THE CATS WITH PACE TO BURN
SPEED rules in footy 2021. Half-back flankers are dashing through the middle of the ground and the fleet o’ foot player is very much back in vogue.
Meanwhile, Geelong is off the pace, retaining a preference for chipping the ball around and keeping possession. This is out of step with the Cats playing the game “as it should be played” thanks, historically, to boasting their share of runners and smart movers.
The best of the lot was
Jack Grant, a member of the 1937 premiership team and the Stawell Gift winner in 1938.
Grant’s efforts were brought to my attention by Bob Davis, himself a running machine who earned the nickname the Geelong Flyer after the express train that travelled from Melbourne to Geelong.
Davis wasn’t just the fastest Geelong player, he was probably the quickest in the game, producing powerful bursts of speed.
“I was born with the ability to run fast and I was quicker than most players,” Davis once said,
“In one stride I was going full bore. There weren’t many who could match me over
15 or 20 metres.”
Bob’s playing career was before my viewing time so I’ll have to take him at his word.
However, I have seen the following:
The quickest I’ve seen, he started as a rover but turned into a speedy premiership wingman. Off the field, sprint coach Arthur Edgerton guided Polinelli to victory in the 1966 Bendigo Gift before finishing second to Bill Howard in the Stawell Gift a few weeks later. All while partaking of the occasional puff on a pipe.
Another Edgerton protégé who enhanced his natural nippiness working with the running maestro. Stab passes to Doug Wade while bursting from the centre are indelibly etched in the memory.
Fast forward 40 years and ‘Wojo’ excited crowds whenever he turned on the afterburners to ignite the Cats off a half-back flank.
Throw this pair into the mix with Wojcinski and you have the players who make the difference when grand finals are on the line. Byrnes’ speed, in particular, helped break open the game in Geelong’s favour in the final term of the 2009 decider.
Another pair with pace to burn on their respective wings.
Lovely to watch in top flight as he streamed forward and goaled on the run. Ricco’s record of 288 games and 286 goals is top-shelf stuff.
Combined plenty of toe, evasive skills and quick thinking to beat his opponents on the way to topping the goalkicking list at Geelong five times.
Makes another list and for good reason. The high marks, long kicks and sheer physicality are always first recalled but Ablett was also quick off the mark and hit top speed in rapid time.
Joined Geelong in 1980 when Bill Goggin, his mentor at Geelong West, was appointed coach of the Cats. Brought a new dimension to the team with his pace, aggression and goalkicking ability in just 48 games.
The two quickest among the current crop. The former’s run through the middle supporting Jack Henry and then kicking a goal on Easter Monday was electrifying. Let’s hope we see more of it.