SAD NEWS: “Here’s Why Geelong Won’t Host a Home AFL Final Even if They Finish in the Top Two” Read More..

It looks like Geelong will have to play any home final at the MCG.

Whether they place in the top two of the AFL standings or not, the Geelong Cats have apparently grown “increasingly resigned” to the likelihood that they won’t play a home final at GMHBA Stadium. Reopened in advance of the 2024 season, the Cats’ home arena can now accommodate 40,000 spectators.

However, it is anticipated that the stadium will wait more than ten years to host finals football, and the Cats are unlikely to have an option in where to host their home final because an AFL contract will likely take precedence. The only final that GMHBA Stadium, also called Kardinia Park, has ever held was a qualifying final versus Fremantle in 2013. And it is unlikely to hold another, at least not for another year, as the AFL’s agreement with the MCG is expected to take precedence over Geelong’s aspirations to host a genuine home final.

According to the terms of the AFL’s agreement with the MCG, the MCG will host the single Victoria final in weeks one, two, and three. In order to host an MCG Grand Final, Victorian preliminary finals must also be held at the MCG under a contract that expires in 2059.

Though they too did not meet the capacity standards under the AFL contract, Geelong remained optimistic that they would get a real home final this year. Any finals games in the first two weeks of the finals, including the elimination, semifinal, and qualification rounds, with an anticipated attendance of 55,000 or more are required to be held at the MCG, home of football, per the conditions of the MCG’s agreement with the AFL. Additionally, Geelong is scheduled to host two MCG home games per season against highly competitive Victorian teams.

The GMHBA stadium may only hold 40,000 spectators, however the league may make an exception at its sole discretion. But Geelong is probably the only Victorian team able to host a game in Melbourne, as they are probably only one of three teams to advance to this year’s AFL finals series.

The two Victorian teams vying to host an elimination final are the Bulldogs and Hawks, with Carlton, Essendon, and Collingwood battling it out for a spot in the eight. As a result, the MCG will almost certain host the Cats’ home final. Although Geelong has long requested a home final to increase attendance, the estimated 40,000 spectators at GMHBA Stadium would outnumber that at any previous Victoria vs interstate final.

Though not sure they can play at GMHBA Stadium, the cats are optimistic.
Chris Scott, the coach of the Cats, expressed optimism that his team will soon have the freedom to play anywhere they want in the future. This season, he declared, “I think every team should play their 11 home games where they choose.”

It’s okay if they decide to farm them to Darwin or Alice Springs. However, you shouldn’t be compelled to play house games somewhere other than your house. Geelong decided to play all 11 of their home games there.

But Channel 7 AFL reporter Mitch Cleary said on Channel’s Talking Footy that the Cats are realistically resigned to the fact that won’t happen and that they also will be made to play their home finals games at the MCG again this year. “The AFL has gone into the contracts and it shows that if there’s only one final in Victoria in weeks one, two and three, it has to be played at the MCG,” Mitch Cleary said.

“So right now even if Geelong finish second and host a home qualifying final, that has to be played at the MCG if there’s no other final. The Cats, behind the scenes, are increasingly resigned to the fact that they’ll be playing their home final at the MCG regardless of where the other games will be played.