Friday 12th September 2014, the Cats’ season draws to a close with a narrow loss over the in-form Kangaroos, but Geelong very nearly stole victory from the jaws of defeat. In a relentless contest, North Melbourne showed better composure for the majority of the match and even when it dropped off, they were still good enough to hold off a rampaging Geelong. The 1st quarter was a breathtaking affair with incredible attacking football from both sides. It took no time for both sides to register a goal each, taking less than 3 minutes. Then there was more over the next 25 minutes and even at that early stage, the game looked to be slipping away from the Cats, conceding 6 of the next 7 goals to already fall 30 points behind. However, and incredible last few minutes of the quarter saw Geelong fight back and register 3 quick goals to trail by just 12 points at the first break. The 2nd quarter was a completely different affair. It turned from an incredibly attacking contest to a very defensive contest. So much so that the Cats failed to score a goal in the term while North Melbourne put through 2 goals. The margin at the end of that quarter had doubled to 24 points and was a fair indication of what had transpired in the 1st half. The 2nd half was a better half for Geelong, although they were less efficient than their opponent. Throughout the entire 3rd quarter it was goal for goal, each team kicking 3 goals, and the margin at the final change was the same 24 points in what had become somewhat a stalemate. A very quick goal to the Cats was the perfect start to the final quarter, but later on the Kangaroos slotted 2 quick goals to open the margin to a game-high 32 points. It was halfway though the quarter and the contest was seemingly decided, but what followed was nothing short of magnificent drama. Out of nowhere, Geelong started to play some of its best football and it resulted in 4 unanswered goals and with 2.5 minutes of play to go, the game was not so sewn up, the difference all of a sudden being 6 points! But it came too late for the Cats and they could not manage to come any closer as North Melbourne’s desire to win saw them hang on to record a memorable finals win. The Kangaroos would go on to face Sydney for a Grand Final spot, while for the mighty Geelong, it was season over with the first time since West Coast in 2007 that a team that finished in the top 4 of the ladder bowing out after just 2 weeks in the finals. It was a disappointing way to end the season after another incredibly successful home and away campaign and had seen them finish just outside top spot on percentage. Tom Hawkins played one of the best games of his career with 8 shots on goal and the likes of Joel Selwood, Josh Caddy and Mitch Duncan were once again very impressive through the midfield. Special mention must also go to Mark Blicavs for his hard work all over the ground, particularly in the ruck division where principle players were missing. Bring on 2015! North Melbourne by 6 points. Geelong 13.14 (92) defeated by North Melbourne 14.14 (98). Crowd: 65,963 at the MCG. Geelong goal scorers: T. Hawkins 5, J. Walker 3, J. Bartel 1, M. Blicavs 1, J. Caddy 1, M. Duncan 1, C. Enright 1.

• published: 13 Sep 2014
• views: 9