Call for Cats fans to rally against Swans
GEELONG fans have the chance to reclaim the MCG when tickets for Friday night’s AFL semi-final against Sydney go on sale this morning.
The Cats met a hostile reception – on and off the field – at the home of football last week, succumbing to Richmond’s pressure by 51 points.
Unofficial estimates suggested 70-80 per cent of the 95,028 in attendance were Tiger fans, their noise drowning out Geelong supporters.
While the crowd this Fri- day is not expected to be as large, Geelong president Colin Carter said the game presented a chance for Cats fans to make the stadium a friendly feline fortress.
“The Swans are obviously a tough team but I’m sure our guys will be working hard to be ready for them,” Mr Carter said.
“The size of the crowd is important. I hope our supporters turn out in force.
“I think our guys are capable of playing good footy anywhere, any time in front of any crowd. I think if you start falling for the idea that’s going to be a decisive differ- ence then I think you’re on a road you don’t want to go to.
“But I think there’s no doubt the encouragement of the crowd certainly means something to the guys.”
Friday night’s effort clearly dented the premiership hopes of many Cats fans, including Rippleside’s Pam and Jim Bland.
Mrs Bland, a lifelong Cats fan, hangs the club flag high at her home throughout each football season but had it flying at half-mast on Saturday morning to reflect her glum mood.
“I was disappointed but I’m looking forward to a better showing against the Swans,” she said.
Like the players and their coach Chris Scott, Mrs Bland promised not too dwell on the loss for too long and to start focusing on this week’s sudden-death game.
Cats and Swans members will get first crack at tickets through Ticketek for the semi-final from 9am today, with general public tickets on sale from 2pm, and AFL members getting their opportunity from tomorrow.
Tickets for the game – like last week’s Richmond clash – start at $35, with entry level tickets for the preliminary final costing $65. The cheapest Grand Final tickets cost $180.
To get to the season decider, the Cats would have to cause two boilovers: beating the Swans in Friday’s 7.50pm game, and then overcoming Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval in the same timeslot (7.20pm local time) a week later.
Despite Geelong’s poor recent record against the Swans, Mr Carter said he was optimistic of a better performance this week, citing Geelong’s ability to bounce back strongly from disappointing results this year.