Geelong superfan calls for Grand Final replay after defeat to Brisbane
Troy West, known as Catman, posts that the game should be replayed and questions injuries and the league’s rules after Geelong’s Grand Final loss to the Lions.
Geelong Cats' season ended with a 47-point loss to the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Grand Final on Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. One of the AFL's most recognizable fans, Troy "Catman" West, posted a stream of messages on social media after the final siren, saying he would not accept the defeat and that the game should be replayed.
The Lions exploded in the second half, piling on 13 goals to pull away for a final 47-point victory. Brisbane led by a smaller margin early but ran away in the third and fourth quarters to seal the title at the MCG, bringing the season to a close for Geelong.
"It was absolutely disgraceful," West wrote. "I am a sovereign citizen and I refuse to accept that loss in that manner. We should have that credit and that game should be replayed." He also asserted, "We won the qualifying final from second place on the ladder. To me, that means we have a credit, so we went into the prelim with credit. Won the prelim, still got a credit. Get to the grand final and look what happens." West added that the AFL's rules should not apply to Geelong in this case, arguing that the system had denied the Cats a fair result.
He floated a conspiracy about Lachie Neale's fitness, saying he did not have a proper injury or otherwise he wouldn't have been on the field. "It's meant to be six weeks plus. That is nonsense," West said, though the post also called on Geelong supporters to "rise up" and demand a replay so the Cats could win as they believed they should.
West is widely known for his flamboyant costumes and makeup, and his posts drew immediate attention in the days after the game. His father, Roy West, was a Geelong stalwart in the early 1960s, playing 108 senior games as a fullback, winning the 1961 Carji Greeves Medal and a premiership with Geelong in 1963. He also represented Victoria twice before his death in 2011 at age 70.
There was no immediate public comment from Geelong or the AFL regarding West's posts. Officials typically do not respond to individual fan messages, and the league has repeatedly emphasized the integrity of match results after championship games.