Wreck It Ralph: Why Geelong’s incredible record of sustained success makes them the best club this century

There is always plenty of talk about Geelong’s older list but the Cats have enough young talent to make any rival jealous. Who is the best of them?

Brandan Parfitt is ranked #4 in Jon Ralph’s list of best Cats under 25. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Are Grand Final victories the only true judge of greatness?

As you assess the greatest teams of the 21st century, here is the contrary view.

Sydney has only two premierships in that decade but a remarkable 17 finals series from 21 completed seasons to Richmond’s three premierships and eight finals series.

It is easy to make the case Sydney, with just one bottom-four finish compared to a Richmond side with an 11-year finals drought in that time, are the better team.

How then do we quantify Geelong’s achievement this century and the natural comparison with its famous rival Hawthorn?

For all the finals flare-outs and the quibbles over the club’s natural advantages – a home-ground deck, the father-sons, Patrick Dangerfield’s desire to return to the surf coast – it is a towering achievement.

Geelong has played finals in 16 of 21 seasons, has won three premierships, has played off in five Grand Finals, has been in a stunning 12 preliminary finals.

Consider that for a moment: on average Geelong plays in the preliminary final more than it doesn’t across any given year this century.

Yep, some have been miserable performances, but Geelong did lead Richmond by 21 points in a Grand Final in 2020 and was toppled in one of footy’s great upsets in the 2008 premiership.

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Sam De Koning is enjoying a breakout year for the Cats. Photo by Michael Klein

If your aunty had whiskers she would be your uncle (thanks Denis Pagan) but without Cyril Rioli and Dustin Martin they are five-time premierships champions and getting into New England Patriots areas.

Hawthorn has its four flags, its seven preliminary finals, its five Grand Finals and 11 finals series.

Alastair Clarkson would tell you the only thing that matters is winning the whole thing, not coming close, which is the only reason he will be back in coaching in 2023.

But if Geelong aren’t the best side of the 21st century, you can make a case they are Hawthorn’s equal.

And you can certainly make a case their sustained success makes them the best club this century, if not the best team.

None of that downgrades Hawthorn, it is to commend the might of Geelong.

The worst team this century?

Clearly Gold Coast, which hasn’t played a single final, hasn’t won more than 10 games in any given year despite all the talent.

But Carlton is a close second with just five finals appearances (one through Essendon’s misdeeds), no September action since 2013, only three finals victories and no prelims in that time.

Across the century the Cats have 315 home-and-away wins alone, with daylight second then Sydney (279 wins), Collingwood (264) and Hawthorn 261.

It is an awful lot of winning.

And it is only just getting started.

By August this year Geelong will have an astonishing 14 players on its list 30 years and older.

In November last year its new chief executive Steve Hocking made this provocative call: “The closer you get to the top of the mountain...sometimes you can actually be getting further away from it.”

Said Hocking of clubs with a foot planted in the now and in the future: “We probably got a little too planted in just now.”

Just seven months on Geelong has the best young key defender in the league (Sam De Koning), one of the two most damaging small forwards under 25 (Tyson Stengle, behind Zac Bailey), has cleared a blockage that has ensured the pipeline of talent is flowing again.

Here are Geelong’s eight best young players in order: Sam De Koning (21 years of age), Jack Henry (23), Tyson Stengle (23), Brandan Parfitt (24), Gryan Miers (23), Max Holmes (19), Brad Close (23), Esava Ratugolea (23).

Take your pick and quibble with the order but the point is the kids are there, along with Cooper Stephens, Mitch Knevitt, Zach Guthrie, Sam Simpson, Quinton Narkle and Toby Conway.

As Hocking told the Herald Sun over the weekend: “There has been a narrative around us and no doubt that has changed. You haven’t heard too much at all about, ‘This is our final season’, that window everyone talks about.”

Hocking says he has done nothing, adamant Scott and his new-look coaching team have committed to playing those kids early and often after so many near misses in recent years.

De Koning was a canny piece of recruiting at pick 19 the Cats knew might last longer in the draft because clubs are wary about picking key defenders early.

Brandan Parfitt is ranked #4 in Jon Ralph’s list of best Cats under 25. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Jack Henry is a pick 16 in the rookie draft so they have nailed their defensive core for the next decade with elite picks.

The Cats beat Essendon to former Crow Stengle with help from ex-Crows and quasi-recruiters Patrick Dangerfield and Josh Jenkins.

They traded a future first pick with Richmond to secure Holmes in the same year they gave up three first-rounders for Jeremy Cameron (with two second-rounders coming back).

Recruiter Stephen Wells has a simple philosophy garnered from a Harvard University course — in a negotiation both parties can win.

So he basically turned pick 24 (Tim Kelly) into Jeremy Cameron given the picks the Cats secured for Kelly to go home headed to the Giants for that trade.

And while you can wonder what might have been had the Cats secured their star forward as a pure free agent Geelong has just got on with business.

De Koning is signed to the end of 2023 (but will likely back the truck up next year given his potential) while Holmes, Parfitt and Mark O’Connor are set to sign on again in coming weeks.

So while North Melbourne and Adelaide embark upon never-ending rebuilds the Cats are in contention and with a window open for the future.

Geelong is 8-4 with West Coast to come twice as well as North Melbourne, so a 17th finals berth this century is all but guaranteed.

Brad Close of the Cats charges forward during the 3rd qtr. . Photo by Michael Klein

List boss Andrew Mackie will face the same challenges transitioning out some of his premiership teammates that Scott did with the champions that helped win him the 2011 flag.

Those rolling talks continue but surely Tom Hawkins, Joel Selwood, Isaac Smith and Zach Tuohy go on with Shaun Higgins and Luke Dahlhaus having to make every post a winner.

Back after this week’s bye are Dangerfield, Sam Menegola after last Friday’s VFL run, Jack Henry, Ceglar at VFL level, Holmes (ankle), and Shaun Higgins.

The challenge for Chris Scott will be to keep those kids in the side until finals, but that depth should allow his side to hit finals at warp speed instead of securing a top four spot but at significant cost to tired veteran legs.

On Friday night Luke Beveridge decided against playing any of his third key talls in Zaine Cordy, Josh Schache and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and saw the Cats set the early tone with a bevy of intercept marks.

Say what you want about Chris Scott – and on the rollercoaster cycle the Cats fans are currently back in love with him – but he doesn’t often cost his side wins with coaching own goals.

So Scott’s Geelong are locked and loaded again for the foreseeable future with only one way to put the debate beyond doubt with a fourth premiership in the first 22 seasons of this century.