It has been a difficult season for the Cats thus far, with only one win for the season to date in a thriller last round against the Box Hill Hawks. The Cats’ intensity was clearly evident, but lapses in concentration have led to some disappointing losses in games that could have otherwise been resurrected. However, with lots of promising youth, and an undefeated AFL side, there is a lot of promise in this young Cats outfit. It may not be this year, but in the coming years their side will breed success and spur Geelong fans on once more.
Brendan Lucas reviews their season to date.
Where They Stand –
The half way mark of the season is fast approaching, and after 10 rounds the Cats sit second last on the ladder just above Frankston on percentage. With one win, finals are looking a very unlikely proposition, as the Cats are in a stage of rebuilding. With average losses of 30 points, the Cats’ recent win showed true determination and the intensity to close out a game, something they have struggled with this season.
Having a strong alignment with an AFL club can on the outset be beneficial, but with a loss of senior Geelong players at the end of last season, youth is having to be bred, and is only just starting to develop this season at a VFL level. It will take some time, and probably not this season before we see the Cats claw back to the heights of their 2007 premiership success.
Key Players –
The depth of Geelong’s list will take some time to mature, however the development of youngsters Allen Christensen, Steven Motlop, Mitchell Brown and Tom Gillies will provide great promise in the VFL. With exceptional performances from all four against Box Hill on the weekend, look for these players to continue to show potential throughout the rest of the season.
Geelong has a good mixture of AFL listed players, and when playing add greater intensity and presence around the ground, which proved beneficial against the Hawks last weekend. Strong bodies like Tom Hawkins last weekend finished with 16 posessions, two goals and 10 marks, and appearances this season from Travis Varcoe and Mitch Duncan will always add more depth to the side. But without a variety of versatile senior players Geelong have seemed to struggle, and even with them have found it difficult this season to find balance in a maturing side.
From the Coaches –
Despite the lack of success in results this year, assistant coach Matthew Egan believes that breeding youth takes time, and that despite only one win for the season he sees the development of younger players as the real success.
“I think we rate our performance on how our young players are going from the VFL to the AFL. I think it has been a real success so far, with Allen Christensen playing games, Mitch Duncan, Varcoe playing his first game a couple of weeks ago,” he said.
“It’s disappointing we haven’t won a game until now, but we have been close, against Collingwood we had a really good first half. Because we do have alignment between a VFL and AFL list it takes a while to gel, and hopefully this is the time from now until the end of the season to get a couple of wins in.”
“[An alignment] is important for us because we get to play players where we want to play them. Obviously myself and Dale work full time with these players, so for us it works well to be able to coordinate players from both the AFL and VFL quite effectively throughout various positions on the ground.”
The Run Home –
The next month could prove difficult for the Cats, with games against Werribee, the Northern Bullants and Port Melbourne, certainly testing their depth. The only likelihood of a victory in that month possibly coming from their round 14 clash against Frankston at Skilled Stadium.
Overall, six games at home in the remaining 12 rounds may provide opportunity, but clashes with the likes of Collingwood and the Casey Scorpions may prove too big a task for this developing Geelong side. A home ground advantage will most likely not be a factor that will change the landscape of their performances.
Expect this Geelong side to improve throughout the remainder of the year, but not in their climb of the VFL ladder.
Last Modified on 10/06/2011 13:32