A lot was expected of Geelong in 2018 but not much was delivered.
The Cats made it into September for the 13th time in the past 15 seasons, but were immediately bundled out by Melbourne and have now won just three of 11 finals since claiming the 2011 flag.
Gary Ablett’s homecoming was meant to invigorate the flagging list but the little master had trouble enough meeting his own standards, let alone lifting those of all around him.
Ablett turns 35 early in the 2019 season, and with fellow stars Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins and Harry Taylor also already in their 30s, and Patrick Dangerfield not far behind, time is running out for this group to taste the ultimate success again before a complete rebuild is required.
List changes
In
Nathan Kreuger (state league priority selection), Gary Rohan (Sydney), Luke Dahlhaus (Western Bulldogs, pictured), Jordan Clark (Claremont), Ben Jarvis (Norwood), Jacob Kennerley (50 - Norwood), Darcy Fort (Central District), Jake Tarca (South Adelaide), Oscar Brownless (Geelong Falcons)
Rookies
Tom Atkins (Geelong VFL), Blake Schlensog (category B)
Out
Lincoln McCarthy, George Horlin-Smith, Jackson Thurlow, Aaron Black, Stewart Crameri, Ryan Gardner, Cory Gregson, Matthew Hayball, Timm House, Daniel Menzel, Jordan Murdoch
Best Brownlow chances
Patrick Dangerfield $9, Gary Ablett $51, Joel Selwood $51, Tim Kelly $67
Dangerfield is still the man at the Cattery and had his seventh consecutive top-10 finish in the Brownlow in 2018. He’s not getting any younger, but the 2016 winner still has the determination to drag his team over the line when required, and the ability to look good while he does it.
And while the end of the line gets closer by the day for dual medallist Ablett, it wouldn’t surprise if he had a final ‘season in the sun’ to finish a glorious career in magnificent fashion.
Players to watch
Gary Ablett, Nakia Cockatoo
The amount of attention Gary Ablett received from the media and fans alike in 2018 is testament to the number of eyes that watch his every move. There’s no doubt his return to the Cattery wasn’t everything Geelong fans hoped it would be, but his numbers were pretty impressive nonetheless and, with a more settled run into 2019 and increased time near goals where he can use his innate, God-given talents with devastating effectiveness, we may yet see another year of Gaz’s glorious best.
Taken with pick 10 in 2014’s National Draft, Nakia Cockatoo has not reached the heights many hoped he would soar to, and while he’ll almost certainly sign a contract extension before the end of 2019, he will need to impress if he’s to be guaranteed a long stay at Kardinia Park. Hamstring injuries have made it difficult for Cockatoo to get on the ground, but his limited performances have been underwhelming, averaging under 10 disposals and less than one goal a game in his 34 career matches so far.
A last chance to watch?
Harry Taylor, Tim Kelly
There are few more loved Cats than Harry Taylor, a soldier who works tirelessly on improving his game while bringing a left-of-centre personality to the contest. It will be sad to see him go, but Taylor’s 32 years old, comes out of contract in 2019 and has undeniably lost a lot of his ability to hurt opposition sides as he turned defence into attack time and time again. To get the best out of his big man Chris Scott will most likely try Taylor in attack again, but it didn’t work too well in 2018 and that finish against the Bulldogs could haunt Harry till his deathbed.
Harry Taylor was unable to kick the winning goal after the siren.#AFLDogsCats pic.twitter.com/6PCTQYD1VS
— AFL (@AFL) June 29, 2018
2019 won’t be the last time Tim Kelly graces an AFL ground, but it will almost certainly be in different colours after next year. It will be strange for Geelong fans to watch the exciting West Australian, wanting him to play at his best for the team’s sake and to raise his price come trade time, but with every quality possession and classy finish reminding them of what they’re going to be missing by the time 2020 comes around. Or is there a way to convince him to stay?
Geelong Cats’ 2019 list
| Number | Name | Games | Date of birth | Height, weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | Abbott, Ryan | 4 | 25 Jun 1991 | 200cm 100kg | Ruck |
| 4 | Ablett, Gary Jnr | 321 | 14 May 1984 | 182cm 87kg | Midfield |
| 30 | Atkins, Tom (R) | 0 | |||
| 24 | Bews, Jed | 71 | 14 Dec 1993 | 186cm 88kg | Defender |
| 46 | Blicavs, Mark | 133 | 28 Mar 1991 | 198cm 100kg | Defender |
| 20 | Brownless, Oscar | 0 | 187cm 75kg | Forward | |
| 12 | Buzza, Wylie | 9 | 2 Mar 1996 | 199cm 102kg | Forward |
| 6 | Clark, Jordan | 0 | 185cm 81kg | Defender | |
| 5 | Cockatoo, Nakia | 34 | 23 Oct 1996 | 186cm 90kg | Midfield |
| 18 | Constable, Charlie | 0 | 18 May 1999 | 191cm 86kg | Midfield |
| 31 | Cunico, Jordan | 15 | 7 May 1996 | 185cm 80kg | Midfield |
| 6 | Dahlhaus, Luke | 154 | 21 Aug 1992 | 179cm 77kg | Midfield |
| 35 | Dangerfield, Patrick | 224 | 5 Apr 1990 | 189cm 92kg | Midfield |
| 22 | Duncan, Mitch | 180 | 10 Jun 1991 | 188cm 88kg | Midfield |
| 13 | Fogarty, Lachlan | 15 | 1 Apr 1999 | 180cm 76kg | Forward |
| 28 | Fort, Darcy | 0 | Defender | ||
| 29 | Guthrie, Cameron | 141 | 19 Aug 1992 | 187cm 86kg | Midfield |
| 39 | Guthrie, Zach | 16 | 30 Jun 1998 | 187cm 76kg | Defender |
| 26 | Hawkins, Tom | 232 | 21 Jul 1988 | 198cm 103kg | Forward |
| 25 | Henderson, Lachlan | 165 | 14 Dec 1989 | 196cm 98kg | Defender |
| 38 | Henry, Jack | 22 | 29 Aug 1998 | 191cm 92kg | Defender |
| 10 | Jarvis, Ben | 0 | 189cm 82kg | Forward | |
| 41 | Jones, Jamaine | 7 | 29 Sep 1998 | 180cm 81kg | Forward |
| 11 | Kelly, Tim | 23 | 26 Jul 1994 | 183cm 82kg | Midfield |
| 21 | Kennerley, Jacob | 0 | 186cm 77kg | Midfield | |
| 8 | Kolodjashnij, Jake | 70 | 9 Aug 1995 | 193cm 94kg | Defender |
| 15 | Kreuger, Nathan | 0 | 196cm 88kg | Forward | |
| 27 | Menegola, Sam | 53 | 7 Mar 1992 | 189cm 89kg | Midfield |
| 32 | Miers, Gryan | 0 | 30 Mar 1999 | 178cm 78kg | Forward |
| 19 | Narkle, Quinton | 6 | 3 Dec 1997 | 181cm 80kg | Forward |
| 42 | O'Connor, Mark | 7 | 17 Jan 1997 | 191cm 87kg | Defender |
| 43 | Okunbor, Stefan | 0 | |||
| 3 | Parfitt, Brandan | 34 | 27 Apr 1998 | 180cm 79kg | Midfield |
| 34 | Parsons, James | 31 | 12 Apr 1997 | 189cm 82kg | Forward |
| 17 | Ratugolea, Esava | 8 | 24 Jul 1998 | 197cm 102kg | Forward |
| 16 | Rohan, Gary | 106 | 7 Jun 1991 | 189cm 92kg | Forward |
| 36 | Schlensog, Blake (R) | 0 | 25 Sep 2000 | 195cm 90kg | Forward |
| 14 | Selwood, Joel | 272 | 26 May 1988 | 183cm 84kg | Midfield |
| 16 | Selwood, Scott | 167 | 27 Mar 1990 | 186cm 88kg | Midfield |
| 37 | Simpson, Sam | 6 | 14 Jun 1998 | 180cm 74kg | Forward |
| 9 | Smith, Zac | 112 | 22 Feb 1990 | 206cm 105kg | Ruck |
| 1 | Stanley, Rhys | 115 | 1 Dec 1990 | 200cm 102kg | Ruck |
| 44 | Stewart, Tom | 43 | 15 Mar 1993 | 190cm 88kg | Defender |
| 33 | Tarca, Jake | 0 | 23 Feb 2000 | 175cm 75kg | Forward |
| 7 | Taylor, Harry | 237 | 12 Jun 1986 | 195cm 94kg | Defender |
| 2 | Tuohy, Zach | 168 | 10 Dec 1989 | 187cm 93kg | Defender |
The band is back together 🎸🥁#StandProud #WeAreGeelong pic.twitter.com/WAZqaHheqs
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) November 26, 2018
Geelong Cats’ 2019 Fixture
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday 22 March 7:50pm | Collingwood | MCG |
| 2 | Saturday 30 March 7:25pm | Melbourne | GMHBA Stadium |
| 3 | Thursday 4 April 7:20pm | Adelaide | Adelaide Oval |
| 4 | Saturday 13 April 1:45pm | GWS Giants | GMHBA Stadium |
| 5 | Monday 22 April 3:20pm | Hawthorn | MCG |
| 6 | Sunday 28 April 4:40pm | West Coast | GMHBA Stadium |
| 7 | Sunday 5 May 3:20pm | Essendon | MCG |
| 8 | Sunday 12 May 1:10pm | North Melbourne | Marvel Stadium |
| 9 | Saturday 18 May 4:35pm | Western Bulldogs | GMHBA Stadium |
| 10 | Saturday 25 May 7:25pm | Gold Coast | Metricon Stadium |
| 11 | Saturday 1 June 4:35pm | Sydney | GMHBA Stadium |
| 12 | Friday 7 June 7:50pm | Richmond | MCG |
| 13 | BYE | ||
| 14 | Saturday 22 June 7:10pm | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval |
| 15 | Friday 28 June 7:50pm | Adelaide | GMHBA Stadium |
| 16 | Saturday 6 July 7:25pm | Western Bulldogs | Marvel Stadium |
| 17 | Saturday 13 July 7:25pm | St Kilda | GMHBA Stadium |
| 18 | Sunday 21 July 1:10pm | Hawthorn | MCG |
| 19 | Sunday 28 July 3:20pm | Sydney | SCG |
| 20 | Saturday 3 August 2:35pm | Fremantle | Optus Stadium |
| 21 | Saturday 10 August 7:25pm | North Melbourne | GMHBA Stadium |
| 22 | Saturday 17 August 2:10pm | Brisbane | Gabba |
| 23 | TBC | Carlton | GMHBA Stadium |
Games played on
Thursday: 1
Friday: 3
Saturday: 11
Sunday: 6
Monday: 1
Teams played twice
Sydney, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, North Melbourne
2019 Preview and premiership odds
A sustained period of success and a list still featuring some of the biggest stars of the game makes it impossible to write off Geelong, but for the first time in a long time they will be entering a season outside of the top eight in flag favouritism, starting as the 10th most likely at $18.
If their biggest names can lift their weary legs the Cats can’t be written off: Ablett, Selwood, Hawkins and Dangerfield are alone a force to put fear into opposition sides when flying, but the support isn’t strong and it’s hard to carry a side on aging shoulders.
Chris Scott knows there’s not a lot of young talent coming through and 2019 could be the last roll of the dice, so he’ll be investing in magic oils and liniments to extract the best from his best.
Expect Geelong to throw everything into it’s upcoming campaign, but it’s hard to see it being enough.
