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

[D BRIDGE]

It’s the boy who cried wolf effect. If you keep making the same point when it doesn’t hold up, people will just tune it out when it genuinely does apply.

What you mean will?

 

[ShadowCat]

Not sure about that.

You've literally said in the last 3 posts:

• Demons list is better on paper
• Maybe Demons list isn't better but many are
• Not sure that 6 or 7 players wouldn't get a game in our side

Make your mind up?

As an example - Aidan Johnson, Blake Howes, Jack Billings, Jack Henderson, Tom McDonald, Harry Sharp, Tom Sparrow and Jake Melksham, are 8 players that would 100% not get a game in our side right now. 3 are off the scrap heap. 3 are past it veterans. 2 are role players that are below our role players. I haven't even included the new guys in Langford and Lindsay, who at least were star juniors and have already shown something. Also haven't included Petty, JVR and Chandler, who would all be unlikely to be in our side too.

So I'm sorry, but, I'll allow you to talk smack about our list when in comparison to say Brisbane, GWS, Freo, Hawks or even Gold Coast. But I'll be damned If I'll sit there and listen to you say our list is no better than Melbourne...when even Melbourne supporters would agree that it is, lol.

Your contrarian opinion only works if it actually gives us credit sometimes. If you're just saying every side is better than us, and their lists are too, then it just becomes an exercise in being contrarian and negative for the sake of it - without anything to back it up.

EDIT: In fact, you know what, I'll prove it using all the guys listed above, going as close to their listed position as possible:

Bailey Smith > Harry Sharp (wing)
Jack Bowes > Jack Billings (utility)
Tyson Stengle > Jake Melksham (forward)
Gryan Miers > Kade Chandler (half forward)
Brad Close > Jack Henderson (half forward)
Ted Clohesy > Aidan Johnson (rotation forward)
Lawson Humphries > Tom Sparrow (half back)
Ollie Dempsey > Xavier Lindsay (wing)
Connor O'Sullivan > Harrison Petty (back)
Mark Blicavs > Tom McDonald (full back)
Jack Henry > Blake Howes (3rd tall)
S. Neale / JVR - equal, but Shannon has him beat in his ability to ruck and his massive height difference - (key forward)
Knevitt / Langford - Langford could be better, but Knevitt can play multiple positions, is bigger and has more exposed form - (rotation mid)

So that's 11 guaranteed, and 2 maybes. Much more than the 6 or 7 you've disputed.

 

[dazbroncos]

You've literally said in the last 3 posts:

• Demons list is better on paper
• Maybe Demons list isn't better but many are
• Not sure that 6 or 7 players wouldn't get a game in our side

Make your mind up?

As an example - Aidan Johnson, Blake Howes, Jack Billings, Jack Henderson, Tom McDonald, Harry Sharp, Tom Sparrow and Jake Melksham, are 8 players that would 100% not get a game in our side right. 3 are off the scrap heap. 3 are past it veterans. 2 are role players that are below our role players. I haven't even included the new guys in Langford and Lindsay, who at least were star juniors and have already shown something.

So I'm sorry, but, I'll allow you to talk smack about our list when in comparison to say Brisbane, GWS, Freo, Hawks or even Gold Coast. But I'll be damned If I'll sit there and listen to you say our list is no better than Melbourne...when even Melbourne supporters would agree that it is, lol.

Your contrarian opinion only works if it actually gives us credit sometimes. If you're just saying every side is better than us, and their lists are too, then it just becomes an exercise in being contrarian and negative for the sake of it - without anything to back it up.

Having had some experiences with Vdubs i can assure you there is nary a stronger Geelong supporter out there.

Not defending his thoughts or opinions here - but he’s a Cats supporter thru and thru.

Go Catters

 

[ShadowCat]

Having had some experiences with Vdubs i can assure you there is nary a stronger Geelong supporter out there.

Not defending his thoughts or opinions here - but he’s a Cats supporter thru and thru.

Go Catters

I have no doubt that he is, but, his negativity without substance, is becoming a commonality not an outlier. Again, I can accept negativity from any of our supporters, but not when it has no actual evidence behind it. I illustrated above using direct comparison how at least 11 players wouldn't get a game, so his argument about Melbourne having a better list than ours, is just patently false.

Notice no-one bats an eyelid when he says that Brisbane's list is better than ours last week, and should beat us - because it is, and they should. This is far different. It's negativity for the sake of it.

 

[The thing about football]

Feeling like Jezza is going to have a huge game this week. Love when he works up the ground and then loses his opponent on the way back to goals. Melbourne have been average the last 2 weeks, big chance for a bag for Jezza

 

[Munich]

I have no doubt that he is, but, his negativity without substance, is becoming a commonality not an outlier. Again, I can accept negativity from any of our supporters, but not when it has no actual evidence behind it. I illustrated above using direct comparison how at least 11 players wouldn't get a game, so his argument about Melbourne having a better list than ours, is just patently false.

Notice no-one bats an eyelid when he says that Brisbane's list is better than ours last week, and should beat us - because it is, and they should. This is far different. It's negativity for the sake of it.

I can't remember a positive post in a long time.

 

[Schmuck]

Anyone with experience in Standing Room at GMHBA.

How would I go with my Gen Admin membership going to the standing area? Read somewhere standing area is seperate to GA and you need a ticket.

Are they strict on this at all?

 

[PzBlinky]

Feeling like Jezza is going to have a huge game this week. Love when he works up the ground and then loses his opponent on the way back to goals. Melbourne have been average the last 2 weeks, big chance for a bag for Jezza

I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Last year he could've had 3 even without a big game. Funnily enough, Melbourne is the team he's kicked the least amount of goals against (barring GWS and the Cats for obvious reasons).

What I want to see is him step up against a good team or in a tough match. It's fine to dominate low/mid-ranked teams, but we need to do likewise against other teams pushing for top 8. Adelaide will be a bigger test for him.

 

[goyoucatters]

Having had some experiences with Vdubs i can assure you there is nary a stronger Geelong supporter out there.

Not defending his thoughts or opinions here - but he’s a Cats supporter thru and thru.

Go Catters

Dubs has been one of the best posters on here for a very long time. His penchant for giving stacks of credit to our opposition each week has always been a hallmark of his posting. Even if it's just a defensive mechanism against undue anxiety for him, I'm able to look past it and see all the genuinely insightful viewpoints he brings on footy in the broader sense.

I've also noticed that his intermittent prognostications of impending doom don't have any discernible effect on the team's performances. Sometimes he says we're virtually no chance and we win. Sometimes he says we're totally in it and we get torched.

And this will be entirely the case again this week. Whether he thinks Melbourne have a decent list when compared to ours or not, the result will be absolutely determined by how each term rolls up to this game. There's just not enough disparity between the relative strength of lists in this 'equalised' competition to mean that one group is orders of magnitude better than most others, particularly when you consider factors like form, injury status, game venue and the like.

As a recent example, there's no way in the wide world that most people would say St Kilda had a better list out there for our recent game against them. Didn't stop them embarrassing us utterly for a half of football and then holding on for the four points. So to say that I could not care less about each person's assessment of the relative strength of lists would be a massive understatement.

#forgetwhatsonpaper
#getoutthereandproveit

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

I have no doubt that he is, but, his negativity without substance, is becoming a commonality not an outlier. Again, I can accept negativity from any of our supporters, but not when it has no actual evidence behind it. I illustrated above using direct comparison how at least 11 players wouldn't get a game, so his argument about Melbourne having a better list than ours, is just patently false.

Notice no-one bats an eyelid when he says that Brisbane's list is better than ours last week, and should beat us - because it is, and they should. This is far different. It's negativity for the sake of it.

There's no need to engage in matters like this to be honest.
How about welcoming the variety of opinion we have from many , many posters and resist the urge to disagree and argue- you can't win an argument on the internet so why bother?
Read , respect and move on FFS

 

[Mr Meow]

There's no need to engage in matters like this to be honest.
How about welcoming the variety of opinion we have from many , many posters and resist the urge to disagree and argue- you can't win an argument on the internet so why bother?
Read , respect and move on FFS

Disagreeing with the points by simply discussing football is fine. I do it all the time with Dubs - we rarely seem on the same page. But I agree that the personal "why are you like this" stuff isn't necessary. I'm not a fan of any posts that essentially say "hey there, be quiet". Robust debate on the other hand, as long as no one is getting genuinely upset- I hope we never lose that for the sake of "pleasantness".

 

[FootyLad0]

Cats can not afford to take Dees lightly.

Gawn will be revved up and ready to dominate, he was talking on radio yesterday about how he wanted the Dees to get called out so it could light a fire in their belly and get them to pull out of their shit start.

They have multiple good players back eg. Lever and Pickett.

Cats NEED to be at their best to make up for the last two games being bottled in two consecutive halves in each game (first half vs Saints and second half vs Lions)

Anyone who is writing off a Dees team who has been smashed in the media this week is a fool.
People thought we’d roll over the Saints easy and look what happened.

Footy is soo even in 2025, one big quarter lapse and a 30 point lead will vanish.
MUST NOT put the foot on the break, 4 quarter effort for once this season would be nice.

 

[FootyLad0]

I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Last year he could've had 3 even without a big game. Funnily enough, Melbourne is the team he's kicked the least amount of goals against (barring GWS and the Cats for obvious reasons).

What I want to see is him step up against a good team or in a tough match. It's fine to dominate low/mid-ranked teams, but we need to do likewise against other teams pushing for top 8. Adelaide will be a bigger test for him.

He needs to find form and find it fast.
If he’s going to be a leader of the club and justify the role he’s given to roam he needs to either get involved by winning footy or hang back more in the forward 50. It’s one or the other not both.

No use roaming if you can’t get a touch and also not being a threat to kick goals

I’ll cut him some slack cause I think he’s been playing with niggles but he still needs to give us more then he has.

 

[Klink]

Cats can not afford to take Dees lightly.

Gawn will be revved up and ready to dominate, he was talking on radio yesterday about how he wanted the Dees to get called out so it could light a fire in their belly and get them to pull out of their shit start.

They have multiple good players back eg. Lever and Pickett.

Cats NEED to be at their best to make up for the last two games being bottled in two consecutive halves in each game (first half vs Saints and second half vs Lions)

Anyone who is writing off a Dees team who has been smashed in the media this week is a fool.
People thought we’d roll over the Saints easy and look what happened.

Footy is soo even in 2025, one big quarter lapse and a 30 point lead will vanish.
MUST NOT put the foot on the break, 4 quarter effort for once this season would be nice.

100% agree.

TBH, I'd expect us to be just as fired up. Two losses in a row; only 4-points separates us and the Dees at the end of the day. Lets make it 8.

The Saints loss was a shocker, and we were in a very winnable position against the Lions. Possibly a goal or two away from blowing that one out beyon their reach. We need to bring the heat for four quarters here.

I'm expecting a brutal response from us.

 

[FootyLad0]

100% agree.

TBH, I'd expect us to be just as fired up. Two losses in a row; only 4-points separates us and the Dees at the end of the day. Lets make it 8.

The Saints loss was a shocker, and we were in a very winnable position against the Lions. Possibly a goal or two away from blowing that one out beyon their reach. We need to bring the heat for four quarters here.

I'm expecting a brutal response from us.

And it’s on National TV too so we can’t hide behind other games being on to avoid criticism.
Turn up to play for 4 quarters, I get footy is a game of momentum but we need to stifle these runs oppo teams get on in the 3rd quarter specifically.

I’m a big proponent of post half time moving Pat back into the midfield to crash and bash even if it’s just for 10 minutes then moving him back forward.
Same with Stewy, rotate him in for 10 to lay some big physical hits and set the tone.

Feel like we come out after half time pretty cruisey and that gives oppo clubs a sniff.

No sniffs of an upset against the Dees, want a demoralising kill that puts the Melbourne board into strife and puts Goodwin’s head in the chopping block.
They’ll be looking for anything they can to spark them, back at Home we need another big season defining win.

 

[ShadowCat]

Disagreeing with the points by simply discussing football is fine. I do it all the time with Dubs - we rarely seem on the same page. But I agree that the personal "why are you like this" stuff isn't necessary. I'm not a fan of any posts that essentially say "hey there, be quiet". Robust debate on the other hand, as long as no one is getting genuinely upset- I hope we never lose that for the sake of "pleasantness".

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.

 

[The Unforgiven]

Surely we have to smash these clowns by 70+ points. We need to channel the flat-track bully from within, because I can see us dropping the next two to Adelaide and Hawthorn respectively.

 

[Munich]

Surely we have to smash these clowns by 70+ points. We need to channel the flat-track bully from within, because I can see us dropping the next two to Adelaide and Hawthorn respectively.

Agree with the first bit.

But I think we beat Hawthorn.

 

[STPer18]

 

[cats_09]

Wonder if that was an issue for Mitch last week which is why he was sub?

But then would we have been better of with another player being available instead

 

[iameviljez]

He needs to find form and find it fast.
If he’s going to be a leader of the club and justify the role he’s given to roam he needs to either get involved by winning footy or hang back more in the forward 50. It’s one or the other not both.

No use roaming if you can’t get a touch and also not being a threat to kick goals

I’ll cut him some slack cause I think he’s been playing with niggles but he still needs to give us more then he has.

IMO he has more than enough runs on the board as a consistent and damaging player as far as forwards go. Don't forget, as a forward, his game is going to be somewhat dependent on supply, even if he does push up the ground.

It is worth remembering (the same as Stewart) that he is 32. Very, very few footballers have the powers at 32 that they did at 28.

 

[iameviljez]

Agree with the first bit.

But I think we beat Hawthorn.

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

 

[ShaunWDT]

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

 

[ShaunWDT]

Anyone with experience in Standing Room at GMHBA.

How would I go with my Gen Admin membership going to the standing area? Read somewhere standing area is seperate to GA and you need a ticket.

Are they strict on this at all?

If you just walk to the standing area nobody is going to say anything, never heard about it being a specific ticket either.

 

[goyoucatters]

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

Baby steps, ShaunWDT. I'm frankly staggered that the coach even mentioned it today. Normally the club would just have him out of the selected team for the weekend and then we'd maybe finally hear something about what's happening with Mitch in next week's injury update.

Says it all about our well-established injury reporting process that what happened today in the presser could be considered 'progress'.