They dominated the inside 50s. They had more scoring shots. They’d had the better season, but couldn’t get it done on the big stage. And even though I could be talking about St Kilda here, I’m not. I’m talking about Geelong in last year’s grand final.

The Cats had 20 more inside 50s than Hawthorn last year. They had 34 scoring shots. The weather conditions were perfect for footy. Yet they finished with 11 goals and a whopping 23 behinds.

This year was all about redeeming themselves from that loss.

In an ironic way, they did that. On Saturday, Geelong – in the first half especially – were getting dominated in the inside 50s statistic. They didn’t have the most shots on goal, either.

But there was one area of difference that proved crucial. They managed to – not wanting to get overly technical or anything – kick the ball in between the two big sticks.

Fittingly, thanks to Max Rooke’s major after the siren, the Cats finished with one goal more than they did against the Hawks. And this was in far more atrocious conditions and in a low-scoring game, remember.

Not that any of this should take away from St Kilda’s performance, of course. There’s a reason why they were able to send the ball to their forwards more often.

They applied defensive pressure all over the ground and got brilliant output from guys like Jason Gram (30 possessions) and Lenny Hayes (18 contested possessions) as well as a host of others.

They definitely were worthy of being there on grand final day. In fact, in a lot of other years, efforts like that would have been enough to get over the line.

For Geelong, however, the task of attaining redemption for their poor showing last year is complete.

To come out of this three-year stretch with just one premiership to their name would have cruelly deprived them of a significant place in history.

They got the job done, but it wasn’t easy. The Saints led going into quarter time thanks in part to the actions of Hayes. The star midfielder racked up 11 possessions and five clearances in the first term, which was enough to overcome the Cats’ strong start to the game.

In the second quarter, the Saints saw a lot of it again. They won the inside 50s for the quarter 18-8, but couldn’t capitalize as their five behinds – as well as Stephen Milne’s dribble attempt that didn’t make it – meant both sides finished with four goals for the term.

The small forward trio of Milne, Adam Schneider and Andrew McQualter combined for a total of six behinds in the match. Schneider was the only goal-kicker out of the three. Had they been more effective, it could’ve been a whole different ball game.

There was plenty of controversy in the second, too. Tom Hawkins was awarded six points for a shot that was later revealed to have hit the post. At the other end, the Saints got a double goal after Darren Milburn was penalized for “demonstrative abuse” of an umpire.

Thankfully, the two incidents somewhat cancelled each other out and they didn’t end up deciding the game.

In the second half, the goals dried up and the contest became a true arm-wrestle. The third quarter featured a staggering ten-minute stretch where scores remained level. The Saints entered the final term with a seven-point lead.

Only three goals were scored in the fourth quarter, and all went to Geelong. Hawkins’ set shot laid the foundation, but it wasn’t until late that the match-winner came.

Matthew Scarlett’s neat little toe-poke in the centre square set up space for Gary Ablett, who managed to send it deep into the forward line. The ball spilled, Travis Varcoe mopped it up and dished it off. Chapman was on the end of it.

He turned. He snapped. And he put it through the big sticks.

The Cats ran it out, ultimately winning by 12 points. The premiership was theirs.

For St Kilda, their brilliant season wasn’t rewarded with September glory. It was a heartbreaking loss. Their attention now turns to next year and the possibility that they, too, can bounce back and go one better.

For Geelong, they are redeemed.

Not just from last year, but even from the criticism that amassed as this year rolled on. They were written off in some quarters because they started to lose a few games and were only able to just grind it out when they won. Injuries meant players were coming in and out of the side constantly.

The truth was that after a top two spot was assured, the Cats had bigger fish to fry. All their planning went towards winning on Saturday. And all that planning got the ultimate reward.

As Tom Harley said, “two out of three’s a pretty good effort.”

Follow Michael on twitter @mdifabrizio

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