At three-quarter time of their last home-and-away game, Geelong coach Dan Lowther urged his team to “keep that care and joy… we’ve been talking about”. On that evening, the Cats ran off 40-point winners against a struggling Hawthorn. On Sunday, it was that same care and joy that lifted Geelong to a shock five-point semi-final win against reigning premiers Melbourne that went down to the wire.
It was surely the toughest assignment the Cats have faced in their six-season history. Despite leading by 30 points at three-quarter-time, it seemed they would be unable to stem the tide of momentum that the Demons piled on in the final quarter.