hell yeah
Cats break their duck
10:06:33 PM Sat 18 March, 2006
Alan Shiell
Exclusive to afl.com.au
Geelong has won its first premiership - day or night - for 43 years with a memorable eight-point triumph against Adelaide in a thrilling NAB Cup grand final at AAMI Stadium.
The Cats looked doomed to their 10th successive loss in a grand final - again, day or night - but refused to submit and their three nine-point goals were significant in the 3.10.5 (92) to 1.10.15 (84) victory.
Geelong piled on five unanswered goals, including two nine-pointers, from early in the second quarter to early in the third term, but after the home team had led by 14 points at the nine-minute mark the Cats outscored Adelaide 1.2.1 to nil in the final term.
Geelong scored first - only a behind - but did not lead again until two minutes into the third quarter when Josh Hunt's nine-pointer put the Cats one point ahead and Gary Ablett's nine-pointer two minutes later made the difference 10 points.
But the Crows hit back immediately with three goals in three minutes from Matthew Bode, Ian Perrie and Simon Goodwin - and Bernie Vince's nine-pointer five minutes later put the home team 17 points clear, and the crowd of 30,707 could sniff the win it wanted.
But the Cats persisted admirably and Joel Corey's nine-point bomb became a match-winner, although Cameron Mooney iced the cake with his third goal near the finish.
Rob Shirley had a late chance to put Adelaide ahead before Mooney's goal but his long shot - for a nine-point goal - hit the left goal post and rebounded into play, and the Cats cleared.
Crucially, Geelong lost Cameron Ling at the 19-minute mark of the second quarter when he limped off with a right knee problem, which was played down initially as simply 'a knock to the knee'.
Jimmy Bartel, Paul Chapman, Corey Enright and Mooney were the hungriest of Cats, and Adelaide did not enjoy its midfield dominance of recent weeks, although Goodwin - who won the Michael Tuck Medal - Andrew McLeod, Tyson Edwards, Scott Thompson, Chris Knights and Shirley still played usefully as they were rotated on and off the bench.
Geelong coach Mark Thompson described it as 'a big victory' and added: "Adelaide is really fit, they are really strong, they had a pretty good team out there and we were playing interstate where we haven't had a good record.
"They had the momentum, they had the crowd, they had fit players and we showed a lot of character.
"Just when it got tight, our boys lifted. I was just so proud of how they go a little bit harder when it gets tighter. That's what they are starting to show.
"We spoke about that at three-quarter time. We've been in this position and haven't handled it that well in the past … here's your chance and there's no bigger occasion, really."
Adelaide coach Neil Craig said: "It was disappointing - we'd set ourselves to win it. But, gee, you have to acknowledge the opposition we were playing.
"As I said this week, that club has been building for a long time and they're going to be a really powerful football club.
"The way it's all panned out, it's important we've had that game at this stage of the year because it's exposed some areas we wouldn't have had exposed if we had not been playing right to the grand final.
"Well done to Geelong, they were fantastic tonight - and we've got some work to do."
Craig bemoaned the Crows' inaccurate kicking for goal from 26 shots (to 18) under what he labelled 'real pressure', and he said the younger players had 'tried really hard' but had 'looked a bit panicky'.
Adelaide omitted Hayden Skipworth, Michael Doughty, Jason Porplyzia and Richard Douglas from its 24, while Geelong left out Brad Ottens, Paul Koulouriotis, Nathan Ablett and Matthew Stokes.
Geelong's only previous pre-season premiership was in 1961 when it beat North Melbourne by 12 points. The Cats had lost their past four pre-season grand finals - to Hawthorn (three points) in 1988, Melbourne (nine) in 1989, Carlton (57) in 1997 and St Kilda (22) in 2004.
The Cats' last day premiership was the 49-point win against Hawthorn at the MCG in 1963.
The Crows' only pre-season premiership was in 2003 when they beat Collingwood by 31 points.
They lost the pre-season grand final to Essendon (34 points) in 1994 and to North Melbourne (30) in 1995 before winning the 1997-98 day premierships.
Geelong beat Carlton (28 at Telstra Dome), the Kangaroos (26 in Cairns) and Fremantle (20 at Telstra Dome) to get into this NAB Cup final, worth $220,000 to the winner and $110,000 to the loser.
Adelaide had downed Port Adelaide (72), Hawthorn (13 in Launceston) and Melbourne (85) to reach this grand final.
GEELONG: 0.1.1, 0.5.3, 2.6.4, 3.10.5 (92)
ADELAIDE: 0.4.5, 0.5.10, 1.8.14, 1.10.15 (84)
NINE-POINT GOALS - Geelong: Hunt, Ablett, Corey
Adelaide: Vince
GOALS – Geelong: Mooney 3, Champan 2, G.Ablett, Kelly, Rooke, Playfair, Byrnes
Adelaide: Bode 3, Perrie 2, Hentschel, Burton, Knights, Vince, Goodwin
BEST – Geelong: Enright, Bartel, Chapman Kelly, Mooney, Corey, Scarlett
Adelaide: Goodwin, Thompson, Burton, Massie, Knights, McLeod
INJURIES – Geelong: Ling (jarred knee)
UMPIRES: Ellis, Ryan, Woodcock, McInerney
CROWD: 30,707 at AAMI Stadium
http://gfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=251683
first of two premierships for the year