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The Geelong era is far from over

Roar Rookie
14th July, 2014
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Roar Rookie
14th July, 2014
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When Chris Scott took the reins at Geelong following the club’s exit from the 2010 finals series at the hands of Collingwood, he was under no illusion of the task that lay ahead.

The Cats were coming off a tumultuous season off the field, where speculation about the Ablett’s future at Geelong was rife.

Geelong’s previous coach Mark Thompson and Ablett seemed to have a falling out. Post-game press conferences always came back to these issues, with an increasingly agitated Thompson refusing to speculate.

On the field, Geelong finished second but losses in the finals to St Kilda and then a hiding to eventual premiers Collingwood raised questions about their on-field future.

These were questions that only magnified when Ablett and then Thompson both left Kardinia Park. Was it possible to lose Gary Ablett and continue to contend? With an ageing list was the era over? Were the Cats bound to be a victim of the AFL equalisation policy?

Enter Chris Scott. With many writing Geelong off, Scott had a two key messages in his first press conference which lay the foundations for his time at the helm.

“The challenge clearly is to contend every year if possible but also bring through the next group of talent.” Scott was willing to make the tough calls on senior players when their time was up and develop the next wave of Geelong players. To that end, 22 debutants have been blooded under Scott’s leadership.

“The manner in which we work together is going to be the determining factor in our success in the next couple of years.” The communication breakdown between Ablett and Thompson was not to be repeated. Off field issues affect your ability to be competitive on it, and Scott wasn’t going to let that happen.

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The rest is history. After being humiliated by Collingwood in 2010, Geelong got the better of the Pies in every one of their three clashes in 2011 – the third seeing Chris Scott win a Premiership in his first year as Coach and the Cats their third Premiership in five years.

Since that Premiership in 2011, Geelong have lost many heroes. They have lost a dozen or so quality players. Losing a dozen players of that calibre in three years would likely bring a club to its knees. Not Geelong.

2012 saw the Cats finish sixth and lose their first Final to Fremantle at the MCG. Once again the end of an era was flagged. But in 2013 Geelong miraculously regenerated, finishing second after the home-and-away season and falling within a kick of making yet another grand final. The circling critics were replaced by widespread admiration – Geelong had yet again defied them and continued to challenge.

Geelong faithful were somewhat sceptical leading into 2014. After a remarkable seven year stretch, this felt like the year where the wheels might fall off. And in part, they have. Geelong sides of 2007, 2009 and 2011 didn’t fade out. They didn’t lose by big margins. They had an aura about them, where you just knew they could control the outcome with a devastating 10 minute burst.

All of which have been failed at various times throughout the year. Yet despite all that, the Cats sit fourth with six games to play. They are yet to lose in Victoria. They keep finding a way to win the close games. They are within touching distance of yet another double chance in September. Geelong fans – dare to dream.

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