It took six years, spent at three different clubs, but at the age of 24, Geelong's Sam Menegola finally made his AFL debut on Saturday night, and after an interminable wait, did his best to make up for lost time.
Menegola hadn't been picked to play for the Cats against Adelaide, but was a last-minute inclusion at the expense of ruckman Zac Smith. And finishing not only on the winning side, but as one of the Cats' best in a 26-possession game, the Western Australian more than did himself justice.
More Sport Videos
- Video duration
- 01:31
Cats too potent for Crows
- Video duration
- 02:24
Plays of the AFL preliminary finals
- Video duration
- 01:30
Bulldogs win thriller to make final
- Video duration
- 01:30
Swans stars fire to sink Cats
- Video duration
- 01:45
Jobe Watson announces return to Essendon
- Video duration
- 00:39
Jobe Watson's future at Essendon Football Club
- Video duration
- 04:57
FootyFix: preview of the prelims
- Video duration
- 00:34
How on earth did this match-winning point slip through?
Cats too potent for Crows
Geelong have knocked Adelaide out of the top four, after an impressive 30-point win at Simonds Stadium.
Taken in the 2011 rookie draft by Hawthorn, Menegola broke his scaphoid badly, and was de-listed after just three VFL games. Picked up by Fremantle in 2012, he made good progress only miss the entire 2013 season after tearing the meniscus in his knee in the first round. The following year, the round one curse struck again when he tore a lateral ligament in his right knee and missed half the season.
Delisted by the Dockers at the end of 2014, Menegola headed to WAFL club Subiaco, and got injured again. But this time when he returned, he dominated, finishing third in the Sandover Medal from only 12 games, not just being part of a premiership side, but earning another AFL lifeline from Geelong.
Yet another pre-season knee injury put him on the sidelines for the first half of 2016, but Menegola has starred since returning, leaving the selectors with little choice after picking up 48 possessions in the VFL last week.
He was Geelong's fifth-highest possession winner against Adelaide, winning five clearances and laying five tackles. And despite the late inclusion this week, he's going to be pretty hard to displace.
"We thought he was fantastic," Geelong coach Chris Scott said after the win. "He has been banging down the door at VFL level. He had 48 touches last week, but he's really good inside, and a great runner as well.
"Zac Smith was a little bit sore during the week. The medical staff cleared him in the end, but then the conditions were just enough to tip it in Sam's favour. We made the decision right at the last minute.
"I did say to Sam: 'It's probably not the way you imagined it, but you're in, buddy, stand up and do a good job for us'. And he absolutely did that."
Scott said the win was a suitable response to the Cats' poor showing against Sydney in their previous home game a fortnight ago, and was particularly pleased at keeping Adelaide to their lowest score of the season.
"We played really poorly last time we played here, so it was good for us to adapt to the conditions a bit better and to defend a team which has been really hard to defend this year," he said. "That was really pleasing. I thought even though the conditions maybe helped us a little bit, our defensive stability was pretty good."
Scott said he was pleased with the return to form of several players who had been "under pressure internally", singling out Tom Hawkins, who finished with four goals, and Steven Motlop. But he was just as optimistic about the scope for further improvement, the victory over the Crows lifting Geelong to third on the ladder.
"We're honestly so excited about what we can do if we get a lift from probably a third of the team that are below expectations," he said.
The Crows were sore at the finish, with key defender Daniel Talia off the ground with a corked thigh, and skipper Taylor Walker hobbling with what coach Don Pyke said was a "tweaked" ankle. But Pyke was confident both would be fit for next week.
"All credit to Geelong, they came out and played a really solid game," Pyke said. "We had patches where I thought we were looking promising, but in the end they were too good.
"We'll give respect to Geelong tonight, they played really well. We've had a good season and our recent performances have been really strong, so we learn from tonight and understand what it means and how we can keep improving and getting better going forward."