I feel responsible: Mooney

GEELONG forward Cameron Mooney has told of the anguish at missing two crucial set shots in Saturday’s grand final loss to Hawthorn.

The star Cat booted two goals in the 26-point loss, but says Geelong's forward line let his side down in the premiership decider.

Speaking at Skilled Stadium on Sunday, just moments after being presented to around 5000 loyal Geelong fans, Mooney said he felt particularly guilty of costing his side another premiership.

With the Cats trailing by less than a kick just before half time, the 29-year-old marked close to goal.

However, his kick from close range went the wrong side of the stick, further sapping confidence from a Geelong side which had dominated the second term but was struggling to see any reward for its supremacy.

“Pretty embarrassed, to be honest,” Mooney said when asked how he felt about his close-range miss.

“I just tried to kick it too hard, and I just didn’t have the composure at the end.

“Then I just missed the one after half time as well, which I thought could have got us up and going. I missed those two so, I kind of put myself a bit to blame.”

Geelong easily won the inside-50 count against Hawthorn, yet couldn’t find a clear winner close to goal.

Mooney acknowledged the Cats’ lost the “structure war” on the day and said his side’s forward half hadn’t functioned.

“Out of the three groups, I thought that [the forward line] was the most disappointing group out of the lot, and we take responsibility for that,” he said.

“You know, myself missing easy goals and to kick that many points – even though they rushed a few – it was disappointing from the forwards’ point of view.”

Last night Geelong players, after briefly attending a function in Melbourne, returned to Skilled Stadium where they spent the night with families.

Mooney, while generous in his praise of the Hawks and saying “the better side had won on the day”, admitted it had been a tough time since the loss.

“Quite shattering … it’s been a quite devastating 24 hours,” he said.

“We expected to win, and we do feel like we’ve let everybody down.

“We’ve let ourselves down, the supporters down, let the club down … like I said, a disappointing 24 hours, really.”