Geelong celebrates (what do we do with a drunken sailor?)
Cameron Mooney hangs off the back of the pack, seemingly out of the contest. The ball spills into his hands, he turns and goals, his 3rd for the last quarter. For a second he doesn’t know what to do, he is still, then, a silent scream, a fist pump and Andrew Mackie leaping into his arms like a bride ready to be taken across the threshold. Geelong Football Club, 2006 premiers: It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Sure, I left out an important word there, namely ‘pre-season’, but they won. They won something. And that means something. As Mrs. Watson said to a friend after the game, “You don’t know what it’s like barracking for this club.” And there it is.
There’s something different about this team, something that was on display Saturday night. Never mind that the game was played in Adelaide, one of the hardest places to win for any club. Or the fact the Adelaide had, the week before, made a pretty good Melbourne side look pretty ordinary. And don’t count the 8 or so players Geelong had missing, or the in game injury to Cameron Ling. Don’t worry about all those things, because the players don’t.
People will talk down the pre-season win, and they’re probably right, it’s not all that important in the grand scheme of the season proper. But what is important is the way they won. And besides, Channel 10 did a pretty good job of talking it down already.
All through the night the talk was about Adelaide. When Geelong did something well, it was because of an Adelaide mistake. When the Geelong defence repelled another attack, it was Adelaide wasting opportunities. And when Geelong won, well, it was Adelaide that had lost. In the final minutes, Anthony Hudson, a Geelong supporter, had obviously had enough, leading to this exchange with Robert Walls:
Walls: They’ve lost the unlosable game, Adelaide.
Hudson: Why?
Walls: Well, the bookmakers thought it was; $3.60 (for Geelong) against $1.28.
Hudson: You might be talking through your pocket there, Wallsy.
Which, in Hudson’s and other Geelong fans minds, read like this:
Walls: They’ve lost the unlosable game, Adelaide.
Hudson: Why?
Walls: Well, the bookmakers thought it was; $3.60 against $1.28.
Hudson: Blow it out your arse, Wallsy.
(You know Channel 10 is struggling with commentators when I’m left to defend Hudson, a pre-pubescent version of Bruce McAvaney. Speaking of Bruce, aren’t we all looking forward to next year? Hopefully Channel 7 teams him up with Wayne Carey because Bruce will be that far up Wayne’s arse he’ll be able to conduct a half-time colonoscopy on ‘the duck’. “I’ve found something in here King, it looks special.”)
And so before we move on to the season proper, here are a few quick notes and congratulations on the game: Geelong’s best included the usual suspects in the midfield, Jimmy Bartel, Paul Chapman, Corey Enright and Joel Corey… The Michael Tuck medal is a joke, Simon Goodwin? Maybe, in true Tuck fashion, it is awarded to the player who should have retired 3 years ago… Brett ‘birdman’ Burton will now forever be referred to as ‘the budgie’… Gary Ablett Jnr’s tenacity around the packs led to The Lady Captain saying, ‘He’s like an angry puppy who doesn’t want the other dogs to get his ball’… Special mention to Jarrad Rooke for smothering a certain goal late in the 3rd quarter… Geelong are a pretty deep team this year, Prismall, Lonergan, Spencer & Slade all gained some valuable experience but will struggle to remain in the one’s… Late in the 4th quarter, an Adelaide player’s super-goal attempt, which would have given them the lead, hit the post and stayed in play. Perhaps the surest sign it was Geelong’s night… Despite what the Skyhooks may have you believe, Egan is NOT a dirty word… Great pre-season from Kane Tenace, although he still can’t kick… Cam Mooney, 3 last quarter goals, what else is there to say but GOLD… Apparently there was free beer at the George & Dragon on Sunday, let’s just hope Kent dusted off the old Sailor Suit.
Coming Soon: The Captain & Mrs. Watson’s season preview for all 16 teams.
Cameron Mooney hangs off the back of the pack, seemingly out of the contest. The ball spills into his hands, he turns and goals, his 3rd for the last quarter. For a second he doesn’t know what to do, he is still, then, a silent scream, a fist pump and Andrew Mackie leaping into his arms like a bride ready to be taken across the threshold. Geelong Football Club, 2006 premiers: It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Sure, I left out an important word there, namely ‘pre-season’, but they won. They won something. And that means something. As Mrs. Watson said to a friend after the game, “You don’t know what it’s like barracking for this club.” And there it is.There’s something different about this team, something that was on display Saturday night. Never mind that the game was played in Adelaide, one of the hardest places to win for any club. Or the fact the Adelaide had, the week before, made a pretty good Melbourne side look pretty ordinary. And don’t count the 8 or so players Geelong had missing, or the in game injury to Cameron Ling. Don’t worry about all those things, because the players don’t.
People will talk down the pre-season win, and they’re probably right, it’s not all that important in the grand scheme of the season proper. But what is important is the way they won. And besides, Channel 10 did a pretty good job of talking it down already.
All through the night the talk was about Adelaide. When Geelong did something well, it was because of an Adelaide mistake. When the Geelong defence repelled another attack, it was Adelaide wasting opportunities. And when Geelong won, well, it was Adelaide that had lost. In the final minutes, Anthony Hudson, a Geelong supporter, had obviously had enough, leading to this exchange with Robert Walls:
Walls: They’ve lost the unlosable game, Adelaide.Hudson: Why?
Walls: Well, the bookmakers thought it was; $3.60 (for Geelong) against $1.28.
Hudson: You might be talking through your pocket there, Wallsy.
Which, in Hudson’s and other Geelong fans minds, read like this:
Walls: They’ve lost the unlosable game, Adelaide.
Hudson: Why?
Walls: Well, the bookmakers thought it was; $3.60 against $1.28.
Hudson: Blow it out your arse, Wallsy.
(You know Channel 10 is struggling with commentators when I’m left to defend Hudson, a pre-pubescent version of Bruce McAvaney. Speaking of Bruce, aren’t we all looking forward to next year? Hopefully Channel 7 teams him up with Wayne Carey because Bruce will be that far up Wayne’s arse he’ll be able to conduct a half-time colonoscopy on ‘the duck’. “I’ve found something in here King, it looks special.”)
And so before we move on to the season proper, here are a few quick notes and congratulations on the game: Geelong’s best included the usual suspects in the midfield, Jimmy Bartel, Paul Chapman, Corey Enright and Joel Corey… The Michael Tuck medal is a joke, Simon Goodwin? Maybe, in true Tuck fashion, it is awarded to the player who should have retired 3 years ago… Brett ‘birdman’ Burton will now forever be referred to as ‘the budgie’… Gary Ablett Jnr’s tenacity around the packs led to The Lady Captain saying, ‘He’s like an angry puppy who doesn’t want the other dogs to get his ball’… Special mention to Jarrad Rooke for smothering a certain goal late in the 3rd quarter… Geelong are a pretty deep team this year, Prismall, Lonergan, Spencer & Slade all gained some valuable experience but will struggle to remain in the one’s… Late in the 4th quarter, an Adelaide player’s super-goal attempt, which would have given them the lead, hit the post and stayed in play. Perhaps the surest sign it was Geelong’s night… Despite what the Skyhooks may have you believe, Egan is NOT a dirty word… Great pre-season from Kane Tenace, although he still can’t kick… Cam Mooney, 3 last quarter goals, what else is there to say but GOLD… Apparently there was free beer at the George & Dragon on Sunday, let’s just hope Kent dusted off the old Sailor Suit.
Coming Soon: The Captain & Mrs. Watson’s season preview for all 16 teams.
posted by the captain at 12:48 pm
2 Comments:
i think Jarred Rook played the best on field, go catters! Scarlett was shit but he gets his mug in every photo with the cup. My girlfriend says he has the clap but she's a bit mad and drinks loads of cider she'll show you her tits but hand her a fiver.
I am with you on this one Captain & Watson. Noone knows, unless you are a Geelong supporter, how huge this win was for the club and for the town. Growing up watching this team play through the unbelievable "Mighty Blighty" era, with players such as the spectacular Bruce Linda (I will never forget a mark he took down at Kardinia park, where he rose above the stands from ground level), Gary Abblet, Hocking, Couch, Stonham and Brownless, just to name a few, and having never come away with a flag from 4 grand finals, is heart breaking. This win will shake off those ghosts and I believe us Geelong supporters can go another 10 years without killing ourselves.
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