|
CATS SUFFER FOURTH LOSS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG nearly stole back the match but lost it at the death to Collingwood at the MCG last night. The Cats trailed by four goals early in the final term but despite scoring a barrage of behinds, managed to level the scores with one minute and forty-odd seconds to go. They appeared set to at least go on to snatch the lead outright but a 50m penalty given away by Josh Hunt on Alex Fasolo saw the Magpies go back to a six point lead with a minute to go. A final roll of the dice by the Cats didn't pay off, Scott Pendlebury kicking a long goal to a vacant goalsquare to seal the win. The Cats will rue their missed opportunities for the next week and possibly beyond, while the 50m penalty itself was debated long and wide following the match. It was probably there but you often see them waived on. Before the bounce Matthew Scarlett again pulled out injury, this time after rolling an ankle after passing a fitness test for a hip injury that kept him out of last week's loss to Adelaide.
COLLINGWOOD:
3.6, 7.9, 10.11, 14.12 (96) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES CHANGES UMPIRES: FIELD: Matt Stevic (9) Simon Meredith (21) Robert Findlay
(23) EM: Heath Ryan (14) CROWD: 75,650 at MCG, Melbourne |
AFL 2012 ROUND 8 COLLINGWOOD V GEELONG FRIDAY 18 MAY 2012 19:50 AEST MCG TEAM LISTS AND MATCH INFORMATION
SIMONDS STADIUM MINUS THE DOUG WADE STAND
THE BIG QUESTION IS: WILL THE MUCH LOVED PIE BE MAKING AN APPEARANCE THIS SUNDAY?
GEORGE HORLIN-SMITH IN THE VFL LAST WEEKEND; PHOTO COURTESY Arj ONLINE IMAGES 2011 AFL PREMIERS 2011 4 DISC VICTORY PACK & ROAD TO VICTORY 2011 - GEELONG CATS SEASON HIGHLIGHTS DVD $99.95 & $29.95 + P&H
MILBURN TOOK THIS MARK OF THE YEAR CONTENDER IN 2003
GRAND FINAL DVD - $34.95 + P&H
COREY ENRIGHT WITH HIS SECOND CARJI GREEVES MEDAL
JOSH HUNT GIVES PAUL CHAPMAN A RIDE WITH THE PREMIERSHIP CUP AFL GRAND FINAL 2011 COLLINGWOOD V GEELONG SATURDAY 1 OCTOBER 2011 14:30 MCG MATCH INFO INCLUDING TEAM LISTS GEELONG LEGEND DOUG WADE TO PRESENT CUP BALLOT DECIDED FOR GEELONG MEMBERS
HALF CAT DURING TODAY'S AFL GRAND FINAL PARADE 2ND PRELIMINARY FINAL GEELONG:
5.7, 8.11, 15.14, 17.15 (117) DEFEATED SATURDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2011 14:20 < FANS EMBRACE AFTER JOHNSON'S INJURY PRELIMINARY FINAL DVD - $24.95 + P&H
MCCARTNEY AND SANDERSON LOOK ON AT FORMER COACH MARK THOMPSON'S PRESS CONFERENCE LAST YEAR
GEELONG ADDY JUMPED THE GUN WITH THIS COMMEMORATIVE POSTER
1951-52 PREMIERSHIP AND TRUCKING LEGEND RUSSELL 'HOOKER' RENFREY JUST ABOUT BAGGED HIS REGULAR CAR PARKING SPACE (WHICH IS WHEREVER HE LIKES!!)
BOB DAVIS
BRAD SCOTT AND CHRIS SCOTT AT TUESDAY'S PRESSER, AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 35TH BIRTHDAY
JAMES PODSIADLY OUTMARKS ALIPATE CARLILE MATCH REPORTS BY THE FOOTYALMANAC.COM.AU 'CHAPPY' By John Harms CATS PURR WHILE THE DOG BARKS By Katherine Giese CHAPPY'S 200TH GAME By Marcus Holt
200 GAMER COREY ENRIGHT INTERVIEWED BY TOM HARLEY FOLLOWING THE ROUND ONE WIN OVER THE SAINTS
NEW GEELONG PRESIDENT COLIN CARTER
NEW GEELONG COACH CHRIS SCOTT
|
|||||
|
BREAKING NEWS:
SCARLETT OUT OF CATS' SIDE FOR CLASH WITH MAGPIES By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery MATTHEW SCARLETT is out of the clash at the MCG against Collingwood tonight, replaced by Billie Smedts. Scarlett apparently rolled an ankle during a fitness test after missing last week with a thigh injury.
|
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 8 2012; COLLINGWOOD V GEELONG;
MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES V GEELONG CATS GEELONG face Collingwood in a belated Grand Final replay this Friday night at the MCG. The Cats aren't in good form but will hope for a win to chalk up their fifth win and also celebrate James Kelly's 200 and James Podsiadly's 50 game milestones respectively. Each side has made four changes. Jimmy Bartel and Matthew Scarlett, late changes from last week's loss to the Crows, have been rushed back in along with Matthew Stoke and Orren Stephenson. Making way through injury are Tom Gillies (ankle) and Allen Christensen (calf) while Billie Smedts and the perennially in and out Shannon Byrnes are omitted. For the Magpies there's four big inclusions; Dale Thomas, Chris Dawes, Darren Jolly and Alex Fasolo. In the VFL Geelong play Sandringham at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Sunday. Last time these two sides met of course was on that great day in October last year - the Cats memorably thumping the Magpies in the end by 38 points, thanks to a five goal to nil final quarter. A few key players from that side are missing on Friday night however with more yet out of form - Paul Chapman, Steve Johnson and Joel Corey not yet really firing yet. The return of decorated duo Bartel and Scarlett will help however. Missing from the Premiership side are retirees Brad Ottens and Cameron Ling along with injured or suspended trio David Wojcinski, Travis Varcoe and Allen Christensen. Still, seventeen out of twenty-two players isn't so bad; the Cats just need to get it together. TEAM LISTS AND MATCH INFORMATION
|
||||||
|
CATS CRASH OUT AGAINST CROWS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery ADELAIDE comprehensively defeated Geelong by fifty points at AAMI Stadium this afternoon. The Cats suffered a blow losing perennial All Australians Jimmy Bartel and Matthew Scarlett before the bounce, replaced by Shannon Byrnes and Tom Gillies. The Crows led for most of the game, the Cats getting a couple goals early on but soon saw goal after goal sail through, eight of them coming in the second quarter, the margin at half time a shade over ten goals. Adelaide took the foot off the pedal in the last quarter, Geelong scoring four goals to two, but the damage was done far earlier. The Cats now finding themselves outside the top eight with four wins from seven games and face Collingwood in a Grand Final replay Friday night at the MCG. ADELAIDE:
6.3, 14.5, 17.7, 19.8 (122) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES CHANGES UMPIRES: FIELD UMPIRES: Luke Farmer (4) Shane McInerney (30)
Andrew Mitchell (31) EM: Craig Fleer (2) CROWD: 35,535 at AAMI Stadium, Adelaide |
||||||
|
BREAKING NEWS: SCARLETT, BARTEL OUT
OF CLASH WITH CROWS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery MATTHEW SCARLETT AND JIMMY BARTEL are late withdrawals from Geelong's side to play Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in just under half an hour's time. Scarlett misses with a thigh injury and Bartel an ankle. Shannon Byrnes and Tom Gillies get reprieves as their replacements. |
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 7 2012; ADELAIDE V GEELONG;
MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery ADELAIDE
CATS V GEELONG CATS
BLACK CAVIAR may be running in Adelaide this Saturday but beforehand,
the Crows and the Cats battle at AAMI Park, kicking off at 12:45PM to
accommodate the great mare.
The Cats have made three changes, skipper Joel Selwood heading the list
of ins along with Tom Lonergan and Taylor Hunt. Making way are Shannon
Byrnes, Mitch Brown and Tom Gillies. Fresh from beating the Swans at
the SCG the Crows made just the one change, out of necessity, Shaun
McKernan out suspended replaced by Josh Jenkins who will play his first
game for the club.
|
||||||
|
CATS GET JOB DONE AGAINST DEMONS By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG
didn't exactly blow Melbourne
away at Simonds Stadium today but did what they had to in order to secure
the four points, winning by 43 points in a match with a few highlights
but not much finesse GEELONG:
3.5, 9.11, 15.14, 17.17 (119) DEFEATED GOALS BEST CHANGES INJURIES UMPIRES: FIELD UMPIRES: Craig Fleer (2) Stuart Wenn (22) Jordan
Bannister (33) EM: David Harris (34) CROWD: 18,010 and at least one dog at Simonds Stadium, Geelong PRE-MATCH TIP: "Cats by 83 points"
CASEY
5.2 10.4 15.6 22.8 (140) DEFEATED GOALS BEST |
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 6 2012; GEELONG V MELBOURNE;
MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS V MELBOURNE DEMONS JAMES KELLY returns from injury this Saturday along with the VFL side's 9 goal kicker Mitch Brown. Making way are the injured Matthew Stokes (ankle) and Taylor Hunt (general soreness). The Dees have swung the axe on Jack Watts and Joel Macdonald, for the returning James Frawley and Mitchell Clark. FULL TEAM LISTS
|
||||||
|
CATS POUND LIONS AT LAKE GABBA By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG
easily accounted for Brisbane
in a very wet game against Brisbane at the Gabba tonight. GEELONG:
4.1 7.5 10.6 12.6 (79) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES UMPIRES: FIELD: Chris Kamolins (19) Ben Ryan (27) Shane McInerney
(30) EM: Brett Kronk (40) CROWD: 15,528 at the Gabba, Brisbane PRE-MATCH TIP: "Cats by 33 points"
GEELONG
5.1 11.5 16.7 23.9 (147) DEFEATED GOALS BEST
|
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 5 2012; BRISBANE V GEELONG;
MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery BRISBANE LIONS V GEELONG CATS BRISBANE host Geelong at the Gabba this Saturday night. Matthew Scarlett returns from a three game suspension while Steve Johnson will play after beating his tribunal charge. Joining Scarlett on the inclusion list is Billie Smedts. Tom Gillies and the Hyphen George Horlin-Smith make way for Scarlett and Smedts. FULL TEAM LISTS
|
||||||
|
STEVE JOHNSON CLEARED TO PLAY LIONS By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery STEVE
JOHNSON was cleared to play in Geelong's clash with the Brisbane Lions
at the Gabba this Saturday night, successfully defending a charge of
rough play against Richmond skipper Chris Newman. Johnson was charged
with two offenses following Sunday's win over Richmond, and received
a combined one match ban. He chose to contest the charge that attracted
the most demerit points in
order to avoid a ban, accepting the charge of tripping which attracted
78 demerit points. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
GEELONG'S STEVE JOHNSON OFFERED ONE
MATCH BAN BY AFL MRP By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG's
Steve Johnson has been offered a one match ban by the AFL Match Review
Panel if he pleads guilty to a charge of rough conduct on Richmond skipper
Chris Newman during yesterday's scratchy win
over Richmond. As he was
also charged with tripping Daniel Jackson Johnson comes perilously close
to facing a two match ban; should he plead guilty to both charges he'll
end up with 121.88 points for the rough conduct and 78 for the trip;
a Don Bradman-esque 199.88 points. Should he plead guilty to one and
not the other but be found guilty anyway, he's out for two weeks. Tough
call! Trent West can accept a reprimand and 70.3 carryover champion
points or fight the charge and only risk 93.75 carryover points; expect
this one to be challenged. FULL
STORY AND AFL MRP STATEMENT |
||||||
|
CATS (JUST)
BRING HOME FOUR POINTS OVER TIGERS By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG
JUST got over the top of Richmond
at Simonds Stadium this afternoon in front of an unknown crowd. The
event got off to a dodgy start for many fans, with an apparent power
or IT outage causing 'chaos' as queues stretched 500m long in some parts
just to get in. However sanity soon prevailed and fans were let in just
by showing their membership ticket, lines a couple hundred metres long
gaining entry within minutes. Geelong lead most of the day, trailing
by 6 points in the first quarter but leading by the same margin at quarter
time. The Tigers never let go of the Cats however, drawing level midway
through the final term as the Cats crowd sat in silence. A goal from
Matthew Stokes, his third, was enough to give Geelong victory. The final
few minutes weren't without anxious moments, the Cats ended up winners
by 10 points. In the VFL on Friday night David
Wojcinski made a successful comeback and should come into the AFL side
for next week's match with the Lions at the Gabba. FULL
MATCH REPORT GEELONG:
4.1, 7.3, 10.4, 11.9 (75) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES UMPIRES: FIELD: Gary Fila (12) Justin Schmitt (17) Troy Pannell
(28) EM: David Harris (34) CROWD: Who knows due to power stuffup, but I reckon just under 17,000 at Simonds Stadium PRE-MATCH TIP: "Cats by 17 points" |
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 4 2012; GEELONG V RICHMOND;
MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS V RICHMOND TIGERS GEELONG will unfurl the 2011 AFL Premiership flag at home against the Tigers this Sunday. Yesterday the Cats named 21 year old Jesse Stringer for his AFL debut, recalled Matthew Stokes and sent Shannon Byrnes and Orren Stephenson packing, while on Thursday the recall of Josh Hunt and omission through injury of James Kelly was confirmed. Byrnes, Stephenson and Jordan Schroder are the three emergencies. Andrew Mackie, who received a badly cut lip on Sunday against the Roos, should now play after all three emergencies played in Friday night's loss to the Werribee Tigers. The Richmond Tigers made just the one change, Matthew White in for Shane Edwards. With Josh Hunt an inclusion it looks like we may see both Taylors and both Hunts in the one side. MATCH DETAILS, TEAM LISTS
|
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 4 2012; GEELONG V RICHMOND;
MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS V RICHMOND TIGERS GEELONG will unfurl the 2011 AFL Premiership flag at home against the Tigers this Sunday. The Cats haven't quite swung the axe on the side who lost to the Kangaroos last week, James Kelly being the only omission so far with a groin injury. Named as inclusions are seasoned duo Josh Hunt and Matthew Stokes along with potential debutantes in Jess Stringer and Jordan Schroder. Andrew Mackie, who received a badly cut lip on Sunday against the Roos, remains in doubt to play. The Tigers have pretty much named an unchanged lineup, with three inclusions onto a seven man interchange. With Josh Hunt an inclusion it looks like we may see both Taylors and both Hunts in the one side.
|
||||||
|
CATS SCRATCHED BY KANGAROOS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG has a bit of work to do after being easily defeated by North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium this evening as some WAGS readied themselves for the Logies tonight. The Kangaroos controlled the game from start to finish, although the Cats gave them a slight fright with four out of five goals to bring the equation for victory down to four goals in four minutes, but a goal from Jack Ziebell put the result beyond doubt. Three players kicked four goals each for the Roos, Aaron Edwards an absolute dead-eye dick in the first half, joined by Ryan Bastinac and Ziebell with four goals apiece. For the Cats James Podsiadly had his second bag of five for the season and Hawkins his second total of four, the pair with 12 and 11 apiece respectively to lead the AFL goalkicking. Evergreen Brent Harvey was about equal best afield and was in good company with Ziebell, Daniel Wells and Andrew Swallow carving the Cats up. Michael Firrito did well down back especially in the first half, keeping the Cats quiet and was also damaging when running the ball forward. Several Geelong players simply had shockers, Steve Johnson couldn't do anything right but seemed sore from last week and copped a knock or two in the game for good measure. Tom Gillies didn't have the best of matches though he did kick his first goal in AFL football. The Hyphen, George Horlin-Smith kicked his first goal from his first kick, after coming on as a substitute for Andrew Mackie after half time, who copped a hell of a knock in the first half, unable to return to the field. The ruck division of Trent West and Orren Stephenson (pronounced as in John 'Steffo' Steffensen the sprinter) really struggled to make an impact while Hamish McIntosh was all class, monstering those two and any defender unlucky enough to take him on. Harry Taylor did fairly well down back, Tom Lonergan struggled a bit along with Gillies. It was Mackie's absence that messed things around, combined with Matthew Scarlett's self-enforced absence making it all the more difficult. But the result was a shock, and could have easily been a seven of eight goal loss had the Roos not slowed down a bit in the final 15 minutes. Next Sunday lunchtime Geelong take on Richmond at home and will unfurl the Premiership pennant, while the Kangaroos travel to the SCG to face the Sydney Swans. The Bendigo Bank Cats, the VFL team, had their third win on the trot over Frankston to sit second on the ladder to Port Melbourne. Matthew Knights has the side playing good footy so far, the discarded Mitch Brown booting five goals to put himself back into senior contention. NORTH MELBOURNE:
4.5, 9.5, 16.8, 20.11 (131) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES UMPIRES: FIELD: Matt Stevic (9) Michael Jennings (24) Jacob Mollison
(32) EM: Shaun Gleeson (37) CROWD: 29,630 at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne |
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 3 2012; NORTH MELBOURNE
V GEELONG; MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS V GEELONG CATS GEELONG has made three changes to the side that beat Hawthorn on Easter Monday, to play North Melbourne on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. The Hyphen they've all been waiting for, George Horlin-Smith, is one of the three along with Tom Gillies and big man Orren Stephenson. Making way are injured pair Matthew Stokes and Billie Smedts while Mitch Brown has been given a spell in the VFL. The Roos brought in Jack Ziebell and Luke Delaney in place of Cameron Delaney and Aaron Mullett. Meanwhile poor old Nathan Vardy has had more surgery on his hip. Neil Balme offered this frank update: "We have said all along that Nathan is a fair way from playing and nothing has changed on that front".
|
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 3 2012; NORTH MELBOURNE
V GEELONG; TEAM SELECTION By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS V GEELONG CATS GEELONG has made just the minimum required three additions to their side from Monday's win over Hawthorn to play North Melbourne on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. Likewise the Kangaroos have named just the three inclusions. For the Cats the Hyphen they've all been waiting for, George Horlin-Smith, is one of the three along with Tom Gillies and big man Orren Stephenson. The Roos brought in Jack Ziebell, Luke Delaney and Ben Warren.
|
||||||
|
A HAPPY TEAM AT GEELONG; CATS BEAT
HAWKS IN ANOTHER THRILLER By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG somehow held off Hawthorn at the MCG this afternoon/early evening, despite trailing by three goals at three quarter time. The Cats kicked four goals one behind in the final term to the Hawks' five behinds, but it could have been a different outcome if Hawthorns Lance Franklin and other had of had the bottle to kick goals when it counted. In sharp contrast Jimmy Bartel, James Podsiadly and Tom Hawkins took the game absolutely by storm. Podsiadly kicked the final three goals of the game while Bartel kicked the first. Andrew Mackie may well have been the one who saved the match, amazingly stopping a certain goal from Michael Osborne midway through the last quarter. FULL MATCH REPORT GEELONG:
4.1, 7.2, 10.7, 14.8 (92) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES UMPIRES: FIELD: Stephen McBurney (3) Dean Margetts (6) Shane
McInerney (30) EM: Matt Stevic (9) CROWD: 69,231 at MCG, Melbourne PRE-MATCH TIP: "Cats by 6 points" |
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 2 2012; GEELONG V HAWTHORN;
MATCH PREVIEW, FINAL TEAMS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS V HAWTHORN HAWKS GEELONG minus Matthew Scarlett will attempt to keep their unbeaten run against Hawthorn stretching back to 2009 going for another match this Easter Monday at the MCG. Mitch Brown has been named to replace Scarlett after the Cats originally named four provisional inclusions - led by Josh Hunt, who later failed a fitness test. Meanwhile the Hawks dropped Jarrad Boumann for the returning Jarryd Roughead.
|
||||||
|
SCARLETT COPS
3 WEEK BAN, KELLY A REPRIMAND, PODSIADLY CLEARED MATTHEW SCARLETT has accepted a 3 match suspension offered up by the AFL's Match Review Panel while James Kelly escapes a ban. Along with James Podsiadly who was cleared by the MRP, Scarlett and Kelly were reported for striking during Saturday night's loss to the Dockers at Subiaco. Scarlett struck Fremantle serial pest Hayden Ballantyne with a left hook in the third quarter, who immediately hit the deck and kicked what many are calling the 'winning goal', a bonus gimme at the goalsquare. In related news Ballantyne himself copped a 2 week ban for striking Paul Chapman. Under the complicated but proven fair points system Scarlett started off with 325 points and a 3 week suspension; but before the 25% early payment or early plea discount was applied to bring it under 300, due to his poor record he had a 20% loading applied (sounds like the health insurance deal doesn't it?), and adding on a previous ~55 points from last season, he has around 445 points and a compulsory 4 week holiday. Fortunately for Scarlett and the Cats the 25% discount then kicked in, reducing his penalty points to 333.5 - a 3 week ban and 33.5 carryover points. Kelly escaped with 93.75 points for striking Docker Tendai Mzungu, thanks to a 25% discount for a good record in recent seasons, but will almost certainly be suspended if found guilty of another offence in the next season or two. Podsiadly appeared to strike Freo's Nick Suban but in the words of the MRP, 'the force used was below that required to constitute a reportable offence' and it's case closed, the report was thrown out. FULL STORY INCLUDING OFFICIAL AFL MRP STATEMENTS
|
||||||
|
CATS LOSS TO
DOCKERS IN SEASON OPENER TO COME AT COST MATTHEW SCARLETT is all but certain to miss at least a few games after striking Fremantle Docker serial pest Hayden Ballantyne during last night's 4 point loss at Subiaco. Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich all but won it for the Dockers, vollying one goal and kicking another from a set shot in the final minutes. The Cats started badly, conceding five goals to nothing before they got going, trailing by two goals at quarter time and leading by five points at half time. They trailed by a single behind at the final break before edging ahead early in the final term. But they could not hold onto the lead, which changed several times before Freo finally jumped to a ten point lead with two minutes to go. Steve Johnson found Jimmy Bartel with just over a minute to go but by the time Bartel goaled from his set shot, there was just 40 seconds left on the clock. The Cats edged forward but with 20 seconds to go the Dockers won the ball from a throw-in and that was that; Geelong players left to lick their wounds ahead of their Easter Monday clash with Hawthorn at the MCG. Tom Hawkins booted four goals and Bartel three, in some positive signs for the Cats. Debutante Orren Stephenson was subbed off in the third quarter as the game sped up; Aaron Sandilands had an awesome game with precious little game time in the pre-season, it didn't seem to show. Taylor Hunt impressed as did youngster in the number 29 jumper Cameron Guthrie. Joel Selwood was about Geelong's best in his first game as skipper, fellow veterans James Kelly, Bartel and Andrew Mackie also up there. Tom Lonergan and Harry Taylor struggled a bit on the expansive Subiaco ground, and will have to take on Hawthorn big guns Lance Franklin and Co minus Scarlett. Coach Chris Scott, who himself had a confrontation of sorts with Ballantyne during a break, admitted the Cats were 'sucked in', the hit from Scarlett conceding a gimme goal to to Dockers that you could argue gave them the game. "It cost us a goal and we lost by four points; evidence would suggest they probably did. You don't have to watch too many Freo games to see him niggling people. As I said to the cameras after halftime, I'd love to have him on my side" Scott said, also adding "I don't have a problem with the way he plays". The Cats could also lose the two James', Podsiadly and Kelly, the pair on report for striking Nick Suban and Tendai Mzungu respectively. All in all not the best of season openers, losing the game by 4 points probably won't matter much but losing up to three players with Hawthorn next round isn't great. FREMANTLE:
6.0 8.3 12.8 16.9 (105) DEFEATED GOALS BEST REPORTS: Scarlett (Geelong) for striking Ballantyne (Fremantle); Podsiadly (Geelong) for striking Suban (Fremantle), Kelly (Geelong) for striking Mzungu (Fremantle) UMPIRES: S Stewart, D Margetts, B Ritchie CROWD: 34,601 at Patersons Stadium (Subiaco), Perth |
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 1 2012; FREMANTLE V GEELONG;
MATCH PREVIEW By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery FREMANTLE DOCKERS V GEELONG CATS GEELONG will play two league debutantes Saturday afternoon at Subiaco Oval in Perth against the Fremantle Dockers. Soon-to-be cult hero Orren Stephenson follows James Podsiadly in being a bolt from the blue, making his debut at age 29, while highly rated youngster Billie Smedts of Geelong Falcons fame also makes his debut. These two sides last met at the same venue in round 2 of 2011; since that time the Dockers have fired one coach and stolen another, while the Cats of course won the Premiership that gave fairytale retirements to Brad Ottens and Cameron Ling while veterans who missed the Grand Final Cameron Mooney and Darren Milburn also hung up the boots. Missing from the winning side injured for the Cats are Josh Hunt, Trav Varcoe, Dan Menzel, David Wojcinski while Nathan Vardy will also miss out. And so it is that ruckman Stephenson gets his chance, likely sharing ruck duties with Trent West (hopefully HE plays!) and maybe even Tom Hawkins if he's fit enough. Genuine utility Smedts has been named in a back pocket but it expected to have a run on the ball and maybe up forward. If you'd like a look at Smedts, check out YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxJj9mjIsI8 In Round 2 VFL action Geelong play Collingwood at Simonds (nearly said Skilled) Stadium Saturday afternoon; not that either side is involved but readers may notice there's an 'AFL Victoria Development League' being advertised; that's the old VFL reserves. FULL MATCH DETAILS INCLUDING TV, RADIO
|
||||||
|
STRANGER THINGS
HAVE HAPPENED; TIGERS GET BETTER OF CATS IN FINE Cattery tradition we held off on publicising what took place on Saturday down at Geelong. Richmond kicked-started their membership campaign with a bit of a belting of Geelong at the new look Simonds Stadium. A crowd of just under 10,000 turned up to get their first glimpse of the ground minus the Doug Wade Stand. Jack Riewoldt booted four for the Tiges with Dustin 'Monster' Martin three including a 9 pointer while the Cats had no multiple goal kickers. This Saturday Geelong again play at home, hosting the Western Bulldogs. The Tigers must travel up Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast for their final practice hitout. NAB CUP, WEEK 3 RICHMOND:
0.5.6 0.9.9 1.12.10 1.14.15 (108) DEFEATED GOALS BEST UMPIRES: Wenn, Armstrong, Brown, Foot CROWD: 9393 at Simonds Stadium, Geelong |
||||||
|
CATS TAKE CARE
OF ABLETT'S SUNS GEELONG were challenged but made ultimately easy work of the Gary Ablett led Gold Coast Suns on Friday night. We're still almost none the wiser as to how the competition actually works but we believe it's up there with the Duckworth Lewis / Twelth Man method of calculating the required run rate in an ODI game. NAB CUP, WEEK 2 GEELONG:
0.4.3 0.9.6 0.11.10 1.16.13 (118) DEFEATED GOALS BEST UMPIRES: Kamolins, McInerney, Jeffery, Mitchell |
||||||
|
EVERYONE'S A
WINNER IN GEELONG ROUND OF NAB CUP A NEW(ISH) LOOK Geelong side beat Sydney first up but lost to St Kilda in their second NAB Cup game on Friday night, most stars sitting out as young hopefuls such as Bill Smedts, George Burbury and not so young Orren Stephenson enjoyed an outing on the big stage. Next day the VFL side, featuring not one AFL-listed player, went down by five points against Collingwood at Skilled Stadium. Andrew Krakouer unfortunately suffered a season ending injury to his knee. Geelong's NAB Cup continues this week, we still don't understand the system but we're playing at the aptly named Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast Friday night. Hopefully there'll be that cold patch they're talking about in SEQ, rather than a steamy night on lights. Gary Ablett reportedly not ready to play yet. GAME 2 GEELONG:
0.2.0 0.4.5 (29) DEFEATED GOALS GAME 3 ST
KILDA : 0.2.0 1.3.9 (36) DEFEATED GOALS VFL PRACTICE MATCH COLLINGWOOD:
2.0, 4.4, 5.5, 8.7 (55) DEFEATED GOALS |
||||||
|
CATS KICKING
OFF SEASON ON RETURNING FOX FOOTY THE GEELONG CATS will kick off their season in week two of the NAB Cup at Etihad Stadium against Sydney and St Kilda on February 24. As with last year the NAB Cup is an 18 side modified round robin style tournament with each side playing one 'full match' on a given day, with three in each pool playing a half against the other with a short break in between. The Cats play the second match and as a result play two in a row, of course as their opponents in the first match Sydney do also. The Saints have a break in between their two (half) matches. The games like all the NAB Cup this season will be broadcast exclusively on the new Fox Footy channel, which launches on 17 February. Of course there was a 'Fox Footy Channel' (not the capital Channel) from seasons 2002 to 2006 before Kim Williams had a bit of a spat and canned it, with games from 2007-2011 screened mainly on Fox Sports 1. From next season on we'll have the privilege (for what some claim is an exorbitant amount) of five exclusive games each week on Pay, with the other four also screened as a simulcast of Channel 7's FTA coverage. The advantage being there won't be any ads and the games can be in HD although unless Channel 7 decides to film in HD (which it won't) it will be an 'upscaled' version which may only be marginally better than 7. Should 7 have any games on delay, they'll be live on Fox; and if there's two games at a time, the secondary game will be on Fox Sports 1. Fox has signed up devisive Eddie McGuire along with Dermott Brereton and Anthony Hudson from free to air. They join Fox veterens Dwayne Russell, Gerard Healy and Paul Roos among others. Can't say we're looking forward to McGuire, but countless Collingwood fans will; but will they have subscription television? |
||||||
|
JOEL SELWOOD
CONFIRMED AS NEW GEELONG SKIPPER JOEL SELWOOD was confirmed as Geelong's new captain today, in what was seen as a bit of a 'no brainer' for most Geelong fans. Selwood, who broke with a post-season media silence to begin somewhat of a charm offensive four weeks ago, will have fellow triple-premiership player Jimmy Bartel as his deputy. The Geelong 'leadership group' for 2012 will comprise Harry Taylor, Corey Enright, Joel Corey, James Kelly and Steve Johnson, with Johnson being the new addition to the group after retired skipper Cameron Ling's departure |
||||||
|
2012 GEELONG
LIST NUMBERS FINALISED MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR from The Cattery! Who knows what season 2012 has for us? Whatever the case, the numbers and draw are now finalised, it's worth recapping what's ahead for us. Gone are premiership skipper Cameron Ling, legendary ruckman Brad Ottens, 07/09 premiership players Cameron Mooney and Darren Milburn plus a couple delistings, including 09 premiership ruckman Mark Blake. Joining the Cats are six new senior-listed players plus three rookies, and a host of other newly listed VFL players. Geelong open their season against Fremantle in Perth on Saturday 31 March at Subiaco Oval or Pattersons Stadium as it is now known. Who will lead the side? That is not yet known but most money is on Joel Selwood. Lincoln McCarthy takes Ottens' number 6, Jordan Murdoch Mooney's 21, Orren Stephenson Marcus Drum's 23, Jed Bews Blake's 24, Shane Kersten Milburn's 39 and finally Joel Hamling Ling's famous number 45. |
||||||
|
AUSTRALIA V INDIA CRICKET TEST DAY
2 By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery My brother joined me today on the train trip up from Geelong, the train only about half full with cricket fans, about same as day 1 but we wonder if the Aussies were in better form would it have been full, let alone been more than a single train per hour? Met up with Duncan (the MCC Member) at Warnie’s statue, bought the bro a guess pass and we were in. Play resumed on an absolutely perfect day with Australia 6/277. Total contrast to day one, we had to apply the SPF500 from the word go, no shade on offer. Plenty of people in attendance too on our side of the ground, the Southern Stand visibly less full but the Members’ area as full as day 1 with 4 guest passes per member instead of the 2 making an impact. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
THREE NEW CATS
ROOKIES ROUND OUT 2012 GEELONG LIST GEELONG drafted just three new players today, all from the AFL Rookie Draft, held after the AFL Pre Season Draft in which the Cats did not have a selection. Midfielder Cameron Eardley from East Fremantle was first pick, well-known Jackson Sheringham of the Geelong VFL side second and finally roughie of all roughies Mark Blicavs who if he has his way, will not be available in 2012 and will be at the London Olympics instead. 23 year old Sheringham may well pull on the boots for the AFL side if required, while Eardley likelier to bide his time. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
SIX NEW CATS
JOIN THE LITTER IN 2011 DRAFT GEELONG drafted six new players in today's AFL National Draft, including father-son selection Jed Bews and 29 year old Orren Stephenson out of relative obscurity from North Ballarat. The Cats did not have a 'round one' pick, trading their pick 26 to the Gold Coast Suns in exchange for notional second round picks 32 and 34, which they used to draft Joel Hamling and Shane Kersten. The two West Australian forwards join recruits from Glenelg Jordan Murdoch and Lincoln McCarthy, taken with picks 48 and 66, the last picks in rounds two and three respectively. Beanpole Stephenson was pick 78 in round four, while Bews, taken with the father-son rule, only cost the Cats pick 86 in round five. Barring any shock retirements, this should be Geelong's list for 2012, with no room left for any more draftees under the Pre Season draft in December, though the club should add some new rookies from the Rookie Draft. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
2011 FOOTY ALMANAC NOW AVAILABLE;
OFFICIAL LAUNCH THIS THURSDAY By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery THE FOOTY ALMANAC FOR 2011 is now available to order, the 'purrfect' Christmas present for Geelong fans you love dearly and Collingwood fans you may think otherwise of. Featuring articles by a variety of authors including yours truly. The Footy Almanac 2011 will be launched at the Clyde Hotel, Carlton, at 6pm on Thursday, November 24. All are welcome; please spread the word. More info about the launch will be available on The Footy Almanac website this week. |
||||||
|
GEELONG CATS TRIPLE PREMIERSHIP RUCKMAN
BRAD OTTENS RETIRES By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG ruckman Brad Ottens is to announce his retirement today according to media reports. Ottens was initially thought likely to play on after the retirements of skipper Cameron Ling and Darren Milburn in the week following the Premiership. After taking a couple weeks to think things over Ottens has reached the decision to hang up the boots now and go out on top. Ottens joined the Cats in 2004 following a trade with Richmond that saw Brent Moloney head to the Demons, a trade that was widely criticised at the time, in particularly after a round 6 loss, Mark Thompson's infamous "All of you" press conference. "For some silly reason, you people want to assassinate him. It's just rubbish. You people, all of you, ALL OF YOU, leave him alone!" said Thompson at the time. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
AFL DRAW SEASON 2012 FOR GEELONG CATS
By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG'S AFL DRAW for season 2012 was released yesterday after a week or two of strategic leaks from the AFL's communications department. FULL DRAW FOR CATS WITH TV DETAILS The Cats have been rewarded for their third AFL Premiership in five years by opening their defence against Fremantle at the ground formerly known as Subiaco Oval. They play an Easter Monday blockbuster against Hawthorn in a home fixture at the MCG a week or so later which is more like it, sure to draw a decent crowd. After another away fixture against the Kangaroos at Etihad, Geelong will unfurl the Premiership flag at Simonds Stadium in round 4 verses Richmond in a Sunday game to be shown on Foxtel's yet top be named footy channel. Brian Cook was diplomatic as usual. "Overall we are pleased with the 2012 fixture, and I think that our members and supporters will be happy with it too. We have a good mix with our home games, have been treated fairly with interstate games and also a good balance of playing Victorian and interstate teams at Simonds Stadium". |
||||||
|
DARREN MILBURN RETIRES, BRAD OTTENS
TO PLAY ON; JED BEWS JOINS THE CATS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery DARREN MILBURN announced his retirement on Tuesday, and the next day joined the Adelaide Crows as an assistant coach under mate Brendon Sanderson. Milburn debuted in 1997 as a 19 year old and went on to play 292 games, all for Geelong and finishes with the third highest number of games played for the club. Milburn will be the Crows' defensive coach, a position you'd say he'll be well versed in. Milburn hasn't been known to speak publicly so it will be interesting to see if we hear more of him in coming years. Jed Bews, son of former Geelong skipper Andrew, has been selected by Geelong as a father-son pick. The Cats get Bews with their final pick in the draft after no clubs made a 'bid' at Monday's father-son meeting. Bews started off with the mighty Leopold Lions in the junior ranks before playing the last two seasons at Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup elite under-18 comp. The 17 year old will join a long list of father-son recruits to the club in the AFL era, the most of any other club. In addition to two seasons at TAC Cup level Bews played three games for the Geelong VFL side this year. Bews stands 186cm tall and is currently listed at 78kg. Brad Ottens has confirmed he will pull on the boots for another season, before likely handing over the number one ruck mantle to Trent West with some help from Nathan Vardy in 2013. Ottens has now played more games with Geelong than Richmond where he debuted in 1998, before moving to the Cats in 2005. He has played an integral role in all three Premierships thus far and is keen for one more crack at glory, the club welcoming Ottens' determination to play on and not add to the three retirements already in Milburn, Cameron Ling and Cameron Mooney. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
COREY ENRIGHT WINS GEELONG BEST AND
FAIREST By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery COREY ENRIGHT has won the 2011 Geelong Best and Fairest award, the Carji Greeves Medal, in the closest contest in years. Enright joins an elite club of players to have won their club best and fairest awards in a Premiership year; Enright also won the 2009 award, shared with Gary Ablett. It was the closest top ten ever they say, Enright finishing on 150 votes. Runner up was Joel Corey on 143, third place Jimmy Bartel 142. FULL STORY INCLUDING LEADERBOARD |
||||||
|
GEELONG CAPTAIN CAMERON LING RETIREMENT
CONFIRMED By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CAPTAIN AND CHAMPION CAMERON LING today announced his retirement from AFL football after 246 games, 3 Premierships, 1 club best and fairest, All Australian selection in 2007, 2 NAB Cups and literally hundreds of friendships formed through footy over 12 seasons in the game. Ling was recruited from the Geelong Falcons with the Cats' final pick in the 1999 draft, as he sat nervously on his Mother's couch in Torquay. He was recruited as a full-forward but made his name in 2002 as a tagger, regularly shutting down the likes of Nathan Buckley. He then stepped his ball-magnet skills up, regularly gathering 20-30 disposals a game. Ling, 30, told the Sunday Footy Show on Sunday morning before deciding his future he'd speak to his teammates and coach Chris Scott, appeared to have made his mind up early on Tuesday as News Limited ran with the story last night. Ling announced the news following today's successful Premiership Parade in Geelong. Fittingly, Ling's final game was a typical gutsy game against one of the AFL's best midfielders in Dane Swan, and he capped it off with the final goal of the match. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
GEELONG NINTH BEST TEAM EVER BY ONE
MEASURE By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS GEELONG is the ninth best side ever according to one email floating around Melbourne. Geelong defeated Collingwood on Saturday to win their third flag in five years. Geelong would be the second best side of the AFL era thus far (1990-2011), with promises of more to come with the likes of Dan Menzel, Nathan Vardy waiting in the wings. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
GEELONG CATS BEAT COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES
IN AFL GRAND FINAL By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery AFL GRAND FINAL GEELONG HAS DEFEATED COLLINGWOOD to win the 2011 AFL Premiership. The Cats were well beaten in the second quarter but pegged back two goals before half time to remain in the game. They blew Collingwood away in the third and fourth quarters, in front by just seven points at the final break but completely blew them away in the last, booting five goals to none as the Geelong fans celebrated like never before. Jimmy Bartel was Norm Smith Medallist, kicking two key goals and playing well all over the ground. FULL MATCH REPORT. GEELONG:
4.3 8.6 13.7 18.11 (119) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES CHANGES FIELD: Chris Donlon, Brett Rosebury, Shaun Ryan EM:
Matt Stevic CROWD: 99,537 at MCG, Melbourne
JOHNSON'S GOAL IN THE FIRST QUARTER BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN
|
||||||
|
STEVE JOHNSON SET TO PLAY; AFL GRAND
FINAL PARADE GEELONG CATS STEVE JOHNSON
has declared himself '99 - 100%' certain to play in tomorrow's Grand
Final at the MCG against Collingwood. Johnson trained, according to
himself after having 'a jab' of painkiller, at Skilled Stadium pursued
by Channel Seven and other helicopters overhead as he went through his
second-last fitness test. He sat in the back of a Toyota Kluger during
the Grand Final Parade, as did emergencies Darren Milburn, Cameron Guthrie
and Shannon Byrnes. GRAND FINAL
MATCH DETAILS The Grand Final Parade went off without a hitch, even Collingwood supporters were relatively well behaved, only jeering Cameron Ling for 30 seconds or so during the presentation at the top end of Collins Street. Afterwards, over 100 fans of the Footy Almanac turned up to a lunch at the Clyde Hotel in Elgin Street Carlton. Geelong Vice President Gareth Andrews was first up to the podium, quizzed by John Harms. Andrews wouldn't give anything away about Johnson and whether or not he'll play, and genuinely may not know. Next up was Jenny Hawkins (mother of Tom), later on we heard from Andrew Mackie's mother, Sam Pang, Tony Daniher and maybe two dozen others. |
||||||
|
YOUR PICK FOR KICK AFTER THE SIREN? By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES V GEELONG CATS Steve Johnson is named however still has to pass a fitness test on Friday or Saturday morning. The siren sounds, the scores are level and one man has one kick to win the biggest prize in football. Whose hands do you want the ball in? And who from the other team would you most like to see taking (and missing) that kick? Footy's best bloggers including The Cattery have their say. Have yours too; let's show the Collingwood fans why we're going to win. |
||||||
|
AFL GRAND FINAL 2011; COLLINGWOOD
MAGPIES V GEELONG CATS; MATCH PREVIEW INCLUDING TEAM LISTS, TV DETAILS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES V GEELONG CATS GEELONG are unchanged while Collingwood have left out Dane Beams with a groin injury for Alex Fasalo. Steve Johnson is named however still has to pass a fitness test on Friday or Saturday morning. Geelong's emergencies are Darren Milburn, Shannon Byrnes and Cameron Guthrie, leaving no room for Cameron Mooney who has now played his last game of AFL football. Collingwood's emergencies are ruckman Cameron Wood, defender Tyson Goldsack and utility/Milburn equivalent Ben Sinclair.
|
||||||
|
SKILLED STADIUM / KARDINIA PARK TO
BE RENAMED SIMONDS STADIUM GEELONG CATS KARDINIA PARK KARDINIA
PARK, now known as Skilled Stadium, is set to be renamed Simonds Stadium
after homebuilder Simonds at the conclusion of the AFL season, hopefully
after Geelong beats Collingwood in the Grand Final. The City of Greater
Geelong council met last night and rubber-stampted the new name, which
will take effect from 1 November 2011 for a five year period. FULL
DETAILS |
||||||
|
AFL GRAND FINAL: UMPIRES ANNOUNCED AFL GRAND FINAL GEELONG CATS COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES
UMPIRES were announced on Tuesday for the
Grand Final. Field umpires are hris Donlon, Brett Rosebury and Shaun
Ryan with Matt Stevic the emergency. Donlon and Ryan umpired the round
24 belting of the Magpies by Geelong. They are joined by boundary
umpires: Mark Foster, Christopher Gordon, Mark Thomson, Nathan Doig
and Jonathon Creasey (emergency) and goal umpires David Dixon, Luke
Walker and Chelsea Roffey (emergency). AFL Media Tsar Patrick Keane's
bat away of scuttlebutt Roffey was left out after missing a 'hit the
post' by Josh Hunt on the weekend would have made Neil Balme proud.
"Suggestions of a goal umpiring error by Chelsea Roffey in Saturday's
Prelim Final are a media myth. Hunt's long goal never touched the post",
he Tweeted.
MATCH DETAILS |
||||||
|
JAMES KELLY, JAMES PODSIADLY CLEARED
TO PLAY AFL GRAND FINAL AFL GRAND FINAL GEELONG CATS COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES
GEELONG'S James Podsiadly and James Kelly have escaped the hangman's
noose and been cleared by the AFL Match Review Panel to play in Saturday's
Grand Final against Collingwood. Kelly's incident
with Daniel Kerr in which Kelly slid into Kerr was ruled accidental
while Podsiadly's hip and shoulder on Adam Selwood was ruled as 'body
to body' with no foreful high contact made. Steve Johnson and club medicos
continue to do all they can to make sure he is likewise available, the
injury responding as well as it could, so the Cats may yet field a full-strength
side. Meanwhile the Brownlow Medal takes the attention away from the
Grand Final for a few hours tonight, with the tacky 'Blue Carpet' taking
centrestage before what many consider a yawn-fest got underway. FULL
STORY |
||||||
|
NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE FOR STEVE JOHNSON;
WAITING GAME BEGINS STEVE JOHNSON faces an agonising few days waiting to see how his knee responds to treatment including use of a hyperbaric chamber, the club confirmed earlier this evening. Johnson twisted his knee in the third quarter in Saturday's thumping win over West Coast, and is more likely than not to miss the Grand Final with Collingwood as a result. FULL STORY |
||||||
|
GEELONG LEGEND DOUG WADE TO PRESENT
AFL PREMIERSHIP CUP AFL GRAND FINAL GEELONG CATS COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES GEELONG legend and recently-departed board member Doug Wade is to present the AFL Premiership Cup, should the Cats get over the Magpies in the Grand Final next Saturday. The 1963 Premiership player and AFL goalkicking legend is a popular choice, and should bring an even greater fillip to Geelong fans should they emerge victorious on the big day. Fred Wooler's huge grin in 2007 said it all as he presented the cup and nobody can forget Bob Davis' handover of the 2009 trophy. Meanwhile, Grand Final ticket allocations have been
decided already by ballot; official advice from the club is to check
your credit card for charges between now and tomorrow night. If you
haven't been charged it's unlikely you received a ticket unfortunately.
Standing room tickets go on sale on Monday for members who didn't score
a ticket between 12noon and 5pm until sold out; at $150 it's a bit rich
but probably worth it. See further details below.
FULL DETAILS |
||||||
|
GEELONG CRUISE PAST WEST COAST INTO
GRAND FINAL By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG
CATS v WEST COAST EAGLES GEELONG easily
accounted for West Coast at the MCG today in front of a
smallish crowd of 59,455, cruising into their
fourth AFL Grand Final in five years against Collingwood next weekend.
The Cats led from start to finish, Travis Varcoe opening the scoring
a goal in the fourth minute, the Eagles not even scoring until a behind
nearly 12 minutes into the first quarter. The Cats were never really
in doubt however the big news was Steve Johnson may miss the Grand Final
after suffering a dislocated patella (kneecap to you and I) in the third
quarter. Johnson was stretchered off but as the final quarter was starting
he walked back around the boundary line to the interchange bench to
a standing, cheering ovation, so may yet rise from the ashes Buddy Franklin
style. James Podsiadly was leading goalkicker for Geelong with three, Tom Hawkins kicked two in another great MCG-performance (the MCG specialist that he is), Allen Christensen and Varcoe kicking two apiece. For the Weagles Josh Kennedy kicked three, Nic Naitanui two including an absolutely ripper in the last quarter. Grand Final ticket allocations have been decided already by ballot; official advice from the club is to check your credit card for charges between now and tomorrow night. If you haven't been charged it's unlikely you received a ticket unfortunately. Standing room tickets go on sale on Monday for members who didn't score a ticket between 12noon and 5pm until sold out; at $150 it's a bit rich but probably worth it. FULL MATCH REPORT; GRAND FINAL TICKET BALLOT INFO GEELONG:
5.7, 8.11, 15.14, 17.15 (117) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES FIELD: Chris Donlon (1) Matt Stevic (9) Ray Chamberlain
(18) EM: Mathew Nicholls (15) CROWD: 73,400 at MCG, Melbourne FIRST GOAL: Travis Varcoe, Geelong (4 minutes) |
||||||
|
AFL PRELIMINARY FINAL GEELONG V WEST
COAST: JOEL COREY TO PLAY IN PRELIMINARY FINAL GEELONG has recalled Joel Corey for this Saturday's Preliminary Final against the West Coast Eagles at the MCG in place of injured Dan Menzel who did his knee in the Qualifying Final against Hawthorn a fortnight ago. The game begins at 2:20PM, with some tickets left, starting at $79 for standard up to $132 for premium. West Coast beat Carlton in a thriller last Saturday night at Subiaco Oval, in a game the Blues will quite probably be bleating on about for some time yet after missing out on a free kick in the closing seconds of the game. They were also only one of two sides to defeat the Cats this season, by 8 points at Subiaco in July. Joel Corey was in doubt to play again this season with
what is being termed a groin injury; he failed to train with the main
group yesterday and has not played since round 21 against Adelaide after
missing just one match until that point. Other than that the Cats have
a clean bill of health while the Weagles would be sore you'd think after
last night's bruiser with Carlton |
||||||
|
THREE GEELONG PLAYERS IN 2011 AFL
ALL AUSTRALIAN SIDE DOMINATED BY COLLINGWOOD; SIMPKIN WINS VFL BEST
AND FAIREST By Ben Jensen
twitter.com/thecattery THREE GEELONG players
have made the 2011 AFL All Australian side, down on last year's six
and the high of nine in 2007. After missing
last year Matthew Scarlett was named for his sixth All Aussie side,
joined by Corey Enright in his fourth in a row in the other back pocket.
The third player was first time and not undeserved James Kelly, named
on the bench but in less than two weeks now gets a chance to win his
third AFL Premiership. In other news around the club, Jonathan Simpkin
won the VFL club Best and Fairest award by just 4 votes from Andrew
McLean. |
||||||
|
FORMER GEELONG COACHES WIN SENIOR
COACHING GIGS WITH ADELAIDE, WESTERN BULLDOGS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery FORMER GEELONG assistant coaches Brendan McCartney and Brenton Sanderson were announced as coaches of the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows respectively today, on the back of former Cat Mark Neeld's appointment as new Melbourne coach last Friday. The excellent news of first McCartney and then later on Sanderson's appointments comes nearly 12 months to the day of which their worlds down at Geelong changed after Mark Thompson resigned. Both applied for the job with Sanderson believed to come a close second to Chris Scott, while McCartney 'defected' to Essendon following Thompson. Sanderson stuck with the club this season and may yet be involved what is hopefully two more finals in some capacity, unlike Neeld who immediately left his Assistant Coach position with Collingwood. |
||||||
|
GEELONG TO PLAY WEST COAST IN AFL
PRELIMINARY FINAL By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS v WEST COAST EAGLES GEELONG will play the West Coast Eagles next Saturday afternoon at 2:20PM the AFL announced today. Tickets go on sale Monday, starting at $79 for standard up to $132 for premium. West Coast beat Carlton in a thriller last night at Subiaco Oval, in a game the Blues will quite probably be bleating on about for some time yet after missing out on a free kick in the closing seconds of the game. They were also only one of two sides to defeat the Cats this season, by 8 points at Subiaco in July. Joel Corey remains in doubt to play again this season
with what is being termed a groin injury; he failed to train with the
main group yesterday and has not played since round 21 against Adelaide
after missing just one match until that point. Other than that the Cats
have a clean bill of health while the Weagles would be sore you'd think
after last night's bruiser with Carlton. |
||||||
|
CATS MAINTAIN HOODOO OVER HAWKS, INTO
FIFTH STRAIGHT PRELIMINARY FINAL By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS v HAWTHORN HAWKS GEELONG smashed Hawthorn tonight to reach their fifth Preliminary Final in a row, taking their foot off the gas to win by 31 points and ensuring at least one punter collected a cool $70 profit. MCG specialists Tom Hawkins and James Podsiadly teamed up with big man Brad Ottens for seven goals between them, while in one of two tragedies of the night Dan Menzel kicked two in the first quarter but did his anterior cruciate liagament (ACL) in his knee in the second quarter. He is all but certain to be out for 9 to 12 months, along with Lance 'Buddy' Franklin who also did an ACL late in the game. The game was played at a cracking pace, and was a genuine contest until Geelong final broke free of Hawthorn As we write just after midnight several Geelong stars,
stuck on the West Gate Freeway due to a bit of a pile up, are tweeting
their frustrations along with more than a few fans. The Cats now have
a weekend off and are likely to face West Coast in a prelim final but
could in theory face any one of Collingwood, Essendon or Carlton. The
Hawks meanwhile must regroup and take on St Kilda or Sydney without
their spearhead Franklin. GEELONG:
2.0 7.2 12.6 14.14 (98) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES FIELD: Chris Donlon (1) Mathew Nicholls (15) Shaun Ryan
(25) EM: Justin Schmitt (17) CROWD: 73,400 at MCG, Melbourne |
||||||
|
AFL 2011; 2ND QUALIFYING FINAL; GEELONG
V HAWTHORN; MATCH PREVIEW INCLUDING TEAM LISTS, TV DETAILS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS V HAWTHORN HAWKS GEELONG and Hawthorn clash for the third time at the MCG tomorrow night, with the Cats hoping for three out of three over the Hawks. As supposed by The Cattery at Sunday's unofficial selection meeting in Leopold, Darren Milburn is the man to miss out for the return of Tom Lonergan, with Shannon Byrnes also making way for Matthew Stokes. The Hawks have made a cool eight changes from last weekend's narrow win over Gold Coast, to match their eight changes for that match. For the first time, viewers in NSW, Queensland and the ACT will be able to watch the game LIVE and in HD on 7mate.
|
||||||
|
GEELONG CATS OBLITERATE
MAGPIES AT MCG, BACK IN PREMIERSHIP HUNT By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES V GEELONG CATS GEELONG annihilated Collingwood by an all-time record margin of 16 goals of 96 points at the MCG last night in front of a bumper crowd of 85,705 people. Geelong trailed at the first change but from then on barely let Collingwood believe they were involved in the game, at one stage slamming home eight unanswered goals, and booting ten in the second quarter alone. Any post-match talk the Magpies weren't trying are bulldust,
they were simply blown away in that second quarter of magic. Fair enough,
after half-time their intensity and skill level dropped off even further
as the reality set home this game was dead, but you can't detract from
Geelong's performance. West Coast mentor John Worsfold would have been
watching the match with interest, noting the unusual setup with Leigh
Brown down back and Cameron Wood up forward, as Mick Malthouse went
for an untried and now proven unsuccessful line-up. Next Friday or Saturday
night Geelong will play Hawthorn and Collingwood West Coast at the MCG
in the Qualifying Finals. FULL
MATCH REPORT FINALS
TICKET INFO GEELONG:
2.5, 12.8, 16.15, 22.17 (149) DEFEATED GOALS BEST INJURIES CHANGES FIELD: Chris Donlon (1) Shaun Ryan (25) Jacob Mollison
(32) EM: Stefan Grun (13) CROWD: 85,705 at MCG, Melbourne |
||||||
|
AFL ROUND 24 2011; COLLINGWOOD V GEELONG;
MATCH PREVIEW INCLUDING TEAM LISTS, TV DETAILS By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES V GEELONG CATS GEELONG and COLLINGWOOD face off for the second but possibly not the final time for season 2011 at the MCG tomorrow night. After the 'loss we may or may of had to have' to Sydney on the weekend the Cats have the tail between their legs to a certain degree but ultimately this match will probably not go down in the annals of history. The Cats have made two changes, dropping reigning club scapegoat Shannon Byrnes and quite surprisingly defender Tom Lonergan for Mitch Duncan and Darren Milburn, resisting the temptation to bring back Cameron Mooney. Collingwood made three changes, bringing back Luke Ball, Chris Tarrant and Dirk Wellingham in place of the suspended Dale Thomas and omitted Leon Davis and Tom Young.
|
||||||
READ MORE GREAT ARTICLES IN THE NEWS ARCHIVE