Kardinia Park, as old-stagers know the Geelong home ground, has been a destination of recurring disaster for most opposition clubs over the past 10 years. But not for the Sydney Swans.
In 72 games against the Cats at ‘The Cattery’ since 2013, clubs other than Sydney have had a combined 9-63 win/loss record. They’ve scored 100 points just four times while conceding 100 points to the Cats 34 times and have a combined percentage of 64.6.
Ten opposition clubs have a combined 0-44 record against Geelong in Geelong in this period: Adelaide (0-6), Brisbane (0-7), Essendon (0-1) Gold Coast (0-6), Port Adelaide (0-3), Hawthorn (0-1), Richmond (0-1), St Kilda (0-6), Western Bulldogs (0-7) and West Coast (0-6).
Five clubs have a negative split: North Melbourne (1-5), Melbourne (2-5), GWS (2-3), Carlton (1-2) and Fremantle (3-4) – and Collingwood have not played in Geelong in this period.
Clearly, the AFL’s longest and skinniest ground offers a significant advantage for the 2022 premiers.
Yet in six visits to Geelong in the past decade Sydney have a 3-3 split, have posted the only triple-figure score in meetings between the clubs, and have a percentage of 100.6.
It’s enough to give coach John Longmire and his young team genuine confidence heading into Saturday night’s Round 6 clash, when the fifth-placed Swans, who have gone WWLLW for a 3-2 record, take on the 10th-placed Cats, who are 2-3 after going LLLWW.
But with Sydney having not played at Geelong since 2019, Longmire will spare a moment this week to address the extra challenges presented by the dimensions of the Geelong ground, which is 15m longer and 21m narrower than the SCG, which is 155m long and 136m wide.
It will be especially relevant for nine Swans players who have never played there – Braeden Campbell, Peter Ladhams, Logan McDonald, Hayden McLean, Matt Roberts, Dylan Stephens, brothers Chad and Corey Warner, and Will Gould.
Other historical talking points ahead of Saturday night’s game are:
By venue
Since the turn of the century Sydney have had a 14-19 record overall against Geelong. They’ve had the better of the Cats in Sydney, going 7-4 at the SCG and 2-3 at the Olympic Stadium, but are 4-10 at Kardinia Park on top of a 1-1 split at the MCG and an 0-1 record at the Gold Coast in the Covid season of 2020.
Highs and lows
Sydney’s highest score and biggest win over Geelong this century is also the club’s biggest win all-time against the Cats. It was Round 11, 2014 when they kicked 22.16 (148) to 5.8 (38) to win by 110 points. Kurt Tippett (5), Lance Franklin (4) and Adam Goodes (3) led the goal-kicking onslaught, while Nick Malceski (37 possessions) took the Brownlow votes from Franklin (2) and Tippett (1).
Sydney’s lowest score against Geelong this century was 5.9 (39) in the 2017 semi-final, while the biggest loss is that which stings most – the 81-point deficit in last year’s grand final.
Big ball winners
Nick Malceski’s 37 possessions in 2010 is the most by a Sydney player against Geelong this century. Josh Kennedy, with five games of 30+ possessions against the Cats in this time, has been the most prolific ball-winner overall, while Dan Hannebery had three and Jake Lloyd and Luke Parker have had two apiece – Lloyd the last two against Geelong in 2018 and 2019.
Geelong’s best against Sydney this century was Gary Ablett Jr’s 44 possessions in 2009. Joel Selwood (6) and Mitch Duncan (4) have recorded most 30+ games for the Cats.
Major goal kickers
Only one player has kicked more than five goals in a Sydney v Geelong game this century – the Cats’ Steve Johnson, who was on the Swans coaching staff from 2018-20. He kicked six in 2010 at the Olympic Stadium.
Lance Franklin has been the Swans’ most prolific goal-kicker against the Cats, kicking four goals four times, while Barry Hall had one four and two fives. For Geelong, Tom Hawkins has kicked four goals three times and five goals once.
Brownlow votes
Adam Goodes has polled most Brownlow votes in Sydney v Geelong games this century, polling five times for 10 votes. Luke Parker (7), Josh Kennedy (6), Rhyce Shaw (6) and Barry Hall (5) are next best, while Joel Selwood (15) and Gary Ablett Jr (14) head the Geelong vote from Steve Johnson (8), Tim Kelly (8) and Paul Chapman (7). Total votes in this period favor Geelong 124-86.
Common players
Seven players have represented both clubs this century – six of whom joined the Swans after playing previously at the Cats. Most notable are 2012 Swans premiership player Shane Mumford, who played 21 games with Geelong (2008-09) before 79 games with Sydney (2010-13) and later 116 games with GWS (2014-21), and Jeremy Laidler, who played in the 2015 grand final in a 61-game career in Sydney from 2014-17 after playing at Geelong and Carlton.
David Spriggs, a five-game Swan in 2005, was the first common player this century, followed by Paul Chambers, who played 12 Swans games in 2006, Mumford, Laidler and 2019 recruits Jackson Thurlow and Dan Menzel. Thurlow played 17 games with the Swans in 2019-20 and the injury-prone Menzel seven games in 2019.
The only player to head south from the Swans to Geelong since 2000 is 2014-16 grand final player Gary Rohan, who played the 2020 grand final loss with the Cats before breaking through for a flag last year. He is likely to play against Sydney on Saturday night.
Common officials
Two key off-field people in the Swans operation – CEO Tom Harley and football chief Charlie Gardiner – are ex-Geelong players. Harley played 197 games in the hoops from 1999-2009, captaining premiership sides in 2007 and 2009, while Gardiner played 51 games with Geelong from 2002-07
Who’s missing?
Saturday night’s visit to Geelong will be unlike any in the last 16 years. Why? Because for the first time 2007 the Swans will take on the Cats without Joel Selwood, who played in each of 28 games between the clubs during his 355-game career.
Blakey’s best?
Was Nick Blakey’s 83rd game against Richmond at Adelaide Oval last Friday night the best of his career? There’s a strong argument to say it was. Relishing the responsibility of playiing as a key defender in the absence of Dane Rampe and the McCartin brothers, he had the second 30-possession game of his career and a career-best eight one-percenters, and was lethal with his raking left foot, going at 93.3% disposal efficiency. This earned him eight votes in the Coaches Association Player of the Year Award – four each from John Longmire and Damien Hardwick. This was his biggest recognition from the coaches, topping seven votes against St Kilda in Round 15 last year when he had 31 possessions.
Form guide 2023
One of the key figures in John Longmire’s planning this week will be Geelong forward Jeremy Cameron. Five rounds into the 2023 season he is the leading goal-kicker in the competition with 22. Tom Papley, coming off a career-best six goals against Richmond last week, is third on the goal-kicking with 14, behind Cameron and Carlton’s Charlie Curnow (18) and equal with West Coast’s Oscar Allen (14) and GWS’ Toby Greene (14).
Cameron is also second on the leaderboard in the Coaches Player of the Year Award with 26 votes, behind Collingwood’s Nick Daicos (35) and ahead of Sydney’s Chad Warner (24) and St Kilda’s Callum Wilkie (24) are equal third.
Isaac Smith, Geelong’s second-oldest player at 34 behind only Tom Hawkins, is his side’s leading ball-winner at 23.4 possessions per game from Patrick Dangerfield (22.6), Cam Guthrie (22.0) and Max Holmes (20.2). Jake Lloyd (24.4), Warner (24.0), Callum Mills (22.8), Ollie Florent (22.6), Nick Blakey (22.4) and Luke Parker (21.2) average 20+ possessions a game for the Swans.
Footy trivia
While we’ve called the Geelong homeground Kardinia Park, it’s official name these days is GMHBA Stadium under a sponsorship with a health insurance company. Can you name the other four names it has carried this century? It was Shell Stadium (1999-2001), Baytec Stadium (2001), Skilled Stadium (2001-2011) and Simonds Stadium (2012-17), and has been GMHBA Stadium since 2017.
