NOT that they would want to, but if ever Port Melbourne players, coaches and fans look back on its 2002 Grand Final loss to Geelong they could feel aggrieved.
What are the odds that any club could boast such an array of precocious, young talent, many destined for the AFL Hall Of Fame, as Geelong did the year.
Consider that the following all represented Geelong in that historic premiership team – Messrs Ablett, Bartel, Chapman, Hunt, Johnson and Kelly.
History tells us that all six have been at the forefront of Geelong’s dominance in the AFL the past five years.
Now here is a small sample of what has been achieved by the afore-mentioned players
- 2 Brownlow Medallists – Ablett and Bartel
- 3 Norm Smith Medallists – Bartel, Chapman, Johnson
- 5 All-Australians (not including Mitchell White previously) – Ablett, Bartel, Chapman, Johnson, Kelly
- 6 x AFL Premiership players (not including Mitchell White previously) - Ablett, Bartel, Chapman, Hunt, Johnson, Kelly
- 4 x 3 time AFL Premiership Players – Bartel, Chapman, Kelly, Johnson
- 3 Geelong Best & Fairests (Gary Ablett also won one with the Gold Coast Suns) – Ablett (2), Chapman
For all that silky, smooth, emerging talent, backed by some seasoned veterans in Tim McGrath, David Mensch and Mitchell White, Port Melbourne took up the challenge to Geelong.
The Borough, which also included some fledgling stars – Ryan O’Keeffe, Adam Schneider, Amon Buchanan and Daniel MacPherson – as it was at a time when Port was affiliated with Sydney Swans.
While Port Melbourne gave it their all, Geelong emerged 22-point winners with James Rahilly, who played 90 games in eight seasons for the Cats in the AFL, playing a pivotal part as evidenced by the fact that he was named as the Norm Goss medallist.
.Rahilly, now an assistant coach at Geelong, well remembers 2002 as an “exciting time” for the club with Ablett, Bartel, Johnson and Kelly playing good football from the time they arrived at the club.
“We felt we had a developing list, we definitely could see the potential and the club really wanted to win that (VFL) Grand Final,” he said.
“Even counting the VFL, we had not won one for so long. It was the start of the success the club has enjoyed.”
Rahilly recalled Port coming at Geelong late, but the Borough being hindered by injuries late in the match, which restricted their rotations, and the Cats were able to steady and hold on to victory.
He remembered that Geelong had been in “trouble”, but coach Ron Watt changed a few things around and it steadied the Cats.
“I remember at the time it was important to the club and having such promising young players, I was just rapt to have played enough games early in the year in the VFL to qualify,” he said.
“It was great not only to come back and play, but to teach those young kids.”
Charlie Gardiner, David Johnson and Henry Playfair, - members of Geelong’s 2002 VFL premiership team - also played in the Cats’ 2007 VFL Premiership team, while Gardiner, Playfair, Will Slade and Matthew McCarthy played in the losing 2006 team.
After finishing playing football at the end of 2005, Rahilly spent several years travelling before Cats’ Recruiting and List Manager Stephen Wells asked him to come on board the development staff and from there he’s progressed to be an assistant coach under Chris Scott.
Like all Grand Finals, 2002 was not without its dramatic moments.
Watt recalled that Port Melbourne “attempted to pull a swifty when they ran (Adam) Schneider on to the ground pretty late. He wasn’t on the team sheet or anything”.
“He sort of bobbed up unexpectedly; we didn’t know who he was. He’d only played a handful of VFL games.”
Watt remembered the Cats rebounding after Port gained an early lead then withstanding a comeback.
Even 10 years later, Watt recalled there was a great atmosphere with a match that lived up to the billing.
“When you are coaching young guys early in their career, you get an idea which players are going to be good, but you don’t realise they are going to turn out to be champions,” Watt said.
“Potential is one thing, but achieving it is another. To look back and see how those players have progressed, it gives you a lot of pleasure.
“Back then it was something that Geelong really needed, just to show we could actually win something. I’m sure that gave the boys a fair bit of confidence as they went along and it meant a lot to people who had been involved at Geelong for a long time without experiencing that success.
“Both Tim McGrath and Mensch had played in losing AFL Grand Finals.”
Watt, the Cats’ inaugural VFL coach in 2000, said Geelong had the ideal mix of “old and young” back in 2002. He quipped “there wasn’t many good players there, was there”.
“The young boys we had were exceptionally talented – some of the best players ever – but the old boys also bought into wanting to win a premiership as well,” he said.
“And, they were good players in their own right. (Tim) McGrath, (David) Mensch, Mitchell White, James .Rahilly and Brent Grgic. ‘Chappy’ (Paul Chapman) was still a young fellow, but he had been around three or four years.
“There was some good experience to compliment the young talent.”
After coaching Geelong until 2004, Watt has moved on to player development then off field personal development.
He can look back fondly on the launching pad to a successful era at Simonds Stadium and a team that is the envy of all.
GEELONG 2002 PREMIERSHIP TEAM
B: Joshua Hunt, Mark Woolnough, Daniel Foster
HB: Will Slade, Tim McGrath, Mitchell White
C: James Rahilly, James Kelly, Adam Chatfield
HF: Paul Chapman, David Mensch, Steven Johnson
F: Brent Grgic Henry Playfair, Matthew McCarthy
Foll: Peter Street, Gary Ablett Jnr, James Bartel
I/C: Paul Chambers, Danny O'Brien, David Johnson, Charlie Gardiner
Coach: Ron Watt
PORT MELBOURNE’S 2002 GF SIDE
Ablett, Luke
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Aloi, Anthony
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Anstey, Sam
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Bennett, Gerrard
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Brockman, Leigh
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Buchanan, Amon
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Deluca, Adrian
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Evans, Brent
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Filandia, Peter
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Gill, Nick
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McMahon, Ryan
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McPherson, Daniel
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Obst, Chris
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O'Keefe, Ryan
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O'Loughlin, Ricky
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Phibbs, Ben
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Rix, Michael
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Robertson, Glen
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Rose, Brett
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Schneider, Adam
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Stevens, Scott
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Sundquist, Jarrod
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Last Modified on 21/09/2012 09:36