The only regionally-based club in the AFL, Geelong has many supporters who live in rural areas.

And with the club celebrating the inaugural Powercor Country Game against Essendon on Saturday at the MCG, the time is right to pay tribute to the many people who follow the Cats from outside our nation's capital cities.

The members of the Guthrie family, who run a sheep farm and the Grampians Estate winery near the small western Victorian town of Willaura, are among regional Australia's most passionate Geelong fans.

Their two working dogs are named Scarlett and Selwood in honour of two of the Cats' most decorated players.

The family has endured an extremely tough start to the year after Ford Guthrie - son of Tom and Sarah and brother of Pollyanna - was killed in a car accident in January at the age of 17.

Ford, whose full first name was Rutherford, was an aspiring local footballer and a young man who held in very high esteem in his community.

Perhaps the most passionate Cats supporter in the family, he had been incredibly excited about seeing Patrick Dangerfield play his first game for the club in the NAB Challenge clash with Collingwood at Simonds Stadium in February.

As a tribute to Ford, a number of his family members and friends from Ballarat Grammar School attended the match against the Magpies at which his father Tom was presented with a guernsey signed by Patrick Dangerfield.

The jumper has since been worn around the farm and has become a source of inspiration for the Guthrie clan as they cope with their loss.

To the Guthries and all the other Geelong supporters throughout rural and regional Australia, we thank you for your support and we hope you have many happy days following the Cats into the future.

Tom Guthrie with his dogs Selwood and Scarlett