There will be more than just four points up for grabs in the Bendigo Bank Cats’ opening match of the season against Sandringham at Trevor Barker Oval on Saturday.
A chance to inflict retribution for last season’s heartbreaking grand final loss and the prospect of kick starting the season full of momentum are at stake for the Cats.
But while the respective team line ups may be a shadow of the combatants that took to battle at MC Labour Park last year, history suggest Saturday’s encounter will be epic.
Up to eight players could make their VFL debut on Saturday, while VFL listed players Jack Hollmer, Chris Urie, Drew Barnes and Ryan Butler have been included in the extended squad.
Athletic midfielder Ryan Gamble (ankle) is in doubt to line up and will undergo a fitness test on Friday.
Key-forward prodigy Tom Hawkins has included in the AFL squad, while the exciting Nathan Djerrkura has been named in the VFL and looks likely to wait at least another week for a senior call up.
Mathew Stokes and James Kelly – who starred in recent weeks – will be unable to play due to suspension.
Geelong will again concede years of experience to Sandringham, but last season emphatically showed the void of experience did not necessarily translate into a lopsided score line.
Last season, the Cats constantly gave away experience against matured bodies, but constantly answered the challenge.
They claimed prized scalps, failed to flinch, and rarely cracked under pressure.
They showed the character of a team with a desire for success, a team bursting with ability and one that would not be overawed in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Now, those players are one year older, and far better for the experience.
Sandringham is again expected to field a formidable line up brimming with experience and hardness, a hallmark of their perennial success over recent seasons.
Despite losing quality players Alistair Nicholson, Phil Read, Shannon Motlop, Nick Smith, Guy Rigoni, Mark Corrigan and Daniel Corp over the off-season, the depth of the club’s list means the three-peat champions will be able to cover the losses without trouble.
The Zebras heralded an ominous warning in recent weeks that a decline in form is not imminent, winning their four practice matches of the season by an average margin of four goals.
Last season, Sandringham was a well-rounded unit: nearly invincible at home - only losing two matches for the season – and equally damaging away.
One of those home losses was to the Cats in a thrilling one-point ball game in round 18, while the Cats also recorded a comfortable 22-point victory earlier in the season.
Geelong and Sandringham met on four occasions last year for two wins apiece. The Zebras’ two wins proving their supremacy – winning both finals encounters.
Geelong suffered a morale zapping 13-goal loss in round one last year to North Ballarat, while Sandringham was sat atop the VFL after a 69-point dismantlement of Port Melbourne.
In what is arguably one of the toughest assignments in VFL football, the Cats will be out to avenge last season’s grand final defeat in front of a parochial legion of Sandringham supporters at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.
With the AFL side playing Carlton at the Telstra Dome that evening, Cats fans are encouraged to head along to Sandringham in the afternoon before heading along to the AFL match in the evening.
See the stars of the future as they look to kick-start the 2007 VFL season with a bang.
The action gets underway from 1.10pm, with the match televised live on the revamped ABC TV coverage from 1.00pm.
