Welcome to the second episode of Rosco's Rivalries - thanks to Hungry Jack's.
Our inaugural club captain relives some of our classic clashes with Geelong.
Watch the video, read the article take the quiz below!
https://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/rivalry
In the early part of West Coast Eagles history there were two distinct eras of success.
Quite obviously the early 1990s under Mick Malthouse cast the dye for the club when it won its first two premierships and the second was the mid-2000s when John Worsfold took the club to its third premiership.
A common denominator around those three flags – in 1992, 1994 and 2006 – was Geelong, a club that had more than a loose connection with West Australian football.
In the 60s, of course, there was the greatest of them, Graham “Polly” Farmer, John Watts and Denis Marshall. While even earlier George Moloney and John O’Connell played in the blue hoops.
Later Gary Malarkey, Peter Featherby, Bryan Cousins and Brian Peake were among the Sandgroper contingent who ventured to Sleepy Hollow, while the Cats signed South Fremantle star Mark Bairstow before the fledgling Eagles had the chance to lock him away.
The Cats were one of the first clubs to forge a genuine rivalry with the Eagles and will forever be connected, albeit begrudgingly, to the moment when a non-Victorian club triumphed for the first time.
Geelong started boldly in the 1992 grand final and looked the better team for the bulk of the first half, taking a two-goal lead into the main break. A margin that would have been daunting had it not been for the work of tough rover Tony Evans, who kicked two goals in second term red time.
A year earlier, in the only grand final played away from the MCG in 90 years, the Eagles had also trailed by two goals at half-time, but those within the changerooms in this encounter sensed a strong resolve within the playing group.
A couple of tweaks to the line-up, the most significant the move of Brett Heady into the midfield, saw the Eagles surge in the third quarter and that saw the visitors take a 17-point advantage into the final term.
They had created an irresistible momentum shift and with Norm Smith medallist Peter Matera setting the Eagles on their way, they powered to a ground-breaking 28-point victory.
In 1994 the Cats were again the Eagles’ opponent on the big stage and while most pundits look only at the final score, with the Eagles having 43 shots at goal and winning by 85 points, the start of the game was far more competitive than a cursory glance would suggest.
Again the Cats started well and led at quarter time before the Eagles took charge.
They broke Geelong’s spirit in the second term, a 4.9 return indicative of their control. With popular ruckman David Hynes and defender David Hart two important inclusions who did not play two years earlier, the Eagles charged to their second flag in three years.
While they have not met in a grand final since, there were another couple of epics between the two clubs – both of them at Kardinia Park.
In round 20, 2003 the Eagles ventured east knowing they had to win to play finals and Geelong, despite a star-studded team, would miss September action.
In a match that saw a number of momentum shifts, the Eagles took the lead with about nine minutes remaining when young forward David Haynes took a strong pack mark to give the visitors a two-point advantage.
Geelong responded through Gary Ablett and then Eagles dominated the last few minutes, but four scoring attempts all missed – two left snaps from Rohan Jones (who had a 10-possessions final term), another from Chad Fletcher and finally a set shot from half-forward by Michael Braun that hit the post.
The Eagles were given a shot at victory thanks to the work of Jones, Fletcher and the brilliance of stars like Dean Cox, Chris Judd, Daniel Kerr and Ben Cousins.
And, of course, there was the epic round 10 clash in 2006 when the Eagles recovered from a 54-point deficit in the middle of the third term to snatch a three-point triumph.
It was the biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history and there were myriad heroes; a bandaged Adam Hunter who was shoved into the dugout and hit his on the concrete wall; Kerr, Cousins and Jones were all prominent again while Mark Nicoski, Darren Glass and Tyson Stenglein all played their role in a game that is now West Coast folklore.
While that game was for four regulation premiership points, the belief it gave the Eagles that they could win under any circumstances was a catalyst for a grand final victory over Sydney months later.
HEAD TO HEAD
West Coast Eagles v Geelong
Played: 53
Won: 26
Lost: 26
Drawn: 1
Highest score: 20.23 (143) – Grand final 1994 MCG
Lowest score: 4.8 (32) – Round 4, 2014 at Kardinia Park
