COVE’S COLUMN
STEVIE WONDER
GEELONG has lost three preliminary finals since their last Grand Final appearance in 2011.
It wasn’t fun watching the Cats succumb to Hawthorn (2013), Sydney Swans (2016) and Adelaide (2017) by ever-increasing margins.
Adding to the disappointment was the fact that Geelong finished second on the ladder in each of those years fuelling expectations of advancing to the Grand Final and, ultimately, a premiership or three.
As this column has carried a positive tone throughout the season, let’s move on from the defeats.
Come with me instead to the 2011 preliminary final when the Cats accounted for the West Coast Eagles on their way to a third flag in five years.
To set the scene, let’s recall that Geelong finished the home-and-away season in second spot on the ladder with 19 wins, one less than the top side and reigning premier Collingwood.
The Cats were on a mission to rectify the previous year’s capitulation to the Magpies in the preliminary final and their failed bid to become back-toback premiers.
The 2011 flag quest started with a second qualifying final encounter with fierce rival Hawthorn on a Friday night at the MCG.
The Hawks led early but the Cats swung into action after half-time and, in one scintillating burst, kicked four goals in six minutes in the third quarter before going right on with the business to record a comfortable 31-point victory.
The only lowlight was the serious knee injury suffered by emerging star Daniel Menzel who had kicked Geelong’s first two goals to follow on from his brilliant Round 24 display which netted five goals and three Brownlow votes. Four days short of his 20th birthday, Menzel did not play again until Round 22, 2015 due to a series of knee reconstructions.
Another knee injury grabbed the headlines a fortnight later when Geelong faced West Coast in the preliminary final, this time the casualty was mercurial half-forward Steve Johnson.
The Cats, coming off the break earned by winning their first final, were fresh and raring to go unlike the recent “curse of the bye” teams. They kicked 5.7 to 2.4 in the first quarter and were in control of the game.
By half-time the margin was out to 25 points and fans were making plans for Grand Final day. It was also the signal for Stevie J to produce a trademark party trick as he snapped Geelong’s first goal for the third term.
Minutes later, as he fired off a handpass in the centre square, he was tackled by a West Coast opponent and his left knee buckled underneath him.
“Initially when I suffered the injury I thought that I was gone for all money because the pain was excruciating… I could see my kneecap sitting a couple of inches away from the centre of my knee,” Johnson said later.
He was screaming in pain as he was driven from the MCG on a cart and Geelong fans feared the worst including yours truly.
But I couldn’t have felt worse than the man standing beside me in the Jim Stynes Room: Johnson’s father Terry.
We were enjoying the Cats’ frolic and a frothy thanks to our host the late Peter Burnett whose favourite player happened to be the Geelong No. 20. In fact, such a favourite that many people used to refer to Stevie J as Burnett’s love child.
What a situation! Anyway, I summoned an MCC attendant and asked him to take Mr Johnson down to the rooms so he could check on his son.
The match continued and Geelong extended the lead to almost 10 goals at three-quarter time but our excitement was tempered by Johnson’s injury.
Next thing, Terry J walked backed into the room with a slight grin. “How’s Steve?” Burnett and I chorused.
“Yeah, no worries. It’s his kneecap but they’ve popped it back in. He’ll be right,” Terry declared. “Let’s have a beer.”
As we sipped that beer, Stevie J emerged from the race and made his way to the bench to loud applause from the crowd. They were the first steps on his road to playing in the Grand Final.
The will-he or won’t-he play story is well-documented but I was always confident that he would play because his dad Terry had already told me so.
The final word belongs to the champ himself: “Of the three premierships that we won, that one is the most enjoyable and rewarding because I thought that I had lost the opportunity to play in it.”
Tomorrow night, the 2019 Cats also have an opportunity. Let’s hope they take it.