Roos Bounce Over Stunned Cats
(Ed: note: Our newest contributor, Cale Hellyer, will be sending match reports from Victoria for the rest of the season.)

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from the Melbourne Cricket Ground
All week Australian Rules Football fans were agog with the excitement of two stunning Preliminary Finals. The first promised a nail-biting encounter between two teams that have shared an astonishing rivalry since Hawthorn upset Geelong - the overwhelming favorites - in the 2008 Grand Final. In the eleven games since taking that Premiership, Hawthorn has not beaten Geelong again. With a week off after winning the Qualifying Final against Sydney, the Hawks had their best chance yet to take the Cats and advance to the Grand Final.
Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Melbourne, Australia
After a disappointing loss against Hawthorn in the Qualifying Final last week, Geelong coach Chris Scott was not about to take an over-optimistic approach to the Semi Final against Port Adelaide. However during the week he did say that he was confident “our best footy will still be good enough” to progress the Geelong’s Finals’ campaign.
Port Adelaide was coming fresh off one of the upsets of the season, after bundling huge Melbourne club Collingwood out of the Finals series with their “never say die, run all day” brand of football. Given the basket case that was Port Adelaide just over twelve months ago, coach Ken Hinkley and the Port players could have been excused for resting on their laurels and satisfying themselves with their gains so far but that is not the Power way and so a great contest got underway in front of over 52,000 fans on a glorious evening at the MCG.
Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Perth
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon proved his adage that he and his Dockers will take on Geelong, “Anywhere, anytime,” when his team powered away for a win at Simonds Stadium in their Qualifying Final encounter. Geelong had a 99% win ratio at Simonds going into the game and had every reason to expect another notch in their belts. It was a bruising and often spiteful match that epitomized the standard of play in a Finals series.
Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Patersons Stadium, Perth
Geelong gave the West Coast Eagles a football lesson when they beat them hands down in a one-sided display at Patersons Stadium in their Round 21 match. From the get-go Geelong were all over their opponents, kicking the first two goals before the crowd had all taken their seats. From there on it only got better for the Cats.
by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
Prior to their recent dominance, the Geelong Cats had not won a Premiership since 1963, the same year Beverly Hills mayor and Paramount executive John Mirisch was born. Mirisch has an affinity for blue and white because those are the colors of his college team and the Los Angeles Dodgers. 1963 was also the same year the Dodgers defeated former cross-town rival the New York Yankees in the World Series.
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