All the Geelong Cats news and analysis as the club hits the mid-season bye

A country girl at heart, something tugged on Daisy Pearce’s heartstrings as she watched Geelong over the past two decades as she reveals why she chose to coach at the Cats.

Incoming Geelong coach Daisy Pearce has been hooked on the “unique place” the Cats hold in Geelong since the club’s premiership era more than a decade ago.

The women’s football legend will swap her Melbourne colours for the Geelong hoops once she retires from playing and she will take up a job as an assistant coach at GMHBA Stadium.

Widely respected for her footy brain, several clubs showed interest in hiring Pearce once she hung up the boots but the country feel at Geelong drew her to the club.

Daisy Pearce will swap red and blue for blue and white. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

She was announced on Tuesday as a successful applicant under an AFL program promoting female coaches and she will take up a two-year role on Geelong’s coaching panel, which includes a mentorship under head coach Chris Scott.

Pearce said Geelong’s persistent success in the past 15 years drew her to the Cats, as well as the obsession the town has with its club.

“It’s always been a club that I have admired from afar, not just because of how successful they have been but what you hear about their culture,” she told SEN.

“I am also excited about the unique place they have in their community. It’s a big AFL team in a small community that are pretty one-eyed, so being a country girl even as a supporter and fan I was kind of envious of those great images of the premiership era where the town was just empty when they were playing (in a big game).

“Things like that make it feel like a country football-netball club vibe because that is where I fell in love with the game.

“Right here and now and where they are heading as well, I sense a genuine desire to want to start diversifying what their footy department looks like, not just through men or women but through other things as well and a flexibility and a culture that embraces family.”

Joel Selwood and Mathew Stokes are watched by hundreds of locals in a premiership parade in 2007. Picture: Andrew Brownbill

Pearce is yet to confirm whether the upcoming AFLW season will be her last on-field and Geelong is willing to give her time to figure out her retirement plans.

The AFL program allows coaches to work at their club at any point until 2025.

The Demons AFLW skipper said there were some questions thrown her way about any conflicts heading into the coming season but she said she her focus was all on Melbourne for now.

The confirmation she would be a coach within an AFL club was a dream come true after the women’s footy pioneer toyed with sending out letters to every club when she was a teen but baulked because she thought working in the elite environment as a women was “some sort of pipe dream”.

CATS THE ‘CHAMPION CLUB’ OF THE 21st CENTURY, LETHAL LEIGH DECLARES

Legendary football figure Leigh Matthews has declared Geelong as the “champion club” of the 21st century so far, pipping Hawthorn and Sydney.

Geelong and Matthew Scarlett have enjoyed plenty of success this century. Picture: AAP Image/Joe Castro

As of this week, the Cats have won 315 games since the turn of the century, well ahead of second-placed Sydney (279) and have played in 16 finals series, one less than the Swans.

One of Matthews’ old clubs, Hawthorn, leads all comers with four premierships in the past 21 seasons, ahead of Geelong’s three.

Deemed the “player of the 20th century”, Matthews oversaw a hat-trick of flags as coach of Brisbane Lions from 2001-03 but the Lions have been unable to match he sustained success of the likes of Sydney and Geelong.

Richmond, likewise, has won three premierships in the last 21 seasons but were absent from finals for the majority of the first 15 years of the millennium.

Under Mark Thompson, Geelong began the 21st century by playing in an elimination final in 2000, but didn’t return to September action until 2004.

From that point on, the Cats have missed finals just twice, in 2006 and 2015, and won flags in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Leigh Matthews led his own dynasty with the Lions.

“Geelong have been outstanding pretty much the whole century,” Matthews told Sportsday.

“The last time they had a losing season, lost more games (than won) was 2006.

“They keep doing it and recruiting well, developing well and coaching well. You’ve got to do the whole lot together to get the best out of the players.

“Both Geelong and Sydney have never gone down to the bottom to rebuild back up. They just keep doing the job.”

Paul Chapman enjoys one of Geelong’s premierships.

Matthews said he based his call on three categories: how many finals appearances, how many games won and how many premierships.

The Swans have won two flags in the period, in 2005 and 2012.

“To me (there is) not much doubt that the Cats have been the champion club so far,” he said.

As he was poised to break club legend Reg Hickey’s longstanding record for wins as coach at Geelong last month, Chris Scott said he was “so proud” of the way the Cats had managed to stay in premiership contention for near on two decades without going through a traditional rebuild.

“It’s something that I am really proud of that it has been done through a little bit of adversity and in the non-traditional way,” Scott said.

“We set out as a club and as an organisation 12 years ago to find a way to contend without rejuvenating our list.”

ZANE SOAKS UP FIRST GEELONG EXPERIENCES

New Geelong rookie Zane Williams is not worried about pushing for an AFL berth just yet as he finally takes a breath following a life-changing three days.

The newest Cat was soaking it all in from Geelong’s changerooms at Marvel Stadium on Friday night as his new club enjoyed a win over the Western Bulldogs.

Williams had pulled on the hoops for the first time just hours before, playing about 50 per cent gametime in a VFL loss to Footscray, less than 48 hours after he was chosen by Geelong in the mid-season draft.

Zane Williams was in Geelong colours less than 48 hours after being drafted.

Williams, who turned 21 on Sunday, said he was focused on fitting in at the Cats before turning his attention to earning a senior debut.

“I just want to get to know the boys and create some relationships here, I am obviously trying to find my feet at the moment but I don’t think I will have a problem with that given how great the club is and the culture here,” he said.

“Obviously if I have a couple of good games in the VFL anything could happen I guess.

“It’s a very good side so I just have to keep bettering myself every day and whatever comes from that, comes from that.”

Williams was on the training track at Woodville-West Torrens on Wednesday night when coach Jade Sheedy told him to leave the field, where he was told he had been picked up by Geelong.

The Cats were one of three clubs he spoke to before the draft – with North Melbourne and Essendon the others – but he was warned by recruiters Geelong was eyeing a defender.

Williams had never been to Geelong but grew up a Cats fan, with his favourite player initially Cameron Mooney, before he switched over to his current captain Joel Selwood.

“I spoke to Geelong probably a week before the draft and they actually told me they were interested in a tall defender,” he said.

“I was expecting to go elsewhere but I’m here. I couldn’t be happier where I am.”

Zane Williams and Nigel Lappin at training. Picture: Geelong Cats

After being drafted Wednesday, Williams was on a plane Thursday morning and trained that day.

Club player development manager Shannon Byrnes told him he didn’t have to suit up in the VFL on the Friday but he was keen to “get stuck into it” and Williams was lively in limited minutes, kicking three behinds from 12 disposals.

He flew back to Adelaide over the weekend to get his life in order and celebrate his 21st birthday during Geelong’s mid-season break, with the speedy forward to live with a host family in Geelong for the rest of the season.

Having followed the club his whole life, Williams was in awe walking into GMHBA Stadium but was quickly embraced by his new colleagues.

“Coming into an elite environment you sort of think it’s not going to be that friendly but everyone here is so friendly and they all treat you like an equal,” he said.

SAM DE KONING RISING STAR FAVOURITE, SAYS LLOYD

Revelatory Geelong defender Sam De Koning is “on another level” and should now be the outright favourite for the rising star award, according to goalkicking champion Matthew Lloyd.

After earning a belated rising star nomination last weekend after an outstanding performance against Adelaide, De Koning, 21, backed it up with a polished performance to shut-out Western Bulldog star Aaron Naughton in Friday night’s win.

Sam De Koning was the master in his duel with Aaron Naughton. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

In the 108 minutes he directly opposed Naughton, De Koning held the Dog high-flyer to 10 disposals and one goal, while the Cat collected 12 himself.

The budding Geelong defensive pillar went at 100 per cent efficiency with his dozen disposals and took three contested marks to go with his five intercept possessions.

The 204cm giant remains behind Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe, Collingwood first-year player Nick Daicos and Essendon surprise packet Nic Martin in the rising star odds, but Bombers legend Lloyd said that was about to change.

“What a player he is becoming and I think he now goes into favouritism for the rising star,” Lloyd said on the Sunday Footy Show.

“I think everyone has spoken about Daicos and Newcombe but this guy is on another level.”

Having kicked 926 goals in his legendary 270 games for the Bombers, Lloyd faced off with plenty of tough defenders and he said De Koning had all the tools to be a backline weapon.

“I’m seeing athleticism that you rarely see, the marking ability, knowing when to spoil and go for his marks (he has) speed off the mark,” Lloyd said.

Sam De Koning fires off a handball. Photo by Michael Klein

“Now he is winning the one-on-ones, they are the worst defenders to play on (the) guys who can pluck marks like he can.”

The Cats lost defensive anchor Tom Stewart to concussion in the first quarter and star forward Jeremy Cameron was left to marvel at De Koning’s ability to hold the backline together.

“It speaks wonders for big ‘DK’, he was on one of my favourite key forwards to watch … and for ‘DK’ to play on (Naughton) in his first real season down back with Tommy Stewart, arguably our best defender out, I thought he did a tremendous job tonight so good on the young fella,” Cameron said.

Speaking to the club’s media after the siren on Friday night, the unassuming De Koning said he was taking his breakthrough season in stride.

“I’m just trying to play my role for the team, it’s such a privilege to run out every week and to play consistent footy is just a bonus,” he said.

Geelong’s Friday night win over the Bulldogs put it in the top-four at the club’s mid-season bye.

Lloyd said thanks to a wealth of “big game players”, he thought the Cats would hold onto the double chance in the back half of the year.

Originally published as All the Geelong Cats news and analysis as the club hits the mid-season bye