Eight reasons for Geelong fans to get excited ahead of 2019

Geelong has been building for four years but hasn’t been able to break through to a Grand Final, is 2019 the year. Built on a solid defence and star-studded midfield, there’s plenty to like about the Cats.

Geelong's 2019 AFL season preview

Geelong has fallen short of expectations in the last three years, is it running out of chances.

However, built on a solid defence and star-studded midfield, the retention of Tim Kelly and addition of Luke Dahlhaus, there’s plenty to like about the Cats in 2019.

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EIGHT REASONS FOR GEELONG FANS TO GET EXCITED

THE RECRUITS

Contrary to popular belief, Geelong had the most efficient forward line in the competition last season, kicking a goal from one in every four inside 50m entries. And the addition of two recruits - Luke Dahlhaus (Western Bulldogs) and Gary Rohan (Sydney) - should only make that a bigger strength. Rohan is a speedy mid-sized forward who can also play on a wing and Dahlhaus can be a goalkicking midfielder and tackling machine. Neither player has performed at their best in recent years but if they can rediscover top form Geelong will be over the moon. In 2015, Dahlhaus averaged 25.7 disposals, 5.38 tackles and kicked 17 goals, while Rohan averaged 10.4 disposals and kicked 25 goals from 18 games in a career-best 2016.

Luke Dahlhaus in his new colours. Picture: Alison Wynd

Gary Rohan at Geelong training. Picture: Alison Wynd

SO CLOSE

Geelong was a better team than its win-loss record in 2018 showed. The Cats finished the home-and-away season with 13 wins and nine losses, seeing them scrape into eighth place on the ladder. But the margins from those losses make for interesting reading. Eight of the nine defeats came by 18 points or less, including three by less than a goal. If the Cats can tidy up the lapses in games that cost them and convert a few of those narrow defeats into wins, a top-four finish would be well within reach.

SOLID DEFENCE

Many of the great premiership coaches will tell you flags are won on defence. Geelong has that down-pat. The Cats were the best defensive side in the competition last season, conceding an average of just 70.8 points a game. They had 100-plus points scored on them on just three occasions; against Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and Adelaide. It was a significant improvement on 2017 - when Chris Scott’s side conceded 83.4 points a game - and provides Geelong a strong foundation on which to build next season.

Geelong’s midfielder leaders Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield.

MIDFIELD STRENGTH

It’s not just defence where the Cats excel, but Champion Data ranks the side’s midfield as the second-most talented in the competition. Having two Brownlow Medallists in there in Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett helps, along with captain Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan and Tim Kelly. The problem last season was that the mix wasn’t quite right at times, but not knowing how to best use such a talented group is a good problem to have.

RATUGOLEA RETURN

Esava Ratugolea has played just eight AFL games but he made waves with an impressive start in his debut season in 2018. The 197cm key forward, who can also pinch-hit in the ruck, kicked seven goals from his first seven games and showed he has all the makings of a future star before going down with a broken ankle in Round 10 which wiped out the remainder of his year. The 20-year-old gives the Cats another dimension in attack and it’s worth noting the side won six of eight games in which Ratugolea played.

Nakia Cockatoo in action for Geelong’s VFL team. Picture: Arj Giese

Esava Ratugolea in action for Geelong’s VFL team. Picture: Michael Klein

NAKIA COCKATOO

Lively small forward Nakia Cockatoo has shown plenty of promise but simply hasn’t been able to string together a full season so far in his career. He has speed, puts on pressure and has great goal-sense, averaging more than a goal a game in 2016 and 2017. However, Cockatoo managed just two AFL games in 2018 due to a hand injury and later a season-ending knee injury. The 22-year-old, who was taken with pick 10 in the 2014 national draft, is now 22 and entering his fifth season since making his AFL debut. The Cats will be desperately hoping he can finally stay fit and deliver the promised goods.

NOW OR NEVER

We thought this was the case last year, but now it is even more pressing for the Cats. The premiership window is not going to stay open forever and you would think they have to pounce now, or wait for some time. Gary Ablett turns 35 in May, Joel Selwood will be 31 in the same month, Harry Taylor turns 33 in June and Tom Hawkins will be 31 in July. Still important regular senior players, the four should all still have some good footy left ahead of them but are not going to be around forever.

Tim Kelly will remain at Geelong for 2019.

KELLY FACTOR

Midfielder Tim Kelly was the surprise packet of 2018 and Cats fans will be keen to see what he has in store for 2019. Plucked from the WAFL as a mature-age recruit, the former electrician was selected as a 23-year-old at Pick 24 in the 2017 national draft. Kelly did not take long to find his feet at AFL level, debuting in Round 1 and going on to play all 23 games, averaging 22.9 disposals and 4.2 clearances a game. Kelly won the AFLPA Best First Year Player award and finished equal-second in the Cats’ best-and-fairest. A fine debut season by any measure.

THE NUMBER: 2

The Cats have the second-best midfield in the competition, but the concern would be the forward half of the ground. Geelong has the youngest forward line in the competition, with so much relying on Tom Hawkins.

Source: Champion Data

TAB ODDS

Premiership: $15

Top-8: $1.75

Most losses: $101

TRAJECTORY

2014: 3rd (17-5, semi-final)

2015: 10th (11-1-9)

2016: 2nd (17-5, preliminary final)

2017: 2nd (15-1-6, preliminary final)

2018: 8th (13-9, elimination final)