AFL GREATS SLAM Geelong after nightmare start to season for Premiers gets worse with loss to Suns: ‘They don’t look like the team that won the flag’
- Geelong lost 10.13 (73) to 7.9 (54) against Gold Coast Sun on Sunday
- The Cats lead for their first league title since 1976 to start the season 0-3
- Cat trainer Chris Scott said he was “looking forward” to correcting the issues
A number of former AFL stars have warned Geelong that it “doesn’t look like” the team that won the flag in September and they must work together quickly to save their season.
The Cats suffered their back-to-back defeats on Sunday, losing 19 points on the Gold Coast to the Suns to earn the unwanted accolade of being the first senior in charge in 47 years to start the season 0-3.
In 1976 North Melbourne reached the Grand Final despite losing their first three games, but the last time the Cats lost both of their opening matches – again in 2015 – they lost the final outright.
Speaking on AFL Nation, Port Adelaide great Ken Corns warned the current side was unrecognizable from the side that triumphed at the MCG just over six months ago.
“They don’t look like the team that won the Premier League title last season and were ahead,” he said.
Geelong is the first to start the season with three straight losses since North Melbourne in 1976
Cats President Chris Scott (R) said he was looking forward to correcting his team’s problems
Former Geelong star Cameron Mooney has admitted his former club has a lot of issues that need to be addressed.
“It’s been a year that nobody expected from Geelong yet,” the triple premiership-winning forward told Fox Footy.
They have a lot of work to do. Defensively they were poor with opposition ball movement all year.
“We’re only in round three that I know of, but that’s something they need to fix.”
The Cats are sorely missed by retired team captain Joel Selwood and were thrashed 39-23 in the Vacations on Sunday.
Their predicament was further exacerbated by the loss of key defenseman Sam de Kooning to a nasty header early in the third period.
Geelong’s 54 against the Suns on Sunday was their lowest-ever return against the Gold Coast, which Dermot Brereton suggested was evidence the Cats were counting too much on Jeremy Cameron – who made three grand slams against the Suns .
“Their midfield is not the effective unit it was last year,” said Azeem at the NFL.
“Their offensive line, without Jeremy Cameron, they’re nowhere in this competition today either.”
Speaking after the match, Geelong coach Chris Scott acknowledged that there were deep issues his team needed to rectify as quickly as possible.
The great American football player Ken Corns warned that the Cats are nothing like the team that won the flag in 2022
“We haven’t been tested in a position where we’ve lost three times in a row in a period, so I’m kind of looking forward to that,” he said.
It’s easy to say words when things are going smoothly, but it’s rare for us to get the chance to show you how you can react and fix things.
We’re obviously a little bit off (and) we’ve been in the early part of the year. I don’t think we were terrible but the competition is tight now.
The Cats meet Hawthorn at the MCG next week, ahead of matches against West Coast Eagles and Sydney FC at Adelaide Oval and GMHBA Stadium respectively.
