake of it - because he's actually said something to this effect in the past 'I'm here to provide the counter opinion', or something like that, is what I remember.

It's not creating an argument. I literally said it as a tongue in cheek comment at first. But from there, he's doubled down and said our list isn't that good on paper, and that he disputes that 6 or 7 of their players wouldn't get a game at Geelong. It's just patently incorrect, and people shouldn't have to just be like 'oh yeah our list is shitter than theirs and we don't stand a chance', just because it offends the sensibilities of said person, who's stating incorrect statements without a shred of proof to back them up - or the neutrals who just want to be kumbaya about things...despite commentary like the above being both false and inciting.

You're also being slightly contradictory there, because you're literally trying to shut down what I and others are saying, for the sake of pleasantness. I debated this on the basis of football. I also stated that being negative without positive, even when there's evidence to the contrary, is undermining the point when you talk about teams like Brisbane and GWS. As someone else said, it's like 'Boy Who Cried Wolf.' If you keep saying we're shit compared to everyone else, then why are we expected to keep listening to, and believing that.

Also, I find it interesting that no-one seems to get up in arms about people constantly shitting on players. That's open season. The minute someone disputes being negative about the club, however, it's 'don't attack the person, they're entitled to their opinion, and let's talk about footy.' Where's that same attitude when people are continually negative about 1 player, and we praise those who defend said players? We can make jokes about Warhorse and Bruhn ad nauseam, but we can't say that someone is being negative about the club, because now that's personal?

It's just odd the shifting of goal posts that goes on here, when people feel like their neutrality is being affected. If you want to debate, debate. But if you're going to put out easily proven bullshit time and time again, then expect to get called on it. If it's a pattern, expect to be known for it.

I know what you're saying. I think Dubsy, though, simply enjoys the safety shell of painting out worst case scenarios as an expectation dump. Also he's said he likes balancing out overly optimistic or bullish views, so almost offers out extreme counters for "balance".

Personally I'm fine with it as long as I am free to critique the arguments themselves and he understands that's all it is. Sometimes people mistake a robust debate for something more meaningful or personal.

 

[Aura]

Adelaide will be tough to beat over there, I actually rate them as going better than the Hawks.

You aren’t alone.

 

[goyoucatters]

We really shouldn’t be 1-2, it’s going to come back to bite us.
Saints weren’t fit all we had to do was be somewhat competitive early and the lions are nowhere near their best.

Playing lions Opening Round would have been great. They were even less prepared and we would’ve had a bye leading into this with Melbourne on b2b 6 day breaks. Instead we come back from Brisbane.
Even Adelaide next week, far fresher with them going 6 day break, playing in the afternoon on GC than 5 day break.

However these matches are somewhat tougher now not being as fresh as we could’ve been.
It’s a tough stretch ahead and even the Collingwood game they’ll have two 8 day breaks leading in with us going b2b 6 day breaks.

On the back foot here when the fixture had suited us.

If we're good enough, it won't matter. But I entirely agree that we have dropped at least one additional game already beyond what you would assess as being a decent start to the season.

Which now makes a loss of any description on Friday night simply disastrous for us, given the games we have lined up in the next month.

 

[Munich]

If we're good enough, it won't matter. But I entirely agree that we have dropped at least one additional game already beyond what you would assess as being a decent start to the season.

Which now makes a loss of any description on Friday night simply disastrous for us, given the games we have lined up in the next month.

We're not the only side that will drop easy games this year.

I think it's being blown out of proportion by alot of posters.

 

[Mr Meow]

If we're good enough, it won't matter. But I entirely agree that we have dropped at least one additional game already beyond what you would assess as being a decent start to the season.

Which now makes a loss of any description on Friday night simply disastrous for us, given the games we have lined up in the next month.

Ideally we need to win this week (obviously) and then snatch one of the Hawthorn or Adelaide gamed to cancel out the St Kilda one.

3-3 would be a fine start with this fixture list. Nobody wants a negative win/loss after the first chunk of the season is in the bank.

 

[ShadowCat]

I know what you're saying. I think Dubsy, though, simply enjoys the safety shell of painting out worst case scenarios as an expectation dump. Also he's said he likes balancing out overly optimistic or bullish views, so almost offers out extreme counters for "balance".

Personally I'm fine with it as long as I am free to critique the arguments themselves and he understands that's all it is. Sometimes people mistake a robust debate for something more meaningful or personal.

Again, I actually have no problem with this. Problem I do have, is with putting out false information that is easily debunked. You can say something like 'I think our list isn't as good as theirs and they could beat us' that's an opinion. When you say 'on paper their list is better than ours', that's an assertion of fact.

Point is, I have absolutely no problem with people having different viewpoints - even to the hyper extreme. Where do I take massive issue, is when something is asserted as if it is fact, continually, when there's literally no evidence to support it. It's just...pointless.

I don't actually have anything against Dubs, and they're not an overly argumentative poster, so this wasn't an attack at all. It was simply saying 'be negative when it's called for, but don't be negative for the sake of it - especially if it's not objectively true.'

We'll leave it there.

 

[Aura]

Ideally we need to win this week (obviously) and then snatch one of the Hawthorn or Adelaide gamed to cancel out the St Kilda one.

3-3 would be a fine start with this fixture list. Nobody wants a negative win/loss after the first chunk of the season is in the bank.

Even if we kick off 1-5, I’m still backing the Cats to notch double-digit wins.

 

[Lana]

Also this.

Sounds like we are running out of healthy bodies

 

[goyoucatters]

We're not the only side that will drop easy games this year.

I think it's being blown out of proportion by alot of posters.

I don't disagree. But it's concerning to have two games we dominated for longish periods as losses already. It's not even like we didn't turn up at all in either game. Small sample size, I know. But losing two games that could easily have gone the other way by Round 3 is geared to leave you on the wrong side of the ledger when the ladder gets tight towards the end of the season.

Put it this way, I think we'd want to win a couple of close ones at some point (potentially against some genuine ladder rivals) to help even it all out.

 

[Mr Meow]

Even if we kick off 1-5, I’m still backing the Cats to notch double-digit wins.

Our aim should be higher than scraping to 10 wins.

 

[goyoucatters]

Even if we kick off 1-5, I’m still backing the Cats to notch double-digit wins.

Sure. But double-digit wins isn't really likely to get you that far.

Melbourne won 11 games last year and finished 14th. Carlton won 13 games and just made the 8.

Winning some tight games and maintaining a healthy percentage are huge factors in finishing high enough to challenge. And if last year's ladder is anything to go by, a 1-5 start would see us needing to finish 12-5 from our last 17 games to even make finals.

So if we want to be relevant at the pointy end this year, I think 2-4 (or even 3-3) are almost baseline scenarios from our first six games to see us truly contending at the end of the H&A.

Again, over 75% of the teams in the competition won more than 10 games last year. So that's now a barometer of nothing more than mediocrity in this league.

 

[Mr Meow]

Sure. But double-digit wins isn't really likely to get you that far.

Melbourne won 11 games last year and finished 14th. Carlton won 13 games and just made the 8.

Winning some tight games and maintaining a healthy percentage are huge factors in finishing high enough to challenge. And if last year's ladder is anything to go by, a 1-5 start would see us needing to finish 12-5 from our last 17 games to even make finals.

So if we want to be relevant at the pointy end this year, I think 2-4 (or even 3-3) are almost baseline scenarios from our first six games to see us truly contending at the end of the H&A.

Again, over 75% of the teams in the competition won more than 10 games last year. So that's now a barometer of nothing more than mediocrity in this league.

One week at a time is a cliche that can actually be quite nifty every now and again. I think it finds an excellent use at this stage.

 

[goyoucatters]

One week at a time is a cliche that can actually be quite nifty every now and again. I think it finds an excellent use at this stage.

I don't disagree. And in that respect, this particular week is huge for us.

Drop this game and we are really starting to get ourselves into catch-up mode. To be doing that going into Round 5 would be quite concerning. A long way to go, of course. But it would be evidence of a troubling trajectory emerging.

 

[Mr Meow]

I don't disagree. And in that respect, this particular week is huge for us.

Drop this game and we are really starting to get ourselves into catch-up mode. To be doing that going into Round 5 would be quite concerning. A long way to go, of course. But it would be evidence of a troubling trajectory emerging.

Yep, it's like a final. Finals are exciting. Get pumped. If we lose, there's always next year!

I save my "end of the world" routine for when worst case scenarios actually play out.

 

[goyoucatters]

Yep, it's like a final. Finals are exciting. Get pumped. If we lose, there's always next year week!

FIFY.

 

[Cataholic]

Really not sure what to expect......a result either way wouldn't surprise me to be frank.

We've played quarters of good footy, and some that have been bloody ordinary.

Mind you, Melbourne haven't been real flash either, but teams have a knack of lifting against us too.......

Results are going to be a bit of a raffle until we learn how to play four full quarters.

Will be an interesting watch.

 

[cats_09]