GIVE US A HOME FINAL
If we earn it, we deserve it, says star Cat as city leaders join the chorus
SOME of Geelong’s biggest names have thrown their support behind calls for the Cats to host a home AFL final at GMHBA Stadium.
Pressure is mounting on the league to allow the club to play a finals fixture in Geelong as the side sits two games clear on top of the ladder with eight matches remaining.
Cats star Mark Blicavs, Acting Premier Lisa Neville and Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood have each joined the push for the AFL to approve a finals match at the club’s home ground.
Blicavs, a two-time Geelong best and fairest winner, said on Saturday that a home final in Geelong would be “huge”.
“It’s something we’re pressing for, if we earn a spot,” he told SEN Radio. “We’d love to have it. I think it’s great for the town, it’s great for the club.
“It’d be amazing. We love playing there.”
Ms Neville said it made sense to schedule at least one final at GMHBA Stadium following significant government investment in recent years, which had seen the venue’s capacity reach 34,000.
“Part of why we’re investing so heavily in the stadium is so we keep Geelong playing here,” she said.
“We should get the same treatment as every other club does. If we deserve it, we should absolutely have the right to host finals in Geelong.
“I think the AFL backing us in by providing a final down here would send a really strong message that Geelong footy club is here to stay and the investment we’re making in the stadium has been worthwhile.”
Cr Harwood has also backed the bid, declaring he would “love” the Cats to play a home final in Geelong.
While he acknowledged there were issues with the stadium’s capacity — given the club’s 65,000 members — Cr Harwood said the Cats should have a major say in deciding where to play.
“If Geelong finishes in that position, they should absolutely get a home final,” he said.
Cr Harwood said a finals match in Geelong would also provide “fantastic” flow-on benefits to the town.
“Whether it’s a final or a home-and-away game, it has a huge economic impact on the region,” he said.
“Economically it’s fantastic and socially it’s great. The town comes alive, people are out wining and dining and just enjoying the atmosphere of a big event in Geelong.”
The Cats previously hosted a qualifying final in Geelong in 2013, but it was a disappointing result with the side going down to Fremantle by 15 points.
In recent years, the club has been forced to take home finals to the MCG as it faced Victorian sides with large fanbases in Richmond and Hawthorn.
But the club is lobbying the AFL for a home finals match at GMHBA Stadium if the Cats come up against an interstate side. Chief executive Brian Cook this week said the club had made its position clear to league bosses.
“We have had a chat to the AFL about it, we have presented our view and the case has been made public, and we think if we play an interstate side, we have earned the right to play (at home) against any interstate side,” he said.
AFL fixtures boss Travis Auld recently said a final in Geelong would depend on a range of factors, including whether there were multiple Victorian finals in that week.