Geelong Cats’ defining moments and biggest storylines of 2020
It was a year in which Geelong made the Grand Final, Gary Ablett played his final game, news seemed to follow Jack Steven and a popular mascot was ‘delisted’. Here’s the 2020 storylines that defined the Cats this year.
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We’ve gone back and looked at the data from the year’s biggest Geelong Cats stories from the Addy sports desk.
Here’s our top-15 ranked yarns for 2020.
1. NEWMAN OFFERS TO REMOVE NAME FROM GEELONG RECORDS
Author: Lachie Young
Views: 36,441
Geelong champion Sam Newman offered to remove his name from any reference that he was ever associated with the club after the Cats raised concerns about his comments on the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Cats fielded calls from members complaining about comments made on his You Can’t Be Serious podcast, including labelling George Floyd — whose death has sparked protests around the globe — a “piece of s***”.
“If they would like to remove me from any recognition or any reference to me ever being at that club or playing for it, or whatever, if they would like me to request that they remove my name from any trace of the club’s records or history, if they would like me to do that, I will do that for them,” Newman said.
2. ABLETT REVEALS SON’S HEALTH BATTLE
Author: Lachie Young
Views: 19,002
Geelong champion Gary Ablett revealed his son Levi has been diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease.
“Some of you might already know that (wife) Jordan is caring for her mum as she battles with cancer,” Ablett posted on Instagram.
“But what many of you don’t know is that our son has been recently diagnosed with a rare and degenerative disease. After a great amount of thought and consideration, we decided that it’s time to share this with you.”
3. CATS REELING AFTER TOP MEDICOS CALL IT QUITS
Author: Toby Prime
Views: 18,691
Geelong started its AFL pre-season without experienced doctors Geoff Allen and Drew Slimmon, who both resigned from the club earlier this month.
Sports medicine expert Peter Larkins said it would be an “extraordinarily difficult” task to replace the seasoned pair.
It is understood AFL club doctors are facing a 20 per cent pay cut, but demands to cater for concussion, mental health, drug and alcohol and other protocols have increased.
4. CATS VOW TO SUPPORT ABLETT AFTER SON’S DIAGNOSIS
Author: Lachie Young, Jon Ralph
Views: 11,684
Geelong pledged its support to Gary Ablett — including a potential return to Victoria — after he revealed son Levi was battling a rare degenerative disease.
Ablett revealed the news when the Cats flew to Sydney for the first leg of their hub stint.
“We consider our role as one of support for whatever he needs,” coach Chris Scott said.
5. GAZZA’S GLORIOUS CAREER IN PICTURES
Views: 10,117
Gary Ablett bowed out without a third premiership medal, but farewelled the game as one of its modern icons.
The Addy celebrated his career with a gallery of the best pictures from his career.
6. FULL EXTENT OF ABLETT’S GRAND FINAL INJURY REVEALED
Author: Toby Prime
Views: 10,294
Gary Ablett played his final game with a cracked shoulder in a heroic effort to try and lift Geelong to a premiership.
Ablett could not lift his arm above his head when he returned to the ground after sustaining the injury in the first quarter but played through the pain to try end his career with a third flag.
Geelong football boss Simon Lloyd said scans had shown an impaction crack in the same shoulder he had reconstructed twice since 2014.
7. VICE-CAPTAIN APOLOGISES FOR FLOUTING COVID-19 RULES
Author: Chad Van Estrop
Views: 10,067
Mark Blicavs issued an apology for hosting a wild party which went against COVID-19 advice.
The Geelong Football Club and a State Government minister criticised the Cats vice-captain after he hosted a rowdy party at his home, flouting social distancing regulations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Police were called to the boozy party that stretched past 3am on Monday morning and came hours after the AFL season was suspended for two months on Sunday.
A resident who lives near Blicavs’ Geelong West home said beer cans and ping pong balls were found in a nearby backyard on Monday morning.
8. HOW EX-COACH CHECKED IN ON STEVEN AFTER STABBING
Author: Josh Barnes and Rebecca Williams
Views: 9,445
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten revealed he reached out to former Saint Jack Steven after the Geelong player’s hospital admission with a stab wound.
Steven, who played 183 games for the Saints before he was traded to the Cats at the end of last year, left hospital less than three days after suffering a stab wound to the chest.
He first arrived at the Cabrini Hospital about 1am on March 19 before he was transferred to The Alfred.
9. CATS, STEVEN IN SHOCK TALKS TO SEVER TIES
Author: Josh Barnes
Views: 8,400
Geelong opened talks to cut ties with Jack Steven halfway through his two-year deal.
Steven, 30, and Geelong had to agree to terms to break his contract, which would result in a payout.
Steven was touted as a shrewd recruit this time last year when he was plucked from the Saints in exchange for the 58th selection at the 2019 AFL Draft.
A four-time best-and-fairest winner at St Kilda, he recovered from a stabbing in March and made his Geelong debut in Round 3 and played nine games for the year.
10. HALF-CAT’S BIGGEST HITS OF GEELONG CAREER
Author: Harrison Tippet
Views: 7,788
The man who entertained football crowds as Geelong’s mascot ‘Half Cat’ for 24 years and more than 500 games will hang up his oversized boots, after being ‘delisted’ by the club.
Steve Sobey, who performed as Half Cat since 1996, confirmed the Geelong Cats had informed him he would no longer be needed at the club, as they search for a more acrobatic mascot.
“Earlier this year … I was told the club were looking at going the direction of having different pre match entertainment,” Steve said.
“They were looking at having Half Cat be able to do backflips and doing stuff like the American style basketball mascots.”
11. HOW CATS FLAG WINNER BATTLED CRIPPLING GAMBLING ADDICTION
Author: Tamara McDonald
Views: 6,643
A Cats premiership star who has battled a gambling addiction is lending his voice to a campaign aiming to smash stigma.
Allen Christensen, 29, estimated he would have lost between $200k and $300k during his gambling addiction.
The 29-year-old stopped gambling in October, 2014.
He described himself as a “full-blown gambling addict” from 18 to 23, but had begun building bad habits as a teenager.
12. JACK STEVEN DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER STABBING
Author: Josh Barnes
Views: 6,480
Geelong midfielder Jack Steven was discharged hospital less than three days after suffering a stab wound to the chest.
Steven has a wound on the left side of his chest and police investigating the incident believe it was inflicted by somebody who knows him.
He was unable to shed light on how it occurred when speaking to detectives.
13. WHY NAKIA COCKATOO MIGHT BE LEAVING QLD HUB
Author: Toby Prime
Views: 4,782
Nakia Cockatoo’s AFL comeback looked to be on hold until next year, with the explosive midfielder considering leaving the Queensland hub.
Cockatoo’s partner Grace Munday was only weeks away from giving birth to the couple’s first child and it was understood the pair would like to be around family for the arrival.
Cockatoo, 24, had been pushing for his first game since Round 3, 2018 and was traded to Brisbane at the end of the season.
14. CATS PAY TRIBUTE TO FORMER FOOTBALL MANAGER GARY DAVIDSON
Author: Toby Prime
Views: 4,742
Former Geelong football boss Garry Davidson was remembered for helping set the foundations for its most successful era.
The football community was shocked last week by Davidson’s passing following a short illness.
He was 66.
“The premierships of ’07, ’09 maybe not ’11 so much but certainly ’07 and ’09 were in large part due to the preparatory and development work that he put in during those early days,” chief executive Brian Cook said.
15. IN PICTURES: JOEL AND BRIT’S FAIRYTALE ROMANCE
Views: 4,728
Geelong captain Joel Selwood and long-time partner Brit Davis tied the knot in January.
The Addy marked the occasion with a gallery of their time together.
Originally published as Geelong Cats’ defining moments and biggest storylines of 2020
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