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Geelong can end the 'end of an era' era

Expert
16th September, 2014
11

End of an era. How many times have we heard that in the past few days? The past few years, even? It’s an annual tradition now to say Geelong’s run is finally over.

Geelong’s era was meant to be ‘over’ in 2010.

Even as another flag loomed, some said it was about to be ‘over’ in 2011.

Finals exits in 2012 and 2013 were meant to signal the end of having a presence in September.

Now to 2014, and the same line is being trotted out again.

ABC presenter Beverly O’Connor tweeted that Friday night’s loss to North Melbourne was the “end of an era”, echoing countless other pundits across the country.

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My Roar colleague Dan Lonergan argued the case as well, running through the list with fine detail.

But is it wise to go down this path again?

First, let’s clarify what we mean by ‘era’ here. We’re not talking about the time period where a certain group of players were together. The time to speak of eras in that context is when said players retire.

This is about calling the end of Geelong’s ability to be deep in contention for premierships.

In this context, perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to call it over. Not because such calls have proven false in the past – there will absolutely come a time where the Cats are no longer a finals team. But rather, we should look at Geelong’s strategy. Is it even clear that they’re on the way down rather than up?

On Friday night against North Melbourne, the Cats were actually the less experienced team – both in terms of age and games played. The likes of Josh Walker, Mitch Brown, Lincoln McCarthy and Jackson Thurlow have less than 50 games between them.

Walker, McCarthy, Thurlow, George Horlin-Smith and Josh Caddy are all 21 or under.

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Meanwhile at the other end, of those who played Friday only Corey Enright is over the age of 31. It’s looming for a few, no doubt, but in a year of mass retirements the Cats are hitherto unscathed.

It’s also worth turning our attention back to when Chris Scott was appointed Geelong coach. What struck me then was the timeline Cats CEO Brian Cook mentioned was being used when seeking out a new coach.

“The appointment of Chris is not simply about 2011, it’s also about 2015 and we believe that in the (long-term) interests of the football club,” Cook said at the time. “Chris is an exciting appointment for us.”

He reiterated the point in the lead-up the 2011 Grand Final.

“We didn’t want a coach who didn’t think we could make the grand final this year,” Cook said. “But we also wanted someone who could demonstrate he could lead the rebuilding of the list to make a big impression again by 2015-2016.”

Then in 2012, the Cats had extended Scott’s contract to – you guessed it – 2015, and by this point Scott was preaching the 2015 mantra as well.

“It’s more difficult (to win the premiership) for us this year than it was last year but it doesn’t make it impossible,” Scott said in March that year.

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“We are in a period of transition and we need to prepare responsibly for 2015-16. I don’t think it’s a matter of doing the very best you can for five years and then starting all over again.”

So it’s painfully clear that the Cats have been building towards 2015 and not away from it. Whether that plan fails or not is another issue entirely, but now might not be the best time to write them off as being at the end of their run.

Instead, this is a club that deserves to have the spotlight put on it next season.

If the Cats can’t get it right in the much talked-about 2015, the year its list management and even coaching selection has been geared towards, then it’s time to turn the heat up.

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