Season 2010 is officially over for the Bendigo Bank Cats as they bowed out with a brave 17 point loss against the might of the reigning back to back premiers the North Ballarat Roosters. Tom Allwright and Nathan Vardy chipped in with two goals each as the inexperienced Cats went down 8-16-(64) to 12-10-(82) at Skilled Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Cats lead for most of the day and had strong contributions from a numbers of players on the fringe of the AFL squad. Simon Hogan starred for the Cats collecting 19 disposals in the first term and 40 disposals, 5 clearances and 4 tackles for the game. Jeremy Laidler (24 disposals, 4 spoils) took off from where he left off in his impressive AFL performance last round with another standout performance in defence and he was well supported by Tom Gillies (12 disposals, 7 spoils) and Casey Tutungi (15 disposals, 4 marks, 3 spoils). In attack Nathan Vardy (14 disposals, 7 marks) looked dangerous throughout the day, marking and running off his opponents on a regular basis.

The major focus leading into the match was the long awaited return of premiership hero Max Rooke. Unfortunately it was a return that never eventuated after Rooke pulled up sore from the training run on Friday. Rooke will keep training as part of the AFL finals squad and hopefully be able to build up his fitness through match play in training.

In the first term the Cats seemed intent on making a bold statement as they continually won the contested ball. Simon Hogan looked to impress the senior coaching staff with a dominant first quarter display, while Nathan Vardy and Steven Motlop (19 disposals, 3 marks) kept the North Ballarat defenders on their toes. Much to the delight of the small but vocal home crowd the Cats went into the first change 13 points in front and full of confidence.

Stunned into action the Roosters came out and piled on the first two goals of the quarter through young forward Isaac Smith (16 disposals, 2 marks) and Warren Benjamin who was proving a tricky player to match up on. Courageous efforts from Jonathan Simpkin (28 disposals, 3 marks, 5 clearances), Nathan Djerkurra (28 disposals, 4 marks) and Allen Christensen (19 disposals, 6 marks, 4 tackles) got the Cats back on top late in the 2nd quarter and after a late Tom Allwright (13 disposals) the Cats were in front by four points at the main break.

The impressive first year of VFL football from ruckman Nathan Vardy continued in the second half of Saturday’s match when he kicked two goals and set up a number of other scoring opportunities. It seemed that Geelong had all the momentum leading into their final quarter of 2010 with a 12 point lead and the rain bucketing down.

The last quarter got under way and it appeared that for the second time this season that a huge upset was on the cards. Unfortunately no one told Stephen Dinnell who turned the match on its head in a fifteen minute burst. The forgotten small forward to has had a horrid run with injuries in recent years piled on three crucial goals to give North Ballarat the upper hand in the arctic conditions.

It seemed that in the end the bigger bodies and vast experience of the all conquering Roosters was too much for the tiring young Cats. Mitchell Duncan (18 disposals, 4 marks), Jeremy Laidler and Nathan Djerkurra tried hard but were unable to get back the lead. With a five goal to nothing final term North Ballarat sharpened their premiership credentials and booked a home final.

The loss puts the Bendigo Bank Cats in 12th position for season 2010 and its lowest finish since taking home the wooden spoon in 2005. Although the young side recorded only 5 wins for the season, there was a lot to like about the inexperienced talent that was on show throughout season 2010.

First year players Daniel Menzel, Mitchell Duncan, Allen Christensen, Nathan Vardy, Joshua Cowan and Jack Weston all had impressive first year season in the VFL competition, while the continued improvement of players such as Taylor Hunt, Steven Motlop and Jeremy Laidler should give Cats fans much to look forward to in the future. The emergence of VFL listed player turned AFL rookie Ben Johnson as a regular goal kicker and focal point up forward was a another highlight in a season where the Cats failed to fill the huge hole left by the absence of captain and best & fairest winner James Podsiadly.

A number of standout performers shone through from the 21 man VFL squad. 2007 VFL premiership defender Matthew Firman did a fantastic job of leading the side after being elevated to VFL co-captain on the eve of the season. Firman was one of 4 players to play all 18 matches throughout the season and rarely put in a poor performance.

Jonathan Simpkin enjoyed his best season in the VFL competition and was rewarded with state selection earlier in the season. Simpkin would be a strong chance of being selected in the VFL Team of the Year which is announced on the 6th of September at the Liston Trophy. Second year midfielder

Ben Raidme was also looking at team of the year selection until he sustained a serious shoulder injury in Round 14 and then missed the remainder of the season. Raidme had been having a stellar season up until this point as tagging midfielder who very rarely lowered his colours.

VFL stalwart Jack Hollmer played his 50th VFL match after missing the majority of the season with a serious elbow injury. Hollmer showed his value to the young side and how much he was missed early in the year, with a number of standout performances late in the season.

VFL regulars Mitchell Cuthill and Casey Tutungi made solid contributions throughout the season while young local players such as Jackson Bright, Anthony Biemans, James Rock and Daniel Jull made their VFL debut throughout the season and will look to come back bigger and stronger in season 2011.

After the game midfielder Mitchell Cuthill commented on the empty feeling the end of the season brings for players and staff, “It would have been great to finish with a win but that’s it for the year, I didn’t qualify for local footy so now I can just kick back and look forward to next year. It will be strange having no footy to look forward to but a break is always good for the body”.

When asked about the absence of AFL premiership hero Max Rooke, coach Dale Amos explained that Rooke was close but didn’t quite get up for the game, “He had a few fitness tests he needed to pass but unfortunately he didn’t come up. It is disappointing but I am sure he will be more upset than anyone as it is so close to finals.”

For many of the young AFL listed players, the VFL listed players and the hard working VFL staff it is all over for another year - or at least a couple of months when the VFL pre-season will kick off and it all starts again!

For now though, it is time for all involved to jump on the AFL bandwagon and support the senior side throughout the upcoming finals series.

Go Cats!

North Ballarat Roosters 12-10-(82)
Geelong Cats 8-16-(64)
Goals: Allwright, Vardy 2, Dobson, Motlop, Weston, Christensen 1
Best: Laidler, Gillies, Hogan, Tutungi, Simpkin, Djerrkura