With the Geelong Football Club celebrating its 100 year partnership with Ford in 2025, this brand new article series will take a look back at the 100 most iconic moments from the Cats history.
The eight part series will be released over the remainder of the year and will cover milestone moments, heartwarming stories, the club's greatest successes on and off the field while celebrating the people that made it all happen.
The first part of this series will look back at some of the most remarkable milestones from the club's history which includes groundbreaking goals, game records and numerous wins.
Part One: Milestone Moments
1. Joel Selwood Becomes Longest-Serving Captain in V/AFL History
Arguably the greatest Cat to ever pull on the Hoops, Joel Selwood accumulated a plethora of accolades during his storied career but perhaps none were quite as significant as this one.
In an early season clash with Collingwood in 2022, Selwood broke Stephen Kernahan's record and became the longest serving captain in the competition's history, leading the Cats for the 227th time after taking over as skipper at the end of 2011.
The game itself was fitting of the occasion, Geelong trailing by 30 points at three quarter time before storming home with seven unanswered goals to record a famous 13 point win, celebrating the champion Cat in style.
In what would ultimately be his final season, Selwood went on to finish with 355 AFL games to his name and 245 as Geelong's captain, achieving a fairytale finish as he lead the Cats to the 2022 premiership in his last game at the top level.
2. Geelong's First AFLW Game and Win in 2019
It was a groundbreaking day for the Geelong Football Club when the AFLW Cats took to the field for the very first time, making their league debut in 2019 which was their inaugural season in the competition.
Walking in the footsteps of club legends while also writing the opening chapter of their own story, Geelong took on Collingwood at GMHBA Stadium with the occasion not lost on the Cats faithful, over 18,000 spectators piling into Kardinia Park to witness the historic occasion.
Maddie Boyd kicked two brilliant goals and Nina Morrison dominated on debut, the number one draft pick kicking a game-winning behind late in the final term as the Cats secured victory in dramatic fashion.
Several players from that inaugural team are still playing for Geelong today, but all 21 players etched their name into Cats folklore on that famous day in 2019.
3. Gary Ablett Senior Reaches 1000 Goals
Just six players in the history of Australian Rules Football have ever reached 1000 career goals, an exclusive club that features some of the greatest names to ever grace a field ground.
The only player to ever achieve this in the Hoops was arguably the best player the game has ever seen, with Gary Ablett Senior slotting his 1000th goal at Kardinia Park in 1996.
Geelong fans poured onto the ground and swarmed the legend as he poked through his third goal against Fremantle, bringing up his 1000th career major and adding another accolade to an extraordinary career.
In a historical quirk, 23 years later, it was revealed that the goal was not actually the goal. In Ablett’s fourth AFL game, then teammate Richard Loveridge was awarded a goal actually kicked by Ablett, and the record was subsequently corrected by legendary historian Col Hutchison.
4. Cats Register Highest Score in a Match
A record that is still standing 33 years later, Geelong romped to the highest score in a single match when they faced the Brisbane Bears in Round 7 of the 1992 season.
Geelong piled on 16 goals in the first half and opened up an 89 point lead by the main break, but the Cats were not prepared to take their foot off the gas despite putting the result beyond doubt.
Another 21 majors after half time launched the Cats to a total of 239 points, Billy Brownless wobbling through a behind on the siren to surpass the previous record held by Fitzroy.
Gary Ablett lead the way with nine goals on a day where Geelong had 13 different goal kickers, setting a record that still stands to this day.
5. Geelong's First Ever Women's Captain, Audrey Cope
Geelong's proud history of women's football extends back well past their inaugural AFLW season, with Audrey Cope recognised as the club's first female captain in 1954.
Playing in 1954 wearing a borrowed pair of socks and guernsey, Cope featured in a match took that took place at Kardinia Park and was umpired by the great Reg Hickey and Bernie Smith.
Cope was a true pioneer in Geelong's football history, her dedication and passion for the game paved the way for countless women to follow their dreams on the field.
In recognition of her enduring contributions, Gate 10 at Kardinia Park Stadium proudly bears Audrey's name—a fitting tribute to her unwavering dedication to the game she loved.
6. Tom Hawkins Breaks Club Games Record
Another legend of the club that etched his name into the record books, Tom Hawkins surpassed his great mate Joel Selwood in 2024 to become Geelong's all-time games record holder.
In a phenomenal career that spanned over 18 years, Hawkins broke the record in Round 12 last year against GWS when he played his 356th game, ultimately finishing on 359 games in what would be his final AFL season.
Geelong's games record was held by Ian Nankervis for 30 years before Corey Enright surpasses him in 2016, Joel Selwood eclipsing that record in 2021 before Hawkins reached the pinnacle in 2024.
It further added to a sensational career for Hawkins which included three premierships, a Coleman Medal, five All-Australian blazers and several other awards.
7. Cats Set Record for Longest Winning Streak in the 1950's
No team in V/AFL history has been able to reach the lofty heights of the 1952 and 1953 Geelong side, who went on an extraordinary winning streak which saw them go undefeated for an entire calendar year.
Fresh off a premiership in the 1951 VFL season, the Cats commenced their streak in Round 12 of the 1952 season with a win over Collingwood, going on to win 23 consecutive games through to Round 13 of the 1953 season.
Geelong secured back to back premierships in amidst the run (also against Collingwood), the remarkable streak finally coming to an end in Round 14 of the 1953 season with the Magpies exacting their revenge at Kardinia Park.
8. Maddie Boyd Kicks Geelong's First Goal in the AFLW
It was a day of firsts in Geelong's aforementioned AFLW debut; their first game, first win and of course, their first goal.
The Cats had started slowly but an early opportunity presented itself for born and bred local, Maddie Boyd who had a close range set shot with the chance to write her name into the record books.
Boyd approached steadily and made no mistake with the kick, slotting Geelong's first ever AFLW goal to send the Cats faithful into a frenzy.
9. Chris Scott Surpasses Reg Hickey to Become Geelong's Longest-Serving Coach
In an era of football where frequent and abrupt coaching changes have become the norm, Chris Scott's longevity at the helm for Geelong has been simply extraordinary.
Taking over the reins in 2011, Scott has been the Cats coach for 15 seasons and is on the cusp of becoming the 19th coach in the competition's history to reach 350 games in charge.
Late in 2023, Scott reached another incredible milestone as he brought up his 305th game in the top job, breaking the record held by Reg Hickey to become Geelong's longest serving coach.
10. Cats Farewell Trio of Premiership Legends in 2015
It felt like a changing of the guard when Geelong's 2015 season came to a close, as the Cats farewelled club greats Steve Johnson, James Kelly and Mathew Stokes at Kardinia Park in the final game of the home and away season.
With over 700 AFL games, multiple premierships and numerous awards between the trio, the Cats faithful were given a chance to celebrate the champions one last time when they took on Adelaide at home, coincidentally Patrick Dangerfield's last regular season game for the Crows before joining Geelong.
Johnson, Kelly and Stokes helped steer their side to a 39 point victory before being chaired off to the roar of the Cats crowd, bringing to a close a significant and incredibly successful chapter in Geelong's history.
11. Selwood Sets the Record for Most Finals Appearances
It was the fairytale finish that every player dreams of, when Joel Selwood became a Premiership captain in 2022 as Geelong triumphed over Sydney in what would ultimately be the final game of his career.
His resume speaks for itself with four premierships, six All-Australian selections, three Carji Greeves Medals and an abundance of other awards that certainly put him in the conversation for Geelong's greatest ever player.
But the 2022 Grand Final also saw Selwood set another phenomenal record, playing in his 40th Finals match which is the most of any player across V/AFL history.
To put into perspective how extraordinary the record is, Selwood sits nine Finals appearances clear of the best active player (Scott Pendlebury) and only seven players in the competition's history have featured in 30 or more Finals.
Keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the top 100 moments, which will be released throughout the second half of the year.
