Geelong had a reasonably successful 18 month period against South Australian based teams between the start of 2006 and end of 2007.Â
It commenced with a NAB Cup triumph in March 2006, when the Cats went to AAMI Stadium and knocked off Adelaide in the pre-season competition Grand Final, the club's first piece of silverware in over four decades.Â
Then came that remarkable day on the last Saturday of September in 2007, when Geelong broke their 44-year premiership drought with an extraordinary performance in the AFL Grand Final.Â
But there was one more that has slipped the minds of many, a match that occurred smack bang in between those two Grand Final victories that might not have carried the same weight, but had a similar level of theatre.Â
That, of course, was the 2006 AFL London Challenge Match between Geelong and Port Adelaide held at one of the world's most iconic venues, The Oval.
The Cats headed to London for the exhibition match after the conclusion of the 2006 season, taking on the Power in front of a healthy crowd of 12,129.Â
Both clubs fielded relatively inexperienced sides on the day, but it did not put a limit on the entertainment value of the game, with some more familiar names putting on a show in front of the British crowd.Â
Jimmy Bartel was Geelong's best on the day, but Ryan Gamble also impressed with four goals in a terrific performance inside 50.Â
The match itself can only be described as chaotic, with plenty of feeling and fights breaking out throughout the game, before a number of streakers invaded the ground in the final term and forced officials to end the game prematurely.Â
Geelong started the game strongly, kicking five goals in the opening quarter to open up an early lead, predominantly set up by Bartel who looked a class above.Â
Despite a resurgence from the Power, the Cats would not relinquish the lead in the second term and maintained a 14-point lead at half time.Â
A more defensive battle occurred after the main break, but it helped Geelong to keep a 13-point buffer at the final change, with both teams kicking two goals in the third quarter.Â
Darren Milburn then snapped a brilliant goal early in the final quarter and Gamble booted another shortly after, giving Geelong a commanding lead on the way to a 21-point victory.Â
The trip to London would be Geelong's sixth and final overseas exhibition match, following three games in the USA (1963 and 1988), one in Canada (1989) and another in New Zealand (1991).
Bartel would be adjudged the Cats' best, just under 12 months before he would go on to win the 2007 Brownlow Medal, while Mathew Stokes, Josh Hunt, Shannon Byrnes, Matthew Scarlett, Darren Milburn and Corey Enright would all play a big role in the drought-breaking premiership.Â
2006 AFL London Challenge Match
GEELONG CATSÂ Â Â 5.3Â Â 8.5Â Â 10.7Â 13.10Â (88)
PORT ADELAIDEÂ Â Â 3.1Â Â 6.3Â Â 8.6Â Â 10.7Â Â (67)
BEST
Geelong:Â Bartel, Prismall, Stokes, Gamble, S.Hunt, West, Playfair
Port Adelaide:Â Pearce, Salopek, Wakelin, Ebert, Mahoney
GOALS
Geelong: Gamble 4, Egan, J.Hunt, Byrnes, Bartel, Batchelor, Stokes, McCarthy, Prismall, MilburnÂ
Port Adelaide:Â Cassisi 2, Mahoney 2, D.White 2, Bentley, Willits, Ebert, Giles
CROWD: 12,129 at The Oval, London
Geelong's Starting 22
3. Jimmy Bartel
5. Travis Varcoe
7. Tim Callan
8. Josh Hunt
12. Trent West
17. Shannon Byrnes
19. Matthew Egan
22. Henry Playfair
24. Mark Blake
25. Matthew Spencer
26. Matthew McCarthy
27. Mathew Stokes
28. David Johnson
30. Matthew Scarlett
32. Brent Prismall
34. Ryan Gamble
36. Todd Grima
38. Sam Hunt
39. Darren Milburn
41. Tim Sheringham
42. Nick Batchelor
44. Corey Enright
