Vs Geelong

[BigMart]

Two ways to look at it......personnel wise

1) are we better man for man

HUDGHTON/SCARLETT
BLAKE/HARLEY
BAKER/D.JOHNSON
GILBERT/TAYLOR
S.FISHER/MILLBURN
RAY/WOJINSKI

GARDNER/OTTENS
KING/BLAKE

HAYES/COREY
DAL SANTO/BARTEL
BALL/ABLETT
MONTAGNA/ENRIGHT
GRAM/SELWOOD
GODDARD/KELLY
JONES/LING

RIEWOLDT/MOONEY
SCHNIEDER/CHAPMAN
GWILT/S.JOHNSON
MILNE/STOKES
McQUALTER/BYRNES
GEARY/VARCOE
KOSCITZKE/HAWKINS

R.CLARKE/MACKIE
ARMITAGE/TENACE
MAGUIRE/LONERGAN
EDDY/GAMBLE
McEVOY/WEST

2) how do we match up with them

B: GILBERT/HAWKINS - HUDGHTON/MOONEY - BAKER/STOKES

HB: RAY/VARCOE - BLAKE/S.JONNSON - S.FISHER/CHAPMAN

C: MONTAGNA/ENRIGHT - HAYES/BARTEL - GRAM/SELWOOD

HF: SCHNIEDER/COREY - RIEWOLDT/TAYLOR - GODDARD/MILLBURN

F: MILNE/WOJINSKI - KOSCHITZKE/SCARLETT -

Foll: GARDNER/OTTENS - DAL SANTO/LING - JONES/ABLETT

I: KING/BLAKE - BALL/KELLY - McQUALTER/BYRNES - R.CLARKE/MACKIE

E: GEARY/D.JOHNSON - MAGUIRE/LONERGAN - ARMITAGE/GAMBLE

Then there is
Depth, Game Plan, Intensity, ability to handle pressure, Coaching, experience, conditioning.....and a few other variables...

but in general - the better team will win

I think they still have us covered, but we are not far away.....and much closer than most other teams when going head to head with them....with Hawthorn

Dogs are the next best IMO - Port and Carlton have good players, but are a bit back in terms of depth......

[Jakes]

How are we better man for man?

HUDGHTON/SCARLETT
BLAKE/HARLEY
BAKER/D.JOHNSON
GILBERT/TAYLOR
S.FISHER/MILLBURN
RAY/WOJINSKI

GARDNER/OTTENS
KING/BLAKE

HAYES/COREY
DAL SANTO/BARTEL
BALL/ABLETT
MONTAGNA/ENRIGHT
GRAM/SELWOOD
GODDARD/KELLY
JONES/LING

RIEWOLDT/MOONEY
SCHNIEDER/CHAPMAN
GWILT/S.JOHNSON
MILNE/STOKES
McQUALTER/BYRNES
GEARY/VARCOE
KOSCITZKE/HAWKINS

R.CLARKE/MACKIE
ARMITAGE/TENACE
MAGUIRE/LONERGAN
EDDY/GAMBLE
McEVOY/WEST

I have Geelong winning 8 contests, us 7 contests, and 12 undecided. So if anything pretty even.

[Gabba]

There is a lot more to it.. mainly how much better players are than others, how big of an impact certain players make and how players interact with each other. It is not simply black and white.

[Teflon]

Another way to look at this is on areas/playing style.

For example,

Small fwd options - I include Chapman/Johnson V Sneider/Milne- they win (added midfield depth there also for them we dont get via chapman).

Tall fwds - Mooney/the chubby kid V Roo/Kosi - we win comfortably.

Mids - they win - anyone who says we win is dreaming. We need to break even.

Defence - Even - although losing Hunt hurts them.....maybe we are a smidge more flexible with Blake/Gilbert/Raph options...

Rucks - Ottens/Blake v King/Gardiner - I actually think we are in friont here......I dont rate Blake and many Geelong supporters I know reckon Mumford?? is ahead of him. Gardiner/King are tough to beat in form and Gardiner around th ground skill-wise IMHO eclipses all mentioned.

Playing style?

IMHO Geelong miove the ball downfield better than anyone.
Saints pressure all over ground better than anyone.

It may well simply come down to defensive footy V attack and as the great Buckley intimated in an article.....its easier to destroy than to create.....I give us every chance AT OUR BEST.

[Schillaci]

After much analysis I reckon some of ours are better and some of theirs are better.

[BigMart]

More of theirs are a bit better....

Football is a pretty simple game........often over complicated, and over analysed.....generally the better team wins.....occasionally their is an upset, due to mental preparation......better players will more often beat inferior players....simple as that....

[noob]

I'd rather concentrate on this week. We might not have the same team(same goes to them) when we play them in round 14 so how can you figure out match ups now?

[BigMart]

Well duh......

its just interesting to compare our best to the best......

[kosifantutti23]

It's interesting to compare their best to the best

[plugger66]

I have a feeling the best side will win, not man for man.

[Bernard Shakey]

I have a feeling the best side will win, not man for man.

For once I agree with you, plugger66.

We are now playing as a team, much more so than the past couple of years.

[plugger66]

I have a feeling the best side will win, not man for man.

For once I agree with you, plugger66.

We are now playing as a team, much more so than the past couple of years.

I am sure you have said that once before so that is now the second time you have agreed. Sorry I will try to write things that you definately disagree with me in future.

[perfectionist]

Team yes, but as you see on game day, there are areas that teams concentrate on ie Forwards, On Ballers and Backs.

I score it this way:

Backs, Geelong just ahead (on known performance under pressure, but we could match them)

On Ballers, St Kilda just ahead because of our rucks (the ultimate irony) although both teams have great depth in this area.

Forwards, St Kilda just head because we have Nick and they don't.

I'm aware that my Saints bias may show through a bit, then again, I'm a Saints supporter. I believe that our team has demonstrated that it has the capacity to beat Geelong. To be fair, the reverse is also true.

[plugger66]

Team yes, but as you see on game day, there are areas that teams concentrate on ie Forwards, On Ballers and Backs.

I score it this way:

Backs, Geelong just ahead (on known performance under pressure, but we could match them)

On Ballers, St Kilda just ahead because of our rucks (the ultimate irony) although both teams have great depth in this area.

Forwards, St Kilda just head because we have Nick and they don't.

I'm aware that my Saints bias may show through a bit, then again, I'm a Saints supporter. I believe that our team has demonstrated that it has the capacity to beat Geelong. To be fair, the reverse is also true.

If we do it that way I would have our forwards ahead by a fair bit. Geelong's midfield ahead by a bit and the backline just to us. Very close at the moment but a long way to go.

[Sobraz]

Midfield depth is so important, and thats a major reason for our sudden improvement this year IMO...

Sure Dal and Joey are having good seasons, but the option of playing BJ, Gram and lesser lights CJ, Mini, Geary etc, and produce results, really bridges the gap between us and the Cats that was so huge early September last year...

That has been such a huge weapon for Geelong... They have so much top shelf quality in their midfield, they rarely get beaten in contests and loose ball around the ground, which makes their inferior forward line, and slightly better backline, look far better than it is....

In terms of itemising the 3 sections on the field, I believe we are far superior forward, slightly better in defence (and getting further ahead, much younger than them) and while we are behind in midfield quality, we are quickly catching up...

By the years end, I'd hope we'd have surpassed them....

[StSteven]

Yeah, Ablett and Chapman out yesterday and they did not miss a beat.