AFL Round 7 – Geelong v Essendon: An honourable loss

What a great great game of footy it was.  Look I know we lost, but if ever there was an honourable loss, this was it. Both teams played open exciting attacking footy, no spite, just good clean hard at it footy.

I didn’t think that I would actually see the game, but the refugee from Jersey somehow managed to come up with a ticket for me and another mate. Now I don’t want it to sound like sour grapes, but we were not in the best seats.  Some bloody large scaffolding completely covered the large score board and the other score board was on an unreadable angle.  I have made my views on  Emptyhead Stadium behind Spencer Street Railway Station before, so I won’t rabbit on about it again.  This is not  my favourite  ground.    This game  needed to be at the “G”.   Both clubs have huge followings and  both were undefeated, the crowd would have been enormous.  I remember  many years ago an AFL Commissioner promising the football public that big games like these would all be played at the “G”.  Need I say more.

The game was off to a furious start, both teams showed incredible skill in keeping the ball moving.  Both displayed precise hand ball skills, both displayed precise  kicking and taking the footy cleanly  under huge pressure.  I felt the Dons were just on top, we seemed to do better at the ball ups and around the ground. Our goal kicking was letting us down, at quarter time we had three more shots but only lead by three points.  I felt we should have been at least a couple of goals up.

The second term continued as did the first one,  skills displayed in a fast and furious manner . The Dons skipped away to a handy lead mid way , but Geelong came back with goals late in the quarter, to actually lead at the big break. The three of us raved on about what a great game it was,  the Refugee and I feeling good about the Dons, Bert a dyed in the wool  Cat,  was quietly confident.  The queues for refreshments meant it was a dry half time, which was probably a blessing in disguise as we had had a few pr- game ales

Early in the third quarter some of my confidence seeped away, it wasn’t that Geelong got on top  in general play, I reckon the Dons were matching them all over the ground but Cat’s class started to show especially in front of goals.  And show it, it did, Geelong added six goals two to the Dons one solitary goal and nine behinds.  Two more shots  for the Dons, and at least five of them were very getable, but at three quarter time we were down by four goals.

I reckoned we were still in with a show in the last quarter,  the Dons matched the Cats in contested ball, but were paying the price for the previous quarter and battle as they did , couldn’t  get close enough to make it heart attack stuff.  I have to admit that Geelong showed just a little more class, their play makers were just a little more precise.  They deserved the win and their rightful place as ladder leaders.  The great news for us Dons, is that we aren’t too far behind, things look good for the future.

Best Players

Geelong: Johnson(BOG) Motlop, Stokes, Lonergan, Kelly, Enright. Christensen.

Essendon: Carlisle, Hocking, Bellchambers, Hibbert, Baguley, Watson, Heppell

Goals

Geelong: Stokes 2, Smedts 2, Bilcavs 2,Hawkins 2, Lonergan 2,Christensen, Bartel,Schroder, Selwood, Duncan.

Essendon: Myers 2, Gumbleton 2, Davey, Goddard, Hocking,Hibbert, Hurley, Crameri, Bellchambers.

Crowd  53,014   if it had been played at the “G” i reckon 85,000.