Geelong, So Far...

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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