Results

No Results

Trending topics

{{state}}
Listen Live

Select your station

We'll remember your choice for next time

AFL

Geelong prevails in final for the ages as maligned Rohan proves the hero late

2022-09-03T19:26+10:00

In a script that couldn’t have been written by even the most outrageous football fan, Geelong has advanced to the preliminary finals in a game words will struggle to describe.

The six-point win over Collingwood will go down as one of the greatest finals game ever played and continues a remarkable weekend of football.

With the game all square with minutes remaining, Gary Rohan snuck out the back before dropping a simple chest mark that would have been the easiest goal he could have kicked.

But the much-maligned forward recovered to handball the footy to Max Holmes, who would go on to break Collingwood hearts and kick the final goal.

He booted three goals, an equal game-high with Jeremy Cameron, with those two ultimately the difference in an enthralling clash that had too many powerful moments to count.

This time last year the MCG was empty as the AFL abandoned it’s homeland with the pandemic halting Victoria. But, on Saturday afternoon, the AFL saw its biggest crowd of the season more than 91,525 packed into the home of football.

In Round 3 earlier this year it was the Cats who needed to bridge a 37-point deficit late in the third quarter, one which they would ultimately achieve.

This time, the lead for Collingwood would get no bigger than 19 points after Cats were jumped yet again in the first term, as they have been so often in recent years as Collingwood piled on the pressure.

Chris Scott’s side – who had looked so measured and composed in their 13-game win streak – appeared flustered and couldn’t contain the Magpies, who kept Geelong in the clash with some inaccurate shots on goal.

The margin could well have been four or more goals at quarter time, but a missed free kick to Jack Ginnivan saw the Cats go down the other end and kick their first major through Jeremy Cameron.

Alongside Rohan, Cameron was Geelong's most dominant forward and had a game-high 12 score involements.

What could have been a four-goal margin was instead only two, and the momentum started to turn in favour of the minor premiers.

After conceding the first three, Geelong rallied to kick the next four goals, but a goal after the half-time siren to Brody Mihocek saw a slender one-point lead for the Magpies.

Both sides had slaughtered good looks inside 50, but Collingwood’s strategy of denying Scott’s men uncontested footy was working overall.

Craig McRae had accepted his side couldn’t match the Cats on the inside, but a dominance on the outside had the game evenly poised.

The intercepting defenders also had plenty of impact on the score line at half-time. Darcy Moore would go on to be in the Magpies’ best with 21 disposals and 10 intercepts, while Sam De Koning (seven intercepts, four contested possessions) and Tom Stewart (22 disposals, 10 intercepts) impressed in the air at the other end.

With the pressure of finals, it was the Cats who had the more consistent fumbles. Holmes and injury substitute Mark O'Connor – who replaced Jake Kolodjashnij in the second term – had notable nervous moments, prompting Andy Maher to tell AFL Nation: “These fumbles from Geelong are so uncharacteristic.”

Rohan helped answer his finals critics when he became the first multiple-goal scorer of the night midway through the third term with the major that put the Cats in front.

Ash Johnson provided what was set to be the moment of the third term, slotting an impossible check side from the wrong pocket for a right footer in what was a carbon copy of the famous goal he kicked against Carlton in Round 23.

But Jeremy Cameron responded with the same goal down the other end. Also on the wrong side, this time for left-footed Cameron, the All-Australian slotted the impossible goal with a drop punt before turning and eyeballing the Magpies faithful in remarkable scenes.

“Wherever you’re watching this around the world, you are seeing a goal-kicking clinic in the last couple of minutes,” Dwayne Russell said.

The three quarter time margin of seven points set the stage for yet another thriller this weekend, this time featuring two of the best final quarter sides of 2022.

The two sides traded goals to start the final term, but again Geelong’s indecision was a highlight that was picked up on by former Collingwood assistant coach Brenton Sanderson.

“(There’s) too much panic by the Cats,” he said.

“They’re playing with anxiety the Cats, they’re just not calm.”

Geelong would finally chain up and Brad Close finished his teammates' good work up the field when putting the Cats in front halfway through the final term, and the news didn’t get better for Collingwood quickly.

Taylor Adams went down grimacing with a groin strain shortly after and was subbed off in less than 90 seconds, bringing Nathan Kreuger on for his first game since Round 6.

“That’s a nasty injury,” Sanderson said.

“Kreuger the sub, so it’s not a like for like either.”

Jordan De Goey kicked his second for the term to enhance his credentials as his side's best, eventually finishing with 26 disposals and 465 metres gained, but Rohan took the lead straight back with a thumping set shot from beyond the 50-metre arc.

“It’s one of the epic finals we’re seeing,” Sanderson exclaimed.

“He (Rohan) has really responded today, what a player.”

The final goal to Holmes came with just over a minute to play, and the Cats did enough to hold on to an incredible six-point win that will never leave the minds of those who were at the ‘G on Saturday.

Russell described it as “one of the all-time great finals”, while Sanderson said: “that was one of the greatest games of finals footy you’ll ever want to see.”

Collingwood now faces the winner of the Fremantle/Western Bulldogs clash later on Saturday, while Geelong will face the victor of Melbourne/Brisbane in a fortnight.

FULL SCORE

Geelong: 1.3, 4.7, 7.10, 11.12, (78)

Collingwood: 3.5, 4.8, 8.11, 10.12 (72)

GOALS

Geelong: Cameron 3, Rohan 3, Close 2, Duncan, Hawkins, Holmes

Collingwood: Johnson 2, De Goey 2, Crisp, J. Daicos, Elliott, Lipinski, Mihocek, Hoskin-Elliot

BEST

Geelong: Guthrie, Rohan, Cameron, Stewart, Dangerfield

Collingwood: De Goey, J. Daicos, Pendlebury N. Daicos, Moore

INJURIES

Geelong: Kolodjashnij (knee)

Collingwood: Adams (Groin)

Sports-News Geelong Collingwood

More in AFL

Featured