MENZEL CULLING ‘CRAZY’
SO in the end, Daniel Menzel was judged on what he couldn’t do rather than what he could do.
It is crazy that the Cats have delisted Menzel.
Geelong yesterday announced its final delistings for the off-season, offloading Menzel and Jordan Murdoch.
Menzel has kicked 100 goals in his past 50 games over the past three years. He is a genuine matchwinner.
When he was in career-best form in the first month of the season, he kicked 15 goals in five games — including bags of four, four and five — before an adverse reaction to an injection in his groin left him sidelined for three months.
If anything, Menzel earned the right to one more season at the Cats on the very basis that he was denied the chance to have a clear run at 2018 for an injury setback out of his control.
He still remarkably finished second in the club’s the goalkicking, despite playing just 13 games this year, some while sore. Again, crazy to let go of one of the most threatening forwards.
Only 21 players in the AFL have kicked 100 goals in the same period that Menzel has. Of the mediumsized forwards to do it, Menzel sits alongside players like Eddie Betts, Robbie Gray, Mark LeCras and Luke Breust.
But that is still not enough to warrant another contract.
Menzel’s obvious deficiency is that he is a poor defensive player, which was exposed by the fact the Cats have had issues locking the ball inside their forward line.
In some matches this year, Menzel barely registered any Champion Data pressure points, which ranks him among the worst in the AFL.
So there is no dispute it is a prob- lem area, but Geelong continued to play him when he was fit.
How can you keep playing a bloke, commit to him for the finals, then decide at the end of the year that his downside is so poor that he doesn’t even deserve a place on your list?
If he finished the year in the VFL we would understand. But he didn’t.
The unavoidable reality is that Menzel would have been better off laying three tackles a game than kicking three goals a game.
Sure, Gary Rohan and Luke Dahlhaus will make competition for spots tighter in the forward line next year. So why not keep Menzel and let them fight it out?
It is ridiculous to think that he may not be on an AFL list anywhere next year.
Surely the game has not changed so much that a proven and consistent goalkicker cannot find a spot?
Geelong released the news of Menzel and Murdoch’s delisting at 4.50pm yesterday, conveniently coinciding with the hype of a local identity winning the Geelong Cup.
In journalistic speak, that is called “taking out the trash”, where organisations strategically release a negative story at a time when reporters or the sporting public are otherwise preoccupied. And when other news is likely to take greater prominence.
Two years ago, Jimmy Bartel’s forced retirement was released on Geelong Cup day, too.
Menzel finishes with 136 goals from 73 games. Murdoch played 108 games and booted 73 goals.
“Dan’s perseverance and resilience to undergo four major knee operations and come back the way he has is a credit to his work ethic and mental toughness,” Geelong football manager Simon Lloyd said.
“Jordan showed great commitment and dedication during his time with the club, and we thank him for his efforts over the past seven years.
“Everyone at the club wishes Daniel and Jordan well in their future endeavours.”
The Cats have now turned over a quarter of their 2018 list, with Murdoch and Menzel making it 11 players to have left in the past month.