Opinion
While the Geelong-Hawthorn game had none of the arm-wrestle elements of the chess game played by Damien Hardwick and Nathan Buckley the night before, this game showed that free-flowing footy can lead to a high-scoring game even with shortened quarters.
The favourites, Geelong, had a goal on the board within the first minute of play and although Hawthorn fought their way back into the game, the Cats ran away with it in the second half to give Patrick Dangerfield reason to celebrate his 250th game of AFL footy.
It was not the only celebration. Mitch Duncan scored his 150th goal and Sam Menegola his 50th as the Cats again put their hand up for a finals place at the end of this shortened 2020 season.
Both clubs boast seven top 100 game-players on their list, and all except Hawthorn’s Liam Shiels played. For most players it was a matter of adding one game to their total, and for some – Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett and Mitch Duncan – a top ten finish in the disposals count.
(Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)
Hawthorn’s Paul Puopulo joined former fan favourite “Uncle” Roy Simmonds on 192 games for the Hawks and Jack Gunston joined Angelo Lekkas on 180 games.
Simmonds was a character who played in many positions for the Hawks during his 12-year career at the club, which started in 1950. It ended in 1961 when he was omitted from the team for the grand final in which Hawthorn won their first ever premiership. He appeared regularly on TV and became an assistant coach at the club and stepped up to coach one unsuccessful game in 1973. Originally from Cohuna, he won the best and fairest in 1956.
Born to Greek parents, Angelo Lekkas served a long apprenticeship in the reserves at Hawthorn before securing a regular place in the senior side. A minor stroke at the start of the 2005 season saw him come back to play senior footy but retire at the end of the season with a total of 180 games and 120 goals.
At Geelong, Cameron Guthrie caught up to the game tally of Fred Flanagan, who pretty much did it all in his time at the Cats from 1946 to 1955. He captained two premiership teams during his four-year reign at captain, won the best and fairest in 1949 and was leading goal-kicker in 1954.
Mark Blicavs matched Peter Hardiman’s total of games played between 1927 and 1938. Hardiman’s first name was actually Harold and he played in two Geelong premierships six years apart.
While fellow AFL top 100 goal-scorers Gary Ablett and Tom Hawkins kicked two and zero goals respectively, Luke Breust’s one goal was significant as it drew him level with former Carlton champion Horrie Clover in 99th position in the AFL top 100, and spelt the end of Fitzroy’s Mick Conlan as a member of this elite club.
Clover announced his arrival from Maryborough with four goals on debut in Round 2, 1920 against Richmond at Punt Road Oval and later in the same year kicked 13 goals from centre half forward against St Kilda. He went on to coach the club in only his fourth year at the Blues. He was the club’s leading goal-kicker six times and won the VFL goal-kicking in 1922 and Carlton’s best and fairest in 1929.
As with the previous night’s game, the umpiring panel consisted of one top ten umpire (Brett Rosebury) and one other top 100 umpire, Curtis Deboy, who drew level with Ian Coates in 98th position on the umpires’ top 100. The game also had two less experienced umpires, John Howorth and Brent Wallace.
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