There's really nothing else like it. The colour, the passion, the sound and the movement.
Every grand final day, tens of thousands of fans pile into the MCG, their anxiety peaking in the knowledge their fates are in the hands of the 46 players who will take to the field
Back in March, Geelong started the season in round one with a dominant 21-goal performance, culminating in a more-than-10-goal win over Essendon. Tyson Stengle kicked four goals, and the game was effectively decided by half-time.
That's exactly how the season finished too, but on a far bigger stage. Geelong was ready for the 2022 season from the get go.
The big stage is always full of nerves, but the Cats showed none. After one of the most exciting seasons in footy history, Geelong dominated the last game of the year from pillar to post.
This is how Geelong won the 2022 AFL Grand Final.
It's over
Each grand final has a decisive moment, even if it doesn't seem remarkable at the time. Moments that are remembered in history, imprinted into the memories of fans.
That moment might have came with the first goal of the game this year. It was something we've all seen before, and we're sure to see again.
In the last 10 weeks of the season the Cats turned one of their biggest weaknesses — their stoppage game — into one of their biggest strengths.
The Swans won 37 clearances to the Cats 33, but the men in blue and white hoops made the most of those they won.
In the first half, when the game was there to be won, the Cats scored 39 points to just two from all clearances, providing the buffer that decided the game.
That dominance continued as the game progressed. For all of the Swans' brilliance at creating from the counterattack this year, Geelong denied them the opportunity to even have a shot at it.
One player was at the heart of this for the Cats.
In some quarters, Patrick Dangerfield had a reputation for not performing on the biggest stage of them all — a somewhat unfair one. That suggestion was put to bed for fans and haters alike this year.
As much as Hawkins' two goals from forward 50 stoppages started the Cats going, Dangerfield's dominance in the middle tore it open for good. The Cats midfield worked hard to make space for their talisman, blocking their way in dead ball situations to turn Dangerfield loose.
That's a smart move considering that Dangerfield is perhaps the best one-on-one player in the league, especially when the ball is on the deck. When given the space to run no other player can catch him. When confronted with physicality, he powered through contact using his size and strong core.
In the first half, Dangerfield racked up six clearances, five score involvements and a ton of ball, giving the Geelong forward line the chance to stamp their dominance on the game.
By the end of the game, he ended up with six goal assists (a grand final record), nine clearances, 12 score involvements and impact that goes beyond the mere numbers itself.
Isacc Smith, with the freshly minted Norm Smith medal around his neck, also had perhaps the finest game of his career, matching Dangerfield with four score launches and adding a bunch of gained territory as well.
Smith's 11 inside 50s led the game, and helped the Cats rack up a 65 to 32 advantage in getting the ball to the scoring zone.
On a day where the Cats had a team full of players who impacted the game, none may have done so more than Dangerfield.
The wall
A common refrain from fans in the crowd is to "just kick the bloody thing". But whenever Sydney looked up, all they could see was a wall of Cats ahead.
As they have done all year, the Cats worked hard to deny their opposition the ability to move the ball forward. And the pressure they applied forced them to try, regardless.
Early on, the Swans decided to send Ryan Clarke to Tom Stewart to curb the All Australian defender's influence. That freed up other Cats defenders, especially Sam De Koning, to impact the game.
The Swans tried a lot to curb the influence of those Cats interceptors. They tried pushing Lance Franklin and Sam Reid higher up the ground, and going smaller deep. They started with extras around the ball, before trying to match numbers across the ground.
Some days nothing works for you, and everything works for the other mob.
Defence wins flags. Geelong limited Sydney to just 52 points, a score lower than all winning grand final scores since 1927. For all of the forward fireworks, of which there were a lot, the Cats defence denied the Swans a chance to kick a winning score.
All for one
Those forward fireworks were spectacular to watch though. It's always a treat to watch a unit at the peak of their powers, especially when it matters the most.
The Cats were able to ping goals in from almost any angle. All year the Cats had worked on their forward cohesion, and connection to the midfield delivering the ball forward.
The Cats were the best side at finding marks inside 50 this year, averaging 13.7 per game coming into the grand final. On the big day, the Cats were able to create 17 marks inside 50, a huge number of good chances on goal.
Lost a little more in the mix were the little efforts when the ball hit the deck. Stengle in particular was stellar, adding a number of deft touches and handballs to go with his four goals.
It was the sense of teamwork that set the Cats forwards apart this year from the crop. Most importantly for Geelong, that showed up in the grand final.
Next year
It may seem trite now, especially to Swans fans, but merely making the grand final is a special achievement of itself.
Swans inclusion Hayden McLean needed only one hand to grab his opportunity, and followed it up with one of the finest passes of the game to Chad Warner.
Warner had a strong game himself, and fought hard against the blue and white wave. The young crop of Swans battled all day, and will push the side forward in years to come.
For 15 of them, it was their first taste of grand final action, and as much as the performance will hurt, they should be better for the experience on the big stage.
Still, the pain will be raw for Swans players and fans as the season comes to a close. The memory won't fade, and the resolve will steel heading towards 2023.
In the Cattery emotions couldn't be further away, with celebrations of a 10th flag and first since 2011 going deep into the night. What happens next season, and into the future, doesn't matter to Cats today.
After months of hard work, and years of preparation, the Cats are finally premiers again.
