To anyone interested

[RussellEbertHandball]

I watched the GF replay finally in March when it was on Fox and lasted to 3/4 time.

It is worth a watch in part to see just how good Geelong was, rather than how bad we were. If you watch the first and second quarter you see that anytime we have any momentum they just snuffed us out.

After Shaun kicked our second goal, we actually had momentum for a couple of minutes. I remember we drive the ball down the outer wing and Josh Hunt brilliantly cuts off the pass. He then does a fantastic 45m bullet pass to someone (think it's Bartel) who is free and runs in and kicks a goal. We had just fought so hard to control the ball for a couple of minutes, but get snuffed out in seconds.

At the start of this season I read some stats on the game. We actually won the clearances. The problem was that everytime we drove the ball forward on one side of the ground, the Geelong defence just swept the ball out on the otherside and ran it out so easily in those open spaces. It became easier when we played a man lose in defence and it was the usual Choco forward line structure miss match of 5 v 6.

No wonder Roy and HG had a tie for the worst player on ground in Motlop and Westhoff. I think they call it the Mumford medal, after Brontie Mumford, but I could be wrong on the name of their medal.

 

[MrMeaner]

I should say that I was also there in 2004. That's a replay I have watched a few times.

 

[licht]

Funny - the Ebert miss and the Bartel goal also pierce my (hazy) memory of the 07 scandal. Add the Pettigrew rabbit in headlights moment.

I think it was Willaims himself who later called the game 'boring' while seeming to throw in the coaches towel earily. While Geelong were an a juggernaut, and no coaching move would have saved the day, I do wish we might have formed some kind of human berlin wall at the back to reduce the final margin.

Next time someone suggets it is worse to lose a grandfinal by 1 point rather than 100+, I will punch them in the face.

I since got a frontal lobotomy and this has helped (somewhat)

 

[morell]

Next time someone suggets it is worse to lose a grandfinal by 1 point rather than 100+, I will punch them in the face

I agree with that actually. There was nothing we could have done in 07. They were far too good for us. We can therefore pretty much wipe it out of our memories.

With a 1 point loss you would be analysing it over and over, making up what if's and maybes. Contemplating all the different permutations. It would be horrible.

History may look on it more kindly, but as a supporter I couldn't think of anything worse.

 

[licht]

I agree with that actually. There was nothing we could have done in 07. They were far too good for us. We can therefore pretty much wipe it out of our memories.

You make a valid point - maybe time will heal some wounds and it will be a heavily subjective interpretation.

The other factor is that we (I) have not personally experienced Port losing grand finals (thank you 1979 to 1994). The only other comparison I have, as a heart-breaking loss, is 1984 and somehow 2007 irritates me more (although Graig Balme still irritates me the most)

The bottom line, I guess, is that there is no 'good' gf defeat - it will always sting regardless of the margin .

 

[Phhht]

......We can therefore pretty much wipe it out of our memories.....

Wipe what from our memories

I do remember going to Melbourne on the last saturday of Sept 2007 but I dont remember much about it. I do wonder why I have a weekly appointment with a shrink though

the thing that sticks out in my mind most from 119Gate is Surj running down Ablett in what should have been a clear holding the ball and going nuts ......

Yup, I went pretty much psycho and seriously came close to jumping the fence after that non-decision....from the 3rd level of the new stand...

the Geelong supporters calmed me down as they continued celebrating as goal after goal after goal rained down. I remember thinking at 3/4 time, the Cats are up by 90 they are surely gonna drop off and let us bring it back to a 'respectable' 10-12 goal loss. F**k, why did I even come to this thread.


Now 2004, from breakfast to lunch at the medallion club to the game to the after game celebrations....etched into my memory with a jackhammer!!!!!!

 

[SupportMe]

Both our Grand Finals are a haze for me - for completely different reasons.