Round 20 Cats gameday thread

[Nico]

Seagoon, Geelong handball to a moving target, we in many cases handball to a standing target but when we have moving targets we continue to handball until we stuff it up. Hence a flock of Swans running forward...oops...turnover to a litter of pussies all on their own... goal...QED.

[Nico]

fwiw i also think keneally is substantially down on his 05-06 form. He has often handballed to stationary players but his handball is now slow and loopy rather than zippy. I think his turning circle has become very big and he lacks speed to get away from smart forwards.

but i wouldn't drop him. he still offers something

Disagree again - go and have a look at the replay.

[Seagoon]

I thought Kenelly was OK. He was defintely one of our more dangerous players (for Geelong that is!). I think Geelongs best player was LRT, followed by top cat. Gee I hope Jack plays next week. We need some run.

How would LRT go in the ruck? Probably get smashed?

[Seagoon]

Seagoon, Geelong handball to a moving target, we in many cases handball to a standing target but when we have moving targets we continue to handball until we stuff it up.

Hi. I think I agree with you, but im not sure I get the subtlety of what you are saying there. What I was meaning is that one many occassions, a player receiving a hand pass whether still or on the run was too slow to dispose of it, like we needed quicker hands. The confidence seemed down or something. And yeah, many of our handpasses went to ground. I recall LRT handpassing straight to a cat.

Anyhow, enjoyed getting out in the cool evening air!

[Glenn]

Don't know if it is just me, but Tadgh just doen't seem to have the same pace post injury, prehaps still carrying it to some degree?

[Matt79]

Have not read the thread so may have been mentioned already.

What is very noticable to me is the drop down in our tackling. We used to tackle and the ball would remain locked in, now opposition players are constantly getting their arms free and releasing the ball to a team mate.

When Geelong tackled us, the ball got locked in. We must improve in this area.

[NMWBloods]

Two changes I think should be made are:

LRT - continues to add little.

Ablett - same, and any defensive job he did do can now be done better by Bevan who also has some more potentially offensively.

[Nico]

I thought Kenelly was OK. He was defintely one of our more dangerous players (for Geelong that is!). I think Geelongs best player was LRT, followed by top cat. Gee I hope Jack plays next week. We need some run.

How would LRT go in the ruck? Probably get smashed?

It is just beyond belief that Jack was dropped and Ablett retained. Ablett was as useless as tits on a bull out there tonight. At least Jack would have made contests and provided run. The one chance Ablett had was when he took a bounce, looked to the left stopped propped, somehow got to the right and promptly kicked out on the full - inept footy. And he was back to his brilliant best of hanging on to the footy and going to ground. Most of the time he was on his own looking around saying ... where'd he go where'd he go. And they had the gall to play him up forward, and he obliged by giving us an as dumb as it gets push in the back.

Would someone tell the coaches the speed of the game has gone up about 4 notches, and his has gone back about 4 notches.

[Melbournehammer]

i completely agree with his lack of closing speed and getting beaten on the lead (see post 80). But there are any number of those who say well down to lrt - the forward is taking his marks on the wings (including numbers on this site) so not dangerous. This is just not true with him - and in addition it also makes all of our other defenders look to come over to help him - ted whenever he is playing spare is looking to see where lrt's man is leading - because his forward almost always has the time to deliver well.

he is not good enough and i doubt whether he ever willbe

[Nico]

Hi. I think I agree with you, but im not sure I get the subtlety of what you are saying there. What I was meaning is that one many occassions, a player receiving a hand pass whether still or on the run was too slow to dispose of it, like we needed quicker hands. The confidence seemed down or something. And yeah, many of our handpasses went to ground. I recall LRT handpassing straight to a cat.

Anyhow, enjoyed getting out in the cool evening air!

I know what you are saying but when you handball to a statue against Geelong they pounce so quickly, and it looks like players are slow to get rid of it. Hence the saying "a hospital handpass".

[anniswan]

I think our handball dispossals were too inaccurate,

I think we tried to emulate Geelong with too many handballs, when we should have kicked it.

[hot potato]

The Cats play like The Harlem Globetrotters, finding space, always running in packs, bullet passes by hand and by foot and they know where the big posts are.
The Swans tried hard to imitate on occasions but haven't got the skills to execute the same gameplan, and then are made to look very ordinary with the resulting 8 point turnaround.
Then they go back to something like women's netball, stopping in their tracks when they get the ball kicking backwards or sideways, which the Cats pounce on in no time.
The Swans looke a bit antique in their bodies and minds tonite and they play an antique style, long superseded by more successful methods.
Bomber is a very good coach. His team are a pleasure to watch but not much fun when they are versing Sydney.
I love The Gablett mini-swerve, what a pain.

[Melbournehammer]

don't need to look at replay. I can start by referring to the first point kicked by geelong - he got turned inside out by byrnes this was not the only occasion.

don't get me wrong. i still think he offers a lot but he is not as good as he was.

much like the swans actually

[SassySwan]

I thought Kenelly was OK. He was defintely one of our more dangerous players (for Geelong that is!). I think Geelongs best player was LRT, followed by top cat. Gee I hope Jack plays next week. We need some run.

How would LRT go in the ruck? Probably get smashed?

Kennelly needs to go home. He has too many injuries. He could have been great, but unfortunately like alot of footballers, injury has taken him too soon. We can keep with him and hope he gets better, or cut him and go forward!!!!

[swantastic]

And I thought that quarter wouldn't end...

Geelong 16.10 106
Sydney 8.5 53

A disgraceful 3rd quarter effort from the Swans with an injury to Crouch not helping at all. Sydney started well kicking the first goal, but Geelong kicked the next six to effectively seal the game and declare themselves as firm favourites to win the flag again.

The backline is getting flogged, causing turnovers that have resulted in goals. Jolly & Everitt have been well beaten in the ruck, the midfield can barely get hold of the ball and only one Swan has 20+ disposals compared to the Cats' five.

Winning the quarter will add some respect to the final score but the result won't change.

Yes but 5 of those were from dodgey free kicks.The umps got them into the game.