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Comeback: The Fall and Rise of Geelong
One town. One football club. One struggle for greatness
James Button fell in love with the Geelong Football Club as a boy. It was a family affair. But as the years wore on and the defeats mounted, one nagging question became louder and louder: would his team ever win a premiership again?
Comeback tells the Geelong story - how a town unloved by the big city up the road turned to football to show it was as good as anyone.
It paints the characters - two Gary Abletts, 'Polly' Farmer, Bob Davis, 'Bomber'Thompson, Matthew Scarlett, Joel Selwood and many others - who helped to make Geelong a byword for excitement, and it explains how a bunch of talented but flashy individuals ended years of despair by finding the magic ingredient that makes a great team. More than a book about sport, Comeback shows how the history of a town and the spirit of a place can be funnelled through the fortunes of a football club
James Button fell in love with the Geelong Football Club as a boy. It was a family affair. But as the years wore on and the defeats mounted, one nagging question became louder and louder: would his team ever win a premiership again?
Comeback tells the Geelong story - how a town unloved by the big city up the road turned to football to show it was as good as anyone.
It paints the characters - two Gary Abletts, 'Polly' Farmer, Bob Davis, 'Bomber'Thompson, Matthew Scarlett, Joel Selwood and many others - who helped to make Geelong a byword for excitement, and it explains how a bunch of talented but flashy individuals ended years of despair by finding the magic ingredient that makes a great team. More than a book about sport, Comeback shows how the history of a town and the spirit of a place can be funnelled through the fortunes of a football club
- GenresNonfiction
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 24, 2016
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 27, 2016
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I am a huge Geelong Cats fan myself and only want to believe the best about my club. James Button has delved deep into the history archives and spoken to many people involved with the club (over numerous times) and come up with this GEM on what has made Geelong such a successful club over recent years, starting with why it was such a tough club to begin with.
I laughed out loud a lot in reading this book. With Button a journalist, I was expecting something quite dry and to the point. He really humanised this story and shared stories of equal measure - funny, sad, dark and at times, angry. As a reader, I felt the full force of the emotions, none more so than when he was describing the momentous day in 2007 when our clubs history finally changed. I was remembering where I was at the time, who I was with and the absolute joy I felt on that day, followed by the disbelief as our CBD became this strange communal place where it felt like the whole town had come together. In reading this chapter, I found myself putting the book down and re-watching the 2007 AFL Grand Final from start to finish. I loved having those little insights as I watched. I felt more in tune with the team.
You can't detail the rise of a club, the change in culture, without first venturing to those earlier days that signified the original fall of the club. Button was very sensitive with the past days, without pulling any punches. I have to say that I was disappointed in the players and the team behind the scenes as I read about my childhood days. I understand why the Club became like it did, but it doesn't excuse what was happening.
I am very proud of my club for surviving and to read about how they not only survived, but thrived was an emotional experience. I think it takes a fan (James Button) to describe to a fan (and non-fans) what goes on behind closed doors, without spoiling the club and it's memory forever.
Well written and researched, I believe that this book will go down in the clubs history as a wonderful description of how a country town created a club and a team that ALL other clubs within the AFL aspire to. Our future looks sound and we are well on the way to continuing to create history. What is left to say except...GO CATS!!!
I laughed out loud a lot in reading this book. With Button a journalist, I was expecting something quite dry and to the point. He really humanised this story and shared stories of equal measure - funny, sad, dark and at times, angry. As a reader, I felt the full force of the emotions, none more so than when he was describing the momentous day in 2007 when our clubs history finally changed. I was remembering where I was at the time, who I was with and the absolute joy I felt on that day, followed by the disbelief as our CBD became this strange communal place where it felt like the whole town had come together. In reading this chapter, I found myself putting the book down and re-watching the 2007 AFL Grand Final from start to finish. I loved having those little insights as I watched. I felt more in tune with the team.
You can't detail the rise of a club, the change in culture, without first venturing to those earlier days that signified the original fall of the club. Button was very sensitive with the past days, without pulling any punches. I have to say that I was disappointed in the players and the team behind the scenes as I read about my childhood days. I understand why the Club became like it did, but it doesn't excuse what was happening.
I am very proud of my club for surviving and to read about how they not only survived, but thrived was an emotional experience. I think it takes a fan (James Button) to describe to a fan (and non-fans) what goes on behind closed doors, without spoiling the club and it's memory forever.
Well written and researched, I believe that this book will go down in the clubs history as a wonderful description of how a country town created a club and a team that ALL other clubs within the AFL aspire to. Our future looks sound and we are well on the way to continuing to create history. What is left to say except...GO CATS!!!
May 21, 2025
Having grown up in Geelong and following then, I loved this
March 10, 2018
In the interests of full disclosure I should note that:
1. I'm a lifelong Geelong fan.
2. I've invested a disproportionate amount of emotional energy and angst in this endeavour.
3. As a consequence of points 2 and 3, I'm naturally well disposed to books that support the argument that there is social benefit in supporting the Geelong Football Club.
However, I think I'm still sufficiently objective to recognise that this is an outstanding book and I'd recommend it to anyone who:
-Supports the Geelong Football Club.
-Is interested in Geelong.
-Is interested in how organisations can successfully implement cultural change.
-Is interested in the role of sporting clubs and other organisations in supporting and enriching communities, particularly in regional areas.
Most sporting books simply aren't very good. The sporting books about clubs and their social impact that are good generally fall into three categories:
1. They convey the drama of a success or failure, and provide insight into the what drove the success or failure (eg. John Powers's The Coach, Martin Flanagan's 1970 and David Halberstam's Breaks of the Game).
2. They explain how excellence or innovation in the organisation contributed to success (eg. Michael Lewis's Moneyball).
3. They describe the role and impact of a club or a sport in a community or society (eg. CLR James's Beyond a Boundary, Ramachandra Guha's In a Corner of a Foreign Field and Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch).
It is rare for a sporting book to deliver on all three categories (although, some of the above do come close), and this is the great triumph of Comeback.
The structure is broadly chronological. As the title suggests, it takes the reader on a journey through up and downs of the club and finally, and gloriously, chronicles its spectacular run of success of recent years. However, the great triumph and richness of the book is not in documenting rise of the club as a football power in recent years. Rather, it is its skilful, thoughtful and articulate treatment of the following themes:
-The role of a football club in a regional community. The book skilfully describes the relationship between club and Geelong, and the recognition by the club that its future is critically tied to embracing its role as part of a regional city. In particular, explaining how the club has progressively become more strategic and focused in supporting its community and how important this been in the personal development of its players. This has now progressed to the point where the club's definition of success focuses on its role in the community as well as its football achievements.
-The role of football clubs in families. The author beautifully and vividly describes how support of a football club builds bonds within families. Something I'm sure sports fans across the world can relate to.
-The role of values and culture in changing organisations. The book brilliantly documents how the progress of the club from its nadir in the late 1990s through to its exceptional successes in the late 2000s and 2010s was driven by changing the values and culture of the club, and how this has fed through to its role in the community.
-Insight into the people who drove the change. The book provides rich and thoughtful insights into the people in the club who drove change and success. Importantly, this isn't focussed on just the coach, captain, stars, CEO, Chair etc, but includes a broad suite of people involved in the club.
I hope others take the opportunity to read the book. It is well worth it.
1. I'm a lifelong Geelong fan.
2. I've invested a disproportionate amount of emotional energy and angst in this endeavour.
3. As a consequence of points 2 and 3, I'm naturally well disposed to books that support the argument that there is social benefit in supporting the Geelong Football Club.
However, I think I'm still sufficiently objective to recognise that this is an outstanding book and I'd recommend it to anyone who:
-Supports the Geelong Football Club.
-Is interested in Geelong.
-Is interested in how organisations can successfully implement cultural change.
-Is interested in the role of sporting clubs and other organisations in supporting and enriching communities, particularly in regional areas.
Most sporting books simply aren't very good. The sporting books about clubs and their social impact that are good generally fall into three categories:
1. They convey the drama of a success or failure, and provide insight into the what drove the success or failure (eg. John Powers's The Coach, Martin Flanagan's 1970 and David Halberstam's Breaks of the Game).
2. They explain how excellence or innovation in the organisation contributed to success (eg. Michael Lewis's Moneyball).
3. They describe the role and impact of a club or a sport in a community or society (eg. CLR James's Beyond a Boundary, Ramachandra Guha's In a Corner of a Foreign Field and Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch).
It is rare for a sporting book to deliver on all three categories (although, some of the above do come close), and this is the great triumph of Comeback.
The structure is broadly chronological. As the title suggests, it takes the reader on a journey through up and downs of the club and finally, and gloriously, chronicles its spectacular run of success of recent years. However, the great triumph and richness of the book is not in documenting rise of the club as a football power in recent years. Rather, it is its skilful, thoughtful and articulate treatment of the following themes:
-The role of a football club in a regional community. The book skilfully describes the relationship between club and Geelong, and the recognition by the club that its future is critically tied to embracing its role as part of a regional city. In particular, explaining how the club has progressively become more strategic and focused in supporting its community and how important this been in the personal development of its players. This has now progressed to the point where the club's definition of success focuses on its role in the community as well as its football achievements.
-The role of football clubs in families. The author beautifully and vividly describes how support of a football club builds bonds within families. Something I'm sure sports fans across the world can relate to.
-The role of values and culture in changing organisations. The book brilliantly documents how the progress of the club from its nadir in the late 1990s through to its exceptional successes in the late 2000s and 2010s was driven by changing the values and culture of the club, and how this has fed through to its role in the community.
-Insight into the people who drove the change. The book provides rich and thoughtful insights into the people in the club who drove change and success. Importantly, this isn't focussed on just the coach, captain, stars, CEO, Chair etc, but includes a broad suite of people involved in the club.
I hope others take the opportunity to read the book. It is well worth it.
September 26, 2024
A history of my team, telling the story of its recent triumphal period. James Button has put together and engaging history, warts and all. The accounts of Premiership success after long drought still brings a lump to the throat. There is ample insight into the thoughts and feelings of the many who contributed to that success. One for the fans. Long may it continue.
I retrospect I should have read it AFTER this evenings game where the Cheats from Sydney once more outclassed my team. It would have cheered me up to remember that Geelong achieved it's recent success without the hand of the AFL tipping the scales to make sure that they remained competitive.
ETA- All good things come to those who wait. Cheats comprehensively humiliated in GF 2022.
I retrospect I should have read it AFTER this evenings game where the Cheats from Sydney once more outclassed my team. It would have cheered me up to remember that Geelong achieved it's recent success without the hand of the AFL tipping the scales to make sure that they remained competitive.
ETA- All good things come to those who wait. Cheats comprehensively humiliated in GF 2022.
January 17, 2017
I enjoyed this book immensely. James Button writes so insightfully about so many events which have shaped by life as a football tragic. His tone is sympathetic but not overly sentimental, and even though he is a Geelong supporter, his perspective doesn't dominate the narrative. He has unprecedented access to players and officials and sheds further light on things I thought I already knew. It touched me emotionally, too. A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long, a book with a subtitle, a book with an unreliable narrator, a book written by someone you admire.
October 20, 2016
I'm not a Geelong supporter, but living in Geelong during their rise to premierships has meant I have heard parts of the story. I have also admired the way that Selwood, Bartel, Ling, Enright, Corey, etc all played the game 'as it should be played.' This was a fantastic insight on to what went on inside the walls of the club. It also paints an excellent historical picture of the club. Read it in one sitting, which hasn't happened often.
January 1, 2017
As a Cats fan I am biased but I really enjoyed this book. To find out about all the infighting, the characters and the bonding that turned the club around was fascinating. It shows that you don't have to like each other to work together as a team if you have a common goal.
April 26, 2017
Fantastic read about the fall and rise of the Cats. Probably more for fans than the general public. But wonderful stories about the history of a town that relies so heavily on the football club.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews