The intensity has lifted at GMHBA Stadium in the new year according to assistant coach James Kelly, as the Cats begin to ramp up preparations ahead of the upcoming match simulation and practice games against Hawthorn and Brisbane respectively in four weeks’ time.
Geelong is three weeks into their new year training program with the senior players in particular, according to Kelly, diving the broader group after a lighter schedule pre-Christmas impacted by a long finals run.
“We made a conscious effort to not ask too much of them, we just got them in, they still trained really hard, they still trained really well, but outside of that we left them alone a little bit,” Kelly told SEN.
“Fortunately for us, our game plan will change, but it will just be little changes and tinkering, so we didn't feel like we needed a lot of education or a lot of meetings in the afternoons.
“But after the Christmas break, I feel like the boys have hit the ground running and they actually started coming to us to say they wanted a bit more clarity, a few more meetings, and a bit more education. Since the break, the senior players particularly have really driven the direction of training and the intensity which has been first class.”
Kelly said a key focus throughout January has been getting improvement out of individual players while looking for efficiencies within the existing game plan.
“The offence and defence, we're always trying to evolve,” he said. “Is there a more efficient way to defend, is there a more efficient way to attack? The reality is that we probably don't know what that looks like at this point, the game is going to change.
“By Round six or eight you get a pretty clear picture of what the rest of the competition is doing and how much they've improved.
“The main focus at this stage is getting the improvement out of the individuals. We've still got a bit of time before we have to get really serious about games so, you get the individual improvement out of each player and then piece it together.
“We've obviously got a couple of new players from other clubs that have come in, we had a good haul in the draft, so making sure we get the most out of those players and setting them up to succeed is important as well.”
The Cats will take on Hawthorn at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday, 23 February, before heading to Queensland to take on Brisbane on Thursday, 2 March.
