The round 19 fixtures mark the 150 year anniversary of the first recorded game of Australian football, played between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College at Yarra Park on August 7, and umpired by Tom Wills.
The league-leading Cats go into the match as the raging favourites to notch their 18th win of the season, and club captain Tom Harley said the historic nature of the match was appreciated by the players.
“I think it’s fantastic, especially this year with the celebration of the 150 years … but to be a part of a club like Geelong – we celebrate our 150th next year – it certainly isn’t lost on the players; it’s a fantastic thing to be a part of,” Harley said.
Melbourne and Geelong Football Clubs are the two oldest currently playing in the AFL and arguably the oldest of any football code worldwide.
Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College, who share one of the world’s oldest sporting rivalries, will feature in the curtain raiser with both the schools and AFL teams to wear heritage guernseys.
Demons skipper James McDonald echoed Harley’s sentiments, but admitted he was more concerned with trying to get his side up for what would be one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.
"After rounds one and two we got thumped by nearly 100 points in both games and everyone was saying it [the Geelong game in round three] was going to be a record thumping,” McDonald said, adding the eventual 30-point loss had left plenty of positives to ponder.
“We've sort of talked about that and that's sort of given us some confidence going into the game. We're always a chance ... funnier things have happened.
"The boys are excited about playing in this [Tom Wills] game on Friday night – a lot of our younger players haven't played in a Friday night match and they're dying to play; so the atmosphere should be great.
"We've been improving over the last six to eight weeks and the young blokes are keen to keep having a crack."
Melbourne and Geelong first met at the MCG in round two, 1897 and since then the teams have clashed 203 times with Geelong holding a comfortable overall advantage 118 wins to 83 with two draws. The opening bounce tonight is at 7.05pm.
Click here for detailed preview information of the Friday night clash between Melbourne and Geelong and to follow the action live.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Round 19 is Tom Wills Round, celebrating 150 years of Australian Football. One of the inventors of the sport, Wills played in the first recorded game and umpired one of the earliest matches between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School on August 7, 1858.
Click here for more Tom Wills Round coverage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL.
