The Main Event
Geelong v Hawthorn
Peter Monagle
The Main Event
Love em, or hate em, both Geelong and Hawthorn are on the rise again, and given they have both won four Premiership Cups since the turn of the century, their rivalry is based on success and winning at all costs. Playing finals is in their DNA.
Geelong never seems to bottom out, whereas Hawthorn have a history of making ruthless decisions to rise like a Pheonix every four or five years. While the style may vary, four flags each in the 2000s is testament to the ethics and cultures of both clubs,
In 2025 the Cats and the Hawks are on the same upward trajectory again. Geelong never really went away, while the latest reincarnation of the Hawks is now on show after a short hiatus.
Geelong supporters will be point to 2008 as being the year they feel they were robbed when a young Hawthorn took them by surprise and hoisted the cup.
In many conversations I have had with Hawks supporters, their darkest moment this century did not happen in a Grand Final, rather the 2011 Preliminary Final loss raises the ireof the boys from Waverley. Hawthorn supporters firmly believe it was their destiny to face the Cats in 2011 decider, and they were robbed by the umpires and the Pies.
I have no dog in this fight and after all the buildup, this game is just another game for four points.
A Game for the Ages
Somebody messaged me at the start of the third quarter and said this game was boring. I don’t know what he was watching, but the Cats v Hawks battle on Easter Monday is one the best games I have seen in a home and away season in a long while.
The Elephant in the Room
Where do you start to unpack this game? There are moments all throughout this game that need dissecting, so I will start with the elephant in the room, Conor Nash’s third quarter roundhouse punch to Gryan Miers. The noise in the chatrooms was unanimous that the starting point for Conor is three weeks, while some are calling for a five or six-week suspension.
Nash will be sidelined for some time, especially as Miers looked like he was the titular character from Weekend at Bernie’s as he was supported from the ground by two trainers. Seriously, don’t they have a stretcher or mobile cart to get players from the ground? The boy was in serious trouble and needed better help.
David King’s automatic reaction was to bring up the subject of a red card for such offences. Sorry Mr King, this game has survived many controversies over the years without the red card.
Enough said. I hope Miers is back on his feet shortly and the powers to be will penalise Nash according to the rules of the Match Review.
The Second Elephant in the Room
On Saturday night a team lost because they failed to make the most of their opportunities. In this one, both Geelong and Hawthorn failed to nail opportunities in a game of many mistakes. Geelong won because they made slightly less boo-boos than the Hawks.
Let me start with the ever-reliable Jack Gunston who kicked three goals, one behind and at least three out of bounce on the full. Couple that with Marbior Chol’s output of three goals, one behind and one out of bounds on the full, and as good as the Hawks forwards played, they sprayed too many kicks from basically easy positions.
Nick Watson is a unique player, and he did contribute two goals and two behinds, but it will be his second behind that will be scrutinised. After expertly drawing a free kick 30 metres from goal in the corridor, he sprayed the kick that would have put the Hawks in front late in the game.
I have been the biggest fan of James Sicily for a couple of years, but he had a complete Barry Crocker, whether it be in defence or forward. Late in the game he went forward and kicked a nice goal out the back, but not much later he failed to make the distance from a set shot and he could not hold onto to a mark to save himself.
Are Gunston, Chol, Sicily and Watson the reason Hawthorn lost? The answer is most likely ‘no’ as the Hawks made many other crucial errors, especially in the last five minute, but a winning forward line not capitalising on their chances doesn’t help.
Geelong were only slightly better, but not by much. Shaun Mannagh played a great game with three goals and two behinds, but he nearly cost his team dearly in the dying minutes. The AFL’s equivalent of Triple HHH, Paddy Dangerfield, had taken a mark on the boundary and he decided to pass the ball to Mannagh in a better position. You guessed it, Mannagh fluffed his line.
Mannagh was luckier than his Hawks counterparts, as when given another opportunity shortly after, he snapped truly to seal the game for the Cats. Mind you, that goal was a result of a terrible turnover by the Hawks in the back half trying to change angles.
There would be quite a few Cats relieved they won, especially Jeremy Cameron who kicked two goals and three behinds, including missing a deadest sitter. Far from me to question the great Jezza, but he would have been relieved.
The Battle in the Middle – it was Ripper
Some players just have natural wow factor about then and when they are hot it is a joy to watch them go to work. Geelong’s own Heart Break Kid, Bailey Smith, put on a performance for the ages. It wasn’t just his 28 possessions that made him arguably the best player on the field, but it was the energy and drive he brought with him. Tom Atkins (24 possessions) and Max Holmes (20 possessions) followed up HBK’s craft in the middle and around the ground to bring the likes of Ollie Dempsey (19 possessions), and Tyson Stengle (17 possessions) into the game, especially in the last quarter, as well as Geelong’s the everywhere man, Mark Blicavs.
I said the midfield battle was a ripper, so it is not cut and dry that Geelong won the midfield, as the possessions of the midfielders from both teams directly determined their team’s fortunes as they launched the ball forward. The modern trend of tagging an opponent was abandoned for this match and it provided for a great battle within the battle.
For the Hawks, Karl Amon (29 possessions) busted a gut all game from half-back, and then more in the final quarter when the game was on the line. Harry Morrison (23 possessions) is a player I have barely noticed in the past, but he was instrumental in Hawks midfield and forward thrusts all game. Add in Jai Newcombe (28 possessions), Jack Schrimshaw (22 possessions) and the ever-reliable pairing of James Worpel (22 possessions) and Jarman Impey (19 possession) and it is hard to separate one the great one on one midfield seen in many a year.
Of course, not all these players are designated mids, but runnign through the middle of the groudn was where they were most effeective in this contest.
On points I give the Hawks midfield the win, as Lloyd Meek gave better service than his rival Rhys Stanley.
The Moment Bailey ‘HBK’ Smith Turned Heel
The AFL needs characters, heroes and villains, as whether they like it or not, they are part of the entertainment industry. Whether it be Rory Lobb’s hair, the pantomime that is the Nick ‘The Wizard’ Watson, or Zak Butters and Toby Greene trying to outdo each other for the most fined player, the game is better for all of this.
In a game that wasn’t really lacking much, Bailey Smith turned heel when he pushed the ball in Jarman Impey’s face on the boundary line. It was cheeky act which got the crowd up and about booing him for the rest of the match. Smith inflamed the situation on purpose when he gestured to the crowd coming off the field. The banter between Geelong’s Boy Toy and the crowd lasted until the final siren.
I will give you one guess who suggested Smith should be sanctioned for rubbing the ball in Impey’s face? It is a rhetorical question, as there is only one answer, the bland and boring, Gerard Whateley. I reckon he got one too many Chinese hand burns at school, and it has made him a life member of the fun police.
I digress, back to work.
So much more happened at the G
The Defensive Battles
Both defensive lines were exposed and opened quite a few times throughout this match, especially when the opposition’s midfielders ran the ball out the middle and delivered the ball forward. Both teams scored multiple goals from centre breaks, and while it was pretty to watch, it must have given the defenders the shivers every time the ball was bounced.
It was an afternoon when every defender on the field made an error or two as the game was played from start to finish at a frenetic pace.
The ever-reliable Tom Stewart made more than one mistake at the ‘G, including a howler when he ran under the oncoming ball which resulted in a goal to Sicily. Very un Tom Stewart like, but he was not alone. Humphries, Guthrie and others were all caught ball watching or being sucked up the ground at times at various times throughout the match.
Hawthorn’s defence was much the same, with new recruits to the club, Tom Barrass and Josh Battle often caught out of position, even though they had an impact on the game.
At halftime I sent a message to fearless leader asking whether he thought Josh Weddle was best on ground to that point of the game. He may not have necessarily been the best, but he was amongst the best with his run and spread spearheading many a Hawthorn thrust forward. He is a machine, and there will come a day he tears a game to shreds.
As stated earlier, Sicily was way out of touch, while players like SDK, despite some good spoils, and others all had quiet days.
The Smalls
In the last quarter when the game was in the balance, Geelong’s small brigade, lead by Tyson Stengle and Tom Atkins had a greater impact on the game than their Hawthorn counterparts. That is not to say that Karl Amon, James Worpel, Jarman Impey and others had bad games, but rather, in the last ten minutes, it was Stengle who stood up and made the difference.
Karl Amon was arguably best on ground, and he never gave up the hunt, but Tyson Stengle is an impact player who trains for situations like close, hard finishes, and to his credit he was probably the difference between the two teams. I say Tyson is the difference, as he made less mistakes in the dying minutes compared to any other player on the field.
Dylan Moore, Blake Hardwick and Luke Breust all had quiet games, and while I am not on the Hawthorn section committee, this was a game made for a player like Jack Ginnivan. I must give credit where credit is due, in his time at Collingwood and now Hawthorn, Ginnivan has thrived in close finishes.
The CRUDs
A CRUD is a player who is a mix of a crab and a spud (thanks Jimmy), and there are a couple of players who may not deserve the moniker, but at this stage of their careers they are floundering:
Oliver Henry
As an outsider I don’t see what diehard fans see, and in the case of Oliver Henry there is a belief he should be giving better output for this stage of his career, and he needs to keep his head over the pill more.
I believe there have been comparisons between him and that player from Collingwood (I refuse to mention his name unless I am reviewing a Collingwood game). On what known universe would Henry be compared to him. One will one day be an AFL Legend and the other will still be Oliver Henry. No disrespect Cat fans but stop placing such high expectations on the kid and realise maybe, to quote Jack Dyer, he is just a good ordinary player.
Shannon Neale
Relax, and don’t let the heading confuse you, not for one moment am I suggesting the son of Scratcher is a crud, rather he had a crud of a game. Geelong is better than most clubs at player management, especially with their young players coming through. Shannon was well held today, but he also looked tired, and I will be interested in how they handle that in coming weeks.
Conor Nash
Connor Nash is a crud because he will be missing from action for some time due to an act (I am not saying whether it was reckless of intentional), which will cost Gryan Miers a couple weeks out of the game, and that is only if everything goes to plan.
Josh Ward
My friend, when you play on the wing and your opposition is Ollie Dempsey, pay attention. Dempsey is the most offensive-oriented wingman in the game, and when he pushes forward, you need to go into pure defensive mode. Stay goal side of him, and give him no room. Fail to do that, and, well… he has now kicked nine goals for the season from the wing. Some forwards would like that return.
And he kicked two of them on you.
In Summary
With a couple of exceptions, the Easter Round of games had been vanilla, and it needed a memorable game to finish the round. Not only did Geelong and Hawthorn put on a memorable game, they added more fuel to the fire which is the Geelong/Hawthorn rivalry.
If I have left anything out, please state it in the comments, as this was great but hard game to review given there were so many instances which needed to be highlighted.
Next week the Cats face the Blues at the MCG, while Hawthorn take on the winless Eagles at Marvel.
