Geelong’s 2016 report card: Best football compelling but Cats need to fix patches of inconsistency
AS meekly as the Cats surrendered last Friday night, Geelong still put itself in a position to challenge for a flag and came from 10th to do so.
Geelong
Don't miss out on the headlines from Geelong. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AS meekly as the Cats surrendered last Friday night, Geelong still put itself in a position to challenge for a flag and came from 10th to do so.
And their record against teams in the eight was nine wins and three losses, superior to any rival which would suggest their best football was compelling.
The down side were patches of inconsistency and an inability to twice stand up to Sydney’s swarming midfield. Part of that was due to players such as Mark Blicavs, Josh Caddy, Mitch Duncan and Steven Motlop playing below their capabilities.
BIG WINNER: DANGERFIELD CELEBRATED WIN LONG AND HARD
GARY BUCKENARA: GEELONG’S LIST AFTER 2016 SEASON
If a willing suitor with the right deal can be found then Motlop will be at a new home, while Caddy and Duncan will be after massive pre-seasons to set themselves up. Blicavs would seem best suited to playing the role of second ruckman.
The Cats will be buoyed by the return of mid-size defender Jackson Thurlow and will want to get more games into Josh Cowan, Cory Gregson, Jake Kolodjashnij, Darcy Lang, Sam Menegola, Lincoln McCarthy and Tom Ruggles.
Their summer will be demanding simply because of the standards set by captain Joel Selwood and his partner in crime Patrick Dangerfield. The latter’s return from Adelaide was as much Premiership driven as it was geographical.
As for another flag tilt, their recruiting desires in the next two months will focus on both ends of the ground as distinct from the midfield.
2016 SNAPSHOT:
WINS: 18
LOSSES: 6
DRAWS: 0
LADDER POSITION: Third
PERCENTAGE: 143.8
LAST YEAR: 10th
WHAT WENT RIGHT?
Plenty went right for the Cats this season with the club bouncing back in a big way from missing the finals in 2015.
Geelong now possess arguably the best midfield one-two punch in the game with Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood taking no time to become accustomed to playing side by side. Dangerfield has already claimed the Brownlow Medal and will be a short priced favourite to take out the Geelong best and fairest award as well.
After four knee-reconstructions, the Cats can also breathe a sigh of relief with Daniel Menzel getting through an entire season without any knee issues.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
At times throughout the year, the Cats looked destined for the premiership.
They toppled six of the other seven sides that finished inside the top eight but strangely, struggled for consistency against the competition’s weaker sides.
The Cats dropped games to strugglers Carlton and Collingwood and also lost to bottom eight side St Kilda. While the Selwood and Dangerfield combination was great, at times they were relied upon too heavily by the rest of the team.
The Cats needed more players to stand up when the pressure was on.
HIGHLIGHT AND LOWLIGHT
For drama and excitement, it is hard to top Geelong’s win over Hawthorn in the opening week of the finals. Two of the greatest teams of the past decade squared off in an epic encounter that came down to the last kick of the night. Geelong players and coaches watched on as Hawthorn’s Isaac Smith sprayed a shot at goal after the final siren to send the Cats into the preliminary final. Dangerfield later described the win as one of the best moments of his career.
The lowlight came just two weeks later though, when the Cats blew the chance to qualify for the grand final after they were soundly beaten by Sydney. Going into the game as premiership favourites, the Cats were never in the match and allowed the Swans to bully them during a dominant first half. Dangerfield and Selwood stood up under the pressure and continued to fight right throughout the night. However, there will be a number of Geelong players who will be thinking about their disappointing efforts over a long summer.
DRAFT/TRADE REVIEW
Draft: Ryan Gardner (59), Sam Menegola (66), Wylie Buzza (69), Matthew Hayball (70) Jock Cornell (rookie draft), James Parsons (rookie draft) and Tom Ruggles (rookie draft)
Trade/ free agency: Patrick Dangerfield, Lachie Henderson, Zac Smith and Scott Selwood
The Cats were the most active team in last year’s trade period, bringing in four experienced players.
The club got everything they could have possibly hoped for out of Dangerfield. Henderson’s back end of the year was derailed by a knee injury but he did prove to be a quality defender and swingman early in the year.
Scott Selwood was also forced to spend an extended period of time on the sidelines because of injury.
Despite not having a draft pick until selection 59, Geelong still managed to pick up some exciting young talent.
Menegola debuted in Round 18 and maintained his place in the side for the rest of the year.
Ruggles played 18 matches but lost his place in the Cats’ preliminary final side.
THE COACH
To surrender meekly in a final won’t sit well with Chris Scott. Nor will his finals record of just two wins from eight finals since he claimed a flag in his first season on 2011. His tactic of playing two ruckmen in Smith and Stanley backfired against Sydney with both poor. Expect Scott to search for another tall forward option to provide options when Tom Hawkins is held.
YOU SAID IT
“It was a good season with a disappointing finish. You can’t do much more than earn the right to have a home prelim final.” - Cats coach Chris Scott.
BEST AND FAIREST
The Dangerfield-Selwood quinella won’t return anything special. Next best might be a couple of wise old defensive heads in Corey Enright and Tom Lonergan. Carji Greeves Medal, Thursday October 6, Crown.
SUPERCOACH STUD
Once again, Dangerfield promised a lot and delivered in spades. The star midfielder scored a whopping 2,899 points for the year, giving him a weekly average of 131.8.
Among the many highlights was his opening round performance against Hawthorn.
Wearing Geelong colours for the first time, he scored 162 and it was clear his move to the Cats was full steam ahead. His highest score for the year was an incredible 229 points against North Melbourne in Round 12.
SUPERCOACH DUD
It was a disappointing year for Geelong midfielder Steven Motlop. After signing a big contract in the off-season, Motlop never showed any consistency in his SuperCoach scoring. He managed to break three figures once in the first five rounds of the season and produced another mid-year low patch. Motlop went on to score over 100 just seven times for the year and averaged 85.2 points.
THE LIST
ELITE: Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Corey Enright
BIG IMPROVERS: Jake Kolodjashnij, Lincoln McCarthy, Josh Cowan
GONE: Padraig Lucey, Zack Bates, Cameron Delaney, Tom Read and Jock Cornell
GOING, GOING: Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Billie Smedts, George Horlin-Smith, Mitch Clark
TRADE BAIT: Steven Motlop, Nathan Vardy, Shane Kersten
ON THE BLOCK
Mitch Clark has played his last game for the club. George Horlin-Smith, Shane Kersten, Steven Motlop, Jordan Murdoch, Billie Smedts and Nathan Vardy could all be at new homes in 2017. Michael Luxford is under pressure as are rookies in Zac Bates, Jock Cornell, Cameron Delaney and Tom Read.
WHAT THEY NEED
Geelong is keen to add another high quality midfielder to its group with North Melbourne’s Daniel Wells, Richmond’s Brett Deledio or Brisbane’s Pearce Hanley among the contenders. The finals series showed the Cats can’t continue to rely on just Dangerfield and Selwood. They are desperate for Josh Caddy and Cameron Guthrie to keep improving.
PREMIERSHIP CLOCK: 11PM
If they can have another smart off-season at the recruiting table, there is no reason why the Cats can’t be contending for a premiership again next year.
Originally published as Geelong’s 2016 report card: Best football compelling but Cats need to fix patches of inconsistency
Best 23s: How trade period changed every club
Trade period is behind us and the clear winners and losers have emerged. How will every club’s best 23 look for 2025 after the exchange period? FIND OUT HERE
Bailey Smith makes heartfelt Dogs tribute
Bailey Smith admits it’s been the most difficult year of his career as part of a heartfelt tribute to the Western Bulldogs following his trade to Geelong.