The LingShank Redemption

Former Cats premiership captain and current K rock Geelong breakfast host Cameron Ling has kept a pretty clean rap sheet throughout his career, but there’s one shameful act that has hung over his head for the last 23 years.

If you’ve ever seen a compilation of the worst AFL plays of all time, you’ll know what that is.

Round 11, the year 2000. Lingy’s second AFL match was against the Bombers, and he committed a blunder so severe, many thought his career would end right then and there.

With the game in the balance, Lingy found himself with the ball in his hands in the goal square. All he had to do was slot it through.

Instead, he shanked it so severely that it ended up out of bounds and many rows back in the stands. It was a miss so blatant – so improbable – that all who witnessed it can still tell you where they were and what they were doing at the time.

This week, the K rock team helped lift that burden from the shoulders of Lingy and the people of Geelong.

Specifically, K rock sales rep Steve, who coincidentally features in the footage of the original shank.

Tom, Lingy & Loggy headed to GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, home of the mighty Cats with Steve and the K rock drive team Tim and Jess in tow.

There, they replicated the play with their usual precision and attention to detail but this time, there would be no miss, no shank, no shame.

Lingy picked up the ball and kicked it straight through the goals.

The emotion was palpable. Relief flooded the arena as Lingy and Steve united in celebration as 23 years of regret evaporated.

History was re-written, the wrong was made right and ‘The LingShank Redemption’ was complete.

Watch it all unfold here.