We dont need to tank to rebuild a side, Geelong built this side up to be a great team without high draft picks

I think our team is developing nicely, and I do see similarities between where we are and where the cats were. But there are still massive holes that need filling before we can think about reaching that level. But we CAN get there.

our defense should look like theirs, team mates helping each other, always keep on running, lots of 2nd efforts, etc

Goal Kicking midfielders, strong and quick. Several goal kicking targets. No soft players. Old fashioned footballers not athletes.

Wouldnt have mattered who Geelong played they would have smashed them....its their time, ultra strong list where they had genuine talent like Hawkins, Egan, Lonergan, Prismall, Varcoe, Blake, Tenace etc watching.
I actually believe the off field team of Brian Cook and Frank Costa were the start of this cycle of success...Cook is one smart operator and dragged that club off its knees and made it viable.
Good off field operators tend to attract good onfield talent, wayward problem children like Mooney suddenly wake up to themselves and gifts from heaven like the Abletts, Selwood etc start appearing.....

I think Richard Pratt and Greg Swann = Costa and Cook and thats why its going to turn our way......

Wouldnt have mattered who Geelong played they would have smashed them....

But what we lack is a defense, and like our midfield I would want to see a solid defensive 6 grow together and be a team in their own right. Watching the way the cats defenders work together and for one another is humbling. They're all of one mind, they know what their teammates are thinking and can anticipate what they will do next. The cats defence has grown together like their midfield, with Scarlett, Milburn (:evil:), Wojinscki and Harley all growing side by side and now setting the example for younger blokes like Hunt, Mackie and Egan to follow.

This is what we need desperately and are sadly lacking. I think we have the ingredients for a solid back-6, but leadership is desperately needed and I think (and hope) Setanta could be the key. If you asked me before this season I would've nominated Thornton as the ideal leader for this defence, but my confidence in him has been shaken this year. In Setanta I see a guy you can rally many guys around, a guy that you know will not only give 100% on his direct opponent, but will always back you up and lead you into battle. A guy you'd want in the trenches with you. This is what I see when I see Scarlett and Harley, and my hope is that Setanta can reach this level. If Setanta can be a leader, I think guys like Jamison, Austin, Anderson will develop much quicker. I also feel that we have too many 'quarterbacks' that aren't really defenders and thus don't actually put pressure on their direct opponents. We need our back 6 to be made up of 4-5 genuine defenders and 1-2 guys to launch our attacks from there. The beauty of Scarlett is that he does both these jobs better than anyone

A group of young players that have grown together and gone through the hard times together. The Ablett's, Bartell's etc all played their footy together for 5-6 years.

Carlton has a similar group of young players in the Simpson's, the Fisher's and the Waite's.

The desire to overcome the pain of the last six years will be the key ingredient in Carlton justifiably obtaining their 17th flag.

GEELONG recovered from debts of almost $10million a decade ago and an on-field disaster last year to become the AFL's latest power club.

Cook has enhanced his reputation as one of the AFL's top officials since joining Geelong from West Coast in 1999. He helped engineer their off-field recovery and also conducted the review after last year's disastrous season, when the Cats finished 10th and coach Mark Thompson's future was the subject of much speculation. This year, they were almost unbeatable under Thompson, Cook and president Frank Costa.

Then, at Balme's behest, Geelong hired Gerard Murphy to implement a new leadership program.

Tom Harley, whose replacedment of Steven King as captain marked another watershed, became the driver of a more demanding and accountable leadership group.

I'd be interested to hear what people think we could learn from this Geelong premiership team.

For a start, I think it shows that we are probably 4 years away still from troubling others in the final, in that I think you need a solid core of players with around 100+ games in them.