2009 GRAND FINAL
Saturday in September. Max Rooke set the scene for the Cats with a crunching tackle on an unsuspecting Raph Clarke inside the first few minutes of the game but the Saints led at quarter time, at which point Mark Thompson made the call to switch Jimmy Bartel on to Lenny Hayes, who had dominated the early proceedings. Bartel would go on to nullify Hayes’ influence on the contest and lay 16 tackles, while Paul Chapman booted three goals, including the matchwinner after a toe poke from Matthew Scarlett that garnered global attention. A year on from losing the unthinkable, Geelong had its second flag in three years. A year later, St Kilda would endure yet more heartache with a drawn Grand Final backed up by a 56-point loss to Collingwood.
THE second meeting of the season after the 2009 Grand Final saw Geelong start well, with Travis Varcoe kicking two first quarter goals to give Geelong an early lead. But St Kilda recovered through Brendon Goddard and Nick Riewoldt to lead at quarter-time, and when Stephen Milne booted three goals in the second quarter the Saints had a 20-point halftime advantage. With the rain coming down after the main break, the Saints looked home when Leigh Montagna scored to give his team a 33-point lead. But the Cats registered five goals in the third term to bridge the gap. A last quarter scrap ensued, and Geelong fans thought their team was across the line when Cameron Ling kicked a goal with a minute to play, only to realise that umpire Matt Stevic had paid a free kick against Cameron Mooney for pushing James Gwilt in the back. Mooney’s words to Stevic — “You just lost us the game” — were picked up on the umpire’s microphone and broadcast by Channel 7, and spoke to the emotion of the tight finish.