New breed of Cat heroes
YOUNG CATS ON CUSP OF GRAND FINAL GLORY
THE last time Geelong brought the AFL premiership cup back to Kardinia Park, Jack Henry was among swarms of kids in the crowd wearing Joel Selwood’s No 14 on his back.
On Saturday, he’ll run onto the Gabba alongside the Geelong skipper seeking to claim the club’s 10th premiership.
Henry grew up in Newtown, just 500m from Kardinia Park.
The reserve was like his second home. He did Auskick there with St Mary’s before graduating to junior footy, and was a regular at Cats games in the afternoons or at night.
He phoned home this week to chat to his parents ahead of the biggest football game of his life and received the same pep talk his dad delivered before that first Auskick outing.
“I just told him ‘Good luck, do your best and have fun. Embrace the whole thing and have fun’,” Brendan Henry said.
While Jack Henry was rising at St Mary's, rivals St Joseph’s had Sam Simpson coming through the ranks.
The boys were at the Geelong Falcons together before being taken by Geelong in the rookie draft of 2016.
Both 22, they now share lockers next to each other at Kardinia Park, and are preparing for their maiden grand final, which will be Henry’s 66th and Simpson’s 15th AFL game.
Like his dad Sean did in the 1990s, Simpson wears No 37 for Geelong.
It’s no secret that Sean’s teammates from the 1992 grand final, Andrew Bews and Gary Ablett Sr, also have sons lining up for the Cats tomorrow.
“I speak to those boys most weeks,” Sean said.
“There’s usually a bit of banter flying around. Gary always tells me he hopes Sam is a better kick than I was.
“Geelong has been blessed with father-son products over the years. We also have Tom Hawkins. I never played with his dad, Jack, but he’s a very solid citizen; a great bloke.”
Sean points to the fact Henry has played 51 games more than his boy as evidence of Geelong’s patient approach with Sam.
“I’m really proud of what Sam’s been able to do. It’s a real credit to Geelong’s system and the way they develop kids,” Sean said.
“Sam had just got into the team this year, then he missed four or six weeks with a hamstring injury, and it looked like he would struggle to get back in.
“I know a few of the parents went north early and got into Queensland through the Northern Territory. If I’d known what was going to happen at the time I definitely would’ve done that. I wish I’d had that foresight.”
He’ll watch the game with family in Ballarat, while Brendan and Karen Henry will watch at their home under the shadows of GMHBA Stadium’s light towers.
On Friday they drove to Bendigo as Jack’s younger brother Ollie, 18, pushed for AFL selection in trials for this year’s draft.
It was emotional scenes in the Henry house last week when Jack stepped on to the Gabba for the preliminary final in a black arm band to honour his “Poppy” Ken Edwards — Karen’s father —
who passed away in the days leading up to the game.
He had an influential game, and even drifted forward to slot a rare goal.
“He was definitely playing for him,” Brendan Henry said.
“When he took that mark and kicked the goal then looked up to the sky we knew what that was for. It was a very emotional moment, and our phones started going crazy straight away.”
If the Cats get a win Saturday, and coronavirus restrictions eventually lift, Brendan hopes to stroll down to his local oval to see the Cats premiership team introduced to the masses, just as he did with his boys in 2007, ’09 and ’11. The only difference would be this time Jack would be on the stage not running around on the oval.
“Those three grand finals are the only three he’s ever been to, this week’s will be his fourth, so we’re hoping that’s a good omen,” the proud dad said.