Geelong news

New Geelong coach named

From the Official VFL Website

Geelong Football League premiership coach Dale Amos will take charge of the Cats VFL team.

Amos replaces Leigh Tudor, who accepted an assistant coaching position with St Kilda.

“Dale is well known to us and we are excited that we have been able to secure him as our VFL coach,” Geelong’s general manager of football operations Neil Balme said.

“He has an excellent track record and is a quality person. We think with the structure that we have in place he is an ideal person to coach our VFL team.”

Amos said he was thrilled to be heading to Skilled Stadium.

“This is great opportunity and I am excited to be joining such a great club and to be working with such well regarded coaches, players and staff,” Amos said.

“The club’s efforts over the past couple of seasons are well known and I am looking forward to playing my role in ensuring we develop our young players so that they realise their potential and give themselves the best opportunity to be good AFL players.”

The 31-year-old Amos led South Barwon to three GFL flags (2005, 2006, 2007). Amos\' teams won 77 per cent of their 102 matches over his five seasons at the helm.

Amos played over 200 games with South Barwon and was a member of three premiership teams (2001, 2005, 2007). He also played 36 games with St Arnaud in the North Central League and spent the 2000 season on St Kilda’s VFL list, playing 12 games.

Reported by Joel Cresswell
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Leigh TudorGEELONG coach Mark Thompson will be a key-figure in the appointment of the club's next VFL coach after Leigh Tudor left the post to join St Kilda yesterday.

The Cats' football operations general manager Neil Balme said the club learnt of the Saints' interest late last week and was now well advanced in its pursuit of a new coach.

"We've got a few things in mind and we're already down the path a fair bit (in appointing a replacement)," he said yesterday.

"We'll come up with something there pretty soon."

Podsiadly to join VFL Cats next year

From the Geelong Advertiser

LEADING VFL forward James Podsiadly is set to join Geelong\'s VFL side next season. This year\'s VFL Liston Trophy winner is headed to Skilled Stadium after stunning Werribee with the news that he was quitting the club.

Geelong VFL operations manager Ben Waller said while Podsiadly had not officially signed with the Cats yet, he was expected to do by Monday.

Waller added that Podsiadly was also joining the club\'s fitness and conditioning department, where he would work closely with Geelong\'s young AFL-listed players in the VFL side.  ``It\'s great that one of the best players in the competition has agreed to join us and we think that James is someone that will really help our young playing group next year,\'\' Waller said.

With the retirement of long-serving captain James Byrne, the addition of Podsiadly to their line-up would be a welcome boost to the inexperienced VFL Cats, who slipped to 10th in the 2008 season after winning the premiership the previous year.

Werribee president John Nicol said Podsiadly, the VFL\'s leading goalkicker in 2005, had rejected the club\'s new contract offer. Nicol added that the club had given Podsiadly their ``full support\'\' during his attempts to earn a spot at AFL level.  He did pre-season training with Richmond and the Western Bulldogs two summers ago.

The 27-year-old, a former Essendon and Collingwood rookie, has played more than 150 VFL games and captained Werribee for the last two seasons. He represented the VFL four times. He booted 86 goals in the 2008 season to lead Werribee to the preliminary final.

Cats back in contention for VFL flag

From the Geelong Advertiser
Reported by Nick Wade

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http://www.gfc.com.au

GEELONG has thrown a spanner into the VFL-finals works after it overran Sandringham to claim a pulsating 11-point comeback victory at Trevor Barker Oval yesterday.

Having all but declared their season over last week, the Cats are now just one win away from breaking back into the top eight for the first time in two months.

In arguably their most impressive win this season, the Cats came back from four goals down early in the third to kick seven unanswered goals to stun the red-hot favourite Zebras 11.12 (78) to 9.13 (67).

Debutant in-waiting Simon Hogan delivered his most complete performance from an already glittering year, collecting 41 disposals and six marks.

From the Geelong Advertiser
Reported by Nick Wade


IT\'S taken six years and a few painful hurdles, but Geelong VFL midfielder Jay Cheep will play his 50th VFL match tomorrow morning against North Ballarat at Skilled Stadium.

Cheep turned recruiters\' heads in 2002 after a season that earned him TAC Cup team of the year selection and third place in the Calder Cannons best and fairest.

After missing out in that year\'s national draft, Essendon invited him to train for a place on its rookie list, before he succumbed to the dreaded osteitis pubis and missed the cut.

A year later, despite missing the entire 2003 season, Richmond came knocking, but ultimately decided against Cheep after he suffered shin splints.

From the Herald-Sun
Reported by Michael Sharkie

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ONCE there was a time when the Ablett presence determined Geelong\'s fortunes.

But Cats coach Mark Thompson says the premiers have moved on beyond Nathan Ablett, and that his return to football would have no impact on Geelong\'s season.

While pleased the young forward had resumed training with the club\'s supplementary list after walking away from the game at the start of the year, Thompson yesterday said Ablett did not fit into the Cats\' premiership defence.

Ablett played in last year\'s premiership but told the club at the start of the year he had lost his passion for the game.

The 22-year-old could return to the VFL within a fortnight.
Tom Hawkins in action against the Northern Bullants yesterday. Photo: BRAD WILSON

From the Geelong Advertiser
Reported by Nick Wade

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GEELONG forward Tom Hawkins last night delivered a brutally honest assessment of his seven-goal performance in Geelong's 11-point VFL loss to the Northern Bullants at Skilled Stadium.

Hawkins, with 17 possessions and nine marks, was clearly the Cats' best yesterday providing a strong presence in attack.

But when asked whether he believed he would receive plaudits from the senior coaches for his performance, Hawkins was refreshingly candid.

Although he kicked seven goals and was labelled Geelong's best by Tudor, Hawkins admitted he would not take a great deal of satisfaction from the match.

Ryan Gamble stars in VFL despite loss

From the Geelong Advertiser
Reported by Nick Wade

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A SPRING-LOADED Ryan Gamble yesterday bounced straight back into senior contention with a standout performance in Geelong\'s 39-point VFL loss to the Casey Scorpions in Casey.

Playing his first VFL match of the season, Gamble unleashed his trademark repertoire of high marking and creative brilliance in attack to finish with four goals.

It was not enough to propel the undermanned, but gallant Cats to victory. They struggled to keep pace with their opposition as the match wore on.

Harry Taylor and Tom Hawkins, whose potential appearance in the VFL drew much anticipation, were noticeable late-withdrawals with general soreness.

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