LOUDEST ROAR
FANS RALLY FOR FINALS CATFIGHT
GARY Ayres remembers clearly the noise that reverberated around Waverley Park in the final quarter of the 1995 preliminary final.
Geelong was holding a 63point lead over Richmond going into the fourth term and 70,321 fans from both clubs knew their team’s fate had been sealed.
There was no coming back for the Tigers and the Cats coach and his team in the box could only sit back and listen as supporters from both clubs became boisterous.
“I will always remember, we had control of the game and a lot of our supporters were aware we were going into another grand final, and Richmond fans knew they were being eliminated but they started what was like a soccer chant,” Ayres recalled.
“The Geelong supporters then exchanged that with their chant and having the coach’s box out in the supporters’ area at Waverley, the window was open and it was just a really unforgettable moment.
“It emanated so loudly and as one supporter base got louder the other would try to drain out the other. The supporters were going toe-totoe, so it was quite remarkable really.”
That match is the last time Geelong and Richmond met in a final and the Cats 89-point win saw them reach a fourth grand final in seven seasons.
A week earlier, 88,308 people turned out to watch the Tigers come from 30 points down at halftime to overcome Essendon by 13 points.
It was a hot afternoon and the MCG was bathed in sunlight, and Nick Daffy’s 21 possessions and two goals helped Richmond advance to its date with Geelong.
But conditions at Waverley Park were far different: it was a wet, heavy track, and the Cats’ experienced, big-bodied midfield was always going to make life tough for the cubs.
Daffy had enjoyed a breakout year, and said while it was disappointing his team could not make the big dance that year, he would never forget the applause from the Tiger faithful towards the end of the preliminary final.
“The last quarter, all you could hear was the chants of the Richmond crowd,” he said.
“The fact we got that far, the Richmond supporters still were chanting right until the end even though we were getting beaten by 10 goals.
“I think all of the excitement from the week before when we beat Essendon got washed away and the bigger bodies of Geelong took control from the start.”
After defeating Footscray by 82 points two weeks earlier, Geelong went into the grand final against Carlton having kicked 44 goals to 16 in two finals, and Ayres concedes confidence was sky high.
“I think we were able to come out of that game with some good confidence,” he said. “We played the way we wanted to play and had no injuries, so we were going into the grand final the best way possible.”
History tells us the Cats would lose by 61 points — its fifth consecutive grand final loss — but for 22 years their fans have had the last — and loudest — laugh over their Richmond counterparts.