Merry-go-ground
More than a quarter of the Cats’ fixtures were moved this season as a result of unsuitable ground conditions and ground availability.
The side’s round six clash with Bendigo was originally scheduled for Queen Elizabeth Oval, before the ground succumbed to the region’s crippling drought, forcing the match to be moved to Skilled Stadium.
In round nine, the Cats were penciled in to play a home match against Werribee at Barter Card Oval because of the Dalai Lama’s visit to the Geelong region. However the Lama bypassed Skilled and the Cats were able to reclaim the ground.
Home matches against Williamstown in round 12 and the Casey Scorpions 14 were shifted away from Skilled Stadium to the opposition team’s respective home grounds because of the deteriorating condition of Skilled Stadium.
In a reciprocal agreement, last Sunday’s clash between Geelong and Bendigo was originally scheduled for Skilled Stadium, but because Bendigo lost its home match early in the season, the Bombers were entitled to the Cats’ home game.
Even a practice matches between Geelong and Werribee was relocated to Whitten Oval because of the unsatisfactory condition of Barter Card Oval in March.
State representatives
Inspirational VFL captain James Byrne became the first Geelong VFL player to captain Victoria in the annual State of Origin carnival.
Furthermore, dynamic rookie Jason Davenport became the club’s first rookie-listed player to play in the state match.
Todd Grima and Phil Read were in the initial training squad, with Grima narrowly missing selection and Read withdrawing due to injury.
Happy Anniversary
Geelong’s round six clash with the Bendigo Bombers was the side’s 150th match since joining the VFL as a stand-alone AFL entity in 2000.
The Cats have featured in four finals series – 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 – including two grand finals and three preliminary finals.
Box Hill giant killers
No finals action for Box Hill again, but at least it defeated competition leaders Sandringham and Geelong – both on their respective home grounds.
TrainingGeelong’s VFL team was the first casualty of the unplayable Skilled Stadium surface, and it was the last team to be granted permission to use it once the ground was given the thumbs up.
The Cats were not granted use of the ground between rounds 11 and round 17, forcing them to train at numerous venues around Geelong and to sacrifice two home games.
Geelong had training sessions indoors at Skilled Stadium, Geelong Cricket Oval, St. Mary’s, Geelong Baseball Centre and Geelong College.
The Cats put a positive spin on the venue problems, with an additional hour-long video debrief on the main training session night.
