Geelong will not make any improvement next year according to Saints great Nick Dal Santo, who believes that the Cats might regress in 2019 following the disappointing end to their 2018 campaign.
The Cats ended the home-and-away season eighth on the ladder but were steamrolled by Melbourne in the first round of finals.
Despite adding Gary Ablett to their already stellar list and discovering the brilliant talent of Tim Kelly in an effort to make a premiership bid in 2018, the Cats fell well short of expecations.
And Dal Santo does not like their future prospects.
“I’ve got them going backwards,” Dal Santo said on SEN Breakfast.
“I just can’t see them improving.
“I don’t think Joel Selwood can play much better football, Paddy Dangerfield can’t play better football.
“Gary Ablett, Tom Hawkins, you go through their top-end, Mitch Duncan, I can’t see those guys playing any better because they have been so good over the last few years.”
According to Champion Data, Geelong has the sixth best list in the AFL, while Patrick Dangerfield was rated as the best player in the competition entirely.
Del Santo. You’re entitled to your opinion but I never rated you as a gun footballer and even less as a footy ‘expert’. I believe our second, third year players will continue to improve and that will take the pressure off of Dangerfield and company to have to bust their guts every game to ensure a win. We have cleared out some players who were consistently inconsistent and this should ensure spots for players who really want to nail a League spot. Only problem I see is our rucks. Perhaps the mature age player from SANFL may prove to be a find.
@Rod Malkin, if you didn’t rate Dal Santo as a “gun footballer” your opinion is absolutely worthless.
@rod malkin Dalsanto was elite ! 322 AFL games he knows his stuff!
Rod please name these second third year players that will leap forward and continue the cats progression ? The likes of Guthrie and co all went backwards last year apart from Kelly , Duncan was good but couldn’t get a kick when it counted , Hawking’s goes down and you have nothing up forward . Can’t keep trying to poach players from other clubs and expect to be a flag chance . Selwood best footy is behind him .