If you’re a Geelong Cats fan, you remember exactly where you were on September 29, 2007. I was at a pub in Geelong, clutching a beer that had gone warm because I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. When the siren sounded and the final score read Geelong 24.19 (163) to Port Adelaide 6.8 (44), the place erupted. Strangers hugged. People cried. And for the first time in 44 years, the Cats were premiers.
The 2007 AFL season wasn’t just a championship—it was a statement. After decades of heartbreak, including that brutal 1994 grand final loss to West Coast, Geelong didn’t just win the flag. They demolished the AFL competition with one of the most dominant seasons in Australian Football League history. This case study breaks down how a team that finished 10th in 2006 transformed into an unstoppable premiership machine in just twelve months.
Background / Challenge
Let’s rewind to 2006. The Cats had just finished 10th with a 10-12 record. Coach Mark Thompson was under pressure. The club had missed the finals for the second time in three years. Fans were restless. The whispers about "underachieving" were getting louder.
But here’s what most people didn’t see behind the scenes. The 2006 season, while disappointing on paper, had planted seeds. Young players like Joel Selwood, who’d been drafted with pick 7 in the 2006 AFL Draft, were coming through. The core group—players like Tom Hawkins (then a raw 18-year-old), Jimmy Bartel, and Gary Ablett Jr.—were maturing together. And the club’s VFL team, Geelong’s reserves, was stacked with talent that would soon push for senior spots.
The challenge was clear: turn potential into performance. The Cats needed to shed their reputation as a "nearly" team and become ruthless. They needed to win the close games they’d been losing. And they needed to do it fast, because the window for premiership success in the AFL doesn’t stay open forever.
Approach / Strategy
Coach Mark Thompson and his staff took a two-pronged approach: culture and system.
Culture first. The playing group committed to a "no excuses" mentality. Players started arriving at Kardinia Park earlier. Recovery sessions became non-negotiable. Senior players like Tom Harley and Cameron Ling took younger guys under their wings. The message was simple: everyone buys in, or you don’t play.
System overhaul. Geelong’s game plan became built around relentless pressure and quick ball movement. The Cats would swarm opponents at the contest, then immediately look to transition forward. It wasn’t just about winning the ball—it was about what you did with it. The 2007 Cats averaged 60 more disposals per game than their opponents. They weren’t just beating teams; they were suffocating them.
The strategy also involved smart list management. The club had traded for Brad Ottens in 2005, giving up draft picks to secure a ruckman who could also go forward. That move looked questionable at the time, but by 2007, Ottens was the missing piece in a premiership puzzle.
Implementation Details
The 2007 season unfolded in three distinct phases.
Phase 1: Building belief (Round 1-8). The Cats started 8-0, including a 55-point demolition of the Western Bulldogs in Round 2 and a 47-point win over Collingwood. But the real statement came in Round 6 against West Coast at Kardinia Park. The Eagles were the reigning premiers, and Geelong smashed them by 63 points. That night, you could feel something shifting at the Cattery.
Phase 2: The stumble (Round 9-13). A loss to Essendon in Round 9 was followed by a shock defeat to Richmond. Suddenly, the doubters crept back. But this team was different. They responded with four straight wins, including a 108-point thrashing of Melbourne. The resilience was new. The Cats weren’t just talented—they were tough.
Phase 3: Domination (Round 14-25). From Round 14 onward, Geelong won every remaining home-and-away game. They finished the regular season 18-4, sitting on top of the ladder with a percentage of 129.5. The finals series was almost anticlimactic. A 22-point qualifying final win over Collingwood. A 5-point preliminary final thriller against the Kangaroos, where Geelong kicked the last three goals of the game. And then the grand final.
The 2007 AFL Grand Final against Port Adelaide was less a contest and more a coronation. The Cats kicked 9 goals in the first quarter. By halftime, the lead was 40 points. It finished 119 points—the biggest grand final victory in VFL/AFL history. Steve Johnson won the Norm Smith Medal with 32 disposals and 2 goals. But honestly, you could have given it to half the team.
Results (Using Specific Numbers)
Let’s talk numbers, because the 2007 season is a statistical masterpiece.
- Ladder position: 1st (18-4 record)
- Percentage: 129.5 (highest in the AFL competition)
- Points for: 2,543 (most in the league)
- Points against: 1,463 (fewest in the league)
- Grand final margin: 119 points (AFL record)
- Brownlow Medal: Jimmy Bartel won with 29 votes
- All-Australians: 7 Cats made the team (Ablett, Bartel, Corey, Johnson, Ling, Milburn, Scarlett)
- Club champion: Jimmy Bartel won the Carji Greeves Medal
The impact extended beyond the senior team. The Geelong VFL side also won the premiership in 2007, creating a culture of winning throughout the entire club. Players like Tom Hawkins, who played 12 games in 2007 as a developing forward, got a taste of success that would fuel his entire career.
What can we learn from the 2007 Geelong Cats season? A few things.
1. Culture beats talent in the long run. The 2007 Cats had plenty of talent, but so did other teams. What set them apart was the buy-in. Every player knew their role. No egos. Just a group of guys who refused to lose.
2. Drafting matters, but development matters more. Joel Selwood, drafted in 2006, played every game in 2007 and finished 4th in the Brownlow Medal. But he didn’t do it alone. The Cats had a system that accelerated young talent. By the time players reached the AFL, they were ready.
3. Home ground advantage is real. The Cats went 11-1 at Kardinia Park in 2007, with the only loss coming by 3 points to West Coast. The Cattery became a fortress. Opponents hated playing there. The crowd was loud, the ground was small, and Geelong’s pressure was suffocating.
4. Patience pays off. The 2007 flag didn’t come from nowhere. It was built over years of smart recruiting, patient development, and a few tough losses along the way. That 1994 grand final loss to West Coast? It hurt, but it taught the club what it took to win.
5. One season can change everything. Before 2007, Geelong was a club with a rich history but limited recent success. After 2007, they became a powerhouse. The 2007 flag didn’t just break a 44-year drought—it changed the trajectory of the entire organization.
The 2007 season remains the gold standard for Geelong Cats fans. It’s the season that ended the longest premiership drought in the club’s history. It’s the season that introduced the world to players like Joel Selwood, who would go on to become the greatest captain in Geelong history. It’s the season that proved the Cats could win the big one.
But here’s the thing about 2007—it wasn’t a one-off. The culture, the system, and the belief that season created carried through to 2009, 2011, and beyond. When you look at Geelong’s sustained success over the past 15 years, you can trace it all back to that night at the MCG in September 2007.
For fans looking ahead to the 2025 AFL season, the lessons of 2007 are still relevant. The Cats are rebuilding, yes. But they’ve done it before. They know what it takes to go from contender to champion. And if history tells us anything, it’s that you should never count Geelong out.
So next time you’re sitting at Kardinia Park, watching the Cats run out, remember 2007. Remember what’s possible when a club, a city, and a group of players all believe in the same thing.
Because that’s how dynasties are built.
Want more championship history? Check out our deep dive on the 1994 grand final loss that set the stage for 2007, or read our review of the 2019 season to see how the Cats kept the window open.
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