AFL
3 hours ago
The moment Geelong premiership player knew his AFL career was done
By Andrew Slevison
The feeling came at the midway point of what would prove to be his final season in the AFL.
A feeling that told two-time Geelong premiership player Cameron Mooney his career at the elite level was done.
Mooney’s preparations for season 2011 had been derailed by a knee injury, restricting his training output and eventually forcing him to call time.
The overriding feeling came in the Round 10 clash with the Gold Coast Suns which just so happened to be Geelong’s first time playing against superstar Gary Ablett Jnr.
“That was an easy one, I tapped myself, (well) father time tapped me,” Mooney said on SEN Breakfast.
“I was very self-aware that I was no good (at the time).
“I had a shocking pre-season because I had a crook injury, couldn’t get over it, missed a lot of the pre-season, came back and I was just struggling.
“We played the Suns on the Gold Coast, it was their first home game at their (redeveloped) stadium. It was us against ‘Gazza’ (Ablett) and all of that.”
Mooney can pinpoint the moment to half-time of that match, telling coach Chris Scott to give him the substitutes’ vest because he was struggling so much.
“I remember at half-time I virtually walked in and said to ‘Scotty’, ‘Give me the vest, I’m done’,” he continued.
“I was a witches hat. These boys were running around me like I wasn’t there. I remember going, ‘I’m done’. I knew I was cooked.
“I knew I was cooked before that, but that basically sold to me that I’m done.”
Mooney ended up with 15 disposals in that particular game, which on the surface doesn’t look too bad, but he suggests it merely papered over some individual cracks.
“I went into the ruck because they couldn’t get me out of the forward line quick enough,” he laughed.
“It was embarrassing. I was done then.”
After his Suns epiphany, Mooney would play a further three games and actually found some form by kicking 5.3 upon his return in the astonishing 186-point win over Melbourne in Round 19.
He backed that up with 3.3 from 22 disposals against Gold Coast the following week as the Cats won by 150 points, but he did not play again after the Round 21 win over Adelaide.
Mooney has previously spoken on SEN about holding hope of being selected for the 2011 Grand Final, only for the Cats to go with a young Tom Hawkins in a key forward role.
They would win the flag that year, but at least Mooney had his 2007 and 2009 medals with the Cats.
He of course started his career with North Melbourne after being drafted in 1996, playing in the 1999 premiership with the Kangaroos before his move to the Cats.
