DOOR ‘WIDE OPEN’ FOR BIG CAT RHYS
PLUS: CAM MOONEY COLUMN RETURNS
ONE of the all-time great social nights we had as a team was when we packed into the Rheingold restaurant in central Geelong on a Saturday night in early 2006.
We were two rounds into the AFL season and were absolutely flying.
Having won the NAB Cup, we had beaten Brisbane Lions by 77 points in Round 1 and had just wiped North Melbourne by 69 points in similar style, both at Geelong.
We were top of the ladder and had 10th-placed Hawthorn the next week, also at home.
People thought we were premiership favourites. We believed it.
That was the problem.
After we showered in the rooms, we got into our fancy dress for a father-son night at that famous underground German restaurant in Malop St.
This was one of the brainchilds of Jimmy Bartel and Kent Kingsley, who were in charge of the social activities.
Fathers dressed up as their sons; sons dressed up as their fathers. We had our own roped-off area. There was a pig on the spit and we proceeded to get absolutely hammered. The mood was unreal. It was a hilarious night.
Tom Lonergan’s old man was clearly best on ground when time came for singalongs, just grabbing the mic and having everyone in stitches.
My Dad donned a blond wig with a headband. Everyone had a crack, both in dress and in true German party spirit. We would have kicked on into Geelong’s nightclubs afterwards, no doubt.
And why not? We had won six in a row when you count the four NAB Cup wins. This was our year.
Then we hit Hawthorn at Kardinia Park the next week and, as such, opened a crack that would swallow us up.
They pumped us by 52 points and Luke Hodge tore us apart.
That is the last time the Hawks have played down here.
We were probably looking ahead to playing the Western Bulldogs in Round 4, with the Dogs being a really hyped side that year too.
Little did we know when we were singing and drinking away in the Rheingold that we would win only one of our next eight games.
Alastair Clarkson brought this result up the other day during one of his press conferences. It was his second season as Hawks coach, but he remembers it well.
That was all for theatre. He won’t use that match during his preparation, but they will go to school on Geelong and GMHBA Stadium in a big way.
They have marked out Kardinia Park dimensions on their Waverley training ground and would have completed all their match-simulation training within those dimensions.
‘Clarko’ has had a solid few weeks to get his players in the frame of mind to beat the Cats.
You give a smart guy enough time to work something out, they will smash it. But if you give a genius enough time, watch out!
Once the Hawks get used to the narrow playing field, I think it will suit their defensive squeeze, denying the Cats the ability to attack through hrough the corridor.
The game will be an armwrestle, it will not be a highscoring game, though ugh it remains to be seen how much the break of almost three months hs will impact this s area.
Geelong can squeeze the ground so well and the Hawks will come prepared to combat that.
If they win, it is a shame there is nothing hing open in town at the e moment that would d allow them to go out and nd have a blinder afterwards!
Maybe that’s a good ood thing!