AFL Grand Final 2020: Geelong Cats to face Richmond Tigers after 40-point win over Brisbane Lions
Geelong will play Richmond in a grand final played in Brisbane after ending the hopes of the home-town Lions.
Geelong will play Richmond in a grand final played in Brisbane next Saturday after ending the hopes of the home-town Lions at the Gabba with a dominant 40-point win.
In a preliminary final pitting the mature Cats against an emerging contender in Brisbane, Geelong were far too good when successful 11.16 (82) to 6.6 (42)
Much of the 2020 season has been played outside of Victoria due to coronavirus in an extraordinary year.
But the first grand final to be held in Queensland will also be the first all-Victorian decider since Geelong defeated Collingwood at the MCG in 2011.
That was coach Chris Scott’s first season in charge of the Cats. They had reached five preliminary finals since, but the chance to play in another big one had eluded them until now.
In a season where every club has spent time in hubs, the two sides who have spent the longest amount of time on the road will play off for a unique premiership.
Both Richmond and Geelong, which are both based on the Gold Coast, passed the 100 day landmark in terms of their stints away from home during the week.
Similarly to the Tigers, who reached the grand final when defeating the Power by six points at Adelaide Oval on Friday night, Geelong were beaten in the opening week of the finals.
But they were able to rebound against Collingwood in a stunning semi-final performance and carried the momentum through to the preliminary final against the Lions.
Geelong has now played at the Gabba five times this season for as many wins, with their performances at the ground electric.
Brisbane had compiled a perfect ten leading into the preliminary final but were unable to find the spark that saw them defeat reigning premiers Richmond in a qualifying final.
When star forward Charlie Cameron kicked the opening goal of the match in brilliant fashion, a crowd of nearly 30,000 rose to their feet in applause.
But from there Geelong had by far the better of the preliminary final.
It was only inaccuracy and squandered chances that allowed the Lions to remain in touch until midway through the third term.
Gary Ablett Jnr, who will play the final game of a remarkable career next weekend, kicked two brilliant goals in that quarter as Geelong moved to an 18-point lead at the final change.
That took his career tally to 445 goals, which saw the legend move past champions including Jack Dyer, Malcolm Blight, Robert Walls, Alex Jesaulenko and Drew Petrie on the all-time VFL/AFL goalkicking table.
It has been a testing season for Ablett on a personal front.
He left a hub in Perth in July to return to Victoria, with Ablett and his partner Jordan revealing their son Levi was battling a rare degenerative condition. Not long after his mother-in-law died after a lengthy illness.
He spent a fortnight in quarantine in south-east Queensland in early September and returned to join his side for the final match of the regular season.
“I am so proud of the boys’ effort tonight. We are into a grand final, but the job is not done,” Ablett said.
Ablett is one of several Geelong champions seeking another taste of glory. Captain Joel Selwood would become a four-time premiership player if the Cats defeat the Tigers.
“It is huge. I am so proud of the boys. We got what we deserved,” he said.
“We saw the opportunity early on. We thought we were a mature group early on in terms of age, but also experience. It is really exciting.”
When Coleman Medallist Tom Hawkins was not kicking goals, as he did early on in the final, he seemingly won almost every single ruck tap from boundary throw-ins.
Patrick Dangerfield again played deep in attack and while he did not have the same influence as a week earlier, he delivered in important moments.
Next Saturday will mark the Brownlow Medallist’s first appearance in a decider.
But the task ahead of the champion and his teammates is immense given the sustained excellence of Richmond.
At the end of 2010, Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale unveiled an ambitious plan.
He stated the Tigers would win three premierships, pass 75,000 members and be debt free under his tenure.
At that stage, the Tigers had not won a premiership since 1980. Now they have two, having beaten Adelaide in 2017 and the Giants in 2019.
But Geelong, which won three flags in five seasons between 2007 and 2011, appeals as a most formidable rival.
Richmond will carry the confidence of knowing they were successful in their only clash this season when too strong for Geelong at Metricon Stadium in early September.
But the Tigers love the Gold Coast ground. Geelong, clearly, have excelled at the Gabba. A great grand final awaits.
It is a difficult lesson for the Lions, which have taken another step forward in 2020 under Chris Fagan.
They won their first final in more than a decade against Richmond, but ultimately wilted against a more composed and disciplined rival.
Brownlow Medal favourite Lachie Neale was quiet early but worked into the match the longer it went and kicked two brilliant goals to keep his side within range.
Cameron was electric early but unable to inflict a significant influence after quarter-time. That, in part, was due to the dominance the Cats had in general play.
In the opening term, Geelong doubled their rivals in terms of winning the contested ball (36 to 18) and also in terms of clearances (15 to four).
The Cats entered their attacking arc 15 times for the term compared to the Lions five, but were unable to maximise their opportunities.
While they continued to pepper the goals, Brisbane’s efficiency enabled them to stay within range for a portion of the match, but the trend of the game suggested it was only a matter of time before Geelong broke away from them.
Read the half-time match report below
Geelong leads the preliminary final against Brisbane at the Gabba by five points at half-time, a margin that does not reflect their dominance in general play.
The Cats were clearly superior in terms of winning the football, particularly in the opening term.
But they have failed to make the most of their chances as they seek to book a spot in the grand final against Richmond next Saturday at the Gabba.
Brisbane, seeking to play in their first grand final since 2004, did well to weather the storm and stayed in touch courtesy of greater efficiency in attack.
The score at half-time is Geelong 4.8 (32) to Brisbane 4.3 (27).
Lions forward Charlie Cameron kicked the opening goal of the final five minutes into the match after marking on the lead.
Geelong had dominated possession until that stage, with the football largely in their attacking arc, but the Lions moved the ball forward efficiently to find the star forward.
Brandan Parfitt kicked the Cats first goal 11-minutes in when sneaking deep into attack, where he was spotted by Zach Tuohy.
Coleman Medallist Tom Hawkins was on the scoreboard soon after when kicking accurately from a testing angle after being found with a pass from Patrick Dangerfield.
But Cameron was able to pounce again late in the term when winning a holding-the-ball free kick for tackling Jack Henry deep in attack.
The Lions were clearly outplayed throughout the term but Cameron’s vital contribution kept them within range at quarter-time, with Geelong leading 2.5 (17) to 2.0 (12).
Clearly the home-town side had much to rectify though. Geelong doubled their rivals in terms of winning the contested ball (36 to 18) and also in terms of clearances (15 to four).
The Cats entered their attacking arc 15 times for the term compared to the Lions five, but were unable to maximise their opportunities.
The trend continued early in the second term, with Hawkins kicking a second after being found on the lead by Gary Ablett Jnr, who had been lively.
When Gary Rohan snared a beautiful goal with a snap around the corner after escaping the clutches of Brandon Starcevich, the margin was 17 points and the alarm bells ringing for Brisbane.
Against the trend of play, Eric Hipwood kicked Brisbane’s third goal of the final soon after, with the Lions making the most of their rare forays forward.
The Cats continued to pepper the goals without success.
When Brownlow Medal favourite Lachie Neale dashed clear, his brilliant goal kicked on the run from outside 50 metres reduced the margin to six points.
Similarly to the qualifying final against Richmond, Neale was particularly quiet in the opening term but worked into the match well in the second quarter.
The Lions were forced to make a change prior to the final, with Darcy Gardiner missing due to a knee complaint. He was replaced by Jack Payne.
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