AFLW Cats v Demons Round 1 Preview! | The Chaps Chat Cats

[Music] ladies and gentlemen boys and girls and everybody in between welcome to another episode of the chaps chat cats a part of the Hoops crew media Network my name is Jake and I'm joined in the virtual Studio on the Eve essentially of the aflw 2024 season by two Gents uh also entering their Fifth Season covering the aflw on this podcast [ __ ] Johnny how the bloody hell are you bloody excited I am I'm I'm very good my my OCD is being set off a little bit by John John being off center should we all go off center or do we I wanted I was just trying to get the C bones gy in the background I'll move I'll Batman try to feature the merch trying to feature the merch trying to sell no I'm not that that's I move too far to the side you'll see my cats eating uh their dinner so I'm not going to move too far to the side um got gotta display this one big show tonight chat first season with B jumper vintage yes very speci on the show tonight cats V demons round one preview we are starting the season can't believe it's finally here but it is um the cats attempting to get off their campaign uh in good fashion against the team they knocked out of the finals last year at the semifinal stage in one of the alltime aflw clashes against Melbourne the cats winning one I believe was 4540 or 50 to 45 there a fivepoint victory um whatever the case may be but that's what we're going to preview as per usual we will then duck over to the extended patreon part of the show you should go over and hit up a 7-Day free trial there you get extended versions of our shows you get Wednesday news rap you get scratching post episodes with Paul vfl men's and women's coverage I'm about to do a vfl men's finals preview tomorrow night after I off ye oldie day job so go on over and check out the Hoops crew on patreon chaps before we get stuck into this preview um we've got another little thing bit of housekeeping to tick off as well and that is the very exciting uh news and a very excited thank you to our brand new media Network sponsor sirel cook florist they have been in the jalong area since 1950 15 chaps that's longer than the cats have been the cats I think we were the seagulls or the pivoton or something before that um s cook there were there before we were the cats you can go visit the website www.cook flores.com that's cook with an E you can pick up the phone and give them a call 035 triple2 dou2 four or if you're feeling so inclin to get on your pins and wander into the store Ho's crew viewers and listeners can get a 20% discount the next time you'll wander in and buy something in store from serial cook Flores they're located at shop 12 11 leather Street Breakwater and we time very much for jumping on exactly Father's Day coming up this weekend one up by Ice bouquet of flowers from seral cook 20% off like how can you go wrong espe I would I would love her father's day to get a a bouquet of flowers especially if they were maybe some white flowers with some blue hooped ribbons in there something something along those lines if like a little box as well know box flowers you can get that come in the box there always we know the terminology pretty special all the terminology the bouquet the Box Arrangement uh we just know it all exactly that's that's a good one a gift card to give your dad so he can buy the wife or his mother whatever about flowers around Christmas or just as a you know it's a great Father's Day present actually give you give your dad a leg up for the next present he needs to get somebody else of like back ended Father's Day gift that one um but noay forward yes I do flowers an underrated gift no matter the demographic we're aiming at love love love a good centered say like native flowers I'm a big fan of some wle Greenery that get it done for me anyway enough of chat flowers no John we're just excited the new sponsorship all right I know you're allowed to be um absolutely we RI the tin off the The Flower chat in a big way there um now somebody who won't be giving any flowers this weekend are the demons they are going to be coming uh full of Vengeance down to kadia park looking to seek revenge on the cats for ending their campaign in the finals last season as we said it was an absolute Thriller going to come to you first here Johnny um what are your thoughts and feelings going into this matchup big game against one of the powerhouses of the competition is it an opportunity for jalong to maybe put down their stamp that hey we have arrived last year wasn't just a flash in the pan most definitely and this team has got the absolute skills the players the mentality the culture the structure everything about them seeing a team that is ready to pounce they're ready to pre on the the victims pre on the demons and just pounce on them and get them a good get themselves a good victory I I truly do believe this this cats team you know after last year's bitter disappointment of the way they finished went out in the pr I reckon that they'll still be burning deep down inside of them it's still you know it still angers me to this day I still get really frustrated and disappointed at how they went out not in the players just the the way it all unfolded but yeah I just got a feeling this team is hungry the hungry team were ready for a massive season and I really can't see them coming out any other way but fired up ready ready to go you got the senior players like McDonald Morrison um Becky Webster who they they'll definitely want to win a Premiership and they'll be super hungry and be able to lead this team into the the future and I think it all starts this weekend and this is a I know big statement game at home against as you said a premier side into competition I don't think the cats could have asked for a better better way to start the season other but going up against a tough opponent bring it on and know uh they're definitely ready and they'll be fired up as I said earlier I can't wait super excited to see to see this team run out again um obviously shortest season just 11 home and away games we talked about it a bit a couple of nights ago on the big season preview um where we looked into all angles of the upcoming campaign you should go and have a look at that one if you haven't done so already but [ __ ] um shorten season imperative to get off to a good start the cats have this game at home then it's three matches on the road uh against the blues the the ruse and the Suns how do you feel going into this one yeah I mean pretty much the way John does I I feel I feel good going into it I feel like sort of to Echo what John was saying there's every reason for us to come out fired up um but I guess at the start of any season um you know as as I shift my focus you know across to the the W season um it's also there's also feels like a bit of unknown you know there's there's been some some departures some new arrivals um which we'll obviously get into the the selection um but yeah there there is there is a little bit of a little bit of butterflies for me there's a little bit of nerves that like this might be a game where we get jumped um farbe for me to be pessimistic but as I said in the uh in the preview the season the season preview I feel like this is going to be a really tough run I think we're going to come out the other side of these F first four Games carved out of marble I think was the terminology I used I think we're going to come out of it really strong and and go on a really strong Run for the season but I do see that we might drop a couple of these first four um and I think we have every reason to to expect to win this one but I do also think that as you sort of alluded to Jake Melbourne are coming down uh with with vengeance in their hearts I would say uh so it's going to be I I hope it's going to be a really good competitive fiery match either way uh but yeah I I think I think there might be some some te some small teething pains for the squad to get the season rolling and then once we do once we go through this Murderers Row um I think we're going to be setting ourselves up really good for a final stretch yeah no I think it's important to get out at least even out of the first month at least two and two if you can go better than that perfect but two and two in a relatively tricky little spot should give you a good launching platform three and one would be great four and zip would be like let's book our grand final tickets um if we do win this if we win this one and I think as I said I hope and think we can but I'm quite nervous well but if we do win this one I do think my expectations will almost immediately be elevated like I do I do have this sense that the lid the lids might go off my expectations really early if we would to win this game I think got the lead off pretty early myself I'm just yeah I don't know I've just got that feeling that this team is like they've been able to stick together like the core group and the players have left you know they were sort of still on the outskirts of the team but apart from a couple I can't remember who sorry the be who was it who left um oh my God I can't remember the name we had a few rocks Olivia Fuller Aaron Hall Annabelle Johnson Johnson Ying so yeah few there that were fairly important but to still keep the George sparus Who everyone was sort of worried that she might head off to bombers for her to sign that foure deal just just filled me with so much optimism and hope and pride in Georgie staying with the cats and going yeah this this team's going to go somewhere this year if she's here to stay for the cat with the cats then boy I'm excited I just got that feeling yeah it's a nice statement of intention from the cats they signed a bunch of players to to Extended deals and stuff over the offseason as well as bringing in some recruits and we can talk about at least one of those um new recruits here as we zip over into the team selection part of the evening um now it's an interesting one chaps we talked a bit about this last night you know who might feature who might not um cats have rolled out like this the backline and I've got to adjust because you know we're a couple of players lighter on the field at either end of the ground you know it's two two fullbacks two full forwards as opposed to three in each um we've got sha Chantel enson and Claudia gjaka down at the full backline the halfback is Rebecca Webster me Megatron Donald and Rachel Karns who found that home down across the halfback flank uh last year she looked a weapon playing that position in the preseason game that I watched zali friswell Georgie PR sparus and Michaela Bowen are named across the center the half Fords Julia Crockett grills Jacqueline Parry got to get used to saying Jackie Parry that's what's on her jalong cats profile and stuff so got to remember that Jackie Parry uh and Kate Surman the other two in that half Ford line and the full Ford line chaps Ashling Maloney from County tieri and Kate Kenny of County offley an all Irish full Ford line there the followers Kate Derby Amy McDonald and Nina Morrison and The Interchange to come from Georgie Rankin H Gabby featherston Shelley Scott Anna Rose Kennedy a fourth Irish woman in the lineup and Darcy Maloney the second Maloney in the lineup emergencies are Abby McDonald Brook plumber and Shantel m [ __ ] coming to you here first what stands out for you here in this first lineup the first lineup in a competitive game of the season uh well I mean I I guess you might have to uh Illuminate Me here but was was Jackie Parry more of the full forward last year is it unusual for her like is this is it irregular for her to be listed as a half for or was that sort of what she was listed as and she would just kind of at half forward yeah I was going to say pretty sure I remember her line up mainly like sort of that half forward okay area she did rot rotate she did rotate around a little bit um yeah didn't I didn't know if she was ever listed as that and then just rotate out or maybe more like this she's listed as the half forward and then would rotate up I think plays that like yeah as you said the rotating like you be named Halford and still play like a fair bit into full for area yeah so who is who is uh technically our Rock the the page is soby Derby is our official listed Rock so I'm trying I'm trying to actually Zoom this I'm trying to zoom the streamyard in to be able to read this very small window I do apologize I should have had the I I should have had the team list in a separate window but I was not b um so that yeah that's I mean that's interesting we we do know that they like rolling Derby through there I would have liked to have seen the uh you know a debut as we discussed in the I don't want to give away all the all the secrets and the stuff we talked about in the in the preview because i' I'd encourage anyone to go and listen to um the three of us and Ben waffle about the the upcoming season because I think there was I think there was some good good conversations in there um but yeah apart from apart from that apart from the fact that you know um they've gone with with Derby as the you know which is May which is maybe always to be the case you know um uh she's she's been in the side for a lot longer obviously and she's she's had some experience so maybe they'll be looking to to uh blood some people as the season progresses or maybe even look next year but apart from that no real surprises to me I don't know what about you guys I'm fascinated by the all Irish full forward to be honest like Kate Kenny was one that I when the Khloe Shear injury was announced I said Kate Kenny's got got the the sort of game style at least um from the what she showed playing gaic football that she could be that Dynamic um sort of second banana uh next to Ashling Maloney um you know I I think we should temper our expectations a bit I watched her in the preseason game and she's probably taken to it just a little uh less readily than like ashing came in and looked like she'd been kicking a footy her entire life I think Kate Kenny's probably still warming to it a little bit but having said that that the clay that you've got there to sort of mold into that star is is super impressive um and so it wouldn't shock me at all either if if the learning curve is is quick you know if she does adapt really quickly and I actually like that pairing of Ashley Maloney and Kate Kenny because Ashley Maloney's been through it last season she's learned she's gone through through that that rookie season so she can be right there now to to help Kate Kenny learn in real time of like you know oh no you've got to lead there or we need you to do this or because she's maybe made some of those mistakes herself um I really like it and and I'm excited that Kate Kenny's got this opportunity um yeah really excited for it I guess would be my takeaway yeah I'm pretty excited about this lineups pretty solid lineup about my feeling um and yeah for Irish players that's that's pretty incredible and big faith in um Kate Kenny to come in and play for f in her first game like that's um that's got to be a bit of a confidence boost for herself um and yeah like the rest of the players is pretty much what I was sort of expecting the team to look like apart from Kate Kenn Kenny I wasn't wasn't expecting to see a round one but I'm excited that she is coming in round one so yeah let a solid lineup and one I think that's going to prob play pretty well together and as you said Jake K Ken's got ashleen Maloney there to lean on and gain experience off alongside Surman parry and Crocs like it's a pretty good forward line to line up with and learn from and experience and just witness what they do so yeah I'm pretty pretty much sort of what I was expecting said as I said wasn't expecting Kate Kenny there but happy to see her there and hopefully she does really well and and cements a spot in that forward line yeah and I think it was probably you know really between her and Shantel Mason who's named in the emergencies I I would have been happy either way but I think I like that Kate Kenny's um you know I don't know she's probably just that little bit older I think I haven't actually done a Google but I'm I'm assuming she is a more mature age recruit um she's probably played in some bigger games maybe not in the same sport um but has she she was a key contributor in a couple of Championship wins um for teams back in Ireland um like stood up in big moments and delivered so I I love that and this will be a big stage obviously under lights only one I'll just leave us with on team selection is Abby McDonald absolutely destroyed the vfl W when she played this year she she was having like you know 25 30 touches a game easily just racking it up um down back as an intercepting Defender and then they'd put her on ball as well and she would just rack up um you know disposals and clearances I think it shows how much depth jalong have in their Midfield at the moment I think you know if you may re won back to 2021 and you had an Abby McDonald type player in the sort of form she was in the vflw she'd be an automatic pick but it's really hard to get past PR sparus McDonald Morrison you know it it's it's tough um so yeah hopefully she gets her her look at some point but um yeah she's certainly been in cracking form in the vflw chaps let's end the public show on this and that is what we want to see uh Johnny I'm gonna come to you first what is it you're going into this game what do you want to see I just want to see the cats apply High good amounts of pressure to the Melbourne's disposal not let him just use the chip KCK style or you know easy disposals I want to see that high pressure and this team I believe will bring that high pressure though they'll be ready to apply tackles and just pressure Melbourne to make him into making mistakes um yeah as I said I don't really want to see Cats Just Landing them you know that kick switch all that we see the men sometimes let other teams do I just like to see them apply that pressure throughout the game it doesn't have to be like frantic um absolute mad pressure just just enough just as we say into social soccer just jockey people just make them think about what they're going to do yeah absolutely I'll just add to there I just flicked back to that um round what was it round five game against Melbourne at Cadia Park last season they beat us 74 to 25 um we were sort of in it um at quarter time even early on in the second quarter and then they just pulled away and we we really couldn't go with them we made a bit of a fight of it in the third term and then the last quarter they held us scoreless and kicked um four goals three themselves and I remember on our recap pod talking about that jalong did not pressure with a high level of efficiency that too many players were getting sucked into the one contest Melbourne were easily able to just change an angle to flick a hand pass or a clever kick out um the demons in that game racked up 149 uncontested possessions to jong's 127 I remember there was a move in that game they destroyed us with a chain of hand balls that I I think it was that game um where there was not a kick involved until they put it through the goal it was all hands you know from pretty much their backline straight up the guts and so yeah jalong have to be disciplined um Johnny in their pressure like you've said [ __ ] what do you want to see uh I mean I think it goes hand inand with uh with what John was talking about and that's the the off ball structure uh it's something I've talked about before many times um and I'd really like to see that's that's such it's such a f such a fundamental thing that I think it's really hard to to sort of scr that back after the fact late in a game late in a season into a finals race anything like that so I think it's something that you've got to have ideally have really lock down and then everything else can build from that um particularly your off ball structure like when we're defensively like that's where you your pressure comes from being in the right position that allows you to pressure without having to run half a field to lay a tackle um and then of course also the the off ball um structure when we're moving forward to when we gain possession and we're going into Attack Mode being there for each other creating creating um triangles creating space uh you know creating options and areas to fill in the space I think that's it's a massive thing um again a really simple fundamental thing that it can get lost in the in the rub I think when teams are focused on being hard and tough and fast and working hard there can be a lot of running and a lot of huffing um and you can make it so much easier for yourself with just making sure your structures on point that you're you're where you need to be before the tackle needs to be laid or before the ball needs to be collected uh so that's just a really simple thing that I'd like to see them come out the gate with that like their disposal efficiency tackle efficienc all that stuff can can come you know it can be built on later but you really need to have that fundamental thing I think in place early especially in such a short season yes definitely just an interesting little stat that stood out to me here Shantel Emon and Becky Webster combined for 34 disposals last time and 15 turnovers between them now those are two players who you know you would be thinking of bringing it out of the back for the cats um so you know that probably speaks to the fact that Melbourne were able to turn us over and send it back the other way a lot I haven't gone back and rewatched the game so I might be talking out of my backside there but uh just interesting to note I will keep it simple I want to say big crowd I want to see um Cadia Park rocking um I I want to tune in and be um pleasantly surprised by how many cats fans go hey you know the AFL finals are on a by week get down Phil KP with a loud and rockus crowd the crowds were good last year chaps and there weren't even massive numbers at different times like you know four or five thousand people um and it sounded like twice that so I just want to see a massive crowd uh I think this team is building something incredibly special and you know get on board uh with it now because it's it's not even just you know like I'm not saying just get along and support as a token I'm saying this team could be really damn good if you want to watch some really good footy um go along and and treat yourself um get on the ride early all right that's enough from us GNA play you out here uh it is the tradition on the show to play you out with the halim horse on the public show so we're going to do that we're going to duck over and talk behind the patreon curtain gonna do our patreon match predictions until next time go cat go cats go cats get your cordal your lollies a spray from the coach absolutely you get your cordal lollies a spray from the coach abely spray that's what half time's about [Music]