Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and AFL fans were frustrated and fuming after the colours clash in Friday’s qualifying final at the MCG.
McGuire said a long-standing handshake agreement with Geelong was broken when the Cats wore dark shorts for the match, won the Magpies by 10 points.
As the home team, Geelong had the right to wear dark rather than white shorts.
But it turns out the two clubs have had an agreement where the Cats wear their white, or away shorts, whenever they play to avoid a clash of uniforms.
Fans were up in arms on social media during the game, saying it was hard to tell the two teams apart.
McGuire said he approached AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan at the start of the game when the Magpies boss realised Geelong were wearing their home shorts.
Post-match, he accused the Cats of reneging on the long-standing deal.
“In the old days where they wore their blue and we used to wear white it was hopeless, and tonight I thought it was ridiculous to be perfectly honest,” McGuire told Channel Seven.
“We’ve done it for 20 years and it’s worked. Why change it?
“It’s not passion, it’s common sense,”
McGuire said the agreement he struck with then-Geelong president Frank Costa had stood for 20 years.
But it’s understood the deal started when the two sides played in the 2007 preliminary final.
“It didn’t bother us, I was quite happy with it,” Costa told AAP.
“But my wife didn’t like it at all. She always prefers the Cats in their home shorts.”
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said he did not think any players were affected by the clash, but could see how it might have been an issue.
“I understand how this has the capacity to become some sort of issue given that it seems there’s been an understanding in the past,” he told Triple M.
“Up until last night, I believe, there had been up to 20 games since the last time we had worn white shorts against Geelong.
“I don’t know exactly what the facts are … sometimes you have to have a bit of a chuckle with all these little tiffs that take place, that aren’t really important.”
