AFL Grandfinal

score line will be geelong 15.16.106 defeats port 13.12.90

cats will win by 16 points
mooney to kick 5 goals
and steve jhonson for norm smith medal

When Saturday 29 September 2:30PM
Where Melbourne Cricket Ground

Toyota AFL Grand Final

Head to head: Geelong eight wins, Port Adelaide eight wins, one draw.

Last time: Port Adelaide 16.10 (106) d Geelong 15.11 (101), round 21, 2007, at Skilled Stadium.

SUMMARY

Ask anyone who follows football and more than likely, they’ll tell you it’s the year of the Cat – they’re the minor premiers, they’ve qualified for the grand final in straight sets, they’ve got a new Brownlow Medallist and NAB Rising Star in their ranks, nine All-Australians, the Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year and even saw their VFL side win their premiership. They’ve also lost just one game since the end of April.

But that’s where the parade of perfection starts to go a little bit awry.

The only team to have beaten the Cats after round five is their grand final opponent, Port Adelaide. With the knowledge that they can unlock the Cats, and after watching their rivals endure arguably the most bruising final of 2007, the Power will be licking their lips at the prospect of stealing the premiership. Remember, outside of a four-game losing streak from round eight, Port have lost just three games all year.

Predictions late in the season seemed to favour a walk-up win for Geelong, regardless of the opposition, but after they struggled to put away Collingwood last week – contrasting with Port’s bulldozing win over Kangaroos – the match-up looks increasingly even.

Geelong will head into the match as deserving favourites, and it would be impossible to think the Cats will be blown away. They’ll be in the contest until time-on in the last quarter. That doesn’t seem to be in dispute, but we shouldn’t underestimate the Power, either. If things go to plan for the neutral spectator, we could see a finale equal to those we’ve witnessed over the past two amazing years.

MEDICAL ROOM

CATS
Matthew Egan (foot) - doubtful
Stephen Owen (knee) - season
Joel Reynolds (knee) – season
Steve Johnson (shoulder) – available
Cameron Mooney (bruised back) - available
Darren Milburn (corked calf) – available
Johnson, Mooney and Milburn are all likely to be nursed this week during training in the hope of giving them a full week to recover from the minor injuries they each picked up last Friday night. Whilst all three are expected to play, Egan isn’t quite the same chance of being there. He’s locked in a desperate race against time to prove his fitness this week, but it looms as an uphill battle.

POWER
Nathan Batsanis (groin) – season
Alex Lee (shoulder) – season
Hugh Minson (foot) – season
Michael Wilson (Achilles) - season
Damon White (knee) – test
Warren Tredrea (knee) – available

Brett Ebert (general soreness) – available
Steve Salopek (general soreness) – available

The heartbreaking story of Michael Wilson and his wretched run with injury over the past decade continues at the most inopportune time. He’s definitely out, but Tredrea, Ebert and Salopek will be given plenty of attention at Alberton this week to get them right for the Saturday.

STRENGTHS

CATS – In defence, midfield and attack this year, Geelong has looked strong, damaging and potent respectively. It’s a team of great balance and great stories, too. Who would have thought Brad Ottens, Steve Johnson, David Wojinski, James Bartel, Cam Mooney and James Kelly would turn their form around simultaneously after serious questions were asked of each of them at the end of 2006? They have, and they’re committed and focussed on winning. They have a strength of unity that goes beyond Gary Ablett’s determination, beyond Matthew Scarlett’s doggedness and beyond Paul Chapman’s finishing ability. Above and beyond the individuals, that collective character is a vital ingredient in every premiership team.

POWER – What Port Adelaide has in its favour has been a core staple of its best football all year. Last week we touched on how the Power’s pace could slice through the Kangaroos, and that’s exactly what happened. It would be foolish to say they’ll be able to do the same thing to the Cats, but there’s so much speed at Mark Williams’ disposal that the vast expanses of the MCG should suit the interstaters to a tee. Also, let’s not forget that many of Port’s players played in a premiership in 2004, and will take the events of the big day in their stride. Can the same be said of Geelong, which has the hopes of a town - and an entire state - riding on its shoulders?

WEAKNESSES

CATS – There are no physical holes in this team – they’ve proven that – but funny things happen in September. “Don’t mention the ‘c’ word” has been the catch-cry on Corio Bay in the second half of the year. The Cats gave Greg Norman and Jana Novotna a run for their money in the choking stakes during the late eighties and early nineties, and while today’s team is entirely different from those finals’ failures, it would be naïve to suggest the handbag tag has been wiped from the Geelong mentality completely. Clutching at straws? Just remember, it took Collingwood decades to shed the wobbles.

POWER – One of Port’s strengths is experience, with many players having been in a premiership winning team just three years ago. However, they’ve also got their fair share of players who haven’t been on this stage. Many of the wise old heads of 2004 – think Wanganeen, James, Bishop, Carr, Dew, Kingsley, Mahoney, Schofield, Pickett, Hardwick and Montgomery – are long gone. This side is much greener, and whilst they are clearly packed with talent and potential, are they still a few years away from hitting their peak?

AT SELECTION

CATS – With Matthew Egan almost certain to miss, Geelong is most likely to go in with an unchanged team from the side which sneaked through against the Magpies. The big talking point during the week will be whether the Cats opt to promote Steven King in place of Mark Blake for the second-ruck role. Blake’s form has tapered slightly, while King has been getting through the VFL trouble free in recent weeks, and he played well in the VFL Grand Final last week. Will it be enough to see him promoted? With the ominous Lade-Brogan combination staring them down, the switch looks likely.

POWER – There’s not too many selection problems for the Power, and they can look forward to picking another virtually injury-free team. The only major question surrounds who will come in for Wilson, and who can best fill the spiritual and physical void left by his absence. Brad Symes, Nick Lower, Alipate Carlisle, Matt Thomas, Greg Bentley, Nathan Lonie and Robbie Gray have all been bandied about as replacements, and while Thomas has been anointed by many as Wilson’s successor when the 1997 Rising Star eventually leaves the game, the more experienced Symes and Lonie loom as the most likely replacements. Nick Lower’s 45-possesion game in a SANFL reserves final last week will give Port’s selectors something to think about as well.

KEY MATCH-UPS

Jimmy Bartel v Kane Cornes

He might be the new Brownlow Medallist, but don’t expect Jimmy Bartel to be given any favours by the Power midfield on Saturday. Bartel has enjoyed a sparkling year, but he certainly looked quite nervous – even slightly rattled – on Monday night as he accepted the medal. Will Kane Cornes be getting in his ear and doing everything he can to eclipse Bartel? You betcha.

Tom Harley v Warren Tredrea

A few years ago, this would have been the marquee clash of the day. However, both players have slowed down considerably since the lofty heights they achieved in the mid-2000s. What makes it such a critical battle, however, is that if either player can stand up and expose the other – either Tredrea at centre half-forward or Harley at centre half-back – then a rare weak link could be found and a sizable advantage gained in a crucial part of the ground.

Brad Ottens v Brendan Lade

Two of the best ruckmen in the game will go head-to-head in what should be a classic big-man battle. They offer contrasting styles in the way they approach the game, however. Lade is your classical giant ruck, a modern day John Nicholls with an on-field presence to match the Carlton legend. Ottens is more of a mobile, crafty type who loves to get forward. With both in good form, whoever can win the ruck duel around the ground will give their midfield a major boost.

THE COACHES

CATS – Mark Thompson

Regardless of the pros and cons of Mark Thompson’s coaching ability, his job in turning around the fortunes of both himself and his club has been nothing short of remarkable in the past 12 months. Like Dean Laidley, Thompson has never previously been regarded as a tactical doyen, but his willingness to go back to the basics and “own” the corridor has been a highlight of Geelong’s free-flowing style. Here’s another question to ponder on Saturday night: if he wins a flag, having completed his mission, does a red and black future loom for “Bomber”?

POWER – Mark Williams

“We exist to win premierships” is the ethos of the Port Adelaide Football Club, a club with a connection so strong to the Williams’ family that it makes the Rose family and Collingwood seem like distant relations. That’s perhaps a little extreme, but Mark Williams has been raised in a culture designed entirely around Port Adelaide winning things. His coaching style is reflected in this; he is an emotional and passionate coach, and he rides every moment. Whilst Thompson is a cool and collected character in the box, Williams is a fiery sort, and while his rival on Saturday has adopted the quick-and-direct by foot approach this season, Williams tends to ask his running players to carry the ball, keep possession and apply pressure football when not holding the footy. If the players can execute his plan, “Choco” will know he’s close to adding another flag to the Alberton cabinet.

GAMEBREAKER

CATS – Steve Johnson

He’s gone from being banished from the senior Geelong team and rejected by other teams at trade week to becoming one of the most prized commodities in the Cats’ line-up. Once just an unreliable contributor, Johnson is now unpredictable and elusive – for his opponent. An All-Australian year has capped off a remarkable turn around in fortunes for the freakish Cat, and Thompson will be asking him to step up and work hand-in-hand with Cameron Mooney in stretching the defence of the South Australians.

POWER – Chad Cornes

The epitome of the modern footballer, Cornes is capable of playing in just about every position and causing equal amounts of damage in each. Whilst he is likely to start in defence, expect Darryl Wakelin to be sent to Cam Mooney, allowing Cornes the freedom to run free early and spark his team. If a Geelong forward starts to heat up, watch for the Port coaching box to move Cornes straight there. Conversely, if things aren’t happening up forward, he looms as the perfect swingman to pinch-hit around goal.

THE MOMENT

In every grand final, without fail, there’s a moment or period that becomes game-changing or match defining. Sometimes it’s an act of brilliance – like Peter Matera’s third quarter in 1992, or Leo Barry’s last-gasp, “you star” brilliance of 2005. Other times, it can be a mistake which turns the tide. Rhys Shaw’s fumbles in 2003 won’t be forgotten, nor Stan Alves’ refusal to shift Jamie Shanahan off Darren Jarman in 1997. Des Tuddenham has nightmares about the paddock he didn’t run into in 1966. Sometimes, players emerge from nowhere to become heroes. Ted Hopkins, Bob Keddie, Shane Ellen and maybe even Port’s Toby Thurstans fit the mould.

In later years, the third quarter has been renamed the premiership quarter, and with good reason. If a team is trailing at half-time in a grand final, it needs to make its move as quickly as possible after the main break, or it tends to fall away. Port made that very move wonderfully in 2004; Brisbane did it in 2001, Adelaide did it in both 1997 and 1998, as did the Kangaroos in 1996 and West Coast in 1992. Watch this 30-minute stretch extra closely to see if and when the momentum starts to turn.

X-FACTOR

Daniel Motlop – POWER

Indisputably one of the most talented players in the game, Motlop is one of those players who might just find an extra gear on grand final day. He hasn’t always been adept at handling the crunch moments – think about his grimace in Launceston last year before missing a shot after the siren – but he will be desperate to prove himself on the biggest stage of all. If he can ignite, and build on his three-goal effort last week, expect some serious fireworks from the ex-Roo.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.

Looking at the poll above, reckon only two people will be right about the result ... is this the same Port team that destroyed the Kangas last week !?!? Their skill level is shocking!

Revenge Is Sweet !!! I Hate Port !

What a slaughter

egh, what a crap granny. full credit to geelong, who played brilliantly all year but port should have shown a bit more intensity, they looked slow and uninterested.

stevey johnson for the norm smith is my call!

wow - Geelong destroyed them...I agree with Jez, Steve Johnson for the Norm Smith

WOW, i thought Geelong would win easily, but i didn't think that it would be that easy. Well done Geelong, they were clearly the best team all year. It just proves that Collingwood is clearly the second best team by a country Mile with daylight to third. It's scary to think, but Geelong will be even better next year with the development of youngsters such as Sellwood, Varcoe, Hawkins, Prismall, Blake, etc, etc. It's an early call, but Collingwood are probably the only team capable of stopping the Cats from going back-to-back in 2008. The Pies just need to find a good Ruckmen. Congratulations to the Geelong supporters, it was a long wait i know, but it just makes the victory even the more sweeter. I remember how it felt in 1990 when the Pies ended their drought. Go the Pies in 2008.

how does that proove that collingwood is 2nd best?

it prooves that Port had a really off game, remmeber port knocked them off at Skilled Stadium about a month ago, this game prooves nothing about Collingwood

mattyj said:

how does that proove that collingwood is 2nd best?

it prooves that Port had a really off game, remmeber port knocked them off at Skilled Stadium about a month ago, this game prooves nothing about Collingwood

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The cream rises to the top in Finals, and the Home & Away results mean nothing, as Geelong proved today. Port were clearly out of their depth at the highest level. The Magpies showed great heart during the whole Finals series and we kept on fighting right to the very end, unlike Port and the Kangas who threw in the towel when it got too tough. In the Finals the Pies have beaten the previous 2 Grand Finalists and lost to Geelong by only 5 Points in a high pressure game. That is awesome form, and it proves we are clearly the second best team. In the end we were probably only a Ruckmen short of winning a Grand Final. Go the Pies in 2008.

NBAWHIZ said:

WOW, i thought Geelong would win easily, but i didn't think that it would be that easy. Well done Geelong, they were clearly the best team all year. It just proves that Collingwood is clearly the second best team by a country Mile with daylight to third. It's scary to think, but Geelong will be even better next year with the development of youngsters such as Sellwood, Varcoe, Hawkins, Prismall, Blake, etc, etc. It's an early call, but Collingwood are probably the only team capable of stopping the Cats from going back-to-back in 2008. The Pies just need to find a good Ruckmen. Congratulations to the Geelong supporters, it was a long wait i know, but it just makes the victory even the more sweeter. I remember how it felt in 1990 when the Pies ended their drought. Go the Pies in 2008.

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umm ur the 2nd best team just becoz u played really well against geelong. check the ladder again and see who's 2nd,3rd,4th,etc.

lol you are deluded...it DOES NOT proove collingwood were the 2nd best team...Port had 1 bad game, just happened to be the biggest game...it also shows that collingwood matched up better against geelong...If collingwood were the 2nd best side they would have had a top 4 spot, and not had to play Geelong in a preliminary andmade the grand final,but im pretty sure none of that happened...

mattyj said:

lol you are deluded...it DOES NOT proove collingwood were the 2nd best team...Port had 1 bad game, just happened to be the biggest game...it also shows that collingwood matched up better against geelong...If collingwood were the 2nd best side they would have had a top 4 spot, and not had to play Geelong in a preliminary andmade the grand final,but im pretty sure none of that happened...

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Deluded???? It was just an opinion, and i'm sure Mark Thompson would agree that the Magpies were clearly the best team that Geelong played in the Finals. Ladder Positions don't mean a lot at the end of the year, it's about how you play once you make the Finals, and the Magpies were the only team other than Geelong that stood up when it counted. That's just my opinion.

i still dont buy it, if they were the 2nd best team why did they not make the grand final? surely the 2nd best team would be playing the best team in the grand final

they played well in the finals, but so did port, port just had one bad game, doesnt mean collingwood is better than them

mattyj said:

i still dont buy it, if they were the 2nd best team why did they not make the grand final? surely the 2nd best team would be playing the best team in the grand final

they played well in the finals, but so did port, port just had one bad game, doesnt mean collingwood is better than them

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Mattyj, that is just a typical Collingwood supporter, why even try & reason with them ?!?

WELL DONE GEELONG - They played their best game all season !!!

Congrats to all their supporters, it has been a long time between drinks so I am happy Geelong finally won a Grand Final for them

Richo said:

Mattyj, that is just a typical Collingwood supporter, why even try & reason with them ?!?

WELL DONE GEELONG - They played their best game all season !!!

Congrats to all their supporters, it has been a long time between drinks so I am happy Geelong finally won a Grand Final for them

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LOL not very often we agree Richo, but this is one of them

Typical Collingwood supporter.

Collingwood didnt make the Grand Final yet they are mentioned nearly as much as Geelong and Port Adelaide in this thread... You would bloody well think Collingwood WAS the best team in the league the way you go on about them.

Anyways, I'm very proud of the boys from Geelong, who managed to stop thinking about how good Collingwood is for long enough to play one of the best games they have played all year in the most important game of the year.

I do agree in a way that the ladder isnt always reflective of the performance of every team.

You cant tell me North Melbourne deserved to finish that high up after there disgraceful finals campaine!

Well I was at the Grand and man I gotta say Mark Williams was a DISGRACE. How the F do you expect to win when you open the game with no structure or game plan? Seriously, they got the ball and stood there with it and EVERY SINGLE PLAYER was within 50m of the player with the ball. Even if they kicked it long and won the contest (which never happened all day, Geelong were AWESOME) they looked up, and had NOTHING to kick to! He was a complete joke. Port were a complete joke. I was hoping for a cracker of a game and got a training drill.

On the other hand, Geelong were freaking awesome. Simply amazing. Their commitment, hardness and team work was astounding. I picked Steve Johnson for Norm Smith medal early in the 2nd simply cause you could have given it to any number of 10 players, and him coming out with a bang got the team rolling. Faultless performance by a much deserve premiership team. And hey, they made sure Melbourne were no longer the team that held the record for biggest Grand Final loss

theflyinggerco said:

Typical Collingwood supporter.

Collingwood didnt make the Grand Final yet they are mentioned nearly as much as Geelong and Port Adelaide in this thread... You would bloody well think Collingwood WAS the best team in the league the way you go on about them.

Anyways, I'm very proud of the boys from Geelong, who managed to stop thinking about how good Collingwood is for long enough to play one of the best games they have played all year in the most important game of the year.

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That's a bit harsh, i gave full credit to Geelong, and i had been talking up the Cats chances all week. It was a Brilliant win by Geelong. I just thought it was relevent to mention what a mighty effort it was by the Pies to get within 5 Points of Geelong last week, considering the Cats had beaten both the Kangas and Port by over 100 Points in the Finals. I was just proud of our effort last week, especially since we had to travel from Perth and we had No Ruckmen, and nobody gave us a chance. I agree that missing out on the Top-4 did make it tough for us, but considering the injuries we had during the year we did well to make the Finals, and in the end we weren't far off from making a Grand Final. Hopefully we have a better run with injuries next year, because we will need to finish in the Top-4 if we are to challenge Geelong in 2008. If teams like St Kilda and Melbourne can have an injury-free year in 2008 then they could be the real suprise packets of 2008. Well done to Port Adelaide for making the Grand Final. Port will be a stronger team in a couple of years, but at the moment they just don't have enough players capable of playing tough contested footy. The term 'Downhill Skiers' has been used, but they do seem to have a lot of players that do run forward and away and from the ball. The key to Ports Premiership success in 2004 were tough players like; Hardwick, Pickett, Josh Carr, Montgomery, Wilson, etc. I'm sure that Mark Williams will be looking for a couple of those types of players in Trade Week. Well done to Geelong, and the question now is can the Cats make it Back-to-Back in 2008?