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The Geelong Cats have won four in a row to start the 2013 season, after beating the reigning premiers the Sydney Swans at the SCG.
This Geelong outfit has been impressive; they continually find a way to win, even when everyone else has written them off.
They play a consistent brand of football and always seem to find new talent, as was highlighted by George Horlin-Smith winning the Round 4 rising star nomination.
What makes the consistency that has been shown by Geelong since 2007 even more impressive is the depth of talent and maturity that the club has lost over the last few seasons a list that is headed by such players like:
– Tom Harley, 198 games (dual premiership captain)
– Cameron Mooney, 221 games and 297 goals (dual premiership player)
– Cameron Ling, 246 games (triple premiership player)
– Matthew Scarlett, 284 games (triple premiership player)
– Brad Ottens, 245 games (triple premiership player)
That is 1,194 games of experience, and you can add to that list the loss of Gary Ablett (arguably the competition’s best player) to the Gold Coast Suns and the loss of experienced campaigners like David Wojcinski and Shannon Byrnes.
It would appear that the Cats would be subject to what is now referred to by most coaches as a ‘rebuilding phase’. However this is not the case; as the most recent Geelong game has shown that they can still mix it with the elite of the competition.
Despite being currently ranked last in the AFL for clearances per game (32.2). Geelong has shown that this team can generate their goals from other avenues. They are currently ranked fourth highest in the AFL for goals per game (16.5).
When history compares the great teams, everyone has their own opinion. The Collingwood team of the 20’s and 30’s that won four premierships in a row, the Hawthorn team from the late 80’s to the early 90’s, the Bombers team from the late 90’s to the early 2000’s and the dominant Brisbane team that won three premierships in a row from 2001-3 all come into calculations.
To put in perspective the true consistency of this Geelong team, if you compare this Geelong team from 2007-2013 with the Collingwood team from 1925-1932 you get a true appreciation for how good they are.
Here is a comparison of the best result from 150 consecutive matches from the two teams, starting from Round 3, 2007 to Round 4, 2013 for the current Geelong outfit. Geelong has won 123 matches and lost just 27 times over that period, collecting three premierships during that time.
When compared to that mighty Collingwood team whose best 150 game streak consisted of 119 wins, 30 losses and one draw from Round 2, 1925 to Round 10, 1932 collecting four premierships during that time.
Being able to compete that consistently over a large period of time shows the true professionalism at the Geelong Football Club and with a large group of youngsters coming through the ranks there is no reason why the club should not continue its consistent ways and continue to be a premiership threat in 2013 and beyond.
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