Twelve months can seem like an eternity in football. Past achievements, while never forgotten, can quickly become the stuff of distant memory, as Kane Hunkin reports
Backtrack to 2012 and Matthew Knights and his VFL Cats were the toast of the competition – Victors. Conquerors. Premiers.
But football is a brutal game and on Sunday Knights, and his young chargers were offered the contrasting emotion, the bitter taste of a Grand Final loss.
It was one made all the more sour when factoring in the tag of minor premiers and the momentum of a 13-game winning streak.
If Friday night’s AFL loss was the harsh blow to the gut, Sunday’s VFL loss was the final knockout.
In a manner that contradicted the often clinical nature of Geelong’s season, the Cats never looked likely against an impressive and determined Box Hill outfit.
The precision of the side’s crushing preliminary final win against Williamstown was non-existent, the ruthlessness, which saw the side demolish Bendigo by over 200 points in the final round of the home-and-away season was never fully (if ever) displayed.
Knights, although typically pragmatic and composed, cut a forlorn figure speaking in the rooms.
“I said to the players after the game, the way we played today wasn’t a reflection of how we played all year,” he said.
“[There is] a lot of learning to come out of this for our young players. That’s the benefit I suppose, is that there is learning and to feel pretty disappointed with our efforts and to be stung by today’s loss.”
Gracious in defeat, Knights also touched on Box Hill’s solid performance.
“I thought Box Hill’s execution of skills was amazing. Every kick they seemed to make [and] every opportunity they seemed to take,” he said.
Knights touched on areas Geelong struggled in during the afternoon.
“We just didn’t execute. We fumbled below our knees, we missed targets with our handball and kicking. That put a lot of pressure [on us] due to the quick turnovers,” he said.
Despite the disappointing loss, there was still a sense of subtle pride.
“It was a massive highlight to win the premiership last year with the group. For them to back it up and play so well like they did in the home-and-away [season] and in the couple of finals was really pleasing. I’m really proud of the players,” Knights said.
While there may not be a next week, there is always a next year and Geelong have shown throughout 2013, irrespective of the weekend’s loss, the future still looks bright.
Last Modified on 25/09/2013 08:30