Round 24 – Geelong v Western Bulldogs: Glass half full with Cats’ past players
Hmm… not at all confident about the night ahead at Kardinia Park as things start poorly at the traffic lights.
The little green man initially refuses our invitation to cross LaTrobe Terrace.
“I thought you’d pressed the button,” says a nearby Cats’ fan.
“Nup, too distracted just thinking back over the season,” I quietly respond as we wait three minutes for the next green light. He nods knowingly.
“Ahhh…bup ah bup ah bup ah bup ah bup ah bup ah bup…etc” says the little green man as he eventually relents.
We have a special treat awaiting us tonight though we gather prior to the game as guests of good friend Greg Wells (1972-1973) in the Cats past players’ room.
We are welcomed by Ray Card, President of the Geelong past players’ group who spoke at a Footy Almanac lunch in 2019. He is a most engaging and generous host.
(333 games between us, L-R Neville Bruns, RDL and Ray Card)
And there’s Colin Rice and John Sharrock (another erstwhile Almanac lunch guest speaker) from the older brigade of the 1963 flag side.
Damian Bourke, Neville Bruns, Murray Witcombe and Peter Johnston are just a few others of the many I recognise. Past players may sometimes be fatter and have more grey hair (or none at all) than they did in their prime – but I soon discover they don’t get any shorter.
And despite our failure to play finals, the mood in the room seems quite upbeat as different conversations focus on the season’s positives. Definitely glass half full rather than glass half empty.
Back in our regular seats waiting for the game to get underway, we analyse the season with our assorted crew in the outer in Bay 29. Not a brilliant season by any means but not terminal despite what some may say.
In no particular order, we agree that the inter-related symptoms and causes for season 2023 went something like this.
- Smashed out of centre clearances. Hence, forwards starved of immediacy and defenders under immediate pressure from opposition centre clearances.
- Back line under great pressure from lack of availability of key personnel and ease of frequent opposition entries to forward 50. See also 1 above and 6 below.
- No real ruckman for half the season. See 7 below.
- Sigh! Just three Cats played every 2023 game. There were apparently three worse clubs than us for injuries. I empathise wholeheartedly with them.
- Our key prime mover and reigning B&F Cam Guthrie didn’t play after Round 6.
- Jack Henry missed half the season and Jed Bews missed ten games while other intermittent injuries to defenders meant the defence was unbalanced all season.
- Rhys Stanley may not be the best AFL ruckman but he was the best we had and he missed half the season. In a cruel coincidence, back-up Jonathon Ceglar suffered separate injuries during Stanley’s absence thereby necessitating Mark Blicavs to fill in thereby weakening our defence even further in the process. Injured debutant ruckman Toby Conway missed most of the season and played his first senior game in Round 24 (see below). He can’t become a regular part of the 2024 side too soon.
- 2022 first round draft pick Jhye Clark played one game and missed the rest of the season with an injured foot.
- Paddy Dangerfield and Jeremy Cameron, among others, seemed to be carrying injuries for much of the year and never really looked consistently dangerous when we could get them on the park.
- Of the seven games decided by 12 points or less, we won one, drew one and lost five. Win just two of those and we are playing finals. Lady Luck did us no favours.
- I’m not supposed to say it but I think they missed Joel Selwood’s input more than most people would have thought at the start of the year.
But there are positives ahead of us. Here are three to be going on with.
Even with a depleted side as several key players gave last Saturday night a miss to start their off-season operations, the young Cats were very competitive against the Dogs. Ahead by 8 points at orange time, inexperience finally took its toll as the visitors kicked six unanswered goals in the last quarter to put the game beyond reach.
Of special significance was Toby Conway being named among our best as he took more hit outs than the form ruckman of the competition Tim English.
Over the season, our 2023 recruits Oliver Henry, Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes have all showed they can perform at the elite level.
And, for good measure, trade season is fast approaching where the official club motto reads “in Welles speramus” or for the benefit of those who studied their Latin in an oversized classroom “in Wells we trust.”
Perhaps to conclude on a less subjective note, Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson have complied an excellent analysis well worth reading in the ABC’s ‘Geelong’s gap year – how the Cats’ AFL premiership defence unravelled in 2023’. Their final sentence reads as follows:
“There may be an era-ending decline coming but, with a bit of better luck and the right talent available, perhaps not quite yet in 2024.”
Maybe that was the glass half full vibe I had detected in those discussions in the past players’ room before the game.
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About Roger Lowrey
Roger Lowrey is a Geelong based writer who lists his special interests as reading, writing, horse racing, Roman history and AEC electoral boundaries. Some of his friends think he is a little eccentric.
Difficult year to swallow Roger but inevitable. We showed some signs. I thought Mullins was good against the Dogs but the meeja just concentrated on his number of possessions. Phewk. He’s quick, a good decision maker, good short kick, and mobile. Needs to keep building knowledge of the game’s nuances.
Conway is a player. (Cowboy) Neale could be one. Knevitt is a bit Joel Corey, Dempsey needs a few bravery pills but has some class. De Koning needs to stop dropping his head. Looks like a sook at times. He should go at the footy like its 1999 (or 2022 for that matter).
I think our issues might be in defence next year. Reckon we’ll be a good mid-table proposition. With prospects. Bews can still go around but poor old Kolo is nearly done. A lovely half back flanker is in order.
As a non cats man while all valid – the last point is vital – lost a incredible leader and fantastic player
I detest the Selwood duck garbage
Dear Roger,
As a man with no legs it is good to hear from a man with no shoes. Injuries? No rucks? Old players collecting their contract superannuation rather than the ball? Let me introduce you to the West Coast Eagles 2023. If you are worried about De Koning sooking he could get a PhD in sooking from Jack Darling.
I reckon Chris Scott for Simmo would have been a win-win trade. But premiership coaches appear to have the Divine Right of Kings these days.
Ho hum. Golf season looms. Sunny days and fast fairways. Then again – when isn’t golf season?
Roger …excellent summary ….agree re the very significant physical , spiritual void left by Joel
There was something eerily existential about our form and performance this year …our best was very very good while most of the season we struggled and toiled in vain….normally this would generate paroxysms of despair and much gnashing of teeth ………being reigning premiers however has certain warming , soothing effect
Great yarn, Roger
“Poignantly Perspicacious “ as ever, Roger.