Fans pack open session

Andrew Mathieson
ANOTHER year, another grand final, but Geelong fans were still playing the big game like it was their first at their club’s only open training session this week.
The Cats euphoria eupted on Monday as the stands came alive with a mix of retirees, school children on holidays and little else in between.
In a sea of blue and white, a young Saints fan braved enemy territory to show her true colours while a troupe of little Catters leaned over the fence to sing We are Geelong for television cameras.
A TV reporter asked the obvious question: would Geelong win.
“Well, St Kilda beat us once but they’re not going to do it again,” a boy responded, “this time we’re better prepared”. A cheeky mate interrupted: “We’ll win because we’re the greatest team of all”.
A mum in the crowd remembered the old times, not always the best, as she wore a buttoned woollen guernsey so old a cream colour had replaced the white and the number 7 was from the days of Brian Peake rather than Harry Taylor.
The crowd star-gazed as it waited for the Cats to arrive on the track.
Skipper Tom Harley walked from the rooms, greeting salivating autograph hunters leaning over the wall.
Out the back, Tom Hawkins bounced a ball as he passed a sizzling barbecue, smiling to the crowd before he lined up for a sausage.
Club mascot Half Cat sprinted onto the ground first, high-fiving kids and embracing a tough-looking security guard with a warm hug.
Billy Brownless then took centre stage, asking the crowd who was their favourite.
He rolled out the names Joel Selwood, Matthew Scartlett but, of course, Gary Ablett, earned the biggest ovation.
“The mums seem to like Cameron Mooney,” Brownless added with a wink.
Then a roar and cheers sounded out as the players dawdled onto the ground.
They went through the motions, jogging slow laps to deafening applause.
The attention raised smiles among a handful of players but, this week, grins will only count for something just after 5pm Saturday.