Teams

GEELONG
B: Tom Harley, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt
HB: Darren Milburn, Andrew Mackie, Corey Enright
C: Cameron Ling, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel
HF: Steve Johnson, Cameron Mooney, Paul Chapman
F: Ryan Gamble, Tom Hawkins, Mathew Stokes
Foll: Mark Blake, Gary Ablett, Joel Corey
I/C: Trent West, Shannon Byrnes, James Kelly, Kane Tenace
EMG: Harry Taylor, David Johnson, Brent Prismall

New: Trent West (Gippsland Under-18)

PORT ADELAIDE
B: Michael Pettigrew, Alipate Carlile, Jacob Surjan
HB: Peter Burgoyne, Toby Thurstans, Domenic Cassisi
C: Travis Boak, Chad Cornes, Kane Cornes
HF: David Rodan, Justin Westhoff, Danyle Pearce
F: Daniel Motlop, Warren Tredrea, Brett Ebert
Foll: Brendon Lade, Steven Salopek, Shaun Burgoyne
I/C: Dean Brogan, Tom Logan, Matthew Thomas, Paul Stewart
EMG: Greg Bentley, Nick Lower, Fabian DeLuca

New: Paul Stewart (Woodville-West Torrens)

Umpires

Donlon, Rosebury, Avon

Past five

GF 2007 Geelong 24.19 (163) d Port Adelaide 6.8 (44) MCG
R21 2007 Port Adelaide 16.10 (106) d Geelong 15.11 (101) Skilled Stadium
R9 2007 Geelong 16.20 (116) d Port Adelaide 8.12 (60) AAMI Stadium
R15 2006 Geelong 9.14 (68) d Port Adelaide 8.10 (58) Skilled Stadium
R16 2005 Geelong 18.18 (126) d Port Adelaide 7.5 (47) Skilled Stadium

Betting

Geelong $1.60, Port Adelaide $2.30
_________________________________
This game is worth so much more than four points.

A Grand Final humiliation means that Port will be jumping out of their skin to regain some respect. Geelong, meanwhile, will waste no time digging at the mental scars of their creation; another win against Port would build a serious psychological barrier between them and a potential Premiership threat.

At the selection table, Geelong has almost a quarter of its Grand Final team absent. Premiership heroes King (St Kilda), Nathan Ablett (pondering the meaning of life) Ottens (ankle), Rooke (calf) and Wojcinski (finger) will all be missing and so the match presents the real first test for quite some time of Geelong’s famed depth.

Mark Blake gets his chance to prove that his Grand Final omission was a mistake. Trent West debuts after solid pre-season ruck form. Tom Hawkins will slip into the void left by Nathan Ablett. Ryan Gamble has been rewarded for his lively work up forward over summer and Kane Tenace has yet another opportunity to carve out his niche.

On Port’s side of things, the medical room looks much more sparse with Michael Wilson being the only forced absentee.

The absence of Brad Ottens draws immediate concern about the ability of Blake and West to combat Lade and Brogan. After all, the ill-famed decision to omit Blake and include Steven King was based on the premise that the bigger bodies of Port’s ruckmen would pose problems for Blake.

But the desire by Blake to silence his doubters will be strong. He is still on the steep curve of improvement that young ruckmen experience at his age, 22. Criticisms of his game in the past have centred around his competitive ability at around the ground contests and, at times, his foot skills. There is little doubt he would have spent a large chunk of his summer rectifying this.

The other thing driving Blake now is what he sees in his rear-view mirror – Trent West. In some ways West poses a more significant threat to Blake than King did in 2007. West, at 198cm and 90kg, moves well across the ground and has excellent skills below his knees for a player of his size. West excelled at VFL level last season, averaging 23 hitouts and 13 possessions a game. Blake will need to be at his best, and on the improve, to hold out the pressure that West will exert in 2008.

Lade and Brogan will provide a serious headache for Geelong, particularly around the stoppages in Port’s forward line. The Burgoynes, Motlop and Rodan are a handful at the best of times. But on the receiving end of first-class service from their ruck division, they will be even more potent.

Perhaps one other question mark over the Cats will be their ability to cover the loss of Nathan Ablett. At times in 2007, the younger Ablett looked lost and lacking in motivation – such signs would prove to be telling. Tom Hawkins – all 197cm and 105kg of him – will step into the role. One gets the feeling that the Cats would have wanted to ease him in through another half season in the VFL. Without that luxury though, we’ll get to see a sink or swim experiment play out with a precocious young talent.

The question will be whether Geelong can plug the holes and get enough ball through the midfield to counter a hungry and determined Port team. Geelong’s midfield looks imposing and on paper, the selected side minus five premierships stars barely looks weaker.

Ordinarily, the ruck advantage alone wouldn’t be enough to tip the balance in favour of a side that, on one view, starts 119 points behind. But Port are a quality side and a proud club. They have quality all over the ground – a strong forward six, a speedy and skilful midfield and a dependable, if lacking in stars, defence.

On this occasion, the revenge factor and Ottens absence just tip the scales in favour of the Power.

Port by 13 points.

I remember pre-season last year, thinking that for us to improve we needed to invoke a new mental approach, to create a tougher mind set. I thought we needed to set our sights high, in fact, extremely high, my target was on Zero Error. The reasoning was simply to make it clear that mediocre efforts were not acceptable, “just” getting the job done was to be unacceptable. We needed to instil a culture of harsh self judgement and for me aiming for zero error was the way to do it. The Cats approached it slightly differently but their honest public assessments by their piers did the trick. All players raised the bar and our excellent performance thru the season and our amazing performance in the GF was due in some part to these expectations.

So what do we do this year to keep our standard up?

This year our task is a mental problem of a different flavour. The issue is how we cope with being the Premier and all it encompasses. How do we cope with the pressure of being at the top of the mountain and being “the hunted”? Conversely how we handle the easing of pressure due to our success now that we have finally achieved what we have all dreamed about.

When we won the flag last year, we didn’t only break the drought for GFC, we changed the paradigm for every club in the league. The two previous flags were won in great contests but dour struggles. When I think on Swans V WC , it’s the negative flooding , the close checking and the non scoring that I first think of., Sure they produced tight , enthralling contests and close finishes but for me it was not much more than 36 highly tuned fit athletes playing jungle ball. To me our game was made great with contests, not just close scores. The best games, the most entertaining games where created when the players were willing to take risks and where they were willing to trust their fellow players to win the ball in a one on one contest. They would focus on trying to maintain your skills while playing with pace, rather than reducing the speed of play, to ensure certainty of possession. The method that Roos and Worsfold always seemed to favour was to keep the ball under control. Control is their mantra and tempo is their creed. “They can not score if we have it” and so came forth the game of keepings off. The critics might have said its rubbish football but when this methodology actually gained a premiership, others noticed and followed. Of course when nearly every team is attempting play this style, the general level of interesting football played dissipated. The comp suffered.

To be fair a few teams preferred to stride a different road. They road they chose was to break the flood by moving the football as quick as they could. Geelong though did this the best, playing at a pace that ensured negating tactics were hard to employ but also playing a dynamic, breath taking football. Their list was primed and ready to roar and roar they did. Their style was tagged by some as Tsunami football, rather ironic really to think a Tsunami was used to break a flood. And by winning a flag by play this high paced game, they have swung the pendulum. No longer is the attacking football style looked upon as the losing model and I’m sure this year will see quite a few teams try to duplicate us. The thing is its easy to run and gun , Its another to have the footy smarts to be able to use the footy at a rushed pace and be efficient. It will be interesting to see how the athletes cope with less time to make the football decisions.

For us we still must keep doing what we are the best at while blending in 3 to 4 new guys. We must continue to be what Geelong has be know for. The club that put skill on display and make the footy worth watching. Do this and continue to match the skills with hard nosed play hard football and we will have other club wondering how to beat us , and that sounds good to me.

Thank You , Frank Costa , for coming on board when we were down and out. For lending your financial backing and you giving our club level headed mature leadership

Thank You , Brian Cook. For changing us from a provincial debt ridden basket case to a club with legitimate claims to being one of Victoria’s best.

Thank You , Stephen Welles. For you and you teams brilliant insights. Sure there have been misses but what we have running around on the grass is testimony to your hits.

Thank You Tom Harley , for stepping into the leadership spot. For of so long it was considered the deadman’s spot , and with your own injuries it would have been easy to pass up the task and concentrate on your own form. But, no , you did what was best for the team and the club. Then the speech , ‘WE ARE GEELONG” , you have encapsulated “us” in three words ,thank you, thank you!!

Thank You Paul Chapman , for having the balls to call a spade , a spade. To be willing to risk the negative attention , to risk the upset , because we were so close to going down the same old path for yet another year.

Thank You Steve Johnson , for having a look in the mirror and saying I could be better and then having the determination to do something about it.

Thank You GA and NA. To be willing to risk the public exposure of the footy media. To come to the club that they knew would multiply attention because it was the club of their father.

Thank You , Brad Ottens. for choosing Geelong. When others choose to avoid us ,you choose to embrace us. You might have once played at Richmond but now you a Geelong Premiership player , for ever.

Thank You , the whole team for raising your own level of performance and concentrating on the now rather that what has happened in the past or what might happen in the future.

and Thank You Mark Thompson. You sir , I apologise to. I thought you had run your race , I thought you had been given enough time , I thought your dedication had waned and I thought your leadership model was suspect. I was wrong.

**

All these guys and others have brought us here. You , me , us , we are now are followers of a Premiership team. I know its not our first Premiership but it feels like it. I feel like now I’m Premiership supporter. For too long we have all had this burden of crap that could always be thrown at us and now its not there. For the moment we are the “King of the Castle” and for once in my life , I really feel like I belong to a winning clan.

Of course as quick as the Sun goes up , it goes down. Not to short circuit the celebrations but the question is “What is this feeling going to do to our side?” There is talk about Dynasties and it is understandable but really its very premature. As most have noted , one of the most amazing things about our success this year is that we are basically the same side , in name , as the previous year. Now if you think about it , this means that the difference between #1 and #10 is conditioning and mindset. The willingness to sacrifice , the willingness to gain pain , the willingness to hurt to win , the willingness to do what ever you need to do to be the best you can be. That’s what we did this year, we went the extra mile , we did the extra weight, we did the extra session and here we are.After so many years of drought we have finally drunk from the "Well of Success" , and the most important question that remains “is our thirst quenched?”

We have the list , to not just win a years worth of success but to get our club to more Preliminaries , more GF’s and more Premierships. We have the chance to not only be the team that everyone was happy to see win but to be the team that everyone (bar us) will be happy to see the back of. We are on the cusp on perhaps a once in a life time cycle if all the people I’ve thanked above can remain dedicated, if they can maintain the same thirst for success. It might be selfish guys but I want more. I’ve tasted it , I’ve been to the well and tasted the pure clean liquid it holds. Rather than quench my thirst , its left me dry in the mouth , smiling from its purity , craving its sweetness , demanding more of its euphoric splendour.

So , guys enjoy your Mad Monday , drink the drink that you so hardly deserve but remember there is 15 teams that are right now planing your demise. Enjoy the “now” that you have earned but tomorrow will come very quickly and when it does you will have to re-focus what you want to achieve in your football career. You will have to decide if you will be happy 10 years time looking back at being a one time only Premiership player or perhaps wondering what could have happened if you didn't want those extra $$. The old saying is “its harder to stay at the top than it is to get to the top”, I suppose for the first time in a long, long time the players , the club , everyone is about to find out if that’s true.

Teams

Geelong
Backs: Harley Scarlett Hunt
Half-backs: Mackie Milburn Wojcinski
Centres: Corey Bartel Enright
Half-forwards: S Johnson Mooney Selwood
Forwards: Chapman N Ablett Stokes
Followers: Ottens Ling Rover: G Ablett
Interchange: King Byrnes Kelly Rooke
Emergencies: Varcoe Blake Prismall
In: King
Out: Blake

Port Adelaide
Backs: Pettigrew Thurstans Surjan
Half-backs: Cassisi Chaplin P Burgoyne
Centres: Salopek K Cornes Rodan
Half-forwards: Motlop Tredrea Pearce
Forwards: Lade Westhoff Ebert
Followers: Brogan C Cornes Rover: S Burgoyne
Interchange: Boak Symes Logan Wakelin
Emergencies: Carlile Bentley Lonie
In: Symes
Out: Wilson (Achilles)

Umpires

McInerney, McLaren, McBurney

Past five

R21 2007 Port Adelaide 16.10 (106) d Geelong 15.11 (101) Skilled Stadium
R9 2007 Geelong 16.20 (116) d Port Adelaide 8.12 (60) AAMI Stadium
R15 2006 Geelong 9.14 (68) d Port Adelaide 8.10 (58) Skilled Stadium
R16 2005 Geelong 18.18 (126) d Port Adelaide 7.5 (47) Skilled Stadium
R5 2005 Geelong 15.9 (99) d Port Adelaide 15.5 (95) AAMI Stadium

Betting

Geelong $1.40, Port Adelaide $2.80
_________________________________

Well, this is it. There’s not need to build it up any more than it has been. This is Geelong’s greatest shot at breaking its 44-year premiership drought in two generations of Abletts.

The list of accolades to date – Minor premiers, Brownlow medallist, nine All-Australians, the Rising Star, the VFL Premiership, AFL MVP player and coach – although impressive, will all be forgotten if the biggest prize of them all, is not held high by Tom Harley and Mark Thompson on Saturday afternoon.

Geelong enters the game as warm favourites, although you wouldn’t know it by watching the media coverage this week.

Mark Williams has taken every opportunity to talk up his team as what he says, is a more experienced, faster, stronger (and your writer is certainly starting to think, “higher”) unit.

It’s common practice for Choco to take a mouthy approach to the build up to a big game. He did it before the sides met in round 21 and there’s little doubt he’d be under the illusion that it worked.

But the media, Williams and the many-headed have quickly forgotten the circumstances in which that game was played. Bartel pulled out of the game with appendicitis, Cameron Ling with a hamstring and Joel Selwood, perhaps at the peak of his season’s form, was rested in line with Bomber’s policy of pacing first year players.

Injuries and omissions aside, with seconds to play, the Cats snatched the lead in what was nearly an unlikely victory. The win for the Power was anything but convincing.

But to give credit where credit is due, Port have earned the right to take on the Cats for the flag. They finished in second place on the ladder after home and away matches ahead of others including West Coast, Collingwood and North Melbourne. They won both their finals including their preliminary final against the Kangaroos convincingly.

The upside for Port is twofold. Around half their side, as well as their coach, know how to win a flag. It was only 3 years ago that they upset the more fancied Brisbane juggernaut. Secondly, Port have premiership-calibre players. Cornes, Burgoyne, Cornes, Burgoyne and Lade, in particular. These are players whose names when uttered in 20 years time, will not sound odd with the words “double…” or “triple…”- “…premiership player” in front of them.

But they come up against a team unparalleled in its decoration this season. A team that, if it wins tomorrow, will be seen as a modern great. Arrogance on Port’s part at this time is wholly misplaced.

Port have openly said they will try to run Geelong “off their legs”.

The beauty of Geelong this season is an ability to win a lock-down or win a shoot-out. It is the hallmark of a great team. An open, free-flowing, run-‘til-you-drop game will hold no fear for the Cats. They’ve prided themselves on their fitness and put faith in their hard work.

Port managed to shut down the corridor in the round 21 encounter. They will try to do so again tomorrow. But they can’t have it both ways. Shutting down the corridor takes great discipline and application. Midfielders, wingers and flankers must zone off their man and occupy space in the centre square when not in possession of the ball. Their opponents get pushed wide, in front and behind the ball. After a turnover, there’s no room to run. They will get the ball in the corridor but Geelong will already have numbers back. Bombing the ball into Geelong’s defence spells death, so accomplished are Harley, Scarlett and Milburn at marking and spoiling.

Geelong dealt with the best lock-down team going around last week. Geelong is the best shoot-out team. Either way, Port has a hell of a job on its hands.

We cannot forget that Geelong are warm favourites for a reason. Highest scoring team for the season. Lowest points conceded. A streak of fifteen wins broken only by a meaningless and narrow loss while undermanned. Finishing the home and away season with a strong win interstate. A belting of the fourth placed Roos by even more than Port won by. And finally, getting over a most determined Collingwood outfit who, if they had won, would have just about been favourites in this Grand final.

At 5:30pm on Saturday afternoon, the football world will be collectively nod and with a slap of palm to forehead say, “That’s why Geelong were the best team all season. What was I thinking?”

Geelong look like a premiership team already. Tomorrow will confirm it.

GEELONG BY 27 POINTS

By Ben Carbonaro

Geelong (17.24.126) was crowned premiers for season 2007 when they smashed the Coburg Tigers (7.10.52) at MC Labour Park on Sunday.

A healthy crowd of close to 14,000 people were in attendance at the VFL’s biggest day and they were rewarded with beautiful weather. They also saw plenty of brilliance from a Geelong side that was buoyed by an outstanding performance from comeback hero Tom Lonergan.

Both teams had played attacking and determined football during the finals series, but the superior fitness displayed by the Cats proved to be the deciding factor.

The Cats were superb in defence during the second half as they restricted the Tigers to no goals in the third quarter and only three in the last.

Cats coach Leigh Tudor was ecstatic with the win.

“(I’m) really proud of the guys, they’ve worked really hard all year so it was a great effort,” he told ABC TV.

“It’s great to see them (the playing group) get the rewards.”

Tudor highlighted the performance of VFL listed midfielder Scott Thompson who had 30 possessions and strengthened his chances of a possible AFL rookie listing.

“Scott Thompson’s had 30 possessions in a VFL Grand Final, just magnificent,” he said.

It looked like Lonergan’s football career was all but over after a shocking collision against Melbourne last year and an operation to have a severely damaged kidney removed. But after an uneventful return against Tasmania he gradually built up strength to play the aggressive type of football he is known for.

Lonergan kept Coburg forward Jack Riewoldt to just two touches in the first half. He was switched to the forward line after the main break by Tudor in what proved to be a match-winning move. Lonergan kicked five third goals to help give the Cats a near insurmountable 61-point lead after three quarters.

Lonergan capped off a remarkable comeback when he was awarded the Norm Goss Medal for his six goal best on ground performance.

Speaking after being awarded the medal, Lonergan declared the premiership victory as “the best day of my life”.

“This is the best day of my life,” he said.

“I haven’t got the words to describe it.”

The Coburg Tigers (17.20.122) claimed the reserves premiership after defeating Port Melbourne (8.8.56) earlier in the day.

The Tigers were simply too good all over the ground, their speed and ball use too much for the Borough to handle.

Cleve Hughes kicked four goals and Steven Foster was best for the Tigers.

GOALS: Geelong: S.Johnson 3, Stokes 3, Mooney 2, G.Ablett, Chapman, Kelly, Ottens, Rooke
Collingwood: T.Cloke 3, Didak 2, Medhurst 2, Rusling 2, Burns, Davis, O'Bree, Rocca
BEST: Geelong: Ottens, Ablett, Scarlett, Kelly, Bartel, Corey, Stokes
Collingwood: T.Cloke, Shaw, Buckley, Swan, Clarke, Wakelin
INJURIES: Geelong: Johnson (shoulder)
Collingwood: Rocca (ankle)
REPORTS: -
CHANGES: Fraser (Collingwood - back) replaced in selected side by Bryan
UMPIRES: McBurney, McLaren, McInerney
CROWD: 98,002 at the MCG

Geelongblog.com Player of the Year
Preliminary Final:
5. Brad Ottens
4. Gary Ablett
3. Joel Corey
2. Jimmy Bartel
1. Matthew Scarlett

Leaderboard
1. Gary Ablett - 65.6
2. Jimmy Bartel - 49.3
3. Joel Corey - 31.5
4. Joel Selwood - 28.5
5. Cameron Ling - 22.8
6. Brad Ottens - 21
7. Steve Johnson - 19.3
8. Matthew Scarlett - 17.1
9. Paul Chapman - 16.5
10. Darren Milburn 14.5
11. Andrew Mackie - 12.8
12. Corey Enright - 10
13. Cameron Mooney - 7.6
14. Nathan Ablett - 7
14. Matthew Egan - 7
16. David Wojcinski - 6
17. James Kelly - 5.5
18. Mathew Stokes - 5
19. Brent Prismall - 4
20. David Johnson - 2.5
21. Travis Varcoe - 2
21. Max Rooke - 2
23. Kane Tenace - 1.5
24. Tom Harley - 1.3
25. Mark Blake - 0.5

Teams:

Geelong
B: Harley, Scarlett, Hunt)
HB: Mackie, Milburn, Wojcinski
C: Corey, Bartel, Enright
HF: Johnson, Mooney, Selwood
F: Chapman, Ablett, Stokes
FOLL: Ottens, Ling, Ablett
I/C: Blake, Byrnes, Kelly, Rooke
EMERG: Varcoe, Prismall, Gardiner

Collingwood
B: Clement, Wakelin, Lockyer
HB: H.Shaw, O'Brien, Goldsack
C: Clarke, Burns, Buckley
HF: Maxwell, Rocca, Pendlebury
F: Thomas, Cloke, Rusling
FOLL: Richards, O'Bree, Davis
I/C: Swan, Fraser, Didak, Medhurst
EMERG: Licuria, Stanley, Bryan
IN: Fraser
OUT: Bryan

Umpires:

McBurney, McInerney, McLaren

Past 5:

R15 2007 Geelong 11.14 (80) d Collingwood 9.10 (64) MCG
R8 2006 Collingwood 22.14 (146) d Geelong 6.8 (44) MCG
R11 2005 Collingwood 18.13 (121) d Geelong 14.12 (96) Telstra Dome
R15 2004 Geelong 12.22 (94) d Collingwood 9.11 (65) Telstra Dome
R18 2003 Collingwood 14.13 (97) d Geelong 10.13 (73) Telstra Dome

Betting:

Geelong $1.26 Collingwood $3.75

___________________________________________

The season is getting pointier by the week.

Geelong’s marvellous achievements throughout the home and away season – including most recently, nine All-Australians – are becoming less and less relevant as we enter the cut-throat part of the finals.

There’s no doubt the Pies are a good “on-paper” match up for Geelong. They have the forward line height and flair that is most likely to trouble Geelong’s defence, especially sans-Egan and with a susceptible Josh Hunt. They have a good defensive mix with enough height and versatility through Clement, Wakelin and O’Brien and enough run through Shaw, Clarke and Lockyer. The midfield, while lacking the depth of Geelong’s, still boasts quality players and users in Burns, Buckley, Didak, Pendlebury and Swan.

Geelong has good match-ups in all of these areas so it’s not a case of saying either team has a decisive edge in any area of the ground, again “on-paper”.

The reason Geelong has won so many games this season is the way they have clicked as a team and the way they have blown oppositions apart.

Geelong look to jump from the blocks and pile on scoreboard pressure early (Geelong have lost only 3 out of 23 first quarters this year). They will pump the ball forward quickly and regularly hoping to overwhelm the opposition’s defence. They will isolate Mooney one-on-one because he loves the ball high and long. Wakelin will need assistance from a third man up. Johnson and Stokes have been very dangerous at the spills.

They will rebound the ball extremely well from their own defensive half. Scarlett, Harley and Milburn are excellent in the air so Collingwood will need to avoid bombing the ball indiscriminately. Once in possession, the ball is fed out to the likes of Enright, Mackie and Wojcinski who carry the ball toward the centre of the ground and look for midfield targets. Geelong play on at all costs. They don’t give the opposition a chance to man the mark or to pick up a player who has broken free ahead of the play. By keeping the ball hot, the opposition doesn’t get a chance to close the play down. The ball is put in the hands of Ablett, Mackie and Selwood to move the ball inside 50 as they do it so well.

Collingwood thrive on keeping the game tight and under pressure. If they can manage to do this for four quarters they are in with a big show. It’s a massive ask though. Geelong’s style of game is to absorb pressure (don’t be under any illusion that they can’t do this – they are one of the best pressure teams going around) and break the game open when the opportunity arises. In games when they were able to get away frequently the margins were enormous. In games when the opposition did well to shut it down, two or three ten minute bursts were usually enough to put a gap between Geelong and the opposition. Can Collingwood hurt Geelong enough when the game is tight and limit the number and duration of the periods when Geelong breaks free? This is the key in my mind.

Then there is the fitness and preparation issue. Geelong have had a near-ideal preparation with only Egan missing from the best 22 and a week off to rest the niggles. As an already super-fit side, they couldn’t ask for a better preparation. Collingwood on the other hand, have acknowledged that they are up against it with their “low-altitude” return from Perth after a game that went to extra time. They ran that one out well, but at this stage of the season, a big question mark must remain over whether they have the run in their legs to stop Geelong.

Expect an explosive start to the game. If Collingwood has anything left in the tank that’s when it will be shown. If Geelong can absorb the initial barrage, then break the game open as Collingwood wearies, a Grand Final berth awaits.

Geelong by 28 points.

In that super draft , the Hawks did a deal with Freo and got P1 for a couple of senior players. The players they gave , although good , would never live up to the names of Hodge, Ball, Judd and Bartel and the Dockers probably looked the poorer for it. With the pick , the Hawks took Hodge preferring him over Judd. Many thought the choice suspect but as time has gone on fewer and fewer can question the quality of their choice. Hodge took a little time , a more natural amount of time to mature compared to Judd but he Hodge is quality. Judd however stepped into football and made it his own like few of any age do and in the process he become the poster boy for the drafting process and the quality of the kids coming thru.

Judd , being so good basically killed the ability to trade for early picks for the fear of being made a fool of. These days , any club would have to be extremely confident in its current list or be on the end an enormously favourable deal to trade away a single digit draft pick. To trade early picks is like trading your heritage , to do it you run the risk of robbing your club of not just a good AFL player but a player that could play 200 games , a player who could become a champion for your club and in this age of footy where we tend to use terms from other games , a player who could become a franchise player. Imagine , how embarrassing would it be when a traded pick becomes a franchise player for another club.

Which brings us to this year. The man himself , Chris Judd wish’s to be traded. The one who changed the system , the man who changed people's thought process is now trying to be traded. Judd at 24 could hardly be better credentialed , a premiership player , a Best and Fairest winner , a Brownlow and a Norm Smith medalist . He is in the elite of the elite , he is so good that any club would and should be desperate to get him in their jumper. Yet it will be extremely difficult to arrange a trade for him. We have arrived at the Judd Paradox. Which club is willing to give up potential Judd's to get the Judd?

Judd's worth to a side would be more than any player in this coming draft yet it will be a very costly exercise to get the early picks it will take to get him. Judd would probably love to go to the pies and I’m sure they’d love to have him but how to make it happen.The Pies have no early picks , their only choice is to trade to get early picks and those trades have the potential to rip the guts out their quality youth stocks. Their loss could neutralise the potential lift in public relations from getting the best player in the comp and dog them for years to come.

Its for this reason , I can see Judd being the cause of another change in drafting , in fact he may well cause a rule change. If Judd fails to get where he wants , if a club fails to get the picks required to get the job done , if WC fails to get adequate compensation there will be an almighty screaming from the effected parties. What could happen? It would not surprise me at all to see the ability to trade future draft picks introduced. In the Judd situation it would give Collingwood the flexibility to get Judd without being forced to trade three or four players to get early picks. It would give WC the chance to receive a fair recompense , even if its over a longer period of time. It could also be far fairer on players who could be into forced movement , possibly interstate.It would grease the trading process which may allow more player movement.

I fear if something isn’t done to make it easier for established players to move clubs then there could be an almighty push for Free Agency. If this happens then we will be starting to head down the path of Premier League and we will be heading down the path of a comp that’s dominated be the financially strong clubs. We in Geelong are not a weak club yet , it would almost be beyond believe to think we could match the might of West Coast , Freo and Adelaide let alone the usual suspects in Victoria. In a totally unrestricted market we will struggle. Imagine in a year where a financially mediocre club had 9 All-Australians , and some where coming out of contract. Just how could that club match the offers that would come their way. They couldn’t. We in Geelong are not mediocre but even we would run the risk of becoming a breeding ground for super clubs. The place where players learn their trade before departing for the big dollars. Geelong would be like soccer in Australia, a backwater with immature and over the hill players.

There is no doubt Judd on the field has set a very high standard , his play is almost with comparison yet Judd off the field may yet have even more effect on the game in the long term and I doubt that effect would be good for us. For the sake of all , lets hope his trade is resolved in a reasonable and fair manner.

I don’t know about anyone else but my head’s in a bit of a mess. The thought’s driving thru my brain right now seem to run contrary to what my gut tells me , I’m all over the place like a dogs breakfast and as conflicted as a Geelong council member. Imagine delusions of grandeur mixed with historical dread and stirred with eternal hope and you will get an idea of the way I’m feeling. “Keep the lid on it”, “enjoy the experience”,” the only team that can beat Geelong is. Geelong” meanwhile “the Cats will crash like they always do”, “They haven’t won anything yet” , “please , not again !!” I want to scream out with confidence but my tongue seems to be restrained not unlike like another Cam Ling victim. I want to jump with joy but at the same time play it cool. I want to believe its more than an illusion and most of all ,I just don’t to say or do anything that stuffs it up.

I’m an amalgam of my experiences. I’m a supporter who has ridden the “Big Dipper” and knows it doesn’t always stay on the tracks. I have followed teams that had tight backlines , I have followed teams with champion forwardlines and I’m yet I’m still to witness a happy resolution to the season. Now ,I’m following a team that has other teams worried, their looking the goods. So much so that their trying abnormal tactics like pre-game rough stuff and talking it up in the media. I’m following a team that looks to finally have all the answers yet I’m also following a club that has toyed with my emotions like a heatless witch.

Logically , I can see our side this year is probably the most dominant version of the Hoops I’ve ever had the thrill to experience. Logically , I can see if it was Essendon or West Coast that was doing , what we are doing , Id be saying it’s a “done deal”. Logically , I can see that we are the best side , to this point , but emotionally I’m still looking for what’s going to bring it all down , I’m still just waiting for the thing that’s going to crash my mental stability like a Supercar in a wet Bathurst. I’m just not used to it going this well. For so long I’ve been seeing this pin point of light at the end of the tunnel and now that the light is as bright as the midday sun , I’m feeling slightly uncomfortable. Like a rabbit that prefers the comforting darkness , I too am finding that I’m just not used to being the follower of the standout team.

There is no doubt that this group is on the verge of making its own history but just what type of history will it be? Get the job done who knows what are the limits , but miss , for what ever reason , and I just don’t want to think about the consequences. One journey is coming to an end and another is about to begin. No more can we say , were rebuilding , no more can we say that there is plenty of time. We are now at the failsafe , it’s time to lift off , its time to fly.
No matter what , It’s the end of the beginning , it’s the end of the abstract out of focus future , the future is now , this is it.

I thought losing was hard to take , but I guess winning is just as tough , especially when you really are not used to it. Who say’s it only a game?

Catempire has really stepped up the past couple of weeks, so cheers to him.

Rather than post old news (Nothing much has happened apart from Selwood winning the rising star, Egan out for possibly the season, floggin the Roos by 106 in the Qualifying final & James Byrne winning the Liston medal) I'll just post the votes from the past two weeks.

Geelongblog.com Player of the Year
Round 22:
5. Brad Ottens
4. Joel Selwood
3. Gary Ablett
2. Steve Johnson
1. Corey Enright

QF:
5. Gary Ablett
4. Joel Selwood
3. Cameron Ling
1.5. Brad Ottens
1.5. Paul Chapman

Leaderboard:
1. Gary Ablett - 61.6
2. Jimmy Bartel - 47.3
3. Joel Corey - 28.5
3. Joel Selwood - 28.5
5. Cameron Ling - 22.8
6. Steve Johnson - 19.3
7. Paul Chapman - 16.5
8. Matthew Scarlett - 16.1
9. Brad Ottens - 16
10. Darren Milburn 14.5
11. Andrew Mackie - 12.8
12. Corey Enright - 10
13. Cameron Mooney - 7.6
14. Nathan Ablett - 7
14. Matthew Egan - 7
16. David Wojcinski - 6
17. James Kelly - 5.5
18. Mathew Stokes - 5
19. Brent Prismall - 4
20. David Johnson - 2.5
21. Travis Varcoe - 2
21. Max Rooke - 2
23. Kane Tenace - 1.5
24. Tom Harley - 1.3
25. Mark Blake - 0.5

The loss of Egan did not put so much as a scratch on the shiny chassis of the Geelong defensive machine.

Geelong’s defence has worked so well this season because it has aerial superiority combined with aggressive run. The game versus the Kangaroos showed this to the fullest extent.

The Kangaroos had 38 inside 50s for just 10 scoring shots, a conversion rate of just over a quarter. Geelong on the other hand, scored 41 times from 65 entries, a whopping 61% conversion rate.

The Roos were far too stagnant and predictable moving the ball into their forward line. When bringing the ball out of Geelong’s backline, they struggled to find a loose man. On many occasions the ball was kicked to a contest on the wing which Geelong often won. When they did manage to get it past the centre, rarely was it through a fluent passage of play. The ball would make its way to half forward and be kicked in long and high. In theory, the loss of Egan was to leave Geelong susceptible to height. In reality, Scarlett, Harley and Milburn are three of the best in the game at reading this play and taking marks. Petrie, Hale and Edwards were no match, with North taking just five marks inside 50 for the match.

And on the rare occasion when a dangerous spill occurred, Enright, Mackie, Wojcinski and Hunt were waiting to whisk the ball away. Scarlett was sensational in running off his man (Hale) at every opportunity, collecting 23 possessions.

Geelong’s Preliminary Final opponent will need to spend ample time at the planning table thinking about how to crack the Geelong defence. For certain, long and high is not the answer.

Ominous on-ballers

Led the way by Brownlow favourite Gary Ablett, Geelong set up the game with its midfield dominance. Ablett collected 32 possessions and kicked two goals after, surprisingly, he wasn’t tagged by Brady Rawlings.

Bartel looked more like a peaking thoroughbred than a man who had an appendectomy two weeks prior. He collected 20 possessions by half time with the Kangaroos refusing to pay him the attention he clearly demands. But perhaps this is one of the key dilemmas when facing the Cats, by tagging one player – the Roos chose Corey and did it well – it leaves at least two or three others to run riot. Ablett, Bartel and Selwood exemplified this, collecting 83 possessions between them. With such prolific supply to a strong forward line, it’s always going to get ugly for the opposition.

Cameron Ling added another notch to his belt, this time through a complete smothering of Brent Harvey. In my match preview, I noted:

The Kangaroos most dangerous player, and Brownlow rival to Ablett and Bartel, is Brent Harvey. It's hard to see North winning the game without Harvey collecting 25 possessions and kicking a couple of goals. For this reason alone, Ling should get the job.

which turned out to be right on the money. The Roos rely heavily on Boomer as a source of dangerous possessions. But with the infinitesimal latitude Ling gave him, he never looked a danger.

Special mention to Brad Ottens who, after missing out on the All-Australian squad, easily accounted for McIntosh who was included in the first cut. Ottens gave superb first use to the midfield with 26 hitouts and went forward to kick two goals. He showed once again how important he is to this team.

Fearsome forwards

Cameron Mooney became the first Geelong player to kick more than 60 goals in a season since the great Gary Ablett. Mooney’s five goals were indicative of a solid performance and of midfield dominance rather than personal brilliance.

Paul Chapman produced possibly his best game for the season with 18 possessions and five goals playing across half forward. Chapman was ruthless in destroying Glenn Archer who, according to Mark Thompson, had a lot of preparation and planning done on him.

Nathan Ablett recovered from a poor start in dropping a chest mark resulting in a Kangaroos goal and being too casual in playing on from close range and wasting a certain goal chance. He finished with three goals in a nice foil role to Mooney.

Then it was cameo but hard working appearances from Steve Johnson, Stokes and Byrnes that topped off a great match from the Geelong forwards. The most notable highlight was the aggression and relentless pressure placed on North players when in possession in Geelong’s half.

What lies ahead

Geelong plays the winner of West Coast and Collingwood who face off on Friday night in Perth.

The Pies have their tails up after dealing with Sydney comfortably. While West Coast’s horror run with injury showed no signs of easing up in their demise against Port.

But any talk of “who would Geelong rather play” is now surely superfluous. If there is one thing Geelong have proved this season it’s that they are the team to beat and it will take one hell of a performance by another side to do it. With the week off and with everything else on their side, the Preliminary final can’t come quickly enough for the Cats.

Teams

GEELONG
Backs: J Hunt Scarlett Harley
Half-backs: Mackie Milburn Wojcinski
Centres: Enright Bartel Corey
Half-forwards: S Johnson Mooney Selwood
Forwards: Chapman N Ablett Stokes
Followers: Ottens Ling G Ablett
Interchange: Blake Byrnes Kelly Rooke
Emergencies: Hawkins Varcoe King
In: Rooke Bartel
Out: Egan (broken foot) Varcoe

KANGAROOS
Backs: Pratt Brown Archer
Half-backs: Sinclair Watt Smith
Centres: Wells Simpson Harvey
Half-forwards: Edwards Hale Sansbury
Forwards: Jones Petrie Grant
Followers: McIntosh Rawlings Harris
Interchange: Swallow Firrito Gibson McMahon
Emergencies: Lower Hansen Harding
In: Firrito
Out: Green (suspended)

Umpires

Margetts, McLaren, Jeffrey

Past five

R20 2007 Geelong 17.16 (118) d Kangaroos 13.13 (91) Telstra Dome
R5 2007 Kangaroos 18.10 (118) d Geelong 15.12 (102) Skilled Stadium
R17 2006 Kangaroos 13.12 (90) d Geelong 8.12 (60) Manuka Oval
R2 2006 Geelong 22.6 (138) d Kangaroos 10.9 (69) Skilled Stadium
R9 2005 Geelong 22.14 (146) d Kangaroos 8.13 (61) Skilled Stadium

Betting

Geelong $1.25, Kangaroos $3.65
______________________________

Well, this is it. This is what we've been waiting for all season. The Big Stage. The stuff that matters.

Geelong's stellar home and away season – winning 18 games including a 15 game streak - has given them ideal position going into the finals. Perched atop of the ladder, the Cats get a home final and the prospect of a week off should they defeat the Kangaroos.

The news going into this game was mixed for the Cats.

Confirmation that rising star centre half back Matthew Egan had broken his foot threw an unwanted complication to finals planning. Egan has had a breakout year and made the position his own, giving Geelong the luxury of playing Scarlett in a more attacking role and Harley on the dangerous medium and small forwards. It has been a combination that has worked sublimely.

Now the Cats must shuffle. It will be horses for courses, so with the Roos only featuring two tall forwards in Hale and Petrie, the Cats may not need to upset the balance too much. Keeping the hands of the Roos defence full with three tall options of our own – Mooney, Nathan Ablett and a resting Ottens – should ensure that the Roos can't create a mismatch.

On the plus side, Brownlow contender Jimmy Bartel and hard nut Max Rooke will be a welcome return to the Geelong midfield.

Bartel missed just two games after his appendectomy and Rooke has made a long awaited return after receiving alternative therapy on his troubled hamstring in Germany.

These inclusions bring Geelong's formidable midfield back to full strength. Something that our forwards and the likes of Joel Corey, James Kelly and Gary Ablett will benefit from.

An interesting stat leading into the finals is the way that sides have performed against other finals sides throughout the year. In this regard, Geelong, not surprisingly, finished the season with eight wins and three losses (Kangaroos, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide). The Roos, on the other hand, fare no where near as well. The Roos won just three against the other top seven sides (Geelong, Sydney and Hawthorn) and went down on seven occasions. On that measure, one wonders whether the Roos' top four finish flatters their form to some extent.

The midfield battle between the sides is once again intriguing. Last time they met, Bartel was dominant with 36 possessions. The Roos cannot let him dictate like that again so expect Adam Simpson to try to clamp down on him.

That leaves Cameron Ling without an opponent after blanketing North's captain in keeping him to just 10 possessions in the round 20 encounter. The Kangaroos most dangerous player, and Brownlow rival to Ablett and Bartel, is Brent Harvey. It's hard to see North winning the game without Harvey collecting 25 possessions and kicking a couple of goals. For this reason alone, Ling should get the job. When Harvey goes forward, Enright should take him and Ling should look to create a scoring option for the Cats. Ling's 27 goals this season have been a revelation within a midfield that has traditionally struggled to kick goals.

There's little doubt Brady Rawlings will take on Gary Ablett again. Ablett showed why he is a Brownlow contender when these two last went head-to-head with Ablett managing to shake the tag for 31 possessions and two telling goals. Rawlings wants, and needs, revenge for the Roos to win the match.

The other battle being anticipated is that between All-Australian contender Hamish McIntosh and Cats in form big man Brad Ottens. Their numbers for the season read remarkably similarly. McIntosh played three more games so on averages, McIntosh shades Ottens in possessions (16 to 13) and hitouts (18.7 to 18.3), but Ottens' determination and versatility are exemplified by his lead in tackles (3 to 1) and goals (17 to 10 for the season). In their last encounter, McIntosh had 14 possessions, 18 hitouts and a goal, while Ottens had 16 possessions, 21 possessions and a goal. Perhaps on that reading, it will be the side that doesn't give away an advantage when Hale and Blake relieve their first choice team mates.

Geelong are rightfully solid favourites going into this game. They are the team to beat after finishing three games clear on top of the ladder. Just three weeks ago, the Cats did not look to troubled in despatching with a keen Roos outfit. The Cats look to have the edge in the midfield and will trouble the Roos again with their scoring power. The Roos will rely on a few – Harvey, Wells and McIntosh in particular – to get them over the line. Hold two out of three of those and Geelong will not be troubled.

Geelong by 30 points.

*Must apologise for the state of the blog recently. I am officially no longer a uni bum and am working full time. Hence I barely have time for this anymore. Will see how we go for finals...*

Well what a game! We never seemed like we clicked all game, yet were always in the contest. We managed to steal the game, only to have to stolen back off us.

Gazza's goal was brilliant, pure excitement and didn't the joint go off when he slotted it through. Overall a pretty disappointing performance. Thought our skills were very poor at times and we clearly missed Ling, Bartel & Selwood at the stoppages let alone around the ground.

The Power on the other hand looked like the played very well at times. They are scary quick and when you have a core of stars like the Cornes & Burgoynes you are always a chance. Would be a ripper re-match in September.

For an in-depth look at it, check out Catempire's excellent run down directly below. Top stuff.

Geelongblog.com Player of the Year
Round 20:
5. Brad Ottens
4. Andrew Mackie
3. Gary Ablett
2. Steve Johnson
1. Paul Chapman

Leaderboard:
1. Gary Ablett - 53.6
2. Jimmy Bartel - 47.3
3. Joel Corey - 28.5
4. Joel Selwood - 20.5
5. Cameron Ling - 19.8
6. Steve Johnson - 17.3
7. Matthew Scarlett - 16.1
8. Paul Chapman - 15
9. Darren Milburn 14.5
10. Andrew Mackie - 12.8
11. Brad Ottens - 9.5
12. Corey Enright - 9
13. Cameron Mooney - 7.6
14. Nathan Ablett - 7
14. Matthew Egan - 7
16. David Wojcinski - 6
17. James Kelly - 5.5
18. Mathew Stokes - 5
19. Brent Prismall - 4
20. David Johnson - 2.5
21. Travis Varcoe - 2
21. Max Rooke - 2
23. Kane Tenace - 1.5
24. Tom Harley - 1.3
25. Mark Blake - 0.5

This was the big pre-match story.

When Geelong made the decision to rest Selwood with “general soreness” it was widely met with nodding approval at the clubs wise management of the young gun.

But when Bartel was forced from the side with appendicitis on Friday, an eyebrow or two would have been raised at the impact this may have on the functioning of Geelong’s engine room.

On Saturday morning, when news arrived that Cameron Ling was a late withdrawal, the alarm bells were well and truly ringing.

Geelong played the game with two our of its best 4 midfielders and 3 out of its best 5. Against a team strong through the middle of the ground, this was always going to be a problem.

Kane Cornes in particular, ran rampant without the close checking of Cameron Ling. To make matters worse, Cornes clamped down on Joel Corey, heavily limiting his effectiveness and leaving too much load on the shoulders of Gary Ablett.

Geelong were destroyed at around the ground stoppages, particularly those close to Port’s goal where several goals were created from poor setups and loose checking.

Rucks

Brad Ottens continued his stellar form in the ruck with 16 possessions (11 contested) and 27 hitouts up against quality opposition in Lade and Brogan.

Ottens took two telling marks in the final stages of the game, however his failure to clear the ball with a long kick down the line was probably a factor in losing the game.

Meanwhile, Mark Blake received a chance to prove that he owns the backup ruckman role in front of Steven King. His 5 possessions, 1 mark and 10 hitouts (only 2 to advantage) failed to achieve this.

With King one of the VFL teams best yesterday, the selectors will once again have a difficult decision on their hands.

Kicking for goal or choosing not to

If bad kicking is bad football, not kicking for goal when you should must be a football abomination.

Too often you see players in this team pass to low percentage options when they are inside scoring range. For memory, Stokes, Varcoe and Mooney were all guilty of this yesterday.

It is time these players took responsibility for scoring goals.

Turnovers by senior players

Darren Milburn contributed three goals to Port Adelaide’s total through his turnovers that resulted in goals. Scarlett and Steve Johnson (among others) were also guilty parties to this heinous crime.

It was reported that Port won 63 possessions from Geelong turnovers and converted them into 10.4 (as compared with Geelong’s 7.7 from 54).

Contributing to this were the seven occasions where Geelong kicked the ball to Dean Brogan who was lurking inside their forward 50. Not waking up to this tactic was a terrible indictment on Geelong.

Back-slaps

Steve Johnson has been superb in the past 16 games, averaging 18 possessions, 7 marks and 2.5 goals per game. For a player who was offered for trade less than 12 months ago and who was forced to play the first 5 games of the season in the VFL, this is an outstanding effort. He continued the form on Sunday with another 3 goal game.

Gary Ablett was the standout for Geelong again, collecting 27 possessions under a close tag and kicking what was nearly the winning goal of the match in fine style. He did his Brownlow chances no harm in a performance that could see him snatch the 1 or 2 votes in a losing side.

Players in the firing line

Shannon Byrnes produced more of the material that makes him such a frustrating player to watch. In the final quarter, when he had a shot at goal from near directly in front, he pulled the kick to take his career tally to 16.35. This is simply not good enough for an AFL footballer, particularly one who is in the side to kick goals.

Henry Playfair will be ruing his performance. The once promising centre half forward gathered only 8 possessions and took 3 marks. For a player playing for their career the performance simply wasn’t good enough. He will now play out the season in the VFL and will probably never play senior footy for the Cats again. As an aside, however, the levelling of blame for the loss at Playfair is misdirected when several other players had far greater negative impacts on the game with their turnovers resulting in Port Adelaide goals.