The Geelong Cats are one of the oldest clubs in the AFL, the other one being Melbourne. The team was established in 1859, and its characteristic colors are White and Navy Blue. The team has been around for more than 162 years.
Since its foundation, the team has won nine premierships. Six of them happened throughout different decades in the XX century, and the team suffered a 44-year drought from 1963 until 2007, when they won the Grand Final against Port Adelaide.
Geelong earned their latest premiership in 2011 and as of now, they rank 7th in the ladder of the best teams of the -21 season.
The Cats have been around since 1859. Besides being the second oldest club in Australia, it is one of the oldest football clubs worldwide.
Moreover, the team has had an excellent position since its inclusion in the VFA, even if they didn’t any premiership until 1925, after 66 years of establishing the team. The first Brownlow Medal for the Cats was won by Edward Greeves, in 1924.
Although nowadays this team is widely known as the “Cats,” it wasn’t like that all the time. Other nicknames include the Pvotonians and the Seagulls, until a cartoonist in 1923 suggested that the team was in need of a black cat so they could have a bit of good luck. Curiously enough, a cat appeared during one of the team’s matches soon after the comment, and Geelong happened to win the match. Since them, the nickname has stuck with them.
From 1925 to 1937 the team had a modest success as they won premierships in 1925, 1931 and 1937. The most memorable grand finale for this team was the latter.
The team also went through difficult times after the events of World War II. Since then, the team has decided to use Kardinia Park as their main base.
During the next 50s, the team regained some of that modest success they enjoyed in previous years and leagues. They won for two years consecutively in 1951 and 1952, being the first match against Essendon and the second against Collingwood.
Since then, the Cats have maintained a stable streak of wins and losses. Their next win was on the 1963 VFL Grand Finale, which was against Hawthorn. However, in the more recent years, especially after the AFL was finally formed, the team did not enjoy the same success they had in previous seasons.
They suffered a noteworthy drought from 1963 to 2007, year where they won another AFL premiership. Since then, they’ve been capable of maintaining a good streak, having earned another two premierships in 2009 and 2011.
The Geelong Cats are one of the most iconic teams of the AFL for numerous reasons. Leaving the interesting story behind their nickname and identity behind, in the latest decade, they have maintained themselves in the top teams for the latest decade.
Their latest match was against their long-time rival Hawthorn, which they won by a margin of five points. Their next match is against Melbourne, which will happen on Sunday April 11.
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