James Kelly, Jimmy Bartel and Joel Corey of the Cats celebrate their win in the AFL 2nd Preliminary Final match between the Geelong Cats and the West Coast Eagles at the MCG, Melbourne. Slattery Images
As a die-hard Collingwood supporter, Saturday’s result was hard to swallow. But that is now in the past. The best team prevailed, but the time has come, already, to look towards 2012.
Also hard to swallow is the notion that the mighty Geelong Cats may not be done quite yet.
We can write off the Cats at our peril even with up to four of their stalwarts departing.
You need only look at the situation twelve months ago to understand why.
Of Cameron Mooney, Darren Milburn, Brad Ottens, Cameron Ling and David Wojcinski, the first two have hung up their boots, and at least one of the latter three is likely to follow suit.
Mooney and Milburn had limited game-time in their final season, with Allen Christensen, Travis Varcoe and Andrew Mackie emerging as the future, so it is hardly as if the club will be clutching at straws for replacements come round one next season.
Ottens has ready-made replacements in Trent West and Nathan Vardy, so that department is covered, and while Ling and Wojcinski will be sorely missed, the Cats have plenty of reserve to call upon.
They will also regain young gun, Daniel Menzel, in the latter half of next season, and suddenly it looks as though Geelong will be hanging around the top of the ladder, for at least another twelve months.
Matthew Scarlett has flagged his intentions to retire at the end of next season, and Paul Chapman, Corey Enright and Joel Corey won’t be any younger.
Perhaps their desire to go out as back-to-back premiers, something which has eluded the club despite their unparalled success, will drive them to continue the legacy.
Then again, perhaps it won’t, and the first Saturday in October probably turned out to be Geelong’s last hurrah.
But we might as well turn ourselves over to a mental institution and don a straitjacket, if we were to believe this!
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