while we are in offseason memory mode one that sticks fair in my mind is this classic...
I was at the 93 shootout - lll be honest, and go against the grain, I didn't actually think I was witnessing any thing out of the ordinary! weird...maybe I was still wet behind ear.
the 01 comeback was of course, out of the ordinary, as was the Lloyd 10, Carey 14 game.. or whatever it was... and the 01 prelim, all games that have stuck with me but the 96 centenary game ranks right up as one of my favs.
There was a buzz about town this week, and night - the whole game of footy was in celebration mode - there were gala balls on the g, there were docos being shown, everyone in the game was up and about.
We played Geelong in the same spot we had 100 years earlier - came out in the traditional gear, the old hats, the mock up string jumpers... it was a lighthearted start to what would amount to be a very competitive game. You could just hear Sheedy in the rooms saying, history, this is history - we. do. not. lose this match.
We had a good team in 96 - possibly flag favorites - we won the pre season kick about and had the gold cup in our sights. (needless to say 2 1 point final loses, including the prelim after the final put paid to all this)
Mercuri was in his pure silk mode, Hird was sprightly and unencumbered by weight, we still had the core of the old guard 93 but some newer kids coming in, the Cocky, Cummings, might have even been Scott Lucas first game, Lloyd was fresh in too.
Geelong shot out of the blocks fast - they had 4 goals on the board before we even woke up!! We worked back into it as the quarter went on, Cummings kicked a couple and we briefly hit the lead before going in at qt scores level again.
Second quarter we shot out, got a couple of goal lead, Bewick hit the score board, was revving the crowd up in his 150th game, first back from a knee reco. Mercuri was everywhere, at his sublime best, a gorgeous spin thru traffic and goal in the pocket was his now signature move. We went into HT a goal up, Bewick and Cummings had 3, Hird and Mercuri where everywhere.
Geelong again gained the ascendancy in the third quarter, it was goal for goal in a free flowing attractive game of football, the beers were flowing way too fast in the top deck of the southern stand, so much so I dropped a 4 pack on my way back to my seat. Booooo sings the crowd. 3 qtr time in a ding dong affair, Bewick has 4, Cummings 4 - Geelong now lead by a kick and look like running away with it..
Enter one of those last quarters - the crowd was up, Moon was up and 3 quarters smashed, Bewick took the bull by the horns to kick 5 last quarter goals, and NINE STRIGHT in his comeback from a knee reco in his 150th game, in the same game Michael Long did his knee in a freak kicking accident.
Bewick was everywhere!, including one amazing goal in the pocket where he neglected to handball to a free Scott Cummings, whilst dodging and evading 3 defenders before snapping truly from the pocket!! A frazzled commentator Malcolm Blight didn't know what to say.."OH, THE BO-EWICK IS ON FIRE!"
we reeled off 6 goals in 8 minutes to blow the game apart, just carving through the middle of the MCG at will as the Geelong resistance dropped away.
final score
Ess 22.11.143
Gee 17.12.114
what a game, what a night.
I was at the 93 shootout - lll be honest, and go against the grain, I didn't actually think I was witnessing any thing out of the ordinary! weird...maybe I was still wet behind ear.
the 01 comeback was of course, out of the ordinary, as was the Lloyd 10, Carey 14 game.. or whatever it was... and the 01 prelim, all games that have stuck with me but the 96 centenary game ranks right up as one of my favs.
There was a buzz about town this week, and night - the whole game of footy was in celebration mode - there were gala balls on the g, there were docos being shown, everyone in the game was up and about.
We played Geelong in the same spot we had 100 years earlier - came out in the traditional gear, the old hats, the mock up string jumpers... it was a lighthearted start to what would amount to be a very competitive game. You could just hear Sheedy in the rooms saying, history, this is history - we. do. not. lose this match.
We had a good team in 96 - possibly flag favorites - we won the pre season kick about and had the gold cup in our sights. (needless to say 2 1 point final loses, including the prelim after the final put paid to all this)
Mercuri was in his pure silk mode, Hird was sprightly and unencumbered by weight, we still had the core of the old guard 93 but some newer kids coming in, the Cocky, Cummings, might have even been Scott Lucas first game, Lloyd was fresh in too.
Geelong shot out of the blocks fast - they had 4 goals on the board before we even woke up!! We worked back into it as the quarter went on, Cummings kicked a couple and we briefly hit the lead before going in at qt scores level again.
Second quarter we shot out, got a couple of goal lead, Bewick hit the score board, was revving the crowd up in his 150th game, first back from a knee reco. Mercuri was everywhere, at his sublime best, a gorgeous spin thru traffic and goal in the pocket was his now signature move. We went into HT a goal up, Bewick and Cummings had 3, Hird and Mercuri where everywhere.
Geelong again gained the ascendancy in the third quarter, it was goal for goal in a free flowing attractive game of football, the beers were flowing way too fast in the top deck of the southern stand, so much so I dropped a 4 pack on my way back to my seat. Booooo sings the crowd. 3 qtr time in a ding dong affair, Bewick has 4, Cummings 4 - Geelong now lead by a kick and look like running away with it..
Enter one of those last quarters - the crowd was up, Moon was up and 3 quarters smashed, Bewick took the bull by the horns to kick 5 last quarter goals, and NINE STRIGHT in his comeback from a knee reco in his 150th game, in the same game Michael Long did his knee in a freak kicking accident.
Bewick was everywhere!, including one amazing goal in the pocket where he neglected to handball to a free Scott Cummings, whilst dodging and evading 3 defenders before snapping truly from the pocket!! A frazzled commentator Malcolm Blight didn't know what to say.."OH, THE BO-EWICK IS ON FIRE!"
we reeled off 6 goals in 8 minutes to blow the game apart, just carving through the middle of the MCG at will as the Geelong resistance dropped away.
final score
Ess 22.11.143
Gee 17.12.114
what a game, what a night.
