GRAND FINAL; GLORY FOR THE BROWN & GOLD BRIGADE
September 30th 2008 10:13
they did it for you know who
they did it for you know who
When massive numbers turned out to the variously glamorous events in the lead up to the Grand Final this year, one could have been forgiven for assuming that is would be a pack house at the G to watch a possible rematch of the 1989 classic between the Hawks and the Cats, they would have been right. In the final Saturday of September 2008 thousands of avid supporters squashed into arguably the best football stadium in the world. The mass of team colours equalled in quantity by the wide array of emotions which this game was sure to evoke. Thr stage was set, the grass was cut and Melbourne was alive with elation. The only thing left to do was for the game to begin.
The match started as a good natured tussle. In the first few minutes, when Luke Hodge’s ribs were tested by a Geelong opponent ,Hawthorn’s general of the back half (who had come into the game under an injury cloud) didn’t back down. Instead he gestured as though to say “I’m here, you want me hurt then you’ll have to earn it”. In the first few minutes it looked as though the Cats had the upper hand. When young Tom Lonergan (Who tragically lost his kidney only two years ago) kicked a straightforward, goal (the first shot of the match) between the big sticks it looked as though the men from ‘Down the Highway’ had one up on a fairytale start. However Chance Batemen eventually neutralised the situation with a stunning goal on the run from fifty just ten minutes later and so the tone of the day was set. When the big cat Cam Mooney snuck in a miraculous goal from the boundary in the shadows of quarter time (his second) it looked as though he was set to the score today and they trudged in for half time, the ‘Greatest team of All’ leading by a point.
If you watched the first quarter, you would have been inclined to think that this was destined to be a shootout, but it ended up being so much more. The teams traded blows for the first half of the second quarter but it was no more then a light sparring match. Late in the term Ex-Richmond ruckman Brad Ottens had a crucial chance cruising into an open goal, all be it on a slight angle, and spraying it wide, ignoring team-mates better placed then him. An uncommon act coming from the favourites and team of the year who are often praised for their unselfishness, was this the initial sign of some cracks appearing in football’s Juggernaut?. That act effectively throwing away an eight point buffer that would have been oh so handy going into half time. Although he is not the only one who missed this term, Cameron Mooney who provided the early spark was also spraying them everywhere in the second, even from point blank range. To finish the term Hawthorn midfielder Clinton Young made doubly sure that Geelong had something to regret when he let rip from downtown with his trade mark left boot in the final minutes. Giving the Hawks the lead thanks in large to Luke Hodge and his pivotally courageous role of half back which lasted most the entire game.
As the game progressed to the third it became one that was played ninety percent above the shoulders. It proved once again that sport is just as much about mental toughness as it is about physical endurance. The match appeared to be limping along, both teams lacking penetration for periods and while the flow of goals continued it was at a relative trickle compared to the first half. By this point the Hawks had injuries galore. Key defender, Trent Croad permanently confined to the bench with a broken foot and midfielders Batemen and Young lethargic from knocks they had sustained. Granted the Cats had lost their Captain and All Australian back pocket Tom Harley but the Hawks were looking worse for wear.
Yes Geelong had their chances to take the game by the scruff of the neck but instead just lingered kicking-a-stray, not punishing anyone but themselves. Inevitably came a point were things had change, slowly but surely, the Brown and Gold Brigade who had looked, at times, dead in the water, began to believe. They were running faster, tackling fiercer and going harder at the ball then their opponents. Ultimately they won the rub of the green from the umpires and the little super star Cyril Rioli won the hearts of the country (Bar Geelong supporters) with his numerous, unrelenting efforts, remember this kid’s only nine-teen. Finally, the icing on the cake that was the third quarter was created by one who usually consumes. Stuart Dew’s mad three minutes began with 5.02 left and finished with the clock at 2.02. In this time he managed to kick two first class goals, also providing one each for ‘Junior Boy’ Rioli and Williams. The “bulky hero” as Dennis Cometti would say tipped the scales heavily in his teams favour. Crushing any chance of a Geelong resistance and allowing coach Alistair Clarkson ‘dew’ credit for fighting for him at last years draft.
In the final term it was all done bar the siren. Though Hawks supporters around the country will tell you otherwise as they went through hell in the last twenty five minutes (plus time on). Far from calm, waiting in anticipation and hope for their team’s tenth premiership. The eventual champions maintained at least a fifteen point margin for the whole term but then again I suppose you never really know in a Grand Final. The surprisingly quiet Buddy Franklin chipped in with his second here. ‘Premiership Captain’ Sam Mitchell adding another, a rare but perfectly timed ‘Captains Goal’ to put the game beyond out of the reach of some very desperate feline claws—Hawthorn 18.7. 115 defeated Geelong 11.23. 89 Geelong’s final score a painful memory of losses past and present.
So on the 27th of September 2008, this year’s ‘Grand Final’ produced many things. Big hits, great goals, crying Crawfords, A Norm Smith medallist in Luke Hodge, a star on the rise (but not rising star) in Cyril Rioli, a winner, a loser and most importantly a Premier in Hawthorn. Not to mention the many stirring renditions of the theme song that resonated from a party at Glenferrie Oval lasting all night and long into the next day.
By Sebastian Reinehr
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