SORRY PORT, BUT REMEMBER THIS?
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? MEMORY LANE
THERE was Paul Chapman’s towering mark over Port Adelaide captain Warren Tredrea.
There was newly crowned Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel’s audacious left-foot snap at the end of the first quarter.
There were Nathan Ablett’s three goals, each of which came with the aid of a pass from first-year gun and Rising Star winner Joel Selwood.
There was Gary Ablett’s intercept in the first quarter, Cam Mooney with five goals and the consistent genius of Steve Johnson, who finished the day with four and the honour of winning the Norm Smith Medal.
The 2007 Grand Final was littered with individual acts of brilliance and skill, and it resulted in the most dominant display on the final Saturday in September the competition has yet seen — a 119-point drubbing that broke a 44-year premiership drought.
But for all of those achievements, it was an effort that required gut-running, heart and a willingness to perform a deed for the team that has left the greatest mark on commentators, Geelong supporters and players.
With only two minutes, 23 seconds left in the first quarter and with his team up by 15 points, ruckman Brad Ottens produced the most remarkable chase down and tackle on the Power’s unsuspecting defender, Michael Pettigrew.
Ottens had crossed from Richmond at the end of the 2004 season and had been dubbed the final piece of the jigsaw in Geelong’s quest for its first flag since 1963.
His impact in finals in the years to come would go down in folklore within the walls of Kardinia Park, although on this particular day he distinctly remembers having had next to no influence on the contest until that tackle.
But what his effort showed his teammates was that no matter how much the opposition was prepared to throw at them, nothing was going to stop Geelong from reaching its destiny, and the following two hours solidified its standing as the greatest team of all.
“I guess I remember not having any real impact on the game before that other than the first bounce,” Ottens recalled.
“Basically my recollection was that Michael Pettigrew took off with the ball and I think he looked over his shoulder and saw me and thought he had all day. It was nice to have a moment in the game that people remember.
“There are moments like that (tackle on Pettigrew), and that one probably stands out a little bit for me, and that is one that sticks in people’s minds. People love to reminisce, I think. Obviously it meant a huge amount to a lot of people and the Geelong fans, and as time goes on you probably want to talk about it more and more.
“It started to tick along pretty well about halfway through that first quarter and I remember going into halftime and thinking the game was still there to be won by both teams even though we had a reasonable lead at that point.
“As much as it is flattering that people say I played well in finals, a lot of those flag years I was coming off big breaks in the season and it often helped that I came into September a lot fresher than a lot of other guys. I don’t think I stand out in that respect, there were so many guys in that premiership team who played so well in finals — we just had a good finals team.”
One man who knew all too well the pain and suffering that Geelong fans had endured through the late 1980s and early-to-mid-1990s was Cameron Ling, a product of the Geelong Falcons and a man who had transformed himself from a star junior forward into an elite tagger.
Ling was one of nine Cats players to be named AllAustralian in 2007 — they also had the coach, Mark “Bomber” Thompson — a record that will take some beating in the years to come.
Now heavily involved in football media with Channel 7 and 3AW, he reflected this week on what the breakthrough flag meant to him in retirement.
“I was a Cats supporter growing up, I loved the Cats and went to those fateful four Grand Finals in ’89, ’92, ’94 and ’95, so above anything else I’m just a happy supporter that the Cats won that flag in ’07, and 10 years on (the overriding emotion) is just happiness,” Ling said.
“As the week or two went by afterwards, that was when it probably all came together. You’d hear different stories of people who thought they’d never see that next Geelong premiership. I’m talking older
people, but them saying, ‘the fact you guys were able to do it made my life or made my dad’s life’ . . . that made it even more special.
“I remember hugging my dad because I went with (him) to all those Grand Finals and he loved the Cats. There was a special moment with him in particular . . . we’d trekked off to the MCG in ’89 — I was an eight-year-old with dad — and all those memories of being just a dad and his son, and then there we were in the change rooms of the MCG being able to share that, that was pretty special from a personal perspective.
“But the Sunday (following the game) was unbelievable. We were down in the rooms and we got here early and were sharing some nice moments and laughing and carrying on and we were unaware for the majority of it what was happening outside.
“When we walked out on to the stage we looked around and thought, ‘ooh wow’, it was incredible. I just remember everything being packed and each time someone got introduced they got a huge roar. Usually a team gets introduced one by one, the first few get a big roar and then it peters out because everyone gets tired, but it wasn’t like that, it was just a constant cheering. That’s probably when it hit home a little bit more that this means a bit to a few people.”
The Cats victory made grown men cry and sent the city into lockdown — Moorabool St was closed off as cars, one painted in blue and white hoops and adorning the numbers of Ablett and Bartel, lined the streets and honked their horns.
It was clear that the Premiership Cup returning to Geelong was an achievement that would bring the town together — even non-Geelong supporters embraced with loyal Cats fans in their moment of glory.
One group that the win had a clear effect on was the club’s past players who had gone through the heartache of multiple grand final losses, and Ling said it was touching to hear of their celebrations.
“We did hear one story coming back, I think it was on the Sunday that we’d heard word that ‘Baz’ (Stoneham) and Billy (Brownless) and all that crew had got together at Lord of the Isles and we found that really special,” he said.
“Initially we weren’t sure if there was going to be any jealousy around the fact they hadn’t won one and what the feeling was going to be like, but when we started hearing how happy they were and how much it meant to them and how much they were back together as a group celebrating, that was pretty special to us as a group.
“For everybody who had been a part of the Geelong footy club over the whole time, this was something to really enjoy and celebrate, so that was really nice for us as well.”
Ottens will be in attendance at Simonds Stadium tonight and Ling has earned a night off from media duties, with both players — each of whom would go on to enjoy premiership success in 2009 and 2011 — looking forward to catching up with the men who helped turn a team of champions into a champion team.
For the man known as Mr September, it is something he has been looking forward to for some time.
“I knew leading into the finals series there was a huge amount of expectation on us but the days after were pretty special, because that’s when you can sit back, relax and reflect and enjoy it with each other and your family,” he said.
“They’re the things I will probably cherish from that game.”