AFL 2023

[Zzzptm]

Getting ready for the season to kick off. 

17 March - Geelong v Collingwood 

[Jack the Stripper]

Yep only 6 weeks away now. Will be some practice matches coming up in the next few weeks

[Vyn]

I heard the Cats dropped Chris Scott and are replacing him with former Denver Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett. Because they like a challenge

[Zzzptm]

I heard the Cats dropped Chris Scott and are replacing him with former Denver Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett. Because they like a challenge

Ooooooooooooooh that's a narsty thing to be saying, rumours like that! Boo! Hiss!  

You made me have to go and Google that just to be sure it was a joke!

[Jack the Stripper]

Write up in today’s newspaper on who should be Geelongs next Captain

Leading AFL writer Mark Robinson: Patrick Dangerfield should be Geelong’s next captain
Since 2012, the captaincy at the Cattery was never even a thought, but with Joel Selwood now gone, Mark Robinson says the new captain should be just as much of a certainty.

Watching the 2022 grand final twice over summer, there’s a fair argument Patrick Dangerfield should’ve won the Norm Smith Medal.
Watching him play many times over the past decade, there’s even a stronger argument that Dangerfield should be the next captain of Geelong.

Joel Selwood’s replacement will be named in the coming weeks, and although some players will have a say, and some staff, it will be ultimately decided by coach Chris Scott, chief executive Steve Hocking and head of football Simon Lloyd.

It’s a rare event for the Cats.

Every year since 2012, Selwood was automatically captain from the first day he arrived back for pre-season. But without him, the Cats have some thinking to do.

Dangerfield is 32 – 33 in April – and, touch wood, has set his mind on playing for at least another three years.

Captaincy is simply not about you being given the role, it’s about you earning the role.

It’s about performance on the field, and leadership and respect among teammates.

It’s about setting standards behind closed doors, which is always difficult for outsiders to judge, and dealing with corporates, the AFL and the community.

Dangerfield, from afar, ticks all boxes.

On the field, Dangerfield is an inspiring figure. He plays football in a coat of armour, such is his battlefield mentality, and although the body has given him some issues in recent years, this summer he hasn’t missed a training session.

His off-field demeanour and involvement – he is president of the Players Association – adds to his CV. He can lead from the front with a voice and conviction, which itself is a quality not everyone is presented with.

He is primed for the captaincy, if not perfect for it.

All-Australian defender Tom Stewart and Mr Reliable Mark Blicavs are the other two leading candidates. Certainly, the three of them have their quirks.

Stewart is a champion defender and Blicavs is a consistent team-first player, but let’s not beat around the bush: Dangerfield is one of the greats.

We like to think of captains being able to plonk the team on their backs – think Voss, Hird, Carey and Hodge, and in recent years Cotchin and Gawn, and carrying it to victory. By inspiration or brute force. Dangerfield’s done that for a decade without the mantle.

Last year, he was best on ground in the preliminary final and, in this opinion, also in the grand final.

                                      2022 GF: Smith v Dangerfield

                                  Isaac Smith            Patrick Dangerfield
Disposals                           32                             27
Metres gained                  772                            469
Contested possessions   11                             19
Uncontested possessions   21                              8
Score involvements           14                             13
KFC SuperCoach points   156                            133

Not on the day, mind you. Only after watching the game twice more on replay were Dangerfield’s acts more greatly appreciated.

Isaac Smith was the gazelle on the outside and Dangerfield was the lion on the inside.

It really depends how you judge impact. There’s a theory in GFs that an outside player who racks up metres is easy on the eye, and more so when they kick goals, but because it’s a slog in the midfield, where bodies pile on bodies in pursuit of the ball, the firestarters can be undervalued.

In fact, it’s probably underplayed how tough Dangerfield is. He’s played 300-plus games, producing incredible consistency of toughness and commitment. Always, when he gets bashed he gets up, and he never whinges.

Cats great Doug Wade didn’t miss Dangerfield’s efforts last September. “I love Patrick Dangerfield, who to my mind was clearly best on ground in the 2022 grand final,’’ Wade told colleague Jon Anderson on Sunday

Some Geelong officials agree. Although the best-and-fairest votes from each game are never made public by the Cats, it’s believed Smith and Dangerfield couldn’t be separated.
It could be the same with the captaincy: Appoint co-captains.

But if it’s to be one man and you believe in natural-born leaders, then Dangerfield is the obvious selection.

[Zzzptm]

It's a no-brainer for me, Dangerfield is 100% my choice for captain, if anyone's asking!

[Zzzptm]

I like following Riles Macca, and he's essentially saying with 3 of his predictions that Gold Coast is set to have a breakout year in 2023 and make it to the finals. I'd love to see a bit of a Cinderella story with GC fighting its way out of the basement and into the top 8, but I'm also cognizant that only 8 teams can make top 8... so what teams are poised to fall out of finals contention?

[Jack the Stripper]

I think Fremantle might be the most vulnerable to drop out from last year. Don’t think they’ve improved their list at all and have actually lost a bit of depth on their playing stock. They still play a bit of an outdated style of footy where they move the ball slower and more methodical which can be predictable and is susceptible to high pressure from the opposition. I think the way in which they lost the Semi final to Collingwood last year was quite telling and showed just how far off they were against the better teams.

I’ve got a big watch on Sydney too. They’re still a young developing side and will be interesting to see how they come back mentally after that demoralising GF loss.

[Zzzptm]

If Swans can get some early momentum, I think they'll have the amnesia they need to get over their loss. Freo starts off against St. Kilda, so rational minds have them getting that first win. But how they play against other teams in contention for the top 8 will be telling.

I think the Bulldogs are shaky and maybe also Richmond. Richmond can be good, but can they be good enough for the top 8 or will they land in the middle again this year?

[Jack the Stripper]

Hard to get a gauge on the dogs, they’ve recruited a couple of key forwards and a couple of defenders which they desperately needed and suddenly they have some depth at both ends of the ground. Their midfield is fairly stacked but losing Dunkley to Brisbane will hurt. The most telling thing will be if Beveridge will change their game plan. He’s been there nearly 10 years now and his style of coaching is apparently wearing on the players. Maybe his messaging isn’t cutting through like it use to.

As for Richmond. I’m expecting them to be big contenders this season. The recruitment of Hopper and Taranto is huge for them and they are extremely well coached. I think injuries will have a say as to where they finish in the top 8. Lynch, Grimes and Nankervis who have an injury history the last few years are the 3 they can least afford to lose.

[Zzzptm]

Honestly, I don't see why Geelong doesn't just pull up their socks and do it all over again. On an AFL Discord channel I joined, lots of touts going to Brisbane... but isn't that how 2022 was supposed to play out, as Brisbane's year? Other than a back-to-back is rare, I don't see a weakness in Geelong. Everyone expects them to be in the top 4 and those top 4 teams have quite a lot to do about who gets to win the GF.

[Zzzptm]

2023 Predictions

18 AFL creators speaking from their heads and their hearts on where they think their teams will land.

Essendon's guy gave me the biggest laugh, won't spoil it here.

MAJOR hedge from the Geelong fan, but a back to back is so hard to claim. Strong team, absolutely. Second GF? Ooooooooooooooh, so hard to claim!

[Jack the Stripper]

Cats had a strong 85 point win over the hapless hawks today in their first hit out of the year. The three new recruits looked impressive, especially Tanner Bruhn. Can see all three of them in the team for rd 1. Only downside was Jack Henry injuring the same foot that kept out for 8 weeks last year.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/876662/henry-boots-four-as-red-hot-cats-feast-on-vulnerable-hawks

 

[Zzzptm]

And with Hawkins and Rohan sitting out the dance at Hawthorn, it's good to see the Cats with sufficient depth to produce a massive thrashing like that. I'm not going to be in the face of other fans, but I'll say it to friendly folks here - I do fully expect Geelong to be in the top 4. I even expect that if things hold steady for them, they've got enough gas in the tank to make #1 and to take another GF. They continue to play with convincing excellence. I'm 100% stoked for their chances.

[Jack the Stripper]

So this was announced to the members this evening