Universal Love Most Exciting/Happiest Time as a Geelong Supporter

[Marcus DuQuesne]

The premierships are on a different level but like a lot of other posters it was all about the game when i was a kid

We were always in the queue at Geelong when the gates opened with Dad and my uncle between them they had 2 milk creates for me and my brother sandwiches made by mum and a thermus of coffee we would buy a record (when they were $2 instead of $5) & always setup just behind the 2-3 rows of wooden seats.

Though you didn't know the people around you by name you knew that they were there for the same reason you were.

The VFL Curtain raiser or Falcons game would be on and i would be looking at the record for the players in the 2nds/VFL who could step up or if it was the Falcons who could we draft.

Half time would come and the Senior team would be out looking around at the conditions mostly it would be the midfield (Couch Buddha & Toby Bairstow) would hardly ever see Gary Snr - I don't think he believed in checking conditions, he would just dominate.

As soon as the 2nd half started in the 2's then you would know what sort of crowd would be in as the back of standing room in the left forward pocket at the City end Under the old scoreboard would be filling fast.

3 quarter time was a good time to be alive hot chocolate would be purchased for my brother and I. The curtain raiser would finish and then the cheer squad would could out with the banner it was then you knew that the waiting was worth it.

The Banner would be raised and the Cats would burst though to a rousing rendition of We are Geelong from the outer (trust me nothing has changed)

Id jump up and down on my Crate waiting to see which end we would kick too in the 1st quarter asking Dad how many he thought Gazza would kick.

Our Captain would always win the toss and kick to the old hickey stand end (The Geelong Cheer Squad was parked behind the City End Goals.

The Siren would sound and you would always take note of who Gazza & Billy were playing on as well as watching out for any fracas that might start don't think i was ever more excited at a game when a knew that Gazza was on the field you just knew something would happen.

When i was young (Late 80's) Gazza would be playing HFF or wing and just making things looks ridiculous - I was so young i thought everybody could do those things, little did i realize and what was happening on the field was stuff that I would be able to tell my own kids about

As the game went on you would hear things that young ears are not supposed to.

There were cheers for Marks taken by Billy and goals kicked by every Geelong player but the noise i loved most from the crowd was.........BALLLL!!!!
On most occasions by quarter time the Cats wouldn't be dominating but would be in the game

The rest of the game would just be an experience for the senses; the sights, smells and sounds of a game @ Kardinia Park were something to be remembered and hopefully you would get to see Gazza kick a bag or stand on the full backs head just to complete an awesome day.


Writing this today brings back memories as I took my 4 year old son (Joel named after our skipper) to KP last week. We might have seats now and it's a little more comfortable watching a game but the sounds haven't changed and hopefully his love for the Cats is never diminished. Gazza Snr gave me a few memories when I was a kid that i'll never forget and as Little Gazza was streaming through the centre of the ground to kick that goal last week I hope that is something my son can remember in years to come.

$2 for a record what a rip off...15 cents in my day and i think that was an increase from a shilling. We kept them all with the glossy finals records but the old man threw them all out when he retired along with all my 1960s footy cards the rotten old prick.

 

[lionbear]

In my time as a Geelong supporter, which is sadly post 2011, taking away the 2007 Grand Final (Which Rank second behind 2001 as enjoyable football moments). My greatest moment to date has to be when Smith missed the goal after the siren in the 2016 Qualifying Final to give us victory.

 

[fallout11]

Have many gr8 memories as a cat's supporter,

The best would be in no order;

Being lucky enough to be at the G for the 07 GF...after the game catching up with a couple of fellow cats supporters just outside the G, started to sing the song and then had to stop as about a dozen random catters came sprinting over to join in and then we all SCREAMED our anthem!! As me and my mate started walking to Jolimont you could hear we are geelong all the time from all directions...

Watching Gabeltt Snr kick a 100 at the g.

Watching Billy kick the winning goal after the siren in the 94 qualifiering final.

Remembering (fondly) how crap the cattery was, particularly as I was young when most places were just the old slab of concrete, had to stand the whole game, cold and raining...

Max Rooke marking in the 09 GF...amazing feeling of relief!

Varcoe kicking his 3rd in the final qtr in the 11 GF...knew we had it then.

Watching Smith miss in the 16 quarterfinal in front of 80k...was almost buggered after a few minutes going nuts, jumping, hugging, screaming with the old man and randoms and then looking at the forlorn and horrified faces of the scum supporters after!

Waking up some neighbour's after the tomahawk sank the hawks in one of the best modern day h&w games iv seen!

There are many more!!

Long live Geelong!!

P.S - long time reader...first post

 

[Generalissimo]

Ten minutes into the second quarter, 2007 GF. I knew the drought was over.

 

[bigfarter]

Let's be honest, for any amount of nitpicking or complaining we do on this forum, we've been pretty blessed to follow this club. In my lifetime there's been FAR more wins than losses - only one down-period (late 90s-early00s) surrounded by numerous GF and PF appearances. Reckon you'd have to go back 15 years to a season where we lost more games than we won. EDIT: I just remembered 2006 - but I don't count that year because I was overseas and didn't see any games!

That being said, among the many, many happy times Geelong have given me, nothing will compare to being at the 07 Grand Final with my Dad and his mates, all long-suffering Cats supporters who'd almost lost the ability to dream of a flag after the 90s and our near-misses in the 04 and 05 finals series'. By the 2nd quarter, the hugs were going around as freely as the beers and it will always be one of my most cherished memories with my Dad - one of those moments of pure camaraderie that sharing in a great sporting moment can bring. I doubt any Geelong game will ever top that for me. You only see your first Premiership once and to be there with people much older than me who were also witnessing their first (or whom had been very young for the 63 flag) was something special.

Other moments where I've experienced pure joy at the footy would be any number of the recent Hawks/Cats thrillers, but notably the Hawkins after-the-siren and the Isaac Smith miss. The 07 North QF was amazing because it really helped erase a lot of fear that we would balls it all up in the finals series. Even though we lost, the St Kilda game in 2009 where we were both undefeated was just an incredible atmosphere and could be arguably the best non-finals game ever.

And being at the flogging of Richmond in early 2007 was another highlight. Just came from out of nowhere and felt like a party.

But yeah, nothing's touching that '07 GF experience, I don't think. Maybe if we could replicate that kind of flogging in a GF against Hawthorn or Richmond... otherwise, even if we won a flag against either of those mobs I doubt I'd "enjoy" it per se, as I'd be creased with anxiety for the entire game until the result was no longer in doubt!

 

[BotsMaster]

In my time as a Geelong supporter, which is sadly post 2011, taking away the 2007 Grand Final (Which Rank second behind 2001 as enjoyable football moments). My greatest moment to date has to be when Smith missed the goal after the siren in the 2016 Qualifying Final to give us victory.

Have you gone back and watched the 3 flags as a Cats fan?

 

[Seeds]

1951. Im that f*** old.

 

[Frappe]

1951. Im that f*** old.

What are your memories of that great day?

 

[kickazz]

Ten minutes into the second quarter, 2007 GF. I knew the drought was over.

Have never received so many SMSes in a hurry in my life

 

[candiehappy]

Ten minutes into the second quarter, 2007 GF. I knew the drought was over.

it was 10 minutes in to the last quarter before I was convinced .............

 

[romeohwho]

it was 10 minutes in to the last quarter before I was convinced .............

Exactly-I turned to my brother about 5 minutes into the last quarter after we had kicked our 20th goal or whatever and said ‘We can’t lose right?” Haha. Survived 89-95 but only barely as one can see.

 

[romeohwho]

Even though we ended up with nothing to show for it, the years of the charge of the Blight brigade were the most fun I can remember. Always entertaining to watch and so many goals. Was a great era that deserved a flag.

 

[candiehappy]

Even though we ended up with nothing to show for it, the years of the charge of the Blight brigade were the most fun I can remember. Always entertaining to watch and so many goals. Was a great era that deserved a flag.

totally agree, especially after 15 odd years before that period.

 

[AlcoaCat]

The Hawkins goal after the siren to bury the poowee

 

[joe444]

The Sunday after the 1989 Preliminary Final. We were in the Grand Final and, as a kid, I couldn't believe it.

Anything seemed possible. It was, instead, only the halfway mark of a period of failure.

The Geelong crowd was MANIC that day.

 

[cats2rise]

I remember being pretty excited for pretty much the whole 2002 season. Debuted a bunch of kids who 5 years later became premiership heroes (Ablett, Bartel, Kelly, SJ and Rooke). Had some pretty solid wins early in the season after a slow start (beat St.Kilda by 122 points and Freo by 60 odd in consecutive weeks. Can still remember Rooke ironing Stewie Loewe out with a decent shirt front in the Saints game.)

Had a run of exciting wins mid year (the Ricco after the siren goal win against Carlton, winning a 2 point thriller in Sydney, routine 7 goal win against Richmond, Eagles by 5 goals in horrendous conditions, 5 goal win over the Pies in front of 65,000 and then turning the tables on the Bombers by 6 goals) which had us knocking on the door of the top 4.

Unfortunately we faded out at the end of the year and missed out on the finals by percentage, but a few weeks later we bought home the first piece of silverware we'd won in years when our youngsters with Bluey and Mensch won the VFL flag.

Was just about to post this.

I was at a 21st at the Napier in Fitzroy and we were getting updates on the scores of the Cats game vs Saints

“Riccardi has just kicked another.”
“Lord now has another.”

 

[Max Milburn]

Has to be 2009 GF. I was home, unlike 2007, and made a drunken display of myself in front of friends and family.
My deep dislike of St Kilda that year (and 2008 disappointment) only made the victory sweeter.

 

[standupand]

Not sure if this is the best thread to put this in.
An interesting interview here by Bharat Sundaresan with Gerard Whateley about how Gerard became a cats supporter. His dad was a lions man but knew that Fitzroys days were numbered and so encouraged his kids to choose another team. GAS was the reason Whateley chose Geelong.

https://www.afl.com.au/video/133600...dal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1749153600001

 

[Commando]

Not sure if this is the best thread to put this in.
An interesting interview here by Bharat Sundaresan with Gerard Whateley about how Gerard became a cats supporter. His dad was a lions man but knew that Fitzroys days were numbered and so encouraged his kids to choose another team. GAS was the reason Whateley chose Geelong.

https://www.afl.com.au/video/133600...dal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1749153600001

Ultimately the reason that I chose Geelong too

There would be thousands of us!

 

[standupand]

Ultimately the reason that I chose Geelong too

There would be thousands of us!

I could relate to how he described having his imagination captured by this player as a kid. There was something almost mythical about him for someone growing up at that time.
I was never really in a position to have to choose as my whole family were Geelong but Ablett was such a influence in my imagination of what football could be.
I find Bharat's series of interviews really interesting to think about how someone who doesn't have a team might choose.
I agree with Whateley that there are two things that make the cats who they are and a team to love. 1. Their strong connection to the Geelong community. And 2. The idea of playing the game "as it should be played". Doing justice to the game first. Playing to win second.

 

[Vdubs]

I could relate to how he described having his imagination captured by this player as a kid. There was something almost mythical about him for someone growing up at that time.
I was never really in a position to have to choose as my whole family were Geelong but Ablett was such a influence in my imagination of what football could be.
I find Bharat's series of interviews really interesting to think about how someone who doesn't have a team might choose.
I agree with Whateley that there are two things that make the cats who they are and a team to love. 1. Their strong connection to the Geelong community. And 2. The idea of playing the game "as it should be played". Doing justice to the game first. Playing to win second.

Beautifully described.

 

[Vdubs]

1951. Im that f*** old.

prove it

 

[dazbroncos]

Not sure if this is the best thread to put this in.
An interesting interview here by Bharat Sundaresan with Gerard Whateley about how Gerard became a cats supporter. His dad was a lions man but knew that Fitzroys days were numbered and so encouraged his kids to choose another team. GAS was the reason Whateley chose Geelong.

https://www.afl.com.au/video/133600...dal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1749153600001

not on his pat malone there

GO Catters

 

[Gavin Excell]

Ultimately the reason that I chose Geelong too

There would be thousands of us!

I didn't have a choice
Born at Baxter House
Early schooling at the now closed Mercia Primary where apart from the odd Carlton fan everyone barracked for the Cats

 

[Vdubs]

I didn't have a choice
Born at Baxter House
Early schooling at the now closed Mercia Primary where apart from the odd Carlton fan everyone barracked for the Cats

Born there as well.
As may have described in this thread or elsewhere- can't recall- but our school, St Joeys, organised a visit by the Holy Trinity one afternoon, to teach us grade 3 and 4 kids some basics of footy.
Bobby Davis, Polly Farmer, and Billy Goggin. 1965- Bobby's last year as coach; the Big Cat Polly was hugely impressive in stature and his demeanour. Billy's stab passes were my highlight.
IMPOSSIBLE to not follow Geelong as a kid living in Geelong.
Plus we could walk to KP in 10 minutes from home.