Geelong will not make any improvement next year according toย Saints greatย 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.
โIโve got them going backwards,โ Dal Santo said onย SEN Breakfast.
โI just canโt see them improving.
โI donโt think Joel Selwood can play much better football, Paddy Dangerfield canโt play better football.
โGary Ablett, Tom Hawkins, you go through their top-end, Mitch Duncan, I canโt see those guys playing any better because they have been so good over the last few years.โ
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. Youโre entitled to your opinion but I never rated you as a gun footballer and even less as a footy โexpertโ. 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 didnโt rate Dal Santo as a โgun footballerโ 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 couldnโt get a kick when it counted , Hawkingโs goes down and you have nothing up forward . Canโt keep trying to poach players from other clubs and expect to be a flag chance . Selwood best footy is behind him .