With only four players - Will Slade, Matthew McCarthy, Charlie Gardiner and Henry Playfair – from the all-conquering 2002 line up taking to the park on Sunday, and with many others still established on the Geelong list, Nick Wade tracked down the premiership heroes for a trip down memory lane.
Jimmy Bartel – 3
One of the key components of the Cats’ engine room, Bartel played 14 matches in the season and was a consistent, prolific ball-winning midfielder. Coming off an outstanding finals series, the hallmarks of his debut season were his clear and lateral thinking around the packs, his polished skills and his uncanny ability to read the play. Took a fantastic mark deep into the last quarter of the Grand Final.
James Kelly – 9
Another exciting midfielder who earned his stripes with his rugged endeavour around the packs, Kelly gave the Cats great flexibility with his ability to play forward as a dangerous goal sneak, or thrust into the heat of the engine room to be the catalyst of centre clearances. An evasive type who won plenty of the football.
Marc Woolnough – 10
Woolnough entered the 2002 Grand Final on the back of some impressive form in the finals series. A solid and disciplined contributor over the season, he played 20 matches in a year that saw him hold at bay the debilitating injuries that had plagued him throughout his career.
Since retiring from football in 2003, Woolnough travelled overseas for the best part of two years. He worked in sales for leading premium drinks business, Diageo, who look after the high profile liquor brands on the market.
This season he has thrown his hat in the coaching ring and has thoroughly enjoyed his role as an assistant coach at the St. Mary’s Football Club. With the experience under his belt, he is looking at broadening his coaching horizons next season at local level.
Charlie Gardiner – 16
In his first season on an AFL list, Gardiner was used as another viable option in a Cats attack comprising McCarthy, Mensch and White. Given plenty of latitude to play up the ground as a tall marking option between the wings and half forward due to the formidable forward line, Gardiner averaged a goal a game from his 20 matches and was rewarded with three AFL appearances. Put the icing on the cake in the Grand Final with a driving ball from 50 metres out.
Tim McGrath – 17 – Captain
The most experienced player to take the field in the 2002 Grand Final, McGrath led the Cats with distinction as he added the VFL premiership to his distinguished career. An extremely versatile player, McGrath’s big game experience came to the fore in the Grand Final to provide the young Cats with an awe-inspiring presence.
McGrath went on to lead the Cats’ VFL team in 2003 as a member of the Supplementary List, before handing the captaincy reigns over to current captain, James Byrne, at the end of the season.
A weekly columnist in the Geelong Advertiser, this is McGrath’s last season as coach of Grovedale, relinquishing the coaching role due to family and work commitments to former Cat team mate David Mensch.
Mitchell White – 19
Used in a variety of roles throughout the season, White shrugged off an injury-interrupted season to assert his intentions of claiming a VFL premiership title with the Cats. An experienced campaigner, White was a valuable contributor for the Cats in 2002 from not only an on field perspective, but also an experience point of view. Kicked a badly needed goal for the Cats in the third quarter of the Grand Final after Port Melbourne skipped away to a three-goal advantage.
It would be constant injury problems that would ultimately terminate his career at the end of the following season after three years at Geelong.
White stayed in Victoria until virtually the end of 2003, before heading overseas with his wife to Mexico and Central America for six months. He has since settled back into Perth, where he is a property developer.
Steve Johnson – 20
Blessed with a prodigious goal sense and freakish ability, Johnson exploded onto the scene in the first half of the VFL season by kicking 22 goals, prompting a call up to the seniors where he played out the remainder of the season. Kicked perhaps the match-winning goal in the 2002 Grand Final.
Henry Playfair – 22
Big Henry was used in a variety of roles that enabled him to develop at a steady rate, in what was a raw development year for him. Strung together some handy performances in a season where he was confined to the VFL. At times benefited from being the third or fourth forward, with the attention being focused around the formidable forward contingent of Mensch, White and McCarthy.
Daniel Foster – 23
In the 12 matches he played for the VFL in 2002, Foster was the nucleus of the Cats defence – ranked number one in the VFL. Linking up well to negate many forward forays, he generated plenty of drive and impetus out of the backline. Impressive finals campaign, Foster’s AFL experience proved important.
Foster spent two more seasons on the Cats’ list, before returning to South Australia at the end of the 2004 season, where he has since worked on the wide expanses of his family’s farm.
In 2005 he joined local football club, Wudinna United, who ran out eventual premiers, while balancing the time consuming commitments of maintaining the farm.
Brent Grgic – 25
Teaming up well with Foster, Grgic played 20 matches in 2002, playing predominantly as a defender, but spent some time in attack. He entered the 2002 VFL Grand Final with a wealth of experience, having recently played in Melbourne’s 2000 AFL Grand Final and having 77 AFL matches under his belt. His work in the Cats’ back half throughout the season was an integral part of the cohesive defence.
Since departing the Cats at the end of the 2003 season, Grgic has played at Bell Park in the Geelong Football League. A consistent and prolific goal scoring machine, he has also spent time up the ground and fulfilled a role as a playing assistant coach this season.
Matthew McCarthy – 26
Looming as the Cats’ Grand Final X-factor, McCarthy captured the attention of the VFL throughout the season with his superb areal abilities and goal kicking feats. One of the Cats’ “go-to” men in attack, McCarthy finished third on the team’s goal kicking list behind David Mensch and Danny O’Brien. His size, strength and mobility for a big man meant he was very difficult to match up on.
David Johnson – 28
A very durable member of the Geelong line up, Johnson played 13 games for the season in the VFL. His versatility meant he was used in a variety of roles, from negating midfielder to rebounding defender. Kicked a sensational running goal in the preliminary final against Werribee despite the howling winds.
Gary Ablett – 29
Even as a fresh faced first year player, Ablett’s innate intuition and creativity around goals were on display early in his career, growing in repute as the season transpired. After missing the preliminary final with a leg injury, Ablett returned for the Grand Final and kick started the Cats with the first major of the afternoon. Running out the season with an exciting flare, Ablett polled seven votes from his last three games in the JJ Liston medal count.
Younger brother, Nathan, will carry on the Ablett legacy in Sunday’s VFL Grand Final against Sandringham.
David Mensch – 31
In his final year at the club, Mensch was an outstanding contributor throughout the season. Emerging as the focal point in attack, the key forward added invaluable experience and leadership in a team bursting with an abundance of exciting young talent. Playing 22 matches, the big Cat kicked over 50 goals for the season, including the unforgettable snap over his head to turn the ascendency in the Cats’ favour in the last quarter of the Grand Final.
After bidding farewell to the Cats at the end of the 2002 season, Mensch played at Mansfield in the Goulburn Valley league for three years and led the club to premiership success.
He has since returned to play at Grovedale in the Geelong Football League and will take over the reigns as senior coach from Tim McGrath next season, with a desire to take the team back into finals contention.
James Rahilly – 34
Forged his way into the Cats’ AFL side midway through the season by virtue of his outstanding contribution and returned to the VFL side for the finals, immediately showing his class. Although used predominantly as a defender throughout the season, Rahilly was also used as an impact midfielder to bolster the Cats’ stocks. A quality player, his rugged and solid Grand Final performance earned him the Norm Goss Medal for best on ground.
After announcing his retirement at the completion of the 2005 season due to constant, nagging injuries, Rahilly packed his bags and has since been travelling overseas on a well deserved break.
Paul Chapman – 35
Chapman only just scraped in to qualify for the Cats’ VFL finals campaign, after playing six VFL home and away matches and 16 AFL matches for the season; prompting an alteration to the finals qualification criteria the following season. One of the Cats’ best in the Grand Final, Chapman’s hardness around the contests, his audacity to back himself to carry the football, and his exceptional skills on the run were valued commodities in the finals for the Cats.
Peter Street – 36
Street surged to prominence in the VFL as a dynamic ruckman with the ability to control the ruck contests around the ground by giving the exuberant Cats’ midfield first use of the ball. Multi dimensional, the Cats exploited the massive advantages of the Street-Chambers rucking tandem offered, allowing Street to be rested up forward while still having an influence in the match.
After two seasons in and out of the Western Bulldogs side, the big man seized his opportunities this year by playing 21 of 24 matches in the Bulldog’s side decimated by a spate of big-men casualties. His 422 hit outs for the season is almost half his total career figure, while his 156 disposals is his almost double his previous best possession tally for a particular season.
Adam Chatfield – 37
On the Geelong rookie list after four seasons at Carlton, Chatfield entered the Grand Final knowing the idiosyncrasies of Princes Park intricately. The wingman kicked a ripping goal from deep in the forward pocket, turning the tide of the match in the face of a Port Melbourne onslaught in the third quarter. Chatfield was one of Geelong’s most consistent and reliable players of the season, playing in 23 games.
Since 2003, Chatfield has played for the Old Xaverians in the Victorian Armature Football Association and forged his reputation as an accomplished football, having attained many prestigious accolades.
In 2003 he was named in the VAFA team to represent Victoria against the West Australian armatures, in a year that saw the Old Xaverians win the VAFA Section A Premiership; while in 2005 he was named on the wing for his side’s Grand Final clash with the University Blues.
Josh Hunt – 41
In his second season at the club, Hunt fought off intermittent injuries to be the architect of Geelong’s successful and clinical defensive structure. Using his missile-like left foot as a driving springboard from full back, Hunt also spent time further up the ground and even drifted forward.
Paul Chambers – 42
Began to hit his straps as a developing ruckman, Chambers was an important member of the Cats’ rotations. Sporting the iconic dreadlocks, Chambers had a good set of hands and played in 21 matches for the season.
Chambers was eventually traded to Sydney for pick 35 (Stephen Owen) at the end of 2005, but was unable to sustain his position in the Sydney side after the opening rounds of this season and spent the remainder of the year playing in Sydney’s successful reserves side.
Danny O’Brien – 43
Electrifying goal sneak, only second on the team’s goalkicking list to David Mensch, O’Brien played every match in 2002 and had goal smarts written all over him. Set the finals scene on fire with four goals in a quarter against Sandringham and wobbled through a last quarter goal in the Grand Final as the Cats ran over the top of Port Melbourne.
O'Brien has since spent time playing football locally at North Shore in the Geelong Football League and at Garfield in the West Gippsland Latrobe league.
Will Slade – 46
Burst onto the VFL scene in his first season at Geelong as a rookie, and earned a spot in the AFL. Played 12 matches for the season in an impressive debut season that saw him embody fierce and courageous attributes of someone with far greater experience. Not only used for his grunt in the midfield and around the ground, Slade was also a terrific run-with player, and nullified some of the VFL’s prime ball movers.
