Geelong Vs Gold Coast

The upcoming game for the Cats is versus Gold Coast. The Suns have had a poor season with no wins whatsoever. Geelong is looking to dominate the Suns and the betting odds prove it, 1.01 Geelong 15.00 Gold Coast. It is looking like a guaranteed win for the mighty Catters. But will the presence of former Cats player Gary Ablett faze the Cats? Will Geelong be too cocky and lose their pressure?

Geelong will be travelling up to Queensland to met Gold Coast at their home ground Metricon Stadium. Even though Gold Coast do have the home advantage so they know the oval better than any other team, i think their lack of experience and pressure will let them down against the Cats who are desperate for more wins to stay in that top 8 position.

The great Gary Ablett is looking for a win for his team. As you know Gary Ablett was part of the Geelong Club, but when he moved to the Suns, Geelong was criticized on how they would be useless without him, but last year's Grand Final proved them wrong. Gary Ablett, a major possession holder for his team, is preparing for a big match (even if the odds are how it is). But even with a superstar like Gary, it's about the team performance, which Geelong should come out on top.

How Can Geelong Improve?

As you know, Geelong hasn't had the killer season they were hoping for. They have lost the close games and have lacked some skills that were used to win last year's Grand Final. Some of the skills were their fast ball movement and applying pressure unto the other teams. However they still have some experienced players that keep the team moving forward, but whether Chris Scott has change the style of game, or that those skill are just a lost art, we don't know.


Below is a video of some great skills used in the 2011 season:



















As you can see in this video, there is lots of fast ball movement that applied great pressure to the opposing team. The Cats looked for the handball just about every time they mark the ball. There was no waiting around, waiting around is not the Geelong style of game. Thanks to the maker of this video to prove my point.

 If you have watched the games that Geelong has lost through the 2012 season, you would have noticed (or the commentators did for you) that they lack, sometimes, that fast movement that is present in that 2011 highlight clip. The Cats seem to become under-pressure and nervous, which they never would before.

 So how can the Cats improve on their game? I think that the coach needs to look back on the 2011 season and point to the players everything that worked and didn't work. Geelong needs to improve if they can keep the spot in the final 8, or maybe even make it to the top 4 (unlikely, but possible)

The Upcoming Games

Many people are eager to see the fixture for the Cats. Even though they have only 9 games to play, these games are very important to make sure they stay in the top 8 and maybe even enter the top 4. To be a real finals contender, they need to improve in many areas of their game. They need to have a strong starting pressure that will be applied to their competitors. They need to look back and see what was successful (fast movement and taking risks) and what wasn't. Below is the fixture:

RD	OPPONENT	DATE	CHANCE OF WIN
15	Gold Coast	Jul 8	Yes 88 %
16	Collingwood	Jul 14	No 40 %
17	Essendon	Jul 20	Just 60 %
18	Adelaide	Jul 28	Yes 75 %
19	Hawthorn	Aug 3	Just 55 %
20	West Coast	Aug 10	Close 50 %
21	St Kilda	Aug 17	Just 60 %
22	Western Bulldogs	Aug 26	Yes 80 %
23	Sydney	N/A	Close 53 %

Geelong has a tough fixture leading into the finals. They face great teams like Collingwood, Essendon and West Coast. They Cats will have to work very hard to maintain their top 8 position. Honestly i do not think that, with the upcoming games, Geelong can make the top 4. Geelong have had their good and bad games throughout the season, maybe they have a good game against the better teams. It is unknown.

Geelong Lacking Experience?

The more experienced players of Geelong

It has been question asked throughout the AFL community, is Geelong missing the experienced players like Tom Harley, Cameron Ling and Brad Ottens? Have these players kept the foundations of the Cats stable which allowed them a key to glory? Well, personally i think that they helped the team but Geelong can cope without them. Even though they haven't had the season of 2012 that they were expecting, they have won some of the large games and have played just as well without these 'key' players.

Geelong, So Far...

<><> <><> <><>

Will the Cats be seeing premiership glory again?

As the AFL is leading close up into the finals, all the teams are fighting for a top 8 spot. The Cats especially need to make it. They are currently at 6th spot on the official AFL ladder. 2012 hasn't been the best year for the mighty cats; they have lost the close games that they usually come out on top. They seem to drop off intensity against the weaker teams. But can the Cats win the premiership cup?

Geelong, as always, played well in the wetter conditions. Like in the Hawthorn game earlier in the year, the Cats were down, but when the clouds opened up, stars like Jimmy Bartel shined and gave his team the last winning push to get them over the line. The cold conditions at Geelong must enforce their wet football skills.

There are many good teams that are looking towards premiership glory. It is every AFL team's dream. But where does Geelong stand? Well they're behind Hawthorn, Adelaide, Essendon, West Coast, Sydney and Collingwood. I personally think Geelong should be above Hawthorn, Adelaide and Essendon, Yes these teams have great skills, but Geelong should be above them. Whilst West Coast, Sydney and Collingwood would be a blockbuster if one played Geelong.

A thing that has let Geelong down is their lack of fast moving play. In the past Geelong would mark then immediately look for the handball. This fast play bet competitors, but this season they lack that play. Geelong seems to get nervous in close situations and this is most probably caused by the newer players of Geelong. This season they lost names like Cameron Ling and Brad Ottens (most games), which left a huge amount of pressure on the younger players.

Another let-down for the Cats is their shocking starting pressure. The Geelong Cats get jumped early and they play catch-up for the rest of the game. Yes, they do come back, but wouldn't it be better to start well early and put doubt in the other team's head? A recent game versus Sydney showed how bad Geelong started but came back, not far enough though. The scores:
Sydney vs Geelong
7.0.42 Q1 1.1.7
8.2.50 Q2 3.3.21
10.6.66 Q3 6.6.42
12.8.80 Q4 11.8.74

The winner of the AFL premiership is unknown, and is anyone's guess. The top four teams (Essendon, West Coast, Sydney and Collingwood) are statistically the favourites, but Geelong is known to be very unpredictable and may come back.

By Nick Bensch