Round 20: I especially love Saturday nights when I can watch the footy. Cats did well to get up, too

Saturday nights are usually chaos at my house. Arguing about what should be on TV, so on and so forth. Derogatory comments about footy. It’s what happens when you have 10 people in one house.  But tonight was one of the luckier nights. I got to watch the footy without much fuss.

The Swans ran on to the ground, honouring Adam Goodes’ 250th game. He is the second fastest to get to that milestone. Jared Crouch was a late withdrawal and Bevan came in to replace him.

The game begins and Geelong doesn’t look bad at all, which they have of late. Hawkins gets a hand-in-the-face from Barry (who’s in for his first game of the year) and kicks a goal. The teams trade a couple of behinds each before Steve Johnson does a trademark snap that somehow squeezes through the goals. The 12th oldest player in the AFL (O’Loughlin) kicks the next one in his 301st game. Gary Ablett keeps finding the ball. Brynes kicks a goal and Jesse White takes a hanger at half-forward. He passes to Moore who converts on the siren. It’s quarter time, Sydney trail by seven points, 2.3 15 to 3.4 22. Corey leads with 12, Ablett 11 and Kirk, Moore and Shaw have nine each. Rhyce Shaw leads the competition in bounces, with 147. The next best is his brother with 112. I find it funny that something like that can run in the family.

Mooney gets a free kick and kicks a goal after a long goalless period at the start of the quarter. O’Loughlin marks uncontested inside 50. He drills his second to bring the margin back to five points. Lonergan marks strongly inside 50 and wobbles through his second for the year, 34 less than last year. Kirk receives a handball and kicks one. Jesse White marks and kicks another. It’s turning into a great game. The siren sounds and at half time the Cats are six point leaders, 5.5 35 to 6.5 41. Moore and Shaw have 16 and 15 possessions each respectively and for Geelong Ablett has 20 touches and Corey 19. For the second Saturday night in a row I eat my dinner at half time.

The third quarter begins and Mattner marks inside 50 and kicks a goal. The Swans lift. Fourth-gamer Dan Hannebery kicks a ripper from 50 to put Sydney in front after two Varcoe misses in quick succession. Mackie kicks beautifully to Mooney who marks and puts Geelong back in front. The game still continues to be a tight contest. Hawkins marks and kicks his second for the Cats. Mattner replies a few minutes later. Sydney stay in it. Brynes runs through and slams through his second. The siren sounds and Sydney trail by 10, 8.7 55 to 9.11 65. O’Keefe and Shaw have 19 touches each and Ablett has a huge 33 and Corey 28. I tipped the Swans. Come on Sydney, do it for your two-time Brownlow medallist.

The first goal of the last quarter is to Geelong, generated by some Ablett magic. I have begun to count aloud every possession he gets. Just as much magic is shown at the other end when Goodes weaves through a couple and kicks a brilliant goal. Mooney marks in the pocket for Geelong. An unselfish handball over the top to Brynes gives the small forward his third. Mooney takes another mark! He plays on and dribbles it through for a goal to get Geelong 22 ahead. Geelong look near certainties to win the game. A defensive fumble from the Cats gives O’Loughlin his third. Bolton marks 30 out and kicks another. The margin is within two goals. Corey intercepts for the Cats and kicks another. There has been seven goals kicked in 11 minutes. It slows down, though, to neither teams’ advantage. Sydney miss a couple of shots before Goodes marks and kicks one from a tough angle. There’s only nine points in it. O’Keefe runs through and kicks a goal!

There are frantic final minutes. Mooney misses to make the margin five. Could the Swans win the game? No. The siren sounded. Geelong run out five point victors, 13.9 87 to 13.14 92. It is a very familiar score line for Geelong fans, and for me, it is the exact scoreline of the Geelong V Collingwood preliminary final in 2007. It would have been more familiar to me if Sydney had kicked a winning goal, it would have been the scoreline of Melbourne V Brisbane last year. Ablett finished with 44 touches and Corey 38. O’Keefe led for the Swans with 28.

I knew who would have been the most happy with Geelong’s victory, that’s Joel Selwood. A loss would have removed him from the player with the best win-loss record (89.06%) in the history of the game. I feel for the Swans, they seem like they are now good enough to play finals, but they might not make it.

I love Saturday nights.

Sydney  2.3  5.5  8.7  13.9 (87)
Geelong  3.4  6.5  9.11  13.14 (92)

Goals
Sydney: O’Loughlin 3, Mattner 2, Goodes 2, Moore, Hannebery, O’Keefe, J Bolton, Kirk, White.
Geelong: Mooney 3, Brynes 3, Hawkins 2, Ablett, S Johnson, Lonergan, Selwood, Corey.

Best
Sydney: Goodes, Shaw, O’Keefe, O’Loughlin, Mattner, J Bolton.
Geelong: Ablett, Corey, Enright, Ling, Bartel, Brynes, Mooney.

My Votes: 3. Gary Ablett (Geel), 2. Adam Goodes (Syd), 1. Joel Corey (Geel).

Umpires: Vozzo, Stevic, Jeffery.                   Crowd: 40,261 at ANZ Stadium.

About Steve Healy

Steve Healy is an entity of a Melbourne supporter.

Comments

  1. Damian Watson says

    Great Report Steve,

    Ten People in One House!!!!! That is a lot of siblings.

    I know what it feels like to have family that makes derogatory comments about footy, although we have enough TV’s in our house for us to view the programs of our priority.

    Damo

  2. Steve Healy says

    Yea, three brothers and four sisters. I have 2 TV’s but one of them is old, small and not working (and torn apart by my Dad).

    I looked in the TV Guide today and saw that next Saturday night’s Richmond V Hawthorn is only on Ten and not One HD. Very strange.

  3. Damian Watson says

    I know!!! I can’t believe One HD gave up the Richmond v Hawthorn match for Red Bull Air Racing!!!!
    I could understand if it was IPL or the American sports, but Air Racing????

  4. Steve Healy says

    Air racing?

    That’s the sort of thing they show at 2am, or at 4pm and everyone turns it off when they see it. The footy will obviously have thousands of more viewers so why not show it in better quality?

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