Geelong’s Tom Hawkins kicked his sixth goal on the siren as the Cats found yet another way to continue their extraordinary dominance over Hawthorn with a two-point win in the AFL game of the season on Friday night.
The reigning premiers downed this season’s premiership favourites 18.10 (118) to 17.14 (116) in front of 65,287 fans at the MCG, their ninth straight win over the Hawks and possibly their most stunning yet.
The Hawks will be seeing blue and white hoops in their nightmares after they reeled in a 51-point deficit to gain an eight-point lead deep in the final term, only to be overtaken by two late goals to best afield Hawkins.
His last was his best, booted from outside 50m, after Geelong had taken the ball the length of the field in the final seconds.
Hawthorn had entered the match on an eight-game winning streak, all by big margins and as the competition’s form team, but this latest loss to the Cats is sure to leave mental scars if they meet again in the finals.
Geelong’s win was their third in succession, all against top-eight sides, Essendon, Adelaide and the Hawks, as their late-season claim to be considered among the top flag contenders grows more impressive by the week.
The Cats’ start was stunning, kicking the first 5.2 of the match and 9.3 to 2.0 for the first term to open a 45-point lead by the first change.
With captain Joel Selwood leading the way in the midfield, Paul Chapman had three goals by quarter-time and Steve Johnson two, while Hawkins added his second soon after the break to stretch the gap to 51 points.
But the Hawks, who had allowed the Cats to move the ball too freely in the first term, sprang to life with a vengeance.
Having laid just six tackles in the first quarter, they produced 26 in the second and desperate defensive acts all over the field to work their way back into the match.
Despite some simple missed shots for goal, they were back within 17 points at the main break.
Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell did plenty of midfield grunt work, Luke Breust and Cyril Rioli providing spark in attack while Jack Gunston kicked four majors.
The Cats were still 19 points clear at the last change and again 10 minutes into the last term when Hawkins kicked his fourth.
But the Hawks fought desperately, with a Rioli snap and cool set shots to Gunston and Brendan Whitecross levelling the scores.
Sewell then gave his side the lead for the first time almost 25 minutes into the term with a great snap from a forward line contest.
But missed shots by Breust and David Hale kept the Cats in touch, allowing Hawkins to produce a brilliant snap before capping the win with his last-gasp heroics.
Cats coach Chris Scott said his side had shown that their best remains very good and they were finding it at the right time of the year.
“We’ve suggested for most of the season that we think we can get better and we planned to play our best footy at the end of the season,” Scott said.
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said his side could take some heart from reeling in such a big deficit, despite the obvious pain of defeat.
“I was pleased with the resilience of the group that we fought back and got ourselves back into the contest and from that position we probably should have won the game,” he said.
Hawks midfielder Liam Shiels will attract scrutiny for an elbow to the head of Allen Christensen off the ball in the third term.
Cats coach Chris Scott said his side had shown that their best remains very good and they were finding it at the right time of the year.
“We’ve suggested for most of the season that we think we can get better and we planned to play our best footy at the end of the season,” Scott said.
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said his side could take some heart from reeling in such a big deficit, despite the obvious pain of defeat.
“I was pleased with the resilience of the group that we fought back and got ourselves back into the contest and from that position we probably should have won the game,” he said.
Hawks midfielder Liam Shiels will attract scrutiny for an elbow to the head of Allen Christensen off the ball in the third term.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
From what I recall they gave the decision - a Hawks player simply played on, is all.
...well?
Guest
Awesome game of football. It was a free kick every day of the week to Rioli for incorrect disposal at the end though. Howler non-decision to equal the howler decision to decide the Pies/Saints game.
hawker
Guest
Its 9 games. Sooner or later one will fall our way.
hawker
Guest
lost their heads in the last 2min. sewell playing on from a free kick when there was no real advantage. Puopolo hacking the ball out of mid air FFS play the percentages! take it over the boundary.
ChrisH
Guest
Best game of the year for sure. AFL should release the last four years of Hawthorn Geelong clashes as a box set. I wouldn't touch it as a Hawks supporter, but it's been the best football on display each year. As for what happened on Friday night, I couldn't believe my eyes in that last 50 seconds. How Puopulos kick out of mid air shot across the goals into the waiting arms of the Geelong player (forget who it was, don't want to remember), is beyond me. I felt the curse at that moment, it wasn't natural.
Jacques
Guest
Hawthorn's biggest problem was the absence of Lance Franklin. Every one seems conveniently to forget that the tall target up forward wasn't playing. The Hawks did well with their forward structure against lower teams but were found a bit wanting for a target up forward against Geelong. To come back from effectively 9 goals down without Franklin should say more about issues that Geelong may have than any likely shortcomings with Hawthorn. Poor Schoenmakers again gets the opposition's best forward and he won't be the only defender that gets monstered by Hawkins, especially with the way the ball is delivered to him by Selwood, Bartells et al. .All in all it was another enthralling contest full of bravado and skill by 2 teams that will go deep in to september you would think. was there a better game this year? I don't think so.
tonysalerno
Roar Guru
The hoodoo just can not seem to be broken. That is now 10 games that Hawthorn has not been able to beat Geelong, you've got to wonder how much of the problem is mental for the hawks.
Mike ex-Drumcondra
Guest
Hawks are a good side - the way they knuckled down after the first quarter showed that. Not many sides in recent memory could have withstood the Cats' fierce pressure on the contest and in particular the pressure on the odd Hawk who dared to put a hand on the ball in that first quarter. A few grubbers from the usual self-assured kicks showed that only one side had come ready for what was always going to be a high-intensity quarter of football. Hawthorn show a few structural issues. The problem for them is that as it gets to the business end, always against good sides, those sides are unlikely to let them dictate the way the game is played. Can the game plan take them deep into September? All the way? Doubtful. I'd be feeling sick if I'd prior to the game taken the $2.25 or so on offer for the flag. If nothing else, that will have blown out this morning. As an example, Gibson's usual role in the back half seemed to disappear faced with the need to be accountable for Pods. To give Schoenmakers credit, he is no longer the "worst player in the competition" as I labelled him earlier in the year, but to hear the Ch7 commentators (please Foxtel, can I pay extra to have you provide the sound for YOUR coverage?) describe him as the "ideal match-up" for Hawkins was laughable. Hawthorn do need to look at those in their 22 who, several times, tried to pick up the foootball whilst not actually bending down and/or looking at it. Like I said above, the pretty, uncontested, "keepin's off" sort of footy you like to play will not take you far into September. And the rules changed after 2008 to disallow the clever little "safety valve" ruse you devised for the GF, that so effectively blunted Geelong's pressure. But Collingwood or Sydney aren't going to approach things much differently in big games. Especially after last night!