Adelaide’s record at GMHBA Stadium (formally knowns as Kardinia Park) is short on good memories but the rare triumphs were special.
Australian Football Hall of Famer Gary Ayres was involved in all three Crows wins at Geelong’s home ground, one as the home team’s coach and then two as Adelaide’s boss.
It took until Adelaide’s seventh trip to the Cattery in 1998, for the Club to finally break through with a commanding 74-point win.
Ayres faced his Cats predecessor Malcolm Blight, who was positioning Adelaide for another shot at September glory.
The Round 20 win was a defensive contest in the first half but Adelaide kicked away by adding 14 goals in the second half, Tony Modra leading the way on the scoreboard with six and Peter Vardy booting four goals. Modra started on the field for the first time since returning from the knee surgery that kept the full forward out of the 1997 grand final side.
Andrew McLeod started at half-back and then helped break the game open through the midfield and Mark Ricciuto ran with Geelong star Garry Hocking but still collected 30 disposals and three Brownlow Medal votes.
Ayres was impressed , saying "they are a very, very good side … a very, very good side.”
He was right. Adelaide went on to win another Premiership.
Ayres, who coached Geelong until the end of the 1999 season and replaced Blight at West Lakes for the 2000 season, was then in charge of Adelaide’s next win at Kardinia Park in round 17, 2002.
Best-on-ground Ricciuto kicked five goals, including the last three goals of the match, in the thrilling three-point win.
Adelaide kicked six consecutive goals in the opening term to lead by 22 points at the first break; Geelong was in front by a goal at half-time; and Adelaide held an eight-point lead at three-quarter-time.
Geelong was then nine points clear with ten minutes to play before a brace of goals to Ricciuto gave the Crows the lead two minutes later. He booted his fifth after another five minutes and although James Kelly gave Geelong hope with a goal with 40 seconds left, Adelaide held on.
The tense finish led to an infamous exchange after the siren between Ayres and Geelong fans in front of the coaching box. Ayres copped a suspended $5000 fine from the AFL.
The following year it was current Crows Board director James Gallagher who kicked the sealer in a brave 17-point win. Several injuries left Adelaide thin on the bench but it finished on top by kicking the last three goals of the game through Nigel Smart, Gallagher and Rhett Biglands.
“I keep telling these guys they have terrific character and courage,” Ayres said.
Forward Ian Perrie had a day out, with 16 disposals and 11 marks earning him three Brownlow votes. Tyson Edwards and Mark Bickley also starred.
Adelaide’s most recent game at Geelong was in round 22, 2024, when it led by ten points early in the last quarter but lost by five points. Josh Rachele (three goals) and Jake Soligo were high in the best.
The previous clash in 2023 was also close deep into the last quarter until Geelong kicked the last two goals.
