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I am tempted, but not courageous enough, to say Geelong’s wonderful era is over.
Ravaged by injuries to stars like Jimmy Bartel, Tom Hawkins, Matthew Stokes and Tom Lonergan, they showed in overcoming the Gold Coast that they can still get off the canvas and fight hard when all seems lost.
The beltings by Hawthorn and Fremantle in the first two rounds proved that Geelong is not a top-four side, but there’s enough experience and class there to contend for a spot in the bottom half of the eight.
Those injuries though are a concern, with another experienced tall defender in Jared Rivers still sidelined and the top two ruckmen, Hamish McIntosh and Dawson Simpson, either injured or too inconsistent to get the continuity of footy into them the Cats crave.
All of these absences are eating into Geelong’s depth, which is nowhere as good as it was when they dominated the competition between 2007 and 2011.
Their current batch of young players have not developed as much as some of those wonderful draft picks in the early part of the last decade, who turned out to be all-time greats.
There are not many teams since the draft started to have two drafts so close together producing eight stars in Joel Corey, Corey Enright, Paul Chapman and Cameron Ling in 1999, and Bartel, Gary Ablett under father/son, James Kelly and Steve Johnson in 2001.
Their first-round selections under the guidance of Stephen Wells – one of the game’s best-ever recruiters – throughout that period were generally hits, including Josh Hunt in 2000, Andrew Mackie (2002), Travis Varcoe (2005), Harry Taylor (2007) and of course the best of them, Joel Selwood in 2006.
Most of them were outside the top 10 as well, so that’s what you call astute recruiting.
You can also throw in later selections in Stokes at 61 in 2005, Steven Motlop at 39 in 2008, Mitch Duncan 28 in 2009, Allen Christensen at 40 in 2008 and Nathan Vardy at 42 in the same draft.
Unfortunately Vardy’s body keeps letting him down, but glimpses in 21 games show he can play as a tall forward and has the potential to win games, while Christensen is now in a Brisbane Lions jumper, but not of Geelong’s choice. Varcoe has also moved on, to Collingwood, after his career stalled in the last couple of seasons at Kardinia Park.
The Cats tended to draft these youngsters and develop them – and why not, it worked a treat – and largely ignore trading, but their success rate of selecting and nurturing youngsters is not so good in recent seasons.
The 2010 draft has shown promise, but Cam Guthrie is the only permanent member chosen at 23. Billie Smedts was the first selection at 15, but is still in and out of the side, along with George Horlin-Smith. Joel Hamling, the first pick in 2011, was delisted and is now at the Bulldogs, and Josh Cowan can’t get fit. As to whether Shane Kersten has more strings in his bow than being an old-fashioned kick-and-mark full forward, the jury is still out.
This situation has prompted Geelong to do what Hawthorn and Sydney do better than any team – recruit and recycle players from other clubs.
Using that method the Hawks and Swans have made players better when they have joined them, and that’s why they have won the past three premierships between them.
The Cats over the last few seasons have secured Josh Caddy from the Gold Coast, Rivers from Melbourne, former Kangaroo McIntosh, and this year Mitch Clark after a troubling time with Melbourne.
Clark has shown promise, while Caddy has been inconsistent, and (as mentioned earlier) injuries have affected Rivers and McIntosh.
However, with Selwood leading from the front and with his unbelievable hunger for the contest and will to win, the Cats won their Round 3 match against a much-improved Suns when really they had no right considering the injuries and the number of relatively easy shots Gold Coast missed.
All good – or, as was Geelong’s on-field success over the past six to eight years – great things come to an end, and the door is closing.
But a few mighty performers headed by Selwood won’t let it shut yet and while that’s happening, plenty of sides will still be looking over their shoulders.
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