Geelong’s stand-alone VFL team has enjoyed a decade of sustained success, claiming three flags since 2002 including victory over Port Melbourne in this year’s decider.
Tapping points to the Cats’ list profile when asked to highlight their key strength.
“It’s a question that’s been bandied around a fair bit in recent weeks,” Tapping mused on CTV.
Watch the full interview with new VFL coach Dale Tapping on CTV in the video above.
“They’ve done a terrific job. Looking at their list, they’ve got an average age of 24 and a half and they’ve got five 27 year olds on their VFL list alone, so they buffer a lot of pressure particularly from the Geelong listed boys and their younger draftees.
“They’ve worked on that list for three or four years now. They’ve had a number of guys who have been in their VFL system and have stayed around and that’s something that we’d like to emulate.
“That’s not something that’s going to happen overnight. That’s something we’ve got to plan for and look to build over the next three, four or five years.”
In assembling his VFL list, Tapping is seeking to add experience and competitiveness to a team that has posted only eight wins over the past two years.
The results are due in part to an AFL list that has been injected with 20 untried players aged between 18 and 20. This, coupled with the relative inexperience of the club’s VFL list, has meant that the past two years have represented a steep learning curve.
“I think, first and foremost, we need to be more competitive with our VFL list and add a bit more experience to our list,” said Tapping.
“Primarily, in the last couple of years just looking at the stats, we’ve been very young in terms of our VFL list, and even to a certain point our AFL list has been very young and had a lot of guys under 23.
“Certainly from a VFL perspective we’re looking to add a little bit more experience and a little bit more strength.
“Also on game day, (we need to improve) the manner that we play and our competitiveness, our use of the footy and just the efficiency based around the game.”
After spending 12 months on the coaching staff at the Westpac Centre, Tapping relieves Tarkyn Lockyer of the VFL reins.
Lockyer will assume Tapping’s role as Midfield Development Coach.
As he shifts into the driver’s seat, Tapping is fortunate to have a wealth of experience to call upon.
His footballing journey led him to Collingwood’s under-19s under the legendary Keith Burns and later the Melbourne senior list (where he did not play a game at league level) before he carving out a successful career for Prahran in the VFA and Old Xaverians in the Amateurs.
Tapping’s coaching career has taken him through the ranks in the VAFA and the TAC Cup where he oversaw the Sandringham Dragons’ 2011 premiership.
The 47-year-old earmarked promising pair Paul Seedsman and Jarrod Witts as likely candidates to take the next step in 2013.
“You’d like to see guys like Paul Seedsman and Jarrod Witts in particular continue to progress.
“Paul was pretty good this year. He played 11 or 12 games. Wittsy hasn’t debuted yet but we’d like to think that he will get his opportunity next year with another good summer.”
The 2013 VFL fixture is likely to be released next month, while the playing list will be finalised in March.
