The Autopsy
After another finals flatline, LACHIE YOUNG conducts a piece-by-piece post-mortem of the 2018 Cats to find out what worked, what didn’t and where the side goes from here.
THE BACKS WHAT WORKED?
PLAYING Mark Blicavs and Jack Henry in defence proved to be a masterstroke, and after years of searching for his best position it seems as though Blicavs has finally found his spot. He and Tom Stewart were both nominated for AllAustralian honours, with Stewart earning a guernsey, and the former South Barwon backman showed why the Cats were so keen to keep him under wraps in his last year in the VFL. At the start of the season it loomed as a major area of concern but ultimately Geelong was the best defensive team in the competition.
WHAT DIDN’T?
INJURIES to Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson robbed the Cats of their two most experienced backmen, but because they were covered so well it made squeezing them back in problematic. It meant having to shift Henry forward late in the year, and while he handled himself with aplomb, Geelong seemed a tad top heavy when Blicavs, Taylor and Henderson were all back. Jake Kolodjashnij was a rock in the first half of the year but was moved up the ground to accommodate the more experienced guys when they returned, but he needs to be kept in defence.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
GEELONG has to decide if Harry Taylor is still capable of playing at his best for another season. He will be 33 next year and has been an outstanding servant of the club, but is he in the Cats’ next premiership team? If so, that’s fine, keep him on the list and let him do what he has done for 11 years. If not, a tough call might need to be made on one of the champion defenders of the era. Besides Taylor, there is a youthful exuberance to the backline, with Stewart, Jed Bews, Kolodjashnij and even Zach Tuohy all desperate for success, while the emergence of Mark O’Connor in the latter stages of the season was promising.
THE FORWARDS WHAT WORKED?
TOM Hawkins enjoyed one of his best seasons in recent memory and will probably push for a top-five spot in the Carji Greeves medal. He remained fit and healthy all year, had his rhythm back when leaping for marks and was stiff to miss out on a place in the AllAustralian team. Jack Henry showed his versatility when he played forward and was able to provide a nice foil to Hawkins, while Scott Selwood added another string to his bow late in the year playing as a small, pressuring forward.
WHAT DIDN’T?
THE small forwards. It was a combination of injuries and personnel issues that contributed but it is an area the Cats must fix. It is understood that Brisbane has shown an interest in Lincoln McCarthy, who was again unable to stay on the park for a sustained period of time, while Cory Gregson cannot overcome the foot troubles that have plagued him for the past 24 months. Nakia Cockatoo was out for 14 weeks with a knee injury before straining his hamstring in his first game back and, like McCarthy and Gregson, we are becoming accustomed to his absence. Daniel Menzel was sorely missed through the middle part of the year after a great start but he could not reach the same heights when he came back.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
ONLY injury curtailed the development of Esava Ratugolea, who looks a lock for Round 1, and he will be a key player in Geelong’s push for its next flag provided he can stay fit. His presence will help ease some of the load on Tom Hawkins but it should be remembered he has only played eight AFL games. Bringing in Luke Dahlhaus will fill a void in the small forward department — the Cats were ranked 16th for tackles inside-50 differential — if they choose to play him there, while Gryan Miers could be looked at for a debut in 2019. Menzel may not be in the blue and white hoops in 2019, but Patrick Dangerfield looks capable of causing major headaches every time he plays in attack and finding a matchup for him is so difficult for opposition sides, so it would not surprise to see him spend more time there again next year.
THE RUCKS WHAT WORKED?
AFTER years of struggling for consistency, Rhys Stanley put together his best two months of football since crossing to Geelong before injuries hit again. Stanley took on and beat — or at least drew level with — Todd Goldstein, Toby Nankervis, Matthew Boyd, Callum Sinclair, Sam Jacobs and All-Australian ruckman Max Gawn. His late-season calf problems proved a significant blow and the decision to rush him back after just one week off was highly questionable. While it wasn’t the difference against Melbourne in the elimination final, having him out there would not have hurt the Cats’ chances.
WHAT DIDN’T?
UNFORTUNATELY Zac Smith could not consistently produce anything near his best either at AFL level or in the VFL. He had a few good games against guys that even Joel Selwood could probably have beaten in the ruck but outside of that he would have been extremely disappointed in his year. Smith has not had the type of impact the Cats were hoping for or expecting since he joined the club and it became so bad he fell to third in the pecking order following the emergence of Ryan Abbott.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
GIVEN the Geelong game plan clearly does not allow for two genuine ruckmen — instead opting for one plus a pinchhitter such as Esava Ratugolea — it is difficult to see why there is a need to have all three of Stanley, Abbott and Smith on the list. Chris Scott hinted during the year that Geelong was on the lookout for established ruckmen from other clubs, and if that is his aim then it spells curtains for either Smith or Abbott. Given that Abbott seems to have gone past Smith, the former Gold Coast big man looks to be the most vulnerable to a trade. Whoever is handed the mantle of number-one ruckman must take ownership of it.
THE MIDS WHAT WORKED?
TIM Kelly was a revelation and given his age and what he showed in his first season at the elite level Geelong needs to do everything it can to keep him beyond next season. Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett had solid seasons, despite never quite jelling in the manner many would have been hoping for, and Quinton Narkle looks to be a player worth investing plenty of time in. Mitch Duncan was down on his 2017 numbers but still had a reasonable output considering he spent time in different roles, while Lachie Fogarty should be given more of a look after impressing in the first half of the season.
WHAT DIDN’T?
TOO often the midfield was left exposed due to an inability to defend and an unwillingness to run both ways. Geelong could not figure out how to consistently win the ball at clearances which left its defence under pressure and despite boasting an onball brigade that was stacked with talent, it could not function at the level required to really intimidate opposition teams. Still lacking genuine leg speed, which is often shown up on the wider expanses of the MCG.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
THE query is whether the Cats roll out the same thing as they did this year and expect different results, but that is a dangerous proposition. Ablett will be 35, Selwood 31 and Dangerfield 29 and the younger players coming through the ranks like Tim Kelly, Quinton Narkle, Brandan Parfitt, Jordan Cunico, Lachie Fogarty and even Charlie Constable, need to be given more time in the guts. Irrespective of reputation, players need to be instructed that two-way running is non-negotiable.