CATS EDGE OUT LIONS
Ben Jensen 3 May 2008

By Ben Jensen GEELONG defeated Brisbane by twenty-seven points at Skilled Stadium today, surviving a spirited challenge by the Lions after scores were almost leveled early in the final term. Brownlow favourite Gary Ablett was a late withdrawal after suffering general soreness all over, including a calf muscle, after his unsportinglike treatment by various Fremantle Dockers last Friday night. Ablett's place was taken by Max Rooke, getting the nod ahead of other two emergencies Brent Prismall and Travis Varcoe. To be fair, the Lions had their own significant injury worries - Jonathan Brown and Simon Black took no part in the match.

GEELONG 4.1 7.6 11.8 15.15 (105) DEFEATED
BRISBANE 5.6 6.8 10.9 11.12 (78)

GOALS
GEELONG: Bartel 2, Gamble 2, Stokes 2, S. Johnson 2, Corey, Hawkins, Rooke, Mooney, Chapman, Mackie, Milburn
BRISBANE: Clark 3, Power 2, Patfull, Bradshaw, Harding, Corrie, Rischitelli, Hooper

BEST
GEELONG: Scarlett, Bartel, Kelly, Corey, Mackie, Milburn
BRISBANE: Brennan, Patfull, Power, Adcock, Merrett, MacDonald

UMPIRES: Vozzo, Kamolins, Meredith

CROWD: 23,388 at Skilled Stadium, Geelong

Cats coach Mark 'Bomber' Thompson was not at all pleased with the opening quarter but still saw things he liked. "I liked the fact we reset our goals and to play that sort of footy for the last three quarters was a real positive in our eyes".

Rookie ruckman Shane Mumford impressed at least one match-goer, who believed the past two weeks he handled giant ruckman in Aaron Sandilands (last week) and Matthew Leuenberger (this week) much better than Mark Blake, who seems to be tentative going into ruck contests "knowing he'll get a knee in the guts". Watch this space on that one.

AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON 2008 ROUND 7; GEELONG V BRISBANE LIONS; MATCH PREVIEW PLUS TV / RADIO BROADCAST DETAILS
Ben Jensen 2 May 2008

By Ben Jensen THE CATS ARE UNCHANGED as they host Brisbane at home this Saturday. The Lions have swung the axe to a degree, with four changes, two of them forced. Geelong fans have mixed feelings about the last time these two sides clashed - it was the last game Matthew Egan played footy, while the Cats belted the Lions and several people including Corey Enright and two unnamed women stripped down to their underwear to liven up proceedings.

MATCH PREVIEW INCLUDING FULL TEAM LISTS, BETTING AND BROADCAST INFORMATION

CATS WIN THRILLER AT SUBIACO
Ben Jensen 26 April 2008

By Ben Jensen GEELONG defeated Fremantle by a solitary behind in their ANZAC Day clash at Perth's Subiaco Oval last night, after being behind virtually all match. The Dockers not only proved they can be a handful to the best side in the competition, but they're still more than capable of disappointing their fans, throwing away significant leads (twice), in the second and then final quarters. Geelong's best were the two Joels, Corey and Selwood, the former going all day collecting 35 possessions, the latter providing bursts of sublime football to help his side back into the match.

GEELONG 1.1 8.4 8.7 13.11 (89) DEFEATED
FREMANTLE 3.6 8.6 12.8 13.10 (88)

GOALS
GEELONG: C Mooney 3, S Johnson 3, P Chapman 2, D Milburn, G Ablett, D Wojcinski, T Hawkins, M Stokes
FREMANTLE: M Pavlich 5, D Solomon 2, G Ibbotson, J Farmer, R Murphy, R Crowley, R Palmer, A Sandilands

BEST
GEELONG: Corey, Enright, Mooney, Chapman, Selwood, Milburn
FREMANTLE: Sandilands, Bell, Ibbotson, Pavlich, Crowley, Thornton

UMPIRES: Farmer, Margetts, Kennedy

CROWD: 38,022 at Subiaco Oval, Perth

CATS OUTSHINE SWANS
Anthony Jensen 19 April 2008

By Anthony Jensen The sun was shining down at Skilled today, and the thus far undefeated Geelong side ran out through a smoky haze [caused by some burning off in Geelong's west I'm told] ready to face their latest challengers, the stifling Swans who were 2-2 going into this match.

A big [bad and bustling] out for Sydney was Barry Hall, whilst for Geelong notable absences included two up and comers in Harry Taylor [omitted to make way for Mackie] and Ryan 'Punter' Gamble out through suspension.

Geelong came out firing and through the enigmatic albeit sometimes unorthodox brilliance of one Stevie Johnson, who helped himself to three first quarter goals, the home side saw themselves 5 goals up at the first break. Apart from Sydney big man Darren Jolly who was dominating in the ruck and took potential mark of the day, the Swans looked flat and were urged to turn it around. The Sydney siders and a handful of their fans were suitably gobsmacked and the visible spray delivered by coach Paul Roos to his players was well deserved.

The 2nd quarter was a different story, and despite resident speedster David Wojcinski firing up the afterburners on several occasions and Gary Ablett racking up possessions, the Swans surged and came back to be within seven points going into half time.

The third quarter saw what we have come to expect from Sydney, the so-called "rolling scrum" bottling up the play around stoppages, often causing all but two players to be within 50m of the pill. The battle between Goodes and Ling was enthralling to watch, with the dual Brownlow winner getting plenty of the ball but a lot of it ineffective due to the number 45's efforts. Whilst Matty Scarlett had kept him quiet so far, some strong body work from Michael O'Loughlin helped to set up a handy goal to Jude Bolton.

Brent Prismall [coming into the side for Gamble] laid a gallant tackle on Jolly in the centre square, winning a free kick and setting up a rare goal, one of only two scored in what was a very congested quarter and an innaccurate one for both sides; each booting five behinds.

In the final period and not a moment to soon, son-of-a-gun Gary Ablett took it upon himself to tear apart the now tired Sydney midfield, and goaled twice within two minutes to give the home side some much needed breathing space. Getting on the end of the now dominant ruck work of Mark Blake was 'Wojo' Wojcinski, who twice weaved between flat footed defenders to pierce the forward 50 and looks to be in his best form for some years.

Geelong piled on four more goals and when Ablett scored again, his third goal for the quarter and his team's seventh, the game was all but wrapped up. As Mooney finally got on the end of a Matthew Stokes unselfish pass and bagged his only goal for the day, the Cats were home and cemented themselves as the team to beat in 2008.

GEELONG 6.2 (38) 7.8 (50) 8.13 (61) 16.18 (114)
SYDNEY 1.2 (8) 6.7 (43) 7.9 (51) 10.12 (72)

GOALS
GEELONG: Stokes 4, Johnson 4, Ablett 3, Bartel 2, Wojcinski, Mooney, Hunt
SYDNEY: Moore 2, Barlow 2, O'Keefe, J Bolton, Jolly, N Davis, Ablett

BEST
GEELONG: Ablett, Bartel, Johnson, Scarlett, Chapman, Stokes
SYDNEY: Jolly, McVeigh, Mattner, Kirk, Moore

UMPIRES: McBurney, Rosebury, Ellis

CROWD: 24,368 at Skilled Stadium, Geelong

VFL RESULTS

GEELONG 3.4 7.7 12.10 16.16 (112) DEFEATED
WILLIAMSTOWN 2.2 7.4 9.5 12.8 (80)

GOALS:
GEELONG: S. Simpson 8, T. Lonergan 2, B. Moles 2, D. McKenna 2, S. Hogan, D. Barnes
WILLIAMSTOWN: W. Skipper 2, J. Grant 2, J. Cloke, C. Urch, B. Jolley, P. Rose, D. Galea, L. Picken, A. Everitt, G. O''Keefe

BEST:
GEELONG: S. Simpson, J. Byrne, S. Byrnes, H. Taylor, D. Johnson, S. Hogan
WILLIAMSTOWN: P. Street, B. Jolley, D. Stretton, P. Rose, B. Stack, B. Johnson

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AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON 2008 ROUND 5; GEELONG V SYDNEY; MATCH PREVIEW PLUS TV / RADIO BROADCAST DETAILS
Ben Jensen 18 April 2008

By Ben Jensen GEELONG take on the Sydney Swans at Skilled Stadium this Saturday in another Channel Ten (and Setanta Sports) televised match. The Swans flogged West Coast at 'ANZ Stadium' by sixty-two points last weekend, and will be one of the first real tests for a side sitting on top of the ladder, threatening to go back to back.

Cameron Mooney will play after successfully having his 1 match suspension for tripping Saint Leigh Montagna reduced to a reprimand and 90 'carry over' points to his record. Ryan Gamble, however, will miss after accepting a one match suspension for striking St Kilda's Nick Dal Santo.

MATCH PREVIEW AND TEAM LISTS, BROADCAST DETAILS (INCLUDING VFL)

The Swans, of course, are minus resident blockhead Barry Hall, suspended for seven matches after his (nearly) knockout punch on West Coast's Brent Staker last weekend. Matthew Scarlett is going to have a field day down at Skilled; a bit like when parents go to a party and leave the kids at the grandparents - he'll have no-one to be responsible for and should pick up 25-30 possessions.

Brent Prismall finally gets his chance, promoted in place of suspended Gamble. Andrew Mackie returns from injury, replacing Harry Taylor who performed admirably in Mackie's absence.

Still no Brad Ottens; other than Shannon Byrnes (in the VFL) semi-retired Nathan Ablett he's the only Premiership player missing from the side. Spare a thought for Matt Egan though, he'd have also been tagged such if it wasn't for his terrible injury, that continues to keep him away from footy.

GEELONG's VFL side play Williamstown prior to the AFL match. And speaking of Nathan Ablett, no sign of him at training let alone in a match yet. At his retirement press conference, he indicated he may 'have a kick' in the VFL.

'Big names', or at least names you'd recognise, from the Bulldogs lining up for Williamstown include Daniel Giansiracusa, Wade Skipper, Peter Street and new boy Andrejs Everitt, who Geelong fans may remember from last season's belting at the Dome, was about their only decent player. Journeyman Jason Cloke also features in the side formerly aligned with Collingwood, where he spent a fair bit of his career.

CATS ROLL SAINTS
Ben Jensen 12 April 2008

By Ben Jensen, from London GEELONG taught ST Kilda who's boss at the Telstra Dome today, victors by fourty-two points in a game that was over five minutes into the third quarter. The Aints led at quarter time after kicked a couple late goals to go with their seven behinds, however it was the Cats who played the more entertaining brand of footy for the rest of the afternoon (or morning for us), earning their fourth victory of the season and eighth in a row from last year.

Steve Johnson led the goalkicking with a bag of four, fellow forwards Tom Hawkins and Cameron Mooney also getting amoungst the goals with three apiece. For St Kilda it was left to tall timber Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt to provide the bulk of their attack, in contrast to Geelong who had eleven goalkickers, six of them multiple.

The Cats take on the Sydney Swans, a side St Kilda half tries to emulate through coach Ross Lyon, at Skilled Stadium next Saturday in another Channel Ten (and Setanta Sports) televised match. The Swans flogged West Coast at 'ANZ Stadium' by sixty-two points today, and will be one of the first real tests for a side sitting on top of the ladder, threatening to go back to back already. But, the Swannies will almost certainly be without Barry Hall. Matthew Scarlett is going to have a field day down at Skilled; a bit like when parents go to a party and leave the kids at the grandparents - he'll have no-one to be responsible for and should pick up 25-30 possessions.

GEELONG 4.0 (24) 10.6 (66) 17.9 (111) 21.10 (136)
ST KILDA 4.7 (31) 7.8 (50) 10.11 (71) 13.16 (94)

GOALS
GEELONG: S Johnson 4 C Mooney 3 T Hawkins 3 J Kelly 2 M Stokes 2 D Wojcinski 2 J Hunt J Selwood R Gamble P Chapman C Ling
ST KILDA: J Koschitzke 3 N Riewoldt 3 F Gehrig 2 S Gilbert 2 S Milne 2 L Fisher

BEST
GEELONG: S Johnson M Scarlett C Ling J Bartel J Kelly J Corey
ST KILDA: L Hayes L Montagna N Riewoldt L Ball S Fisher B Goddard

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Chamberlain, Meredith

CROWD: 44,368 at Telstra Dome, Docklands, Melbourne

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TC from the Gold Coast; April 14, 2008 11:28

I understand it was a terrific win for the Cats over the Saints. Unfortunately I missed the live telecast. I was wondering if anyone who might have recorded it could get me a copy of the game? It would be greatly appreciated. <enquire within>

CATS MAKE HARD WORK BUT TAKE TOMAHAWK TO DEMONS
Ben Jensen 6 April 2008

By Ben Jensen, from London NOT THE MASSACRE some had predicted, but Geelong followed up the pre-match flag-unfurling festivities with a thirty point win over a spirited Melbourne side at Skilled Stadium today. Tom Hawkins led the goalkicking with five, in probably his best performance to date as ultimately he was the difference between the two sides.

The Cats were quite disappointing and not attractive to watch; Gary Ablett had 30 possessions but just wasn't himself, his disposal lacking the usual polish. Mark Blake had a great day in the ruck however. In the VFL Brent Prismall and Jason Davenport are ready-made replacements should any vacancies open up in the midfield or forward line, while Shannon Byrnes also played well in the 53-point win over Werribee.

As an example of the unattractiveness of the game, Cameron Mooney marked on the edge of the square, played on to bring it around and kicked it out on the full. His colleague in Hawkins however was spectacular, in one play pushing off his opponent to pick up the ball in the goal square before drilling it into the stands.

GEELONG 4.4 8.11 13.14 16.16 (112)
MELBOURNE 3.4 6.6 10.8 12.10 (82)

GOALS
GEELONG: T Hawkins 5 S Johnson 2 C Ling 2 C Mooney 2 M Stokes G Ablett M Blake D Milburn P Chapman
MELBOURNE: C Bruce 3 C Morton 2 L Dunn 2 J White B Miller D Neitz P Wheatley B Green

BEST
GEELONG: J Corey T Hawkins T Harley M Scarlett P Chapman G Ablett J Hunt
MELBOURNE: B McLean C Morton N Jones C Bruce A Wonaeamirri B Green

UMPIRES: H Ryan D Sully S Wenn

CROWD: 23,569

VFL SCORE

GEELONG 4.0 9.2 14.5 22.8 (140) DEFEATED
WERRIBEE 3.7 6.10 9.16 11.21 (87)

GOALS:
GEELONG: T. Lonergan 5, B. Prismall 3, S. Simpson 3, J. Cheep 2, D. Barnes 2, B. Moles, K. Tenace, J. Byrne, J. Davenport, T. Varcoe, J. Laidler, C. Urie
WERRIBEE: J. Podsiadly 7, L. Adams 2, D. Gleeson, T. Goldstein

BEST:
GEELONG: B. Prismall, B. Moles, T. Lonergan, S. Simpson, J. Davenport, K. Tenace
WERRIBEE: J. Podsiadly, F. Chisholm, T. Henderson, D. Gleeson, T. Goldstein, J. Saker

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Rod from Geelong; April 7, 2008 21:22

VFL Score - Cats 22.8 -140 to Werribee 11.21- 87. Tom Lonergan kicked 5.3 and is in good form - he is a good strong mark. Prismall BOG - 38 possessions. He kicked 3 goals in 20 mins in the last quarter. Young Dawson Simpson looks a really good prospect in the ruck - moves
well, and has good skills.

In the AFL game - pretty scrappy at times, but there were some good passages during the game. Some highlights were the bone crunching tackles from Max Rooke & Josh Hunt - real shoulder charges, just like a rugby league player. Tomahawk was a stand out at full forward - good marks, and strong on the ground - he picked up a couple of goals screambling in the
goal square.

Trent West spent afair bit of time up forward also, with MOOONey off the
ground a lot in the 1st quarter. Moons missed 3 fairly simple goals in the
2nd quarter, though.

 

Anthony from Werribee; April 6, 2008 20:51

Well we got the four points, but it wasnt too convincing. The unveiling of the flags was awesome, two guys parachuted in with them. Before that, a round of applause came from the Reg Hickey stand and we saw the likes of Brian Cook, Frank Costa, Andrew Dimitriou and even Daryl Somers walking through the crowd onto the ground! Also there was the Belmont Timber guy, Alex Popescu who got a few cheers too - not bad for an 80 something year old. And the AFL premiership flag was quickly flying from the corner of the Doug Wade stand, above the past players stand which I hear is due for demolition. I didnt see the VFL flag go up though - we'd better leave some room for the 2008 AFL flag! ANyway whilst we never looked like losing, the rare sight of seeing Gary miss 2 goals in 30 seconds and Mooney having a brain melt and playing on in the goal square only to kick it out on the full showed we werent at our best. On the other hand if the Tomahawk can step up and kick 5 straight and even Mark Blake still kicking goals then thats a good sign for next week!

CATS FLOG BOMBERS
Ben Jensen 30 March 2008

By Ben Jensen, from London BOYS AGAINST MEN stuff today, GEELONG giving Essendon a football lesson at the Telstra Dome this afternoon (or morning as it is for us). The Cats made a mockery of the pre-match billing that it might be a good game - sticking with the Cats for about ten minutes before losing touch midway through the opening term as ruckman Mark Blake and Trent West kicked running goals.

The second quarter opened with an avalanche of goals as the Cats sprung to a fifty-three point lead before the Bombers woke up with their first goal. Essendon were the better side for a ten minute period, but could score just two goals. Geelong struck back before half time with two more of their own, thus restoring the fifty-point buffer at the main break. The second half was a bit of a blur but more of the same - Cats outscoring their opponents with such ease, maybe too much ease, they were never in any danger at all of slipping up.

FULL MATCH REPORT

GEELONG 4.4 (28) 11.9 (75) 17.13 (115) 21.18 (150)
ESSENDON 1.2 (8) 3.6 (24) 4.10 (34) 6.15 (51)

GOALS
GEELONG: Gamble 3, Corey 2, Ablett 2, Bartel 2, Mooney 2, Stokes 2, Johnson, Blake, Enright, Wojcinski, Ling, Selwood, Kelly
ESSENDON: Houli, Davey, Stanton, McPhee, Hille

BEST
GEELONG: Ablett, Bartel, Stokes, Johnson, Corey, Blake, Scarlett, Harley
ESSENDON: Ryder, Houli, Stanton, Dyson

UMPIRES: Chris Donlon, Hayden Kennedy, Ray Chamberlain

CROWD: 50,636

MALARKEY VOTES: Ablett (Geelong) 3, Bartel (Geelong) 2, Stokes (Geelong) 1

NEXT SATURDAY Geelong finally play their first home game at Skilled Stadium against wooden-spoon favourite Melbourne. A few years ago you'd have almost tipped the Dees next week but with 'New Geelong' I'd say the Cats will open the betting 150 points in, and that's in the wet. There's also the small matter of the Premiership flag unfurling.

GEELONG TOO GOOD FOR PORT ADELAIDE
Justin Kremmer 24 March 2008

By Justin Kremmer THE Grand Final re-match at AAMI Stadium on Thursday night promised a typical Round One hit-out between now rivals Geelong and Port Adelaide. Both teams had declared during the off-season the last time they met, less than six months ago on the main stage, was done and dusted and from the first bounce this was a new season.

FULL STORY

CATS START SEASON IN FINE FASHION AND SWITCH OFF POWER
Ben Jensen 21 March 2008

By Ben Jensen GEELONG started their season in perfect fashion, defeating Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in the Grand Final Replay. In front pretty much all game, and by fourty-four points at half time, the Cats let Port back into the match but never surrendered the lead; the final margin was just nine points.

James Kelly and Joel Corey were Geelong's best in the match that saw ruckman Trent West make his AFL debut, and Ryan Gamble play just his second match.

The win was Geelong's third in a row at AAMI Stadium, a venue which was previously a very unhappy hunting ground - previously the Cats tasted success just three times in twenty-one visits.The

FULL STORY

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Link: 2008 SEASON DRAW GEELONG DRAW [HTML]

GEELONG 6.4 (40) 10.8 (68) 12.11 (83) 15.15 (105) DEFEATED
PORT ADELAIDE 4.0 (24) 6.1 (37) 10.6 (66) 14.12 (96)

GOALS
GEELONG: Stokes 3, Chapman 3, Mooney 2, Johnson, Chapman, Gamble, Ling, Hawkins, Corey, Ablett, Mackie
PORT ADELAIDE: Ebert 3, Lade 2, Tredrea 2, Motlop 2, Logan, Boak, S.Burgoyne, C.Cornes, Westhoff

BEST
GEELONG: Kelly, Corey, Enright, Ling, Ablett, Selwood, Milburn, Chapman
PORT ADELAIDE: Lade, K.Cornes, K.Cornes, P.Burgoyne, K.Cornes, Salopek, Cassisi

CATS ROUND OFF PRE SEASON BY DEFEATING TIGERS
Ben Jensen 9 March 2008

By Ben Jensen GEELONG thrashed Richmond by twelve goals at Skilled Stadium on Friday night. Gary Ablett made his presence felt in his return from injury, kicking two goals and dominating the midfield after half time.

Cameron Mooney led the goalkicking this week with four, Ryan Gamble again got in the goals with three while Tom Hawkins kicked just one. Matthew Scarlett played his first match of the season, and like Ablett will be right for round one.

MEANWHILE former Geelong skipper and AFL/VFL Premiership ruckman Steven King has collected another winner's medal; this time while playing for St Kilda as they won the AFL NAB Cup overnight. St Kilda came from behind to defeat Adelaide at their home turf of AAMI Stadium, just as Geelong had done in 2006. Setanta Sports Sky Foxtel Ipod

Discuss on forums forums.thecattery.com.au

Link: 2008 SEASON DRAW GEELONG DRAW [HTML]

GEELONG 6.2 14.9 20.9 23.11 (149) DEFEATED
RICHMOND 3.0 5.1 6.3 12.5 (77)

GOALS
GEELONG: Mooney 4, Gamble 3, Byrnes 2, Ablett 2, Bartel 2, S Johnson 2, Ling 2, Corey 2, Hawkins, Wojcinski, Prismall, Blake, Mackie
RICHMOND: Richardson 3, Morton 2, Deledio 2, Coughlan, Howat, White, Hughes, Foley

BEST
GEELONG: Ling, Bartel, Kelly, Mackie, Prismall, Byrnes, S Johnson, Enright
RICHMOND: King, Tuck

CATS BEAT LIONS
Ben Jensen 1 March 2008

By Ben Jensen GEELONG easily accounted for Brisbane in an official AFL NAB Challenge practice match at Gold Coast Stadium overnight. Ryan Gamble and Tom HAwkins helped themselves to five and three goals each, but the big news was the potentially serious head injury to Matthew Stokes. However, Stokes was fortunately later cleared of any serious injury and while he may not play next week, he'll definitely be available for the round one clash with Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

Discuss on forums forums.thecattery.com.au

Link: NAB CUP / 2008 SEASON DRAW GEELONG DRAW [HTML]

GEELONG 2.4 4.10 11.13 13.14 (92) DEFEATED
BRISBANE 3.3 3.4 4.5 7.10 (52)

GOALS
GEELONG: R Gamble 5 T Hawkins 3 T Lonergan 2 S Byrnes J Selwood
BRISBANE: R Copeland 2 J Brown 2 R Hooper 2 C Stiller

BEST
GEELONG: B Prisnall R Gamble J Davenport T West
BRISBANE: T Notting R Hooper

INJURIES
GEELONG: .
BRISBANE: .

CROWD: 4,134 at Gold Coast Stadium (Carrara!)

CATS KNOCKED OUT OF NAB CUP BY SAINTS
Ben Jensen 24 February 2008

By Ben Jensen CATS KNOCKED OUT OF NAB CUP BY SAINTS GEELONG was knocked out of the NAB Cup by St Kilda in a thrilling encounter at Canberra's Manuka Oval yesterday. St Kilda led going into the final quarter but Geelong refused to give in, Tom Hawkins' fourth goal giving the Cats back the lead. But the Saints ultimately ended up on the better side of the see-saw, unheralded Jack Steven kicking the decisive goal to give his new side a five point win over the 2007 AFL Premiers.

Discuss on forums forums.thecattery.com.au

ST KILDA 0.2.4 2.6.5 2.8.9 3.9.10 (91) DEFEATED
GEELONG 2.2.6 2.3.7 3.5.8 3.8.11 (86)

GOALS
ST KILDA: Nine-point goals: J Koschitzke D Armitage N Dal Santo Goals: F Gehrig 4 J Koschitzke D Armitage S Milne J Allen J Steven
GEELONG: Nine-point goals: Corey M Stokes J Selwood. Goals: T Hawkins 4 C Mooney 2 R Gamble M Stokes

BEST
ST KILDA: J Koschitzke L Montagna J Geary
GEELONG: C Ling T Hawkins H Taylor

INJURIES
ST KILDA: Fraser Gherig(calf)
GEELONG: Nil reported

CROWD: 6,825 at Manucka Oval (Canberra)

VALE PETER PIANTO
Justin Kremmer 21 February 2008

By Justin Kremmer VALE PETER PIANTO Geelong great Peter Pianto has passed away at the age of 78. Pianto was a dual Geelong premiership player in 1951-52 with 121 games and 144 goals.

He was an outstanding rover, much adored by Geelong supporters for his ability to ease in and out of packs with ease. One of his most memorable efforts was when he kicked 5 goals in the 1953 semi-final against Collingwood. He admitted he probably retired early, at the age of 28. He was also a successful coach from 1966 to 1970 which included a Grand Final appearance, in 1967, one of only five Grand Final losses between 1963 and 2007.

Pianto will be sorely missed and remembered forever for his involvement with the Cats as a player and coach. In his post playing days, Pianto ran a successful sports store in Grovedale and was adored by the local folk for his good humour and flexibility on prices.

CATS NAMED 2007 SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR
Justin Kremmer 21 February 2008

By Justin Kremmer CATS NAMED 2007 SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR GEELONG HAS WON the prestigious OAMPS Insurance Brokers National Team of the Year at the 2007 Australian Sport Awards, which recognises achievements across all sports and sporting sectors in the country.
Geelong dominated most of the 2007 season and staged a record 119-point defeat over Port Adelaide in the AFL Grand Final, in September. Geelong CEO Brian Cook was also recognised being named the Sports Executive of the Year.

FULL STORY - CATS NAMED 2007 SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR

GARY ABLETT JUNIOR OUT FOR TWO
Anthony Jensen 18 February 2008

By Anthony Jensen GARY ABLETT JUNIOR OUT FOR TWO CATS COACH MARK THOMPSON has allayed our fears surrounding Gary Ablett's calf injury he sustained early on in Saturday's match against the Demons. Thompson described the injury as "nothing to worry about" and said that Ablett should be able to return to full duties in two weeks should Geelong progress that far in the NAB Cup pre-season competition.

Whilst showing elements of his 2007 season brillance, the 2007 AFLPA Player of the Year limped off early in the first term and took no further part in Geelong's 12-goal victory. It was earlier suspected he may have suffered a tear to his calf muscle, but this has been downgraded to a minor strain and Thompson believes it will not preclude the premiership player from playing in a possible semi-final should the Cats overcome St Kilda next Saturday and progress through the NAB Cup competition.

FULL STORY - GARY ABLETT JUNIOR OUT FOR TWO

STEVE JOHNSON ALL BUT AVOIDS CLUB PENALTY FOR SPEEDING
Ben Jensen 23 January 2008

By Ben Jensen STEVE JOHNSON AVOIDS FINE GEELONG'S NORTH SMITH MEDALLIST Steve Johnson has avoided being fined or suspended by the club over another off-field incident. Johnson was busted driving at 72 km/hr over the speed limit, in a 50 zone, by Geelong police last week in his Ford XR6. Johnson has agreed to serve fifty hours of community service with Victoria's TAC.

Johnson, who was memorably suspended for five matches after a drunk and disorderly incident last pre-season, was detected driving at 122 km/hr in a 50 zone, with fellow Premiership player Shannon Byrnes in the passenger seat.

STEVE JOHNSON ALL BUT AVOIDS CLUB PENALTY FOR SPEEDING

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Link: Steve Johnson career stats http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/S/Steve_Johnson.html

JOHNNO ADDS SPEEDING CHARGE TO OFF-FIELD CV
Ben Jensen 18 January 2008

By Ben Jensen STEVE JOHNSON BUSTED SPEEDING GEELONG'S NORTH SMITH MEDALLIST Steve Johnson has attracted more unwarranted attention, this time for speeding. Johnson, who was memorably suspended for five matches after a drunk and disorderly incident last pre-season, was detected driving at 122 km/hr in a 50 zone, with fellow Premiership player Shannon Byrnes in the passenger seat.

JOHNNO ADDS SPEEDING CHARGE TO OFF-FIELD CV [FULL ARTICLE]

NATHAN ABLETT OFFICIALLY CALLS IT QUITS
Ben Jensen 7 January 2008

By Ben Jensen GEELONG PREMIERSHIP FORWARD NATHAN ABLETT has officially told the Cats he no longer has the passion to play AFL football, but may play at VFL level next season, which begins with the NAB Cup clash with Melbourne at Skilled Stadium on 16 February. Ablett read a prepared statement at a press conference this afternoon. Nathan is the youngest of the Ablett brothers, Gary being the oldest. Although the Cats are resigned to Nathan not playing in 2008, he will remain on the Geelong list for the duration of the season.

NATHAN ABLETT OFFICIALLY CALLS IT QUITS [FULL ARTICLE]

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VALE CLINTON GRYBAS
Ben Jensen 5 January 2008

LIKE most of the football world we are shocked by the news of Clinton Grybas' untimely passing today. It was only a couple nights ago we last spoke on the airwaves on 3AW's excellent Sports Today program, joking about movies that could be made about sporting stars or teams, and the actors who'd play the main characters.

We loved now defunct Fox Footy Channel's White Line Fever show, which Grybas made his own as he extracted meaningful interviews with guests who'd often utter the usual "one week at a time" line. He helped reignite David Schwartz's media career after false starts on The Footy Show, and similarly with Tiffany Cherry. His work at official AFL functions such as the All Australian and Hall of Fame nights were also great to watch.

Geelong fans with the DVD of the Grand Final who took advantage of the multi-commentary would have delighted in Grybas' final words on the game as the siren sounded "...a battalion of photographers and cameras ** SIREN ** and there it is ... 44 years in the making .. all the years of heartbreak swept away in one of the most glorious afternoons..."

We are shocked and saddened by today's sad news; football on Fox Sports and 3AW will never be the same again that's for sure. We pass our deepest and sincere condolences to Clinton's family, friends and colleagues.

2008: YEAR OF THE CAT MARK 2?
Ben Jensen 1 January 2008

By Ben Jensen THE CATTERY hopes all Geelong fans have so far had a fun albeit scorching hot Christmas and New Years celebrations so far. 2007 was about as perfect a year as there possibly could have been for all Geelong supporters. So much so it is difficult to imagine 2008 being anywhere near as good. Still, we've got the likes of Tom Hawkins to develop over the pre-season (read: lose the puppy fat and build up Tom Harley like muscle), possibly see Nathan Ablett return, hear about the next stage of the Skilled Stadium development and no doubt debate the merits or otherwise of the New Logos.

At The Cattery we've been a bit distracted of late, due to preparations for an extended stint overseas; London to be specific. In 2008 we'll be writing to you from the perspective of the Old Dart, but new writer for 2007 Justin Kremmer will be back as will some newcomers. An unidentified 'Insider' (as he calls himself to protect the guilty) will contribute when he sees fit, while one Anthony Jensen will take the reigns as the on the ground reporter.

For a bit of fun, try out our new forums by clicking the link below. Registration is required to keep the site free of spammers (we get ten bogus registrations per day) but should be approved within 24 hours of registration. If not send us an email at forums@thecattery.com.au

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NATHAN ABLETT WALKS AWAY FROM FOOTY, FOR NOW
Ben Jensen 2 December 2007

By Ben Jensen PREMIERSHIP FULL FORWARD Nathan Ablett has walked out on the Cats, to take time to reconsider his future. Ablett announced that he is considering retirement from the game but is in no hurry to make a decision. It is well known Ablett does not hold AFL level football as his top priority, but memorably played with his mates at Modawarre Football Club in the Bellarine Football Club. The news was not altogether unexpected; Ablett visited a Christian camp in the weeks following the grand final win and did not appear in the Grand Final victory parade in Geelong.

Geelong football boss Neil Balme said Nathan announced to the playing group on Friday his intentions. “Nathan met with the club’s leadership group to explain his position and they are supportive of him and wanted to help him get in the best frame of mind for the 2008 season".

“He explained to the club’s leadership group and the coaching staff that he was feeling extra pressure and all parties felt it best that he take time away from the club. Nathan is not the first AFL player to go through this and the club is supportive of his need to take time away from the club.”

NATHAN AND GARY IN SEASON 2005

GEELONG FANATIC IN TATTOO MIXUP
Ben Jensen 14 November 2007

By Ben Jensen GEELONG FANATIC 'Neville' certainly has a unique, permanent reminder of Geelong's history breaking premiership triumph this year. The subject of radio station 3AW's 'Rumour File' on Tuesday, Neville spoke to 3AW Breakfast's John Burns and Ross Stephenson about his experience in Thailand recently. You see Neville, who already had the 'growly cat' logo on his left arm, had an idea for a tribute to Geelong's premiership.

FULL STORY INCLUDING PHOTOS: GEELONG FANATIC IN TATTOO MIXUP

CATS LAUNCH NEW LOGOS
Ben Jensen 1 November 2007

By Ben Jensen THE GEELONG FOOTBALL CLUB has officially launched their new logos. One logo will be used in marketing material while the other will be used for 'on field' apparel. Each were designed by design firm Cato Partners to reflect the club values of Respect, Precision, Adventurous, Conviction, Unity and Commercial.

Make of the new designs what you will, but they're hear to stay, and certainly now look much better in context of official marketing material than the first images released in the Herald Sun last week.

LINK Official Geelong Football Club Website www.gfc.com.au

FULL STORY INCLUDING FULL SIZED LOGOS

FORUM WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW LOGOS? TELL US! http://www.thecattery.com.au/applications/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=55

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