As part of the lead into Retro Game, Geelong were lucky enough to be joined at training on Friday by June, daughter of the great Carji Greeves.
June visited GMHBA Stadium on Friday to watch the Cats training in preparation for Saturday night’s game, meeting the playing group and receiving a signed Retro Game guernsey from Patrick Dangerfield.
The Cats Retro Game on Saturday pays tribute to the iconic Carji Greeves, commemorating the centenary of his win in the inaugural Brownlow Medal back in 1924.
Geelong will don a special guernsey this weekend, which includes Greeves’ signature and a special logo that includes the Brownlow Medal and the year 1924.
June reminisced on her father’s legacy and his Brownlow Medal triumph, when she sat down with Cats Media on Friday following her morning with the playing group.
“He didn't really talk about it a great deal, it was a completely different setup back then,” June said.
“There was no presentation evening like they have now, the story goes that he was running around training on the oval and some official said to him he should take the medal home.
“There was no show, no party or anything it was just given to him and he took it home.
“I think it is amazing, Dad wouldn't have believed that his name was still being recognised after 100 years.
“The way they have done it is just fantastic, I think the result is that I keep buying these Retro guernseys for family members and we are quite thrilled about it all.”
Geelong will host their annual Retro Game on Saturday night when they take on the Western Bulldogs, with the Cats set to hit the rewind button back to 1924.
June touched on what Carji Greeves was like away from football, noting some iconic individuals that sought out his tutelage throughout their career.
“He was a fabulous Dad,” June said.
“He was so good, he encouraged us to play sport and he taught me to play tennis.
“He wasn't forceful, but he taught us to be ambitious to win the game because he was always in the winning mindset and he always came to watch our matches.
“There would always be lots of phone calls, Dad was asked to be interviewed and to talk about the game, specifically how to play in the centre.
“People like Jack Dyer and Lou Richards used to call him up, sometimes they came to our house.”
To learn more about the great Edward ‘Carji’ Greeves, click here.