Gary Buckenara analyses Geelong’s list, off-season needs and Gary Ablett’s future
GEELONG remains a powerhouse of the competition but Gary Buckenara says a couple of key additions will keep them in the premiership window for years to come. READ HIS FULL CATS ANALYSIS
Geelong
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GEELONG has been a consistent team for a long period of time and this season is no different but can this list in its current form win the premiership?
Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood are the keys, if they perform well then Geelong wins, but the worry is the Cats are too reliant on the star pair. They are the barometers.
When they’re firing the Cats can win the premiership but if one gets injured – like Dangerfield did on the weekend – or an opposition team can shut one of both of them down then they are vulnerable and I worry whether they can win the flag without one or both starring.
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That means Geelong could use another midfielder and/or halfback with outside speed and who’s a good ball user just to take that pressure off.
Getting another one of those players after bringing in Zach Tuohy will really allow Chris Scott the ability to play a faster brand of footy that then will help Tom Hawkins up forward because the ball will be coming in much quicker and he can have at least a one-on-one contest rather than constantly be being outnumbered.
The Cats also need to plan for life after Tom Lonergan and Harry Taylor – they’re not going to be around forever.
They brought in Lachie Henderson from Carlton and have drafted some young key position players but they’re just kids.
Part of list management is making sure you have a good balance to your list and depth in key areas and that might be one that needs addressing with an experienced player.
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Lonergan and Taylor and these types haven’t missed a lot of games so the depth hasn’t really been tested so they’ve gotten away with it but that could change very quickly.
The Cats also need Scott Selwood to get his body right. When he plays he adds that extra grunt to take the heat off his brother to win the hard ball plus he can play that negating role. It’s no surprise when he was in the team about six weeks ago the Cats looked like a much better side.
WHO THE CATS SHOULD TARGET
Does Gary Ablett return?
Off the record I would be saying to his manager we want him to come back but you have to play it down.
I wouldn’t be going out and saying we want him at all costs because that drives his price up and the Suns would ask for more – if his form isn’t doing that already.
Geelong will sit back and say watch this space but they won’t actively say they’re interested even though they will be.
In list management you’ll be saying if it happens it happens, play it cool per se. We want him at a price we think is fair but the Cats will likely play it down so the price they do pay in terms of trade won’t be top dollar – like a first-round pick.
Josh Kelly would definitely be of interest because he is a 60-80m player – he runs with it and then kicks it low and hard 50m so it gets to its target quickly. But whether the Cats have the salary cap space I’m not sure.
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They are a destination club, though.
The Cats have been linked to Kelly’s teammate Devon Smith and I can understand why. He has that mix of grunt and outside speed that would nearly fix two Geelong needs in one.
And he would come a lot cheaper than Kelly both in terms of money and cost at the trade table. He’s also a Geelong boy so that puts the Cats in the box seat.
Zak Jones would also be a target for those same reasons. He really bursts out of packs and is a feisty character and I think he’d fit in well down at the Cattery.
Don’t discount Tom Rockliff. It won’t cost the Cats the world and if he wants to be at a successful club with the chance to win a premiership, that could be enough to get him through the door at a lesser cost in terms of his contract.
Don’t be surprised if the Cats emerge as the main suitor for Port Adelaide halfback Jasper Pittard.
He’s from Torquay and played for the Geelong Falcons and he would be a great addition as that quick, good ball user across halfback to combine with Tuohy – who has been one of the club’s best pick-ups - as Andrew Mackie nears the end of his career.
Pittard would almost be the No.1 target if I was at the Cats, closely followed by Smith.
Jackson Trengove would be an interesting target. He would add that depth in key position area I wrote about earlier. He could slot in in defence alongside Henderson or go forward and Taylor goes back. His versatility would be really handy.
I would also be asking the question of Paddy McCartin.
He too is a Geelong boy and I wonder whether moving closer to where he grew up might allow him to settle and realise what he needs to do to become a consistent AFL player.
The Cats need another forward because Taylor is better in defence and he would be the No.1 man for the next 10 years after Tom Hawkins retires.
With the concussion issues he has at the moment, that could be a good move for him if the Cats sell it well enough.
I’d also ask the question of his teammate, Hugh Goddard. Where does he fit at the Saints?
He has been injured but Jake Carlisle and Nathan Brown are the key defenders and Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey and McCartin - if he stays - are the forwards after Nick Riewoldt retires. Plus they recruited Josh Battle as a key forward last year, too.
Could Goddard be squeezed out with the promise of senior opportunities either forward or back and learning from superstars with premiership experience? He also played with the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup. I’d ask the question.
BUCKY’S UNTOUCHABLES
Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins, Mitch Duncan, Daniel Menzel, Lachie Henderson, Zach Tuohy, Harry Taylor, Nakia Cockatoo, Brandan Parfitt, Sam Menegola.
Please note: AFL clubs have a list of a number of players they are targeting at the end of the season and this is the list Gary Buckenara would have in the hope of luring at least one to the club.
*Gary Buckenara was Hawthorn’s sole full-time recruiting staff member from 2004 before the Hawks brought in Chris Pelchen and then Graham Wright as recruiting and list manager and expanded the recruiting department.
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