"In the week leading up to the AFL grand final, official footy media has been united in polite admiration. Geelong may not be the finalist that most excites the narrative, but there is mutually agreed praise for the fact that they are here again, contending again, another year defying the AFL cycle driven by salary caps and draft picks that sifts teams down to the bottom half of the competition after a season or five near the top."
"Deeper into the crevices of the internet, politeness fades, with diehards of other footy allegiance more likely to say that they are sick of the bloody Cats who should piss off and give someone else a turn. On pure statistics, this is fair. As a fully disclosed Geelong person claiming no objectivity while anxious for another win, I might be accused of gluttony at the buffet."
"The numbers are admittedly awesome in the last 22 seasons: 19 finals series, 14 prelims, seven grand finals, four premierships and hunting a fifth. Rich pickings, especially to supporters of teams that have finished most of those seasons outside the top eight. And my counter is not to ask sympathy that Geelong supporters preceded all this with their own era of longing: 44 dry years after the premiership of 1963,"
Geelong has sustained elite performance across the last 22 seasons, reaching 19 finals series, 14 preliminary finals, seven grand finals and winning four premierships while chasing a fifth. The club repeatedly defies the AFL cycle driven by salary caps and draft picks that typically pushes successful teams into the competition's lower half after a season or five near the top. Rival supporters often express fatigue and hostility toward Geelong's recurring success. Geelong endured a 44-year premiership drought after 1963 and four lost grand finals from 1989 to 1995 before its modern run. The 2025 flag carries special urgency for Geelong supporters who see it as less inevitable and more desperately wanted.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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