The Geelong Cants

[deedee]

C'mon Craigo, we've debunked that one. They made the Grand Final in 2020 with only a few games at home.



It's true they haven't got it done in finals but equally worth remembering they led the Prelim and Grand Finals at half time in two years. They had one hand on the cup both times until we snatched it away. That's about as close as you can get to achieving something bloody hard to achieve. Goes down as losses in the record but by any measure it is a huge season.

The 13 flags we have won are great and what I measure our success on, 2 me the 10 we lost means nothing, might as well have finished 9th.

 

[deedee]

Yep, that's why we were a better side than them and beat them in finals.

Still doesn't change that being in that last four is a bloody great performance for any side. Regardless of what you gameplan is, if you make a preliminary final you have had a great year. If you make a couple in a row you are even better. If you make five out of six then you are even better again.

In fact I reckon it is an interesting discussion over how 5 prelims out of 6 matches up as to how good a side you are with say winning a single flag and then not contending again.

If I climb mt everest I am not going to stop 20 feet from the summit and claim success.

 

[Born_a_Tiger78]

Their overall finals record since 2011 is something like 7-14 I think. Like I said, 3rd or 4th best, win 1, lose 2.

If they won more qualifying finals, their finals record would be different. They certainly wouldn't have played as many semi finals.

One from seven over that period I think?

I've heard the good clubs win flags from 3rd...

 

[houstontiger]

So for you there is only one successful side each year in the AFL and the other 17 are failures?

Interesting question. Unlike other leagues/sports around the world there is no real reward for coming anything but first in the AFL. So in the AFL, yes I reckon one team wins and 17 teams lose each year.

Here's a hypothetical...as a member/supporter of the RFC, what would you prefer over the next 10 years:

Option A: 1 flag and 9 wooden spoons
Option B: 10 grand final appearances but no premiership.

Highly unlike I know for either option to come true but honestly I'd take Option A.

 

[Razorgang2]

So for you there is only one successful side each year in the AFL and the other 17 are failures?

For your analogy to be correct, only 1 person would summit the mountain each year out of all who attempted it. If that was the case I reckon getting within 20 feet would be considered a pretty good try.

TBR, Do you remember who ran second in the 2021 Melbourne cup. Thought not.

 

[Jonesracing82]

I get your point but I look at Geelong who had the same timeframe as us. They made semi finals in 2021 and are the oldest playing group. Finishing in October wasn’t our reason for our 2021 12th position.

Big difference with them was while most likely doing similar training to us, they didn't have blokes breaking down on a weekly basis as we did at some times during the year.

 

[Jonesracing82]

No excuses??

Sure sounds like an excuse to me when he says he wonders whether the game should have gone ahead.

DS

He's still taking his mind off the job at hand, long may it continue, rinse & repeat

 

[Jonesracing82]

If you run the first lap of an 800m race at 400 pace, you will lead at the bell. But you won't win.

2 wins, 14 losses. It doesn't get starker than that.

Their biggest problem is they have "stars" who constantly go MIA in big games. Why they re-signed Rohan is as mind boggling as recruiting him in the 1st place.

 

[Jonesracing82]

All I can say about the scats intent currently in Finals is that it is not working for them. And may it long do so!!!

IMO it's their mindset, Coach constantly whinges about the MCG at Finals time & it filters through the group that they are at a disadvantage before they have even run out. Another factor re: mindset, check any of our Finals against them, when the heat is on watch what they do at every stoppage, they have the arms out looking at the umps begging for a free kick, by comparison our guys are going to their positions for the throw in etc.

 

[Jonesracing82]

Geelong also added 'fresh' veterans Cameron, Smith and Higgins to the oldest list ever assembled. They are masters of home and away footy, but as Gyps rightly pointed out, their aim is to finish top 4 and hopefully Bradbury it from there.

For all their success in phase 1 of the plan, fact is in the last decade they are 1-6 in qualifying finals, 1-5 in prelims, 0-2 in elimination finals and 0-1 in grand finals. That's 2 wins, 14 losses in finals against teams that finished in the same half of the 8 as them. You'd almost call them frauds. They are good at beating also-rans in semis, I'll give them that. They might have made the finals last year but they got flogged by Poort, beat an average GWS and were obliterated by Melbourne.

At the end of the day, these #'s are damning & they speak for themselves

 

[Jonesracing82]

I actually don't think they are a poor finals side. What I think has happened is they have had a run of being the third or fourth best side in the competition.

When you do that, you are going to beat most teams in home and away footy but come finals you will likely lose the first one, win the second and lose the third. Therefore you are only winning 1 in 3 finals and your record looks poor.

That theory is supported by them being in the last 4 teams so often in the past decade but rarely making the last two.

Some people seem to think a poor finals record is a point of ridicule but my take is it is almost as hard to make a preliminary final as it is a grand final and to consistently do so makes you a very successful side. Not ultimately successful but still very successful.

Are they really that good a side with such a poor record against the best teams, which also happens to be different teams year to year? That'd suggest their home ground usually does the trick for them during home & away, granted the last 2 years that hasn't been a factor.

 

[Jonesracing82]

Also consider this. After losing a Prelim in '18 our boys entered '19 talking about getting redemption. We certainly wern't accepting a top 4 finish & did indeed see it as a failure.

 

[TigerMasochist]

He's still taking his mind off the job at hand, long may it continue, rinse & repeat

Best thing is, as coach he's also taking the players mind off the job at hand. Excuse for, reason for, it'll happen soon somehow maybe. Great coach is Salty, he's the little man sitting inside his players heads n doing the whispering.

 

[deedee]

So for you there is only one successful side each year in the AFL and the other 17 are failures?

For your analogy to be correct, only 1 person would summit the mountain each year out of all who attempted it. If that was the case I reckon getting within 20 feet would be considered a pretty good try.

A pretty good try is exactly that, a pretty good try. Success is completing the challenge. AFL has 1 winner and 17 followers.

 

[Baloo]

For as long as we live well look back over the last 5 years and consider it a massive success. Something that brings pure unbridled joy to our hearts and will always draw a smile.

I doubt Cats fans will have the same feelings.

 

[bairdy380]

For as long as we live well look back over the last 5 years and consider it a massive success. Something that brings pure unbridled joy to our hearts and will always draw a smile.

I doubt Cats fans will have the same feelings.

Yet interestingly we all said we were happy with one, but somehow not content and want more after three… we’re a fickle bunch

 

[Legends of 2017]

He's still taking his mind off the job at hand, long may it continue, rinse & repeat

He is overdue complaining about not having more games at that shithole of a home ground, more specifically a home game there against us. He is going to have a fit when he finally gets around to looking at the fixture

 

[Baloo]

Yet interestingly we all said we were happy with one, but somehow not content and want more after three… we’re a fickle bunch

Not really. We were happy with one. But you can always be happier. If we don't win another with this generation of players, we'll be happy with what we've got. But we could have been happier if we won 2018 as well.

 

[Legends of 2017]

I swear I’ve seen more news/ sports stories on tv and in the paper about these pricks in the past month, than all the other clubs combined. It’s like they are being hyped up as the flag favourites. I hope the players take notice and let the press inflate their already large egos and they go into free fall

 

[TigerForce]

I swear I’ve seen more news/ sports stories on tv and in the paper about these pricks in the past month, than all the other clubs combined. It’s like they are being hyped up as the flag favourites. I hope the players take notice and let the press inflate their already large egos and they go into free fall

Even better was hearing that Pricky's contract will get an extension, although big rumours that Clarko could take over in 2023.