The greatest team of all?
It’s getting harder and harder to dispute that claim. As the Cats rolled over the Hawks in the Preliminary Final, they inched closer to completing their quest for the club’s fifth premiership in the last 18 years.
That is an incredible run… as though I have to tell Cats supporters that, right?
The Geelong Football Club got a huge lift from their captain, as Patrick Dangerfield turned the clock back to deliver one of the more memorable games of his career. His crashing and bashing style knocked Hawks out of the way and saw him win the footy in a number of ways as he dragged his team with him and set up the win.
He was ably supported by the greatest unsung hero of the competition, who goes by the name of Tom Atkins. He took on the challenge of going head-to-head with Jai Newcombe, and claimed the chocolates convincingly. Despite losing Tom Stewart to a concussion (which will rule him out of the Grand Final, sadly), the Geelong defence was able to close down the dangerous Hawthorn small forwards, whilst at the other end, players like Gryan Miers, Tyson Stengle, and Shaun Mannagh made a huge difference.
For the Hawks, Jack Gunston took advantage of a hobbled Jack Henry to be the standout for the club. He slotted three, but influence on the first half, in particular, was huge.
There is so much to get through in this review – the fast Hawthorn start, the Geelong fightback, the brilliance of Bailey Smith, Max Holmes, and Patrick Dangerfield, and the work of Oisin Mullin on the dangerous Nick Watson.
The Cats vanquished their greatest modern rival “when it mattered”, and in doing so, put themselves in a position to welcome either the Pies or Lions to the MCG next week.
What a club.
Time to jump into the Preliminary Final version of The Mongrel’s Big Questions.
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