What to do with the Geelong six and other talking points from Round 22

Collingwood’s win over Geelong effectively ended the Cats season on Friday night, making it mathematically impossible for them to make the finals and thereby locking in the current top eight.

It’s a bit of a shame really as I was looking forward to a potential do-or-die clash for finals between Geelong and Adelaide this weekend, but it was not to be.

All’s well that ends well though – Geelong’s form hasn’t really justified a finals berth this year and I think that we can all agree the eight teams who have made it have been the best teams of 2015.

Geelong missing really is the end of an era though, it will be the first time since 2006 that the Cats haven’t qualified for finals.

In that period of 2007-2014, they played in 21 finals for 13 wins including three premierships – nothing short of remarkable. Geelong’s captain Joel Selwood debuted in 2007 and all he has ever known is making finals.

You could tell things were coming to an end over the past few years of course as while the Cats have played in six finals over the last three years they’ve won only one of them, their semi-final against Port Adelaide in 2013.

It’s been a glorious era but it’s at an end now, and the big question hovering over the Geelong football club is what to do with the six out of contract premiership players at the club – Jimmy Bartel, Steve Johnson, Andrew Mackie, Corey Enright, James Kelly and Mathew Stokes.

The buzz is that Geelong will move at least some of these players on at the end of the year with the aim of pumping more games into their youngsters to get ready for the next premiership push.

While I can see the logic there I think it might be a mistake. Yes, premierships are what it’s all about, but there is more meaning to a footy club than just trying to win the trophy, and I think Geelong is forgetting that if it tries to shuffle those blokes off.

Take Paul Chapman for instance, who the Cats effectively forced out at the end of 2013 by offering him only a severely limited contract.

He played his last game of AFL footy this week and his career was celebrated, but while it’s been nice to see Essendon get around him, I think it’s a real shame that he didn’t get to finish his illustrious career at Geelong.

He showed in the 2014 season that he still had the capacity to play good footy and I think that, list age profiles be damned, if a player can still do that they deserve their spot on an AFL list.

If Geelong’s list strategy involves giving multi-year contracts to fringe players like George Horlin-Smith and Billie Smedts, but doesn’t have room for Steve Johnson – who has averaged 20 disposals a game and kicked nearly 30 goals this year – that just doesn’t make sense to me.

So when it comes to the Geelong Six, my call is – if they’re still playing solid footy, they deserve to make up their own mind on whether or not they play on in 2016. Player-by-player, I reckon…

Steve Johnson – obviously wants to go on in 2016 and deserves to. His form has been good enough this year to warrant another season on the list.
Jimmy Bartel – has been smacked around by injuries this year and his next concussion could be his last. But if he wants to try another year, his form has been good enough to justify it.
Corey Enright – has quietly had yet another exceptional year of footy and while he may decide to call it a day he has every right to still be a part of the team.
Andrew Mackie – has provided another stable, consistent year and there’s no reason to push him out if he wants to stay on.
James Kelly – has copped some bad injuries this year – ruptured testicle – and I think he knows that it’s his time to go, and will make the call on his own.
Mathew Stokes – no longer plays good enough footy to be a regular in the team and so it’s fair enough for the Cats not to offer him a new contract.

While a bit of history ended for the Cats this week, the Fremantle Dockers claimed their own historic moment, and they did it in true Ross Lyon style.

Someday in the future when a young Dockers supporter asks their elder ‘How did we win our first minor premiership?’ they’ll smile and say ‘we grubbed out a boring win over Melbourne.’

Honestly, if there’s anything more emblematic of a Ross Lyon coached team than to kick the first ten goals of the game then go on to only win by about fifty points, I don’t know what it is.

That victory puts the Dockers a win-and-a-half clear of the West Coast Eagles on top of the ladder and makes it an absolute certainty that they will finish on top in 2015, most likely setting up a home final with the Sydney Swans in the first week of finals.

Lyon announced after the game that, much like they did in 2013, the Dockers would basically be playing a B-team against Port Adelaide this week in order to give the majority of their players a week’s rest.

In 2013 that saw lowly St Kilda snag a 71-point win over a Fremantle side featuring the likes of Jesse Crichton, Josh Mellington, Alex Forster, Peter Faulks and Craig Moller.

Against a team like Port Adelaide, who’ve been in good form these last few weeks and would love to finish on a high note, it should mean an absolute smashing that could see the final margin reach the triple digits.

While it doesn’t make for great watching, it’s a wise tactical move. A well-rested Fremantle at home should do away with the Swans comfortably in the first week of finals and will then have a week’s rest before probably facing either West Coast or Hawthorn at home in a prelim.

The odds I think are heavily in their favour for another grand final appearance, and I’ve got a feeling they’ll make a better go of it this time than they did in 2013.

At this stage, they’re my tip to win the flag.

Spare thoughts
It was great to see young Irishman Conor McKenna debut for Essendon on Saturday night and kick the first goal of the game too. He had a number of clubs interested in his signature this time last year and I think he’s going to be a really valuable player for the Bombers.

And speaking of inclusions wasn’t it amazing to see Daniel Menzel back at AFL level again? He could’ve done nothing all night and we’d have been happy for him but for him to kick four goals on return was just incredible. One for every knee reco he’s had to struggle through. Here’s hoping he stays fit for good.

Port have good reason to be disappointed with their season after the last few weeks, they’ve shown decent form and really should be playing finals this year from what we’ve seen of them at their best. Here’s hoping the pain burns deep and inspires them to be more consistent in 2016.

Greater Western Sydney and Collingwood can tell a simillar story, while they definitely aren’t the disappointments Port have been, both teams could be playing finals this year if things had gone a little differently. They’ll be big threats in 2016.

The Bulldogs have been a great side this year and it’s the sort of thing that really hits you when you see them beat your own team, as I did on the weekend. Players like Marcus Bontempelli and Jake Stringer are going to be amongst the stars of this next generation, and are very difficult to match up on.

Will the Dogs manage to replicate that kind of form in finals, and at the MCG rather than Etihad? At this point they’ve leapt over just about every challenge put in front of them so you’d have to say yes, yes they will.

Adelaide look bloody dangerous and could have a home final if they win again this week and either one of Richmond or the Bulldogs gets knocked off. Be afraid, be very afraid.