O’Connor set to stay
MARK O’Connor’s “longterm vision” for his future at Geelong is all about one thing – premierships.
This is why he packed up his life six years ago to play a sport he had barely seen.
It is why he left Ireland to train through the most recent Christmas period and get into the best shape of his life before this season.
And this is why he will not be moving home anytime soon, as his commitment to the cause at Geelong is set to be locked in for the next few years.
“When the offer did come up to go to Geelong, I was kind of really keen to take that and (a premiership) has always been the goal.”
Are you looking to get in the mood for Saturday’s clash between Geelong and Port Adelaide? As Molly Meldrum used to say, do yourself a favour and check out YouTube for the round 21, 2007, ripper between the Cats and the Power.
Top of the list is a video of the frantic, final four minutes of a fabulous match.
The action starts with the Cats five points adrift of Port.
A ball-up takes place 25m out from the Geelong goal at the river end. Big Brad Ottens, on hands and knees, handpasses to Gary Ablett who weaves through four Port players and kicks one of his best goals. The crowd of 24,331 erupts as the Cats hit the front for the first time in almost an hour.
With two minutes left, Geelong sets about hanging on to the footy – and the lead – and does a very good job until Port’s Peter Burgoyne gains possession and thumps the ball inside-50.
The pack flies, Corey Enright gathers and handballs to Henry Playfair playing his one and only game for the season.
Playfair is pounced on by a Port player and the ball spills free.
Port’s Domenic Cassisi swoops on the loose ball and threads a goal with three seconds left on the clock.
The Cats’ 15-game winning streak is over.
Amid the post mortems, Playfair copped a few knocks. And talking to him this week, he said: “I beat myself up a bit after that.”
I felt for him then and I still do because he was a favourite of mine and a bunch of Cats fans who formed a group named the WAGS.
No, not those WAGS.
In this case, the acronym denoted We Are Geelong Supporters.
A pre-season dinner in 2002 saw a request made to the club for a player to attend as a special guest and chat about the Cats’ outlook for the year.
Word came back that a young draftee named Henry Playfair would be our man.
Young Henry – he’d just celebrated his 19th birthday – wandered into the function and I had the pleasure of interviewing him.
The boy from Holbrook in NSW connected immediately with the audience thanks to his down-toearth, country charm.
He shared his excitement at being drafted by Geelong revealing that his father, a red-hot Cats fan, was even more elated than him.
He was at home living in a regional town having spent the previous four years at school in Sydney, a big contrast to his first two years of secondary school at the delightfully named Billabong High.
The WAGS were smitten and we followed Playfair’s progress with great interest.
Alas, he didn’t crack it for a senior game in 2002 while developing steadily in the Cats’ VFL team, which won the premiership.
His debut came in round 15, 2003, when Geelong scored a four-point win against Richmond at Docklands.
Playfair didn’t get a kick and he was dropped immediately.
A week later, he was back in the team as a key forward and scored a goal with his second kick as the Cats lost to North Melbourne in Canberra.
He was up and running and solid seasons in 2004 and 2005 produced 17 and 20 games respectively, including four finals.
Such was his form that he was on track to play every game except for a shoulder injury in 2004 and a broken jaw in 2005.
For Playfair, the injury curse continued in 2006 and then, in 2007, the Cats decided to go with Nathan Ablett at centre half-forward.
“I played some pretty good footy in the VFL but just couldn’t break into what was a very strong senior side,” Playfair said.
That was, of course, until that round 21 thriller against Port Adelaide but, when Cameron
Ling and Joel Selwood were ready to return the following week, Playfair and David Johnson made way for the star onballers.
A month later he played in another VFL premiership and was named in the best players with good mates Tom Lonergan and Charlie Gardiner.
Soon after, the Cats suggested Playfair consider his options and he went to Sydney in 2008 where he played 16 games in three seasons before switching to coaching.
The pinnacle of his coaching efforts at Sydney was being in charge of the forwards when the Swans won the 2012 premiership.
He later spent two years at
St Kilda and had started at Carlton as head of coaching performance when Covid-19 hit.
Like all clubs, the Blues were forced to release staff, including Playfair, but don’t be surprised if he returns to the AFL scene again.
I beat myself up a bit after that. – Henry Playfair recalls the aftermath of Port snapping Geelong’s 15-game winning streak in 2007.