I strongly, strongly dislike the Cats. I hope with every fibre of my being Brisbane beat them on Saturday evening. Now that’s out of the way, the highest compliment I can give the Geelong Football Club is that I respect the hell out of them.
As a Hawthorn supporter – it’s tough to admit, but it’s true. Win a Ziggy BBQ for Grand Final day, thanks to Barbeques Galore! Enter Here. Unlike some other mobs in the AFL that my Hawks have a rivalry with (looking directly at you, Essendon), you simply have to tip your hat to the Cats.
They are just so well run, and do things on and off the field incredibly well. Their record in the last 20 seasons is nothing short of remarkable. Since 2004 they have only not made the finals on three occasions (2006, 2015 and 2023).
They have won four premierships and are about to line up for their 14th preliminary final in that time. To put this into context – the next best since 2004 are Collingwood with nine and Sydney with eight. This just doesn’t happen.
The AFL is a socialist system (by design) and you aren’t meant to have this level of sustained success without bottoming out. Shaun Mannagh celebrates a goal with Jack Bowes. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Their ability to regenerate their list by savvy recruiting from other clubs, and at times quite genius drafting has been second to none, and they have effectively had three or four successive iterations of their side come through whilst staying constantly relevant.
So, how do they do this? The first, and probably most important factor, is the point of difference that playing for Geelong holds. They are the only place in the AFL (unless you’re willing to do some serious miles like Joe Daniher) where it’s possible to live regionally and still play at the highest level. This ability to live on the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula by the water, on property, or at a town like Torquay is extremely appealing for players originally from the country, or those with young families keen to get away from the hectic environment of a capital city.
This has allowed them to attract big names such as Patrick Dangerfield and Jeremy Cameron, originally from the country. They attract pieces from other clubs like Zach Tuohy, Gary Rohan, Tanner Bruhn and Oliver Henry to either head south for a sea change and/or come home. Tuohy and Bailey Smith (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images) They have also secured draftees from non-traditional means and had some stunning hits.
Thinking outside the square has worked for them more often that it has for any other club. Five-time All Australian Tom Stewart was playing for South Barwon as a 20-year-old in the Geelong Football League and wasn’t drafted until he was 23. Tim Kelly (later traded to West Coast for a King’s Ransom of first rounders) was plucked from the WAFL as a 23-year-old.
Mark Blicavs spent 2011 trying to quality for the 2012 Olympics as a steeplechaser, and was selected at pick 54 in the 2012 rookie draft. 261 games, two best and fairest awards and an All-Australian later it’s been a pretty good move. Brad Close was a rookie pick.
Ollie Dempsey, the 2024 Rising Star was a rookie. Tom Atkins overlooked in two drafts. Tyson Stengle picked up off the scrapheap at his third club to become a premiership winning All-Australian in his first year.
Lawson Humphries is just the latest of this long line of off-Broadway picks that have been enormous wins. This doesn’t just happen through good luck, however. Unlike nearly all other Victorian AFL clubs, they have never had an alignment relationship with a VFL club, and have simultaneously operated their reserves team as a stand-alone side in the VFL.
The result is a strong ‘whole of club’ operation, where the success of the “Bankers” as they are known, is valued as much as the senior team. More AFL They have also done something that no other club has done in Victoria and strongly fought for, and protected, having a unique home ground advantage. During the ground rationalisation craze of the late 1990s, Geelong fought for the right not to lose too many home games to the MCG or Docklands, and as a result now have a world-class facility on their doorstep.
Supporters of other clubs often highlight this as an unfair advantage, which I don’t really understand. They are a unique situation being located an hour away from Melbourne. They used this situation to their advantage – any club would’ve done the same.
The tribalistic nature of the town around the football club also helps them. Everyone down there is working on the same page – all for the Cats. They can go out on the town with their mates, or out for a meal with family and to a degree – left to their own devices.
This is of course a bit of a generalisation and there are of course exceptions, but they don’t have to worry about tanked-up fans of one of the other eight clubs in the same city looking to cause a scene. In addition, the club has a very good ability to circle the wagons around their own and diffuse situations that other clubs way not do as effectively. The Tyson Stengle situation this year being a prime example.
Once again, they have pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes in 2024. After a blistering 7-0 start, they started to falter, and the conventional wisdom was that they may have finally reached the cliff. They were decimated by Carlton by 63 points in Round 15 and sat just 2.
5% in the eight. Smacked by the Bulldogs at home 4 weeks later. Conceded a 13-goal second half to St Kilda in the penultimate round.
The midfield looked susceptible to pace in particularly. Yet, they still found a way to finish top 4. They went into their Qualifying Final against a Port Adelaide side, in Adelaide, on a 6-game winning streak as comfortable outsiders.
This was solidified even further with Tom Stewart being a late withdrawal. Of course, they won the game by 84 points. They now head into a ‘home’ Preliminary Final against the Lions as warm favourites.
They do things so well. Their supporters deserve to be smug – they’ve earnt it. Now for the love of god Brisbane, end this nightmare!.
