Old Geelong progress to the Grand Final but gee, it was close…

Hugh Maclean

The Premier C Men’s Grand Final match-up has been confirmed, with Old Geelong joining Monash Blues in the season-decider after a pulsating preliminary final.

Saturday afternoon brought heartbreak for Hampton Rovers as Old Geelong won the preliminary final by the smallest possible margin.  The Rovers came into the match short on form having recently been without some of their best players.  The return of a couple of these players and the increased match fitness of one or two other recent returnees helped give them a spark, but when the final siren brought proceedings to a close, they were just short.

Old Geelong began the day kicking to the southern end of Trevor Barker Oval, the end of the ground where 14 of the day’s 17 goals were kicked.  After a scrappy start where pressure took precedence over skill (as can happen in a big final), it was Old Geelong that kicked three of the first four goals of the match.  Hampton then took their turn to the scoring end in the second term, and had all the momentum through the quarter, taking the lead heading into the main break.  It was Old Geelong though that kicked one of the key goals of the entire match in the shadows of half-time.  With both sides having registered 29 points at the half, we were no closer to knowing how matters would conclude as we were an hour previously.

The third term continued the trend of the first two, with four goals kicked to the southern end of the ground and none to the north.  There was more to it than that though.  Old Geelong kicked four goals with only one blemish, whilst Hampton Rovers had their chances but could only add four behinds.  It was not the first time this season that Hampton’s inefficiency in front of goal had hurt them, and on this day that was vital.  Old Geelong thus headed for home 21 points to the good.

Hampton started their pursuit in fine order, two quick goals after the final change meaning the game was well and truly back on in earnest.  An Old Geelong goal however, the only one kicked by them in the final stanza, meant that the hill was a little too big for Hampton Rovers to climb.  Again the Rovers didn’t help themselves completely, only goaling with half their eight last quarter scoring shots.  All of this combined to mean that Hampton Rovers was left wondering what might have been.  Their commitment could not have been queried, but it was the boys from Como Park that were just that little bit more composed in the end: they fully deserve their grand final berth.

Final score Old Geelong 9.8.62 defeated Hampton Rovers 8.13.61.

And so we move forward to Friday at Trevor Barker Oval with the two combatants the same sides that were at the top of the ladder when play was suspended due to Covid in the 2021 season.  The football year in 2022 concludes at the same place that it started; Monash Blues and Old Geelong having met in round one where Monash doubled Old Geelong’s score, 84 to 42.

The two sides met again in round seventeen, where Monash were also dominant over a then-depleted Old Geelong, this time winning by twelve goals.  The two sides meet now in full readiness for the contest, with the Monash boys well rested and their Geelong counterparts battle-hardened.

The Blues have been the yardstick all season, only having tasted defeat twice in their 20 matches and finishing a whole 24 points clear of their rivals on the points table.  Old Geelong though have shown an admirable tendency to lift their game when the stakes are at their highest.  It’s difficult to tip against Monash, but in this Old Geelong side they may be facing the best equipped opponent to cause the upset.

Premier C Men’s Grand Final
Monash Blues v Old Geelong
Friday 2:30pm, Trevor Barker Oval

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