Going into Sunday afternoon’s VFL match only one game separated the 10th placed Cats from the 9th placed Sandringham, but the gap between the two sides resembled the Grand Canyon at the final siren sounded with the Cats going down 18-15-(123) 13-6-(84) on a very wet Trevor Barker Oval surface.

The St Kilda aligned Sandringham Zebras were simply too strong all over the ground for the young Cats brigade. Cult hero and 7-time Frosty Miller medal winner Nick Sautner (13 disposals, 4 marks) kicked four goals for the VFL powerhouse, while rookie spearhead Ben Johnson (15 disposals, 8 marks) again showed his likening for the Trevor Barker Oval with 4 goals up forward for the second tier Cats.

It was a very disappointing performance from the exciting young Cats team that was coming off promising back to back wins against North Ballarat and Werribee. Tom Allwirght was returning to the side for his first official match of season 2010 after injuring his knee in an AFL regional cup challenge game at Yea earlier in the year. While the majority of the side would be extremely disappointed with their individual contribution to the lacklustre effort, a number of players could hold their heads high after the game. Allen Christensen (23 disposals, 3 clearances, 4 tackles, 4 goals), Adam Varcoe (20 disposals, 5 tackles, 1 goal), Josh Cowan (15 disposals, 3 marks), tagger Ben Raidme (18 disposals, 3 tackles) and skipper Matthew Firman (21 disposals, 3 marks) were stand out performers on an other wise dark, dark day for the VFL side. .

The match was being billed as an old fashioned ‘8 point game’ with the loser facing an uphill battle to make the finals in 2010. Unfortunately the playing surface was not befitting of match of the round status. In racing terms the track could only be referred to as ‘Heavy’ with parts of the ground resembling the Sandringham Swimming Pool more than the Sandringham Football Ground.

From the start it was the Cats who looked the better side as they moved the ball through the corridor with relative ease and hit the scoreboard early. Josh Cowan, Mitch Duncan and Allen Christensen were all prominent early before the floodgates seemed to open up at the other end with two classy majors to Shane Tregear (12 disposals, 3 goals) and a Nick Sautner mark and goal on the quarter time siren that gave Sandringham a 15 point lead and all the momentum going into the first change.

As the temperature dropped, so did the Cats bundle. Error after error as a result of Sandringham’s constant tackling pressure became costly as the Zebra’s piled on 4 goals to 2 in a scrappy second term. Undisciplined indiscretions from midfielder Mitch Duncan and key defender Tom Gillies were costly on a day where scoring opportunities were hard to come by. Two late goals to the Zebra’s saw them open up a 30 point lead going into the main break.

Last season at the same venue the VFL Cats came back from 38 points down in the 3rd quarter to record a stirring victory - one year on the Cats celebrated the anniversary by playing possibly their worst football of the season. Sandringham piled on 5 goals to 2 to effectively end the contest and possibly the Cats finals aspirations for 2010.

Even with AFL regulars Simon Hogan (23 disposals, 7 clearances, 4 tackles) and Mitchell Duncan (20 disposals, 4 tackles) playing through the midfield, the Cats were unable to sway the contest back in their favour. Late goals to Adam Varcoe and Allen Christensen brought some respectability back to the embarrassing scoreboard, while Tom Gillies (10 disposals, 4 spoils), Cowan, Raidme and Hogan fought on.

With nothing but pride on the line for the disappointing Cats squad the last quarter provided the opportunity for a number of player to finish off the game in a positive fashion. Ben Raidme was excellent in shutting down key Sandringham premiership midfielder David Gallagher (8 disposals) and still able to find a great deal of the ball himself.

The final term ended in a shootout with 12 goals being kicked. 7 of those goals were kicked by the Cats after only kicking 6 goals in the 3 previous quarters. Three last quarter goals to Daniel Menzel accompanied with the tireless work of midfielders Joshua Cowan, Nathan Djekkurra and Simon Hogan gave the Cats something to smile about on an otherwise bleak day.

It was a return to form for VFL superstar Nick Sautner who kicked four goals and played a big part in the impressive win. Other highlights for Sandringham included Shane Tregear’s conversion, the tireless ruckwork of former Cat hero Steven King and the defensive work of St Kilda defender Zac Dawson’s on in form Cat Mitch Brown. In the end the final score flattered the Cats.

Young star Simon Hogan commented on the conditions after the game saying “the ground was so wet and boggy in patches - it really was a tough day for everyone”.

The Bendigo Bank Cats now face a do or die clash against the Northern Bullants at Visy Park (formerly Princes Park) next Saturday afternoon. The Cats are now two games outside the eight with eight games. The Cats look set to welcome back VFL cult hero Jackson Hollmer who has recovered from elbow surgery and has had a number of strong performances with interchange club Lara.

Match kicks off at 2pm.

Sandringham 18-15-(123)
Geelong Cats 13-6-(94)
Goals: B.Johnson 4, Christensen 4, Menzel 3, A.Varcoe 1, Allwright 1.
Best: Cowan, A.Varcoe, Christensen, Raidme, B.Johnson, Firman.
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Nil