- Apr 28, 2008
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Of course, every match starts from zero and is there to be won. Even the longest odds have a chance. However, 'upsets' and 'percentage boosters' are a thing, and there are usually a few lowly sides which a form side would typically expect to get the better of. This thread is meant as a celebration of the modern Geelong Cats. There might be some twentysomethings who simply cannot recall feeling arrogantly confident against them, and of course fans of the Suns and maybe the Giants have probably never felt it. Geelong has mostly been a decent side for a generation now. Putting aside passionate confidence and neurotic anxiety, when was the last time you saw Geelong was your next fixtured opponent and felt like you could pencil in the W?
For West Coast, I honestly have to go way back to Rnd 7 2003. Geelong were bottom (1-5) and we were 3rd (4-2) and at home. It wasn't cut and dried (our divergent season fates were still taking shape after being of similar standing in 2002), but our form was certainly a lot better at that point in time, and the home factor was important then. The Cats were up against it. Pre-season I wouldn't pencil it in, but we were becoming a hype side and they were settling into a limited honest tryer year (bottom 4 until final round). It was still tight, Geelong leading halfway through Q4. We were a little more accurate, and only had 1 player with 22+ disposals, easily could have lost it in the end.
Previous to that you might be able to point to Rnd 13 1999. Geelong after matching our 5-0 start hit a losing streak of 0-7 prior to our encounter. We were still top then and were still a few weeks from hitting that out-of-form injured patch when we lost our first derby and then were annihilated in the first half by Brisbane. Penciling in a win in Geelong is foolish at the best of times, but we'd recently beaten the Swans in Sydney (when Plugger could've broken the record) and top-of-the-ladder against a long losing streak when Eagles fans were still living in their arrogant oft-ladder-leading 90s bubble.
The closest case in recent memory might be Rnd 9 2015 (6-2 vs. 4-4 in WA), but I don't believe any Eagles fan would have honestly gone in confident, given Geelong in 2013 and 2014 had given us some real helpless beatings and still seemed capable on their day, plus we were still shaking off our flat track bullies tag. Like Port, Essendon and Sydney in that period, they had enough bogey spook to trouble the Eagles regardless of ladder position.
For West Coast, I honestly have to go way back to Rnd 7 2003. Geelong were bottom (1-5) and we were 3rd (4-2) and at home. It wasn't cut and dried (our divergent season fates were still taking shape after being of similar standing in 2002), but our form was certainly a lot better at that point in time, and the home factor was important then. The Cats were up against it. Pre-season I wouldn't pencil it in, but we were becoming a hype side and they were settling into a limited honest tryer year (bottom 4 until final round). It was still tight, Geelong leading halfway through Q4. We were a little more accurate, and only had 1 player with 22+ disposals, easily could have lost it in the end.
Previous to that you might be able to point to Rnd 13 1999. Geelong after matching our 5-0 start hit a losing streak of 0-7 prior to our encounter. We were still top then and were still a few weeks from hitting that out-of-form injured patch when we lost our first derby and then were annihilated in the first half by Brisbane. Penciling in a win in Geelong is foolish at the best of times, but we'd recently beaten the Swans in Sydney (when Plugger could've broken the record) and top-of-the-ladder against a long losing streak when Eagles fans were still living in their arrogant oft-ladder-leading 90s bubble.
The closest case in recent memory might be Rnd 9 2015 (6-2 vs. 4-4 in WA), but I don't believe any Eagles fan would have honestly gone in confident, given Geelong in 2013 and 2014 had given us some real helpless beatings and still seemed capable on their day, plus we were still shaking off our flat track bullies tag. Like Port, Essendon and Sydney in that period, they had enough bogey spook to trouble the Eagles regardless of ladder position.
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