WEEK 3 CATS VS BLUES

So how good is the cockatoo going to be?

There are some players in all levels of the game, from the local under 10s to AFL senior football that when they get the ball seem to have more time than everyone else and the cats new number 5 is one of those players. I might be getting a bit carried away as he has only amassed a total of about 15 possessions but it's how he looked when he has the ball that has excited me the most. His body looks ready to mix it with big boys at AFL level, obviously it won't stand up to the rigors of a full AFL season complete with finals campaign this early on so he is going to have to be managed because its these types of players that can win you a final with five minutes of brilliance.

In my humble opinion its these types of line breaking , run and carry players that are going to be the key in the upcoming seasons and the indigenous boys are the best in business as far as I'm concerned. Hawthorn have the cream of the crop with Cyril and Hill both of which can turn a game on its head in a matter of minutes but they are littered throughout the league.

Hands up who can catch Garlett streaming of a half back flank with a metre head start?

Anyone want to look silly trying to chase Jetta down the wing of the SCG late in the last quarter of a final?

Didn't think so.

 I'm really looking forward to seeing the Motlop Cockatoo show in action for the next decade.

Chris Scott can't be happy with last week's game against the Crows and I'm not too happy with Chris Scott. I am writing this a week later and I can only really draw a couple of positives out of the game. I've touched on the Cockatoo and the only other honourable mention has to go to big Mitch Clarke. The big fella got off the chain and roamed the forward zone like a hungry junkyard dog. He is still very rusty and at times looks well out his depth at the level, but every so often he  has given a glimpse of what his potential offers the football club.

Here is the concern:

Geelong lost the clearances yet again.

30 to 27 is not a massive loss but it's been a reoccurring trend. The boys got first use out of the ruck winning the hit outs and I thought that big Dawson was very good at the bounces and making his presence felt after the ball hit the deck but you cannot win games of football against the best sides in the AFL when you consistently give the opposition first use of the ball out of the middle. It was the stoppages where this really shone through 19-12 in Adelaide's favour.      

Contested possessions are the true indicator of where the boys are lacking and the cats were smacked 104-135. That's five times a quarter that the ball is in dispute and they coming up short. You can get away with that at the cattery in the NAB challenge against the Crows but against Hawthorn at the 'G' on Easter Monday......  it could get ugly.

 

The young apprentice at work is a massive Carlton fan, so much so it clouds his judgement and he made a fatal error by entering into a finish higher bet with me last year. I took the cats and he had Carlton .

"What shall we put on it ?" I asked prepared to go as high as I could  "A slab?"

He thought for a moment and countered.

"Why not make it two?"

"Done."

I should have kept bidding.  

I don't even drink beer and one of the slabs of Crownies is still sitting next to my fridge ready to offered to anyone that comes around. Carlton were never going to finish higher than the cats and this just illustrates that the love for your own club can blind you to the actual reality of the situation. Which brings me to the newest bet we have made. It's another finish higher but this time it's the Brownlow medal. He has Mathew Kreuzer and I have taken Mark Blicavs. Head to head most votes wins.

Unfortunately for the apprentice two days after the bet was made Kreuzer went down with stress fractures of the foot. Not a great injury type for a big man who relies heavily on his mobility.

Blicavs however is fast becoming the most agile, mobile big man in the game. His ruck work is getting better by the week and when the ball hits the ground he becomes another midfielder which could give the cats a decided advantage in a close contest. He is still learning the game not having played much as a junior and having watched every game he has played in the AFL he has improved week in week out and that is all that can be asked of him. I can't praise him highly enough. From what I have seen already this year he has improved his strength and size without really sacrificing any of the elite running that saw him catch the eye of the great Stephen Wells. He has been training with the backline under the tutelage of one H. Taylor and if he can get his two way running going and push back to chop out the likes of Taylor, Lonergan , Rivers , Mackie and Co it will definitely cause some headaches for opposition coaches. His running for a 195cm plus type player is nothing short of freakish and only two other players in the comp have him covered.

Lance Franklin possesses the greatest burst of speed for a guy his size that I have ever seen. Couple that with sublime skills and one of the best left foot shots at goal from outside 50m it's no wonder that he is the 10 million dollar man.

The other guy is the greatest running leading forward in the games history. His name is Nick Reiwoldt and has set the standard for running the last ten years.

I'm not saying Mark Blicavs is going to be the greatest player in the history of the AFL, I'm saying if he keeps improving at the rate that he already is he could easily redefine the standard of endurance and running expected by big man in the AFL.

Anyone want a beer ? My shout.