Cats’ AFL draw for 2019 revealed; 9 games in Geelong; The Cattery’s take
Ben Jensen 6 November 2018 GEELONG will kick off their 2019 AFL season with an away game against Collingwood on Friday 22 March at the MCG as revealed last week. The AFL released the fixture initially for round one only on Cox Plate day before releasing the full fixture (it is no longer really a ‘draw’) last Thursday. The Cats have nine home games at GMHBA Stadium and two at the MCG, once more no home matches at the newly renamed Marvel Stadium (formerly Etihad Stadium / Telstra Dome / Colonial Stadium). No surprises that round one features Richmond and Carlton on a Thursday night as the first match.
After playing the away match against the Magpies in round one the Cats’ first home game is round 2 when Melbourne travel to GMHBA Stadium. The Cats beat the Dees both times last home & away season but bombed out in the elimination final. Geelong hosts Essendon and Hawthorn at the MCG in rounds seven and eighteen respectively. Carlton once more travel down to Geelong after also playing against the Cats in round 10 last season – in 2019 it will be round 23 at a date and time to be confirmed. Other teams to travel down to Kardinia Park are Greater Western Sydney (GWS), West Coast, Western Bulldogs, Sydney, Adelaide, St Kilda and North Melbourne.
A key quirk is the Cats not playing the Blues, Brisbane and Fremantle until the final four rounds of the season by which time they will have played several other sides twice. The Cats’ bye is in round 13; they play Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval the following Saturday. The Cats have famously not won a match after a bye since the 2011 premiership season.
It will be a new look Cats lineup with several departures already: Dan Menzel, Jordan Murdoch leading the departures following trade week, each yet to find a club but each reportedly on the radar of Sydney and Gold Coast respectively. Also departing for greener pastures were George Horlin-Smith (Gold Coast), Lincoln McCarthy (Brisbane), Jackson Thurlow (Sydney). Delisted and yet to find a new AFL club are Timm House, Ryan Gardner, Cory Gregson, Matthew Hayball, Stewart Crameri and the desperately unlucky Aaron Black who required a knee reconstruction after winning his way back into the AFL line-up as a backman.
The Cats travel interstate six times- Adelaide twice and Perth, Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sydney once. Four of those road trips come after the bye, the Perth trip coming off a six day break following a match in Sydney against the Swans not optimal. For the fans the away match in the Gold Coast on Saturday 25 May in round ten looks an attractive prospect, just as things start to get wet and cold in Victoria – Jetstar flights naturally have spiked that weekend but make a holiday of it, fly there on the Thursday from $88 and back on the Tuesday or Wednesday from $66. If you’re a real sucker for punishment there’s matches at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday 4 April (round four), and Friday 28 June (round 15). Sydney at the SCG on 28 July (round 19) might be worth a look though the match time of 3:20pm on a Sunday means you’ll likely need to stay there the Sunday night.
Nine home games in Geelong is the most the Cats have had in 20 odd seasons, yet there is still a call by some for all eleven to be played at GMHBA Stadium. We don’t agree with this, while it’s nice to have all the games closer to home we do know what it’s like to live in Melbourne as a Geelong member. We aren’t sure of the statistics any more but a decade ago there were more members in Melbourne than Geelong, they have to be looked after too plus against drawcards such as Hawthorn it makes sense to play at the MCG, a ground where we’ve struggled to win finals games since 2011, bombing out more often than not as was again the case in 2018 against the Demons. In addition to the two home games the Cats play three away matches at the MCG; and strangely only two at Marvel Stadium where once the Cats would play several home and away games, the ground a more attractive proposition to get to for Geelong based fans than the MCG.
GEELONG CATS' FULL AFL 2019 FIXTURE
AFL 2019 ROUND ONE
Thursday, March 21 2019
Grigg - Yarran Exhibition - Carlton v Richmond, MCG 7.20pm
Friday, March 22 2019
Varcoe - Sanderson Cup - Collingwood v Geelong, MCG 7.50pm
Saturday, March 23 2019
Jack Watts International - Melbourne v Port Adelaide, MCG 1.45pm
Darren Jarman Invitational - Adelaide v Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval 4.35pm
Barry Hall Punch - Western Bulldogs v Sydney, Marvel Stadium 7.25pm
Selwood Memorial - Brisbane Lions v West Coast, Gabba 8.20pm
Sunday, March 24 2019
Rhys Stanley St Kilda v Gold Coast, Marvel Stadium 1.10pm
Kevin Sheedy Shield - GWS Giants v Essendon, Spotless Stadium 3.20pm
Peter Bell Cup - Fremantle v North Melbourne, Perth Stadium 6.20pm
About The Author
Ben Jensen
THE CATTERY started out as a labour of love, and remains that, by creator and principal contributor Ben Jensen in mid season 2002. His aim was to make the best 'Unofficial' Geelong Football Club site on the net. A consultant by day and webmaster by night, he created his first website back in 1996 whilst at the time studying Engineering and Science at Deakin University in Geelong.