Australian Football Association of North America

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

He played for Geelong for 11 years but Mark Yeates is best remembered for firing the first shot in the 1989 Grand Final when he flattened Hawk star Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce. Brereton played out the game despite suffering a bruised kidney and internal bleeding from the hit. Needless to say, Yeates is in demand this week with the Hawks and Cats set to face off in a Grand Final for the first time since that bruising battle. Brereton was the first of many casualties from that game. Others included Robert DiPierdomenico (cracked ribs and punctured lung), John Platten (concussion) and Michael Tuck (hand) among others.

Yeates, 48, has been invited to speak at a corporate function ahead of the game and was quick to point out some parallels between the 1989 game and now. The obvious one is Gary Ablett, Snr who kicked nine goals in a losing effort for the Cats that day and now Gary, Jnr who has already accomplished what Dad didn't in winning a premiership. Also in 1989, it was the Hawks who were on a quest for consecutive premierships. This time, it is Geelong. Then there is Gary, Snr vs. Lance Franklin. Like all fans, Yeates has been impressed with the young Hawk star, but believes comparisons with his famous teammate are a bit premature. He pointed out that Gary, Snr. was an experienced player in 1989 while Franklin has only been at it for a few years. He also believes the Cats would be appropriate winners of a second consecutive Grand Final with the team being ranked next to the team which went back to back 1952-1953.

As for 1989, he said it was one tough game and that then Coach Malcolm Blight instructed him to "take out" Brereton, a decision Blight admitted in a 2006 interview that he regretted. Blight said at the time, he was concerned that Brereton would target Geelong's Paul Couch who had won the Brownlow Medal that year. 

Yeates was quoted, "There's no prisoners in a Grand Final..." and said there are collisions in such a big game. Yeates said, regardless of the outcome, it would be interesting and just as interesting in the future.

Source: Herald Sun

Geelong

Cat Fans Angered Over Lock Out
Many clubs host what they call family days for supporters and members at the start and end of the season. The biggest family day on a club's calendar is after a team wins a Grand Final. Geelong is no different and had over 30,000 people at Skilled Stadium after last year's triumph. However, the club this year has limited the attendance to their post-Grand Final day out to just over 27,000 fans due to safety issues. The rub is that the club has not made concessions for members but has instead put in place a first come-first served policy for the day. This has angered many long-time club members. One of those is Nora Sanderson, who has been a paid up member of the club for 37 years. She blames the club's administration for the unfair policy and believes the club should give priority entrance to those who are paid up members of the club. Sanderson, who is contemplating not becoming a member next year, was quoted"....supporters don't.....play....but....sit in that crowd (and)...play it emotionally....(and)....go home...exhausted". She also pointed out that it was members such as she who went to the games and supported the team and the club through membership fees and the fact that corporate sponsors took up Grand Final tickets. She went so far as to accuse the club of not caring about supporter membership and loyalty, saying the club's restrictions on the function was "...another slap in the face".

Source: Geelong Advertiser