Apparently Collingwood’s defeat of the Cats on Friday night signalled the end of an era.
“…the Cats simply couldn’t run with Collingwood and, after five years of greatness, their race is run.” Jake Niall, The Sunday Age, July 15, 2012.
That’s it. Game over. The end. Das ende.
But, as is often the case, the media has completely missed the point. An era of greatness hasn’t ended it has simply taken a breath.
A VFL game took place at Victoria Park on Saturday that went mostly unnoticed. There were two subdued paragraphs about it in The Sunday Age. But it should have made headlines. The result of it should be sending shivers down the spines of all the other AFL clubs.
It was reported thus,
“…Geelong dominated with a 36 point win over Collingwood at Victoria Park. Troy Selwood lead the way for the Cats, who are the competition’s biggest improvers.”
Brent Diamond, The Sunday Age, July 15, 2012.
Does this not ring any bells? Does no one recall a 2002 VFL team that included names like Bartel, Johnson, Chapman and Ablett? That 2002 VFL side was also described as the most improved in the competition at the time. A lot of the players from that side went on to win three flags in five years all the while maintaining the best win/loss ratio if history. Not bad.
The side nowadays has names like Horlin-Smith, Brown, Hamling, Murdoch, Kirsten, Schroeder and Simpson. Never heard of them? You will soon. Then of course there are the players we’ve hardly seen this year like Vardy, Cowan, Varcoe and Menzel. They’ll team up with Guthrie, Walker, Hunt, Motlop, Sheringham, Christensen, Smedts and Hawkins and give the AFL a big shake up. Keep the 2015 season in your diaries.
The Cats VFL victory on Saturday was significant; very significant. What took place at the MCG was merely a side show. It confirms that the Pies are major contenders for 2012 but to suggest that the Cats are finished is absurd. It would appear that no one learns from history. The last great Geelong side of the early 1950s took a breather for a few years then grabbed another flag (should have been two) in the 60s.
Bring on 2015 !!
Our pet rabbit Basil, distraught after hearing that the Pies beat the Cats on Saturday night.
Basil in happier times – celebrating the Cats 2011 Premiership.
About Damian O'Donnell
OK - which is the odd one out: Love the Cats and flannelette shirts, especially in winter. I get on extremely well with red wine. We just seem to hit it off. Love horse racing in Spring. Used to love cricket. Go to Stawell every Easter and contemplate life around the fire. Love water skiing, especially in summer. Get meaning from catching a beautiful curling wave. Love a great oil painting. Will read most things put in front of me. Thought 'The Sopranos' was the best TV show ever made - by miles. Run an accounting practice in Melbourne's suburbs.
If they want to make an impression from here they may have to pull a ‘hare out of their arse’ Dips
“eeeise not a raat – eeise my hamster, eeise Basil”
Remember when we won that VFL a few years back with unknowns like Bartel, Abblett, Hunt, Johnson etc Dips.
I like where you are coming from. I hear you brother. I hear you loud and clear, for I’ve been to the mountain top.
Sorry I missed your bit about the young champs, Dips. Great minds think alike – and have some marvelous memories.
Has anyone got a video of that GF. It would make a dam fine edition to my Rocky Cape late night collection.
Phanto – and I’ve seen the promised land!
Doesn’t Basil just wear his heart on his sleeve?
I just noticed that I’ve reported the game being played on Friday night – wrong. I know it was Saturday night because I was at a 50th birthday at the North Fitzroy Arms Hotel, catching glimpses of the game over balding heads.
So Dips, your take on the Cats loss to the Pies was to not write about that event? Hmmm, interesting angle. I would have thought the fact that Geelong won the game after the first quarter bathing warranted mentioning. That is, the Pies couldn’t finish them off, which is a worrying sign about the Pies and for the rest of us that the Cats ain’t quite dead yet! Still, nice pic of the wabbit and love your belief in the five year plan.
Cheers
I think I was on to that in the Harms report blog, Rick. (Written in my unique Phantomesque style)
Thanks for your generous support.
Rick – I just didn’t see the point of writing about it when the big VFL game had so much more interest for me.
Glad you liked the rabbit.
It ain’t support Mr Phantom, it’s fear of the long shadow the damned Cats have cast over the comp (and specially the Hawks). As a Cats fan friend says, “9 wins from 14 ordinary performances ain’t so bad. You better be worried when we start playing well! ”
Are you in decline? I called it last year and got it wrong. You know, like, really wrong. I ain’t calling it again!
What was that line in the Bob Dylan song “Joey” on the Desire album Rick.
“He ain’t dead….he’s just asleep”
Kittens need cat naps to make them big and strong. A feed of fresh flesh and fevvers every now and again, and again, and again is apparently good for them as well.
Surely we couldn’t, could we?
THere’s more to this than you may think… The Northern Blues had the bye.
Phantom, he really was dead, though. They blew him down in a clam bar in New York. From memory he was raising a piece of cutlery that rhymed with the town in which he was shot. A strange coincidence.
That Collingwood’s VFL side have a 3-10 record is not worth mentioning, as the real story here is of course the rabbit.
Follow-up reports expected.
Hopefully ole’ Basil Bunny also makes it to 2015!
“Dips now off hallucinatory drugs.”
“Mrs O’Donnell pulls habit from rat.”
– Sunday Age July 22 2012
Dips,
No doubt the Cats have some talented kids coming through.
But check out who your best players were again on Saturday night. The usual suspects..
For some reason, you Cat fans feel as though your outfit is just going to have all of these fabulous young kids just take up where your stars have left off. Like some divine right. Look out 2015 huh?
Well, when you get the chance, check out the ages of the current Collingwood side. All of these guys are under 25 or younger – Sidebottom, Beams, Reid, Pendlebury, Thomas, Fasolo, Blair, Dawes, Cloke, Brown, Sinclair, Elliott, O’Brien, Goldsack, Clarke, Wellingham, Keefe, McCaffer, Buckley, Paine, Young, Toovey, Williams.
Add to this Maxwell, Shaw, Krakouer, Ball…etc who will only be in their late 20’s.
My point is…..this current Collingwood squad will be in their prime and really looking forward to playing against your divine super side of 2015.
Dips, kittens equal top of the VFL ladder after beating top-placed Casey on the weekend. Basil must be thrilled.
Cookie – look out 2015!
Basil took it in his stride.
Zen-like, that Basil.
All these clubs that tank to get good recruits.
The Cats win flags and still get them apparently.
On the reverse side of having inexperienced players in the ones we will have experienced players in the twos.
Could still be the year of the Cat.