Forget the fear
THERE is no doubt. Geelong is no stranger to the MCG. Finals football is the norm, not the anomaly.
Ten years ago this club walked into September with nothing to lose. The Cats of 2007 were fast flowing and fun to watch. Jam packed with talent and a secret weapon. No fear.
No fear of losing. No fear of history. No fear of risk to get reward.
Last Friday was never going to work. Geelong supporters made their way up the highway for a home final. When the Cats took to the big stage at their “home ground” for the night they were booed by the Richmond army.
The team played tentative football and its collective inability to take the game on its own terms was met with derision from the Tigers on the terraces.
When Zach Tuohy kicked out from full back he was heckled by an overly–confident Richmond crowd.
The club that has made a name for showing no spine, the team that has become famous for finishing ninth was showing nothing but contempt for the club that won three flags in five years.
On the top deck of the MCG, this disrespect was hard to take.
After finishing second on the ladder and earning the right to a home final, after beating Rich- mond and GWS in the last few weeks of the season, you would think that Geelong supporters would have been able to show up to the game with voice. Feeling confident. Powerful.
The win-loss-ratio was on our side. You would think it would be the Richmond fans who would be battling the timid voices of anxiety and fear. But no.
Cats fans were almost silent. 2017 is a long way from 2007.
Being a Geelong fan used to be confusing.
The 1989-1995 period was a roller coaster.
Genius in the home and away, gritty in finals but no luck in the big dance.
We became conditioned and we understood that premierships are not given away to the team that is the most fun to watch.
We learned in the losses to West Coast that playing interstate clubs in Victoria was no guarantee of September success.
By the end of the first half of the 1995 grand final we were completely aware that spring is a vicious season, contaminated with the stink of regret.
With the passing of the era of Ablett Sr, we put our dreams to rest. There was a wilderness that had to be wandered, young players to be found.
A club that needed to be financially secured, there was a leadership culture that needed to be installed.
Ten years passed by in the blink of a blue and white eye.
In 2004, there was a semi-familiar glow of hope appearing around the horizon of Kardinia Park. We got into the habit of going to the ’G to see the likes of Bartel, Chapman, Corey, Kelly and Ling. We arrived with a sense of anticipation and optimism. Potential is bulletproofing.
These young players were mentally fresh. They were not traumatised by the weight of expectation.
This was the team that created their own history and in the September of 2007 we saw the vision splendid.
The era continued until 2011. That September the bay- ing Collingwood crowd was silenced by the chanting of “Geeeeee -long” . . . That final quarter of the third premiership. There is no doubt that half an hour was the pinnacle. Then we bottomed out. But we did it in a very Geelong fashion. We never really lost touch with the top eight. We have been fortunate to follow a team that has bottomed out and still played in finals. Not many clubs bottom out by finishing second. But this is where we seem to be right now. Sydney is an amazing club, they are experiencing an exceptional era. Buddy is in cherryripe September form ... there is no doubt . . . or is there? The team that takes to the ground tomorrow night does not have to battle the weight of history. The DNA for the next five years is looking good. Buzza, Cockatoo, Stewart, Menegola. Friday night will be the start of something even if it is the end. The result will be what the result will be, but the journey is just about to begin again. All the Cats can do is play for their own history. Forget the fear and confront the opportunity. It doesn’t have to be the last game of the year. Ross Mueller is a freelance writer and director.