Geelong icon Jimmy Bartel confesses to sleepless night of partying right before AFL game in London
Geelong icon Jimmy Bartel reveals he won best on ground in an AFL match in London despite partying all night just before – and match cut short due to streakers
- Geelong great wasn’t always scrupulous before AFL games
- Remembered the 2006 trip to London where Cats played Port Adelaide
- Bartel was voted best on the ground – despite not sleeping
Geelong’s great Jimmy Bartel remembers the wild time when he won best on ground for starring in an AFL exhibition game in London – even though he had such a great night on the town that he’s only been back a few times at the team hotel. hours before kick-off.
Speaking 3AW footballthe three-time premiership winner with the Cats looked back fondly on the scenes in October 2006.
The game against Port Adelaide at the Oval was also famously halted early in the fourth quarter after a handful of streakers emerged from the crowd of 12,129.
“Did you know I once won a football medal against Port?” the retired AFL legend asked host Bruce Eva.
‘I remember when the [team] hotel lobby still in my jeans and T-shirt…I saw [coaching staff] Brendan McCartney plus Ron Watt, who were about to go jogging.
Geelong’s great Jimmy Bartel (pictured) remembers the wild time when he won best on ground at an AFL exhibition game in London – despite a huge night on the town
The 2006 game against Port Adelaide at the Oval was also abandoned early in the fourth quarter due to a number of streakers (pictured) coming from the crowd of just over 12,000.
‘They asked me what I was doing and I said I was looking for a cafe for a bit of brekky… but they knew [the truth].’
Hours later, Bartel piloted a youthful Cats team to a 21-point victory – and then the party started again.
‘The price [for best on ground] was a huge champagne fight… that was polished off in about a minute,” he recalled.
“We then continued drinking at a nearby Walkabout pub.”
Bartel later joked that the trip to the UK planted the seed for the Geelong dynasty, with the club winning flags in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
The match at the Oval was also marred by a series of fights featuring – among others – Daryl Wakelin and Todd Grima.
Bartel – who scored five goals against The Power in London – retired as a single-club player in 2016, making 305 appearances.
The utility also won the Brownlow Medal in 2007 and the Norm Smith Medal four years later after excelling in the grand final victory over Collingwood.