Round 3 – Geelong v Adelaide: Meet The New Loss, Same As The Old Loss

Round 3
Geelong v Adelaide
7.30pm, March 26, 2026
Kardinia Park

 

The warmer February air must have got to me – after declaring “never again” in 2017 following three successive losing trips to Kardinia Park, I decided a month ago that a Round 3 Thursday night trip down the other peninsula would be a good idea now that I have plenty of time on my hands.

All Crow hope was lost a few days before match day when Dawson was ruled out along with the six hundred-odd games of experience (if not match defining potential) of Walker and Laird plus Ah Chee’s known longer-term absence. The ins of Bond, Nankervis, Taylor and newtotheCrowscomer Maley were scant compensation, even if Dangerfield would be looking on for the Cats.

Thursday started early with me in shorts and a t-shirt, mouth agape as my friendly dentist managed to part me from half a gorilla of my once hard-earned. I spent the rest of the day waiting  for the late arvo to arrive which it duly did after the weather turned wet and windy. My companion, natural history bookshop girl, texted me from work asking that I bring along her gloves and thermals and, to keep our reserved seats dry, to pop in a gym towel. Food would hopefully be dealt with at the ground.

We met at Platform 15 of the world’s smelliest railway station and grabbed a pair of backward facing seats on the 5:12pm Waurn Ponds. After an uneventful passage to South Geelong, we found our way easily to the corner of Moorabool Street and Park Crescent, aka Gate 5 for infrequent visitors like us. A very perfunctory search of my backpack, which was stuffed with scarves, ponchos and caps (not forgetting thermals and gloves) had me musing about what a charade the security bag checks were, although the subsequent wanding was performed with airport-grade thoroughness. Hand scanning of my pre-downloaded-into-my-wallet “tickets” was the final stage of our entrance triathlon.

For some reason I felt like having a pastie and for herself the comforting chicken ‘n chips, but nothing like that was to be seen on our now bethermalled ground level scouting of the available options (although we were pleasantly surprised that 2017s dumpling van was still there). We found the appropriate culinary outlet when we ventured upstairs towards our spot in bay A17. Looking for a Routley’s pastie (when in Rome…), I had to make do with a rather greasy sausage roll from their range but the fried c ’n c was voted at least the equal of those found at our shared workplace near Yarra Park (btw can’t wait for Carlton v Melbourne this Sunday. Not)

Finding our seats was a doddle, behind the sticks a few rows back, to the right of screen, just behind the meagre Adelaide cheer squad and just like our spot in 2016. Oh, and in the wet. It was double-hoodie plus corduroy cap weather and I came prepared.

 

 

Geelong kicked to our end in the first term but found the big uprights elusive until Darcy Fogarty had a brain fart and gifted Tom Stewart the first major of the night. Our now customary slow start meant that all the action was in Geelong’s attacking end and the fifteen point lead after Olly Henry’s first saw the Crow fans shoulders collectively slump like a Liberal Party Jacinta Allan Kyle Sandilands approval ratings graph.

Adelaide’s first real foray forward saw Taylor finish off the slick work of Pedler and Rankine but Mannagh soon replied with an awkward kick from a clever crumb. Thilthorpe drew an getting-in-front free from a rare Crow forward entry and slotted Adelaide’s second. A late Cats’ goal from a sliding mark to Dempsey gave them a deserved 4.4 to 2.2 lead that perhaps could have been a goal or so more, given Geelong’s early dominance and surer ball handling.

While all this was going on, we received updates from home and nearby, where the weather had turned all Bohemian Rhapsody, and our own cats found it all very very frightening.

The “here goes” from the nearby Adelaide assemblage was more than audible when Jack Martin snagged an early goal in the second stanza after a Cumming fumble. Josh Rachele capped off his good start with a quick reply for the visitors, finishing off some super Rankine sharking on the broadcast wing. A scoreless ten-minute period was ended by an Isaac Cumming’s pearler from the right hand pocket and another seven minutes passed before Rankine walked in to shorten the margin to a couple of points. Martin made the half-time margin eight points with his second of the quarter.

It had been ugly, clumsy, messy football, but Geelong used its local knowledge to create space that cleverly made the tasks of both the kicker and the receiver more effective. On the other hand, Adelaide’s defence was regularly bombarded, but was able to make sure that the Cats couldn’t score heavily, with Worrall, Butts and Murray the standouts. Rachele was having a particularly good night on the ball.

Light hail greeted the third quarter and Geelong opened the scoring again, but Max Holmes’ major was to be his side’s only goal for the term. Taylor was proving value for kicks as he slipped the leash for two more goals, both after set shots. Despite having the better of the territory battle for most of the game, Geelong was only four points to the good at the final break.

Adelaide wrested the lead early in the last when acting-Captain Alex Neal-Bullen goaled from a Thilthorpe pass and perhaps we were to witness a rare Crows win down at the Pivot. The next twenty minutes was spent mostly on the far side of the ground between Geelong’s half-forward flank and the goal square. During this period, Geelong overtook Adelaide per medium of four behinds before a questionable last-touch free to Tom Atkins followed by a quick switch of play and a sublime wet weather pick up allowed Martin register his third. The result was sleeted (rather than iced) when Dempsey’s persistence saw his second third fourth effort in the goal square stretch the home side’s lead to fifteen points.

I must confess that we then made a hasty retreat back to South Geelong station, so missed Nick Murray’s long bomb goal and Thilthorpe’s hail mary that was spoiled on the line.

Adelaide’s loss was tenacious, plucky and all those other patronising words that the slap-on-the-back crew like to throw, about rather than accepting the cold hard facts that Adelaide rarely conjures up a win from these sorts of situations (oh, alright, we did beat Collingwood away a fortnight ago). Perhaps a six-goal loss might have put the rocket up this year’s non-performers such as Fogarty, Soligo and Keays. And don’t be fooled by the AFL Best Players below, Rankine is a while off producing anything like his best. Full marks to my regular whipping boy Josh Rachele who may well have played the game of his career.

On the V-Line home, I watched those final minutes that we missed and observed the kerfuffle about the wrongway lasso call. It was a bit after 12:30am when we arrived back home. Was it worth it? If there is to be a next time at Geelong for us, it won’t be on a Thursday night game. Mark my words, with the score at Cats 4 Swish 0,  I won’t get fooled again.

 

GEELONG     4.4     6.5     7.9     9.14     (68)
ADELAIDE     2.2     5.3     7.5     9.6     (60) 

GOALS
Geelong: Martin 3, Dempsey 2, Stewart, O.Henry, Mannagh, Holmes
Adelaide: Taylor 3, Thilthorpe, Rachele, Cumming, Rankine, Neal-Bullen, Murray

BEST
Geelong: Holmes, Dempsey, Martin, Smith, De Koning, Blicavs
Adelaide: Rachele, Rankine, Butts, Worrell, Thilthorpe, Berry

INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Adelaide: Nil

Crowd: 20403 at GMHBA Stadium

Malarkey Votes

3- Smith (Geel)

2- Rachele (Adel)

1- Dempsey (Geel)

Read more from Swish HERE

 

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