Five years ago, North Melbourne travelled to the now Simonds Stadium to face a highly rated Geelong side that was struggling to put its considerable talent together.
North, a near unanimous favourite to miss the finals, had just notched up its first win of the season the previous week against Brisbane. Without Nathan Thompson it was thought the Roos would struggle to kick enough goals to consistently win matches.
The last three trips down the highway had all resulted in losses for the club, so the external outlook was again bleak. However from the outset, it was evident the Kangaroos had no intention of leaving with anything but the four-points.
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| Leigh Adams' first game | Hamish McIntosh at just 22 |
But Geelong managed to rally back and took the game right down to the final stages before a Daniel Wells goal on the siren ensured a 16-point North victory, (18.10) 118 to (15.12) 102.
The aftermath of that game shaped AFL history. Geelong came out the next week and defeated Richmond by 157-points and since their loss to North Melbourne, it won 104 of 122 matches which is more than 85 percent of its games. Of course, there’s been three premierships along the way as well.
One could argue if it wasn't for the unexpected loss to the Roos, Geelong might not have received the impetus to become one of the most dominant teams to ever play the game. 16 of the 22 players in the Geelong side that day competed in the 2007 premiership and it all started one Sunday afternoon against a team that was supposed to finish in the bottom four.
Geelong 4.3 (27), 6.8 (44), 10.10 (70), 15.12 (102)
Kangaroos 6.3 (39), 12.5 (77), 15.7 (97), 18.10 (118)
Goals - North Melbourne: Brent Harvey 3, Andrew Swallow 2, Daniel Wells 2, Shannon Grant 2, Matt Campbell 2
Geelong: Cameron Mooney 3, Jimmy Bartel 3, Cameron Ling 3, Travis Varcoe 2
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