It was fully intended by the footycatsblog to accompany each
game played by the Geelong
It’s been hard for us here at the footycatsblog to watch the
cats play this year. Both from being time poor and the mind boggling way in
which we are playing the game. Time poor in the sense that rather than allocate
two hours to watch the cats handball backwards to stationary teammates get
swamped by the opposition glimpses of the rot from previous weeks position and
turn the ball over. These hours have been redirected into positive avenues that
increase rather than decrease the tranquillity that is the temple in which the
footycatsblog resides.
I’m like a victim of domestic violence, convinced that this
was the last time and buying into the heartfelt apology and the promise of
change only to be hurt again next week. The game Friday night against Collingwood
was a prime example. The cats were amazing in the first term; it was the
football equivalent of a five star restaurant, flowers chocolates and then an
evening of dancing. Everything went perfectly and we looked irresistible.
Our best footy is good enough. We showed against the Hawks
in the first term, we played it against the Roos. When given the direction and
confidence from the coach to go out attack the footy and take the game on its
all good, when we are trying to conserve a lead and start chipping the ball
short and wide and worst of all backwards we look like a suburban seconds side.
There were glimpses of the rot that had set in over the past few weeks. We
didn’t score for over forty minutes in the game and let them score multiple
goals in a row. But at least the message was getting through. It was the first
time that it looked like Scott had instructed his players to take the game on.
I know that his message probably hadn’t changed from the start of the year and
it was all execution by the players but each deficiency that had been brought
to the fore over the first part of the season seemed to be addressed. That is
all that can be asked from the coach.
Rhys Stanley was huge in the ruck, Mark Blicavs is the most
improved player in the AFL, Mitch Duncan collected his second three votes in a
row and provided the foil in the midfield to Selwood who for the most part has
been a one man band in the guts and Corey Gregson played his best game in what
looks like a long career at the level.
In Wells I trust.
Still.
We have taken a little vindication from the Collingwood game.
You are either part of the solution or part of the problem and sitting back a
potting the coach of a side that’s players aren’t performing is an easy task.
Negativity can creep up on a football team in many ways, shapes and forms and
will reveal itself the same way. Kudos to Chris Scott for getting the boys up
for a Friday night game at the “g” and giving the fans something to cheer
about. Some good old play on and move the ball quickly through the middle
football. The commentators were saying it was a throwback to vintage Cats football taking the game on and executing
perfectly.
It was precisely our point. The Cats when switched on and
ready to play can compete with any side in the competition. They just needed to
all be on the same page.
That is the coach’s main job and that is why we have been
critical of Scott’s coaching performance this year.
He was exceptional on Friday night, in all aspects of the
role.
The players still went into their shells a bit when the pies
got a run on. Harry Taylor who was brilliant all night still fake fumbled a
ball out of bounds 70 metres out from the pies goal instead of grabbing it and
baulking back to the middle to pick off a hungry cat looking to run through the
guts, something the whole team was doing in the first term when they were on
point.
Not knowing what was said at three quarter time I can
imagine that Scott emphasised what the players themselves had gone away from
and the manner in which it was conveyed clearly garnered a response from the
players who put the game away by halfway through the last.
Can’t possibly tip against Sydney
in Sydney
GO CATS
