- Geelong thrashed Port Adelaide in the first week of the AFL finals
- He booked a spot in the preliminary final to play for a place in the grand final.
- The star striker silenced a detractor who looked a lot like the Simpsons character
A Port Adelaide star has become an instant icon thanks to Geelong star Jeremy Cameron – and earned himself a new nickname in the process.
The Cats were relentless at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, booking their place in a preliminary final after defeating the Power 20.18 (138) to 7.12 (58).
The match looked close, at least in the early stages, and the local crowd was giving the visitors a hard time.
However, when ‘Jezza’ dribbled the ball through the sticks football-style for his second goal, Geelong were suddenly 27 up and the crowd fell silent.
None more so than a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Simpsons character Ned Flanders, who had been delivering choice words to the Geelong players all night.
So Cameron took the moment to run up to him and point at him, clapping in the best way possible.
“Why is Ned Flanders shouting at Cameron?” asked one football fan.
‘Ned Flanders throwing shade from the fence,’ another added.
“Ned Flanders looks upset,” posted another.
“I always wondered what team Ned Flanders was on. I finally have an answer to that question,” joked another.
Jeremy ‘Jezza’ Cameron calls out the Ned Flanders lookalike who had been attacking him.
There were many football fans who pointed out the similarities between the Port Adelaide supporter and the classic Simpsons character.
Cameron also received a lot of support from football fans across the league for standing up to the fans.
“He gave it to Ned Flanders too well,” posted one.
“Well done Jeremy. You didn’t behave like some players have in the past. That’s what football is all about – players and fans having fun,” added another.
“Not the smartest move, dissing the star player, Jezza had the last laugh,” posted another.
Victory in the qualifying final at Adelaide Oval secured Geelong an MCG preliminary final in a fortnight, the club’s 13th preliminary in 18 years.
But Geelong veterans Tom Hawkins and Cam Guthrie, and ruckman Sam De Koning, will be forced to push for reinstatement into the VFL ranks.
Hawkins (foot), Guthrie (Achilles) and De Koning will all feature in Geelong’s VFL semi-final on Saturday.
De Koning returned from a knee injury to the state league ranks last weekend and was an unused emergency player for the Cats’ qualifying final against Port.
Five-time All Australian Stewart was dropped from the Geelong team, which handed Port its second-biggest final defeat with a 20.18 (138) to 7.12 (58) win.
Stewart was substituted for the final two-leg match at Geelong with a hamstring strain but fell ill in Adelaide.