Joel Selwood has completed his graduation from being a premiership rookie in 2007 to a premiership captain in 2022, leading his beloved Geelong Cats to a masterclass against the Sydney Swans with a thumping 81-point Grand Final victory.
Going into this season there were some severe doubts over the Cats’ premiership aspirations after they suffered a humiliating 83-point loss to eventual premiers Melbourne in the preliminary final behind WA’s since-demolished hard borders last September.
That came nearly 11 months after the Cats were on the wrong end of a Grand Final defeat by the Richmond Football Club, and a certain man called Dustin Martin, in a historic decider played under lights at the Gabba.
Then, after Round 9 this year, many questioned whether the Cats had the desire to return to the premiership dais following a 10-point loss to St Kilda at Marvel Stadium, which put them in a precarious position at 5-4.
However, they would not lose again for the rest of the year, winning their next 15 matches to qualify for their sixth Grand Final since 2007, with Joel Selwood the only player to play in all six of them.
Their opponents, the Sydney Swans, also qualified for their sixth Grand Final since 2005 on the back of a nine-game winning streak, which included the scalps of reigning premiers Melbourne and the resurgent Collingwood (twice).
(Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The Swans’ last defeat prior to qualifying for the decider was a nine-point loss to Essendon in Round 16, after which many were ready to write them off as premiership contenders having dropped to eighth on the ladder with a 9-6 record.
It was after that defeat that they were forced to make some tweaks to their game plan for the better, eventually winning seven games in a row to finish third, followed by two finals wins over the Dees and Pies, to take their place on the biggest stage for the first time since 2016.
The premiership decider had the potential to be a classic, but it proved to be anything but as the Cats ruthlessly dominated from start to finish to claim their 10th premiership, but first since the glory days of 2007-09-11.
The Cats’ first-quarter total of 6.5 (41) was the highest in a Grand Final since 1989; ironically, the Cats were on the wrong end on that occasion as the Hawks posted 8.4 (52).
At this point there were fears that Geelong’s 119-point massacre of Port Adelaide in 2007 would be eclipsed, but to the Swans’ credit they would valiantly try to fight their way back into the match, kicking three goals in the second quarter to trail by 36 at the long break.
But any hopes of a Sydney comeback would be all but extinguished in what is typically known as the premiership quarter, with the Cats booting 6.3 (39) to just a solitary point to have the flag wrapped up by the final change of ends, with the margin at 74 points.
Five goals to four in an even final quarter completed the Cats’ masterclass, as they registered their biggest win in a Grand Final since they thrashed Port Adelaide by a record 119 points in the 2007 Grand Final, in which Joel Selwood won a premiership in his rookie season.
With the win, the 34-year-old became the first ever four-time Geelong premiership player, having previously played in their 2007, 2009 and 2011 flags in his first five years before becoming the club’s captain in 2012.
While the Cats would remain successful under his captaincy, there had been some criticism of his leadership come September every year, given the side would not qualify for another decider again until 2020, which they lost to Richmond.
However, Selwood has cast aside his and the club’s doubters in the most devastating fashion possible, and if this ends up being his final AFL game after over 350 games of service to his beloved Geelong Cats, then this was the perfect way to bow out.
There were several players who finally got to taste the ultimate success – and there are a few names to mention.
The first is Patrick Dangerfield, who became the second player (after Shane Crawford in 2008) to win a first premiership medallion after playing his 300th game and does so in his seventh year at Kardinia Park.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
He along with Rory Sloane were instrumental in lifting the Adelaide Crows from a bottom-four finish in 2011 to getting within a kick of reaching the Grand Final in 2012, but the lure of home proved too much and so left West Lakes at the end of the 2015 season.
It appeared he made the wrong decision at first when the Cats suffered a 10-goal thrashing at the hands of his old club in the 2017 preliminary final at the Adelaide Oval, but five years on, it’s him that has a premiership medallion, not Sloane or any of his other teammates.
The second is Jeremy Cameron, who kicked two goals and earned premiership redemption just three years after being part of the GWS Giants side that were so ruthlessly embarrassed by Dusty and Richmond in 2019.
As was the case with Dangerfield, home came calling at the end of the 2020 season which proved to be a challenging one for the Giants as they, along with the Swans and nine Victorian clubs, were suddenly uprooted from their home states and forced to hub in Queensland.
After an injury-interrupted first season at Kardinia Park, the Dartmoor native has become the latest ex-Giant to taste premiership glory, following in the footsteps of Tom Boyd and Jacob Townsend.
The third is Gary Rohan, who was on the Sydney Swans’ list in 2012 when they won the premiership only to miss the majority of that season due to a sickening leg injury he suffered against North Melbourne at the SCG in Round 4.
While he would play in two deciders for the Swans in 2014 and 2016, both were lost to Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs respectively, and after he crossed to the Cats at the end of 2018 played in the aforementioned 2020 decider which was lost to Richmond.
And after being part of Hawthorn’s 2013-14-15 flags, Isaac Smith also became a four-time premiership player, and also became the oldest player to win the Norm Smith Medal as the best on ground, at the age of 33.
Isaac Smith of the Cats celebrates kicking a goal. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
On the Swans side of things it was nothing but a dirty afternoon in the office as they suffered not just their heaviest defeat for the year, but also their worst-ever loss in a Grand Final, surpassing the 63-point hiding they copped from Hawthorn just eight years ago.
Days after announcing he would sign on for one more year, Lance Franklin endured one of the worst games of his career, failing to even kick a goal from five disposals as he was again found wanting on the biggest stage of all.
The decision to name Sam Reid, who suffered a groin injury in the preliminary final win against Collingwood, backfired spectacularly as he was subbed out of the match at half-time.
Braeden Campbell was the man to come into the match, but he and many other players saved their worst for last, though the notable exceptions were Chad Warner (two goals) and Luke Parker – the only remnant left from the 2012 premiership side – who tried hard all day.
In the end, rising from consecutive bottom-four finishes (15th in 2019 and 16th in 2020) with the youngest squad in the AFL proved a bridge too far against a seasoned Geelong Cats side which fielded the oldest side ever with an average age of 28 years and 206 days.
It was John Longmire’s third Grand Final defeat as a coach, while it was also third time unlucky for Don Pyke, who was an assistant coach at the West Coast Eagles when they lost to Hawthorn in 2015, and was coach of the Adelaide Crows when they lost to Richmond in 2017.
It now remains to be seen how the Swans bounce back from their Grand Final debacle, and with Buddy going on for one final season (with the expectation that Luke Parker will also continue on) the fire in the belly will burn.
To finish off, congratulations to the Geelong Football Club, who have won their 10th premiership and fourth this century, with a masterclass for the ages.
A special congratulations goes to Joel Selwood, who has become the club’s first four-time premiership player and has completed a premiership graduation not many have achieved – from being their youngest player in their 2007 side to the oldest in their 2022 side.
If that ends up being his final AFL game, then what a way to bow out of the game. But the question is – will he play on in 2023, or do a Cameron Smith and announce his retirement before the start of next season proper?
Commiserations to the Sydney Swans, who had an otherwise magnificent season but will have six months to dwell and ponder what exactly could’ve been, after they were again found wanting on the biggest stage of them all.
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