GEELONG’S senior team finished the 1975 season second-last on the ladder, ahead of only South Melbourne.
Yet it proved to be a famous year for the club’s reserves, who won the premiership by scoring a 31-point win over Richmond in the Grand Final.
The 40th anniversary of the game passed on September 27, and it’s fair to say that these days only the most history-conscious Cats fans remember the triumph.
Geelong’s reserves side finished the ’75 season in second place on the ladder, behind Richmond.
But it began the finals in barnstorming style, defeating Essendon by 140 points in the qualifying final (the scores were 30.21 to 8.15).
The Cats then toppled the Tigers in the second semi and advanced straight to the Grand Final.
Richmond earned another crack at the premiership by defeating Hawthorn by 18 points in the preliminary final.
Geelong, which was coached by former Cats player Gary Hamer, selected the following team for the big clash against the Tigers.
B: Barry Eddy, Bruce Thomson, Rex Deeath
HB: Doug Scale, Ian Lewtas, Harvey Davis
C: Graeme Landy, Ken Newland, Ricky Browne
HF: David Armour, David Barkley, John Preen
F: Ian Hampshire (captain), Chris Lynch, Jeff Cassidy
Foll: Rod Blake, Alan Woodman, Paul Sarah
Reserves: Peter Doyle, Murray Witcombe
Coach: Gary Hamer
The reserves teams page from the 1975 Grand Final Record
The game itself was close throughout the first-half, with the Cats holding a 16-point lead at the long break.
But the men in the hoops pulled away by kicking four goals to one in the third quarter.
Both sides kicked forgot their kicking boots in the last quarter, with the Cats kicking 2.8 and the Tigers registering 3.6, and Geelong ended up running out 31-point winners.
Jeff Cassidy, a utility from Cobram who ended up playing 50 VFL senior games for the Cats between 1974 and 1980, was declared best on ground.
Changing between a forward pocket and an on-ball role, Cassidy won a heap of the ball and kicked three goals. Half-forward John Preen kicked a game-high four goals.
Chris Lynch, who is now the chief financial officer of mining giant Rio Tinto, lined up at full-forward and kicked two goals.
Rover Paul Sarah and the team’s skipper, Ian ‘Bluey’ Hampshire, were among Geelong’s other outstanding contributors.
The score as printed in The Age on the Monday after the game
It was Geelong’s ninth reserves premiership, following on from others in 1923-24, 1937-38, 1948, 1960, 1963 and 1964.
In fact, the Cats won the most flags (13) in the VFL/AFL reserves competition, which ran from 1919 to 1999.
