Geelong Cats fans have enjoyed a run of success few other sides have tasted in recent times but it seems the good times can’t last forever.
The Geelong Cats’ week one finals curse has reared its ugly head once again but AFL legend Gerard Healy has predicted it may be the beginning of the end for the side.
The Cats have missed just one of the 11 finals series while Chris Scott has been coach of the club – in 2015 – but have won just one of the last nine week one finals matches since the club last won the competition in 2011.
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The curse is often rolled out but the 12.14 (86) to 5.13 (43) thrashing at the hands of Port Adelaide in the first week of the finals has a different feel to it according to Healy, like it’s the end of an era.
Geelong are the most experienced team in the AFL in 2021 and have the most players who are older than 30 with nine – Port had eight as of round one of the season.
The list also started the year as the second oldest behind St Kilda with an average age of 25.3 years.
And yet, for the fifth time in six seasons, the Cats lowest score came in a final.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s First Crack, 203-game Hawk veteran Ben Dixon said “The way they played tonight, I don’t think they were on the same hymnbook”.
But former Demons and Swans legend and 1988 Brownlow Medallist Healy wasn’t nearly as kind.
“This one looks a lot different to the others,” he said. “Some of the others, they’ve been overawed, a couple of injuries or whatever but this one’s different. This one looks to me like it’s almost tipped over and the rebuild maybe not that far away.”
“Rebuild?” North Melbourne legend David King asked incredulously. “That’s a big statement.”
Healy continued: “Well I look at Geelong and I think to myself ‘maybe this is it for them’. Maybe they’ve tipped over. They’ve missed (Tom) Stewart and they’ve missed (Zach) Tuohy but that back line just didn’t function at all.”
Dixon agreed but stopped short of believing the Cats would need a full rebuild.
“They’ve got a lot of problems in that backline,” he said.
King added: “Rebuild is a big statement, they’ve been here before and got to a grand final and the prelim consistently. Do you think that Chris Scott over achieves with poor teams or under achieves with great teams?”
Healy said he believes Scott is carrying some players, and if you don’t’ have your best players stand up, you can be badly exposed – as evidenced by the Cats’ performance.
“But you can’t hold back the tide, the tide is eventually going to turn against you,” Healy said. “Tonight was maybe just one of the first signs that it’s not far away.”
Age was a key focus on social media with fans taking aim at the list, and Scott, despite the coach taking the Cats to a Premiership in his first season, a grand final last year and four other preliminary finals in his tenure.
ESPN’s Steve Smith – not the cricket superstar Steve Smith – posted: “Still got next week obviously but gee that clock is ticking ever closer to midnight.”
ABC’s Sam Wilkinson wrote: “14th finals defeat for Chris Scott coming up. It’s time to move on”.
Freelance journo James Mottershead tweeted: “This will be good finals experience for Geelong’s young list.”
The Age’s sports desk editor Russell Bennett added: “The oldest, most experienced, and battle-hardened side in the #AFLFinals is being made to look just … really old. Reactive, too.”
The Advertiser’s Super Footy Simeon Thomas-Wilson was on the same wavelength as Healy.
“Again Port have beaten Geelong in a qualifying final but this one feels different as the Power send a big premiership statement,” he wrote.
The Cats do have another chance however, coming up against the winner of the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants’ elimination final on Saturday afternoon.
On the downside, the Cats have played each team once this season – and lost both games.
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