GEELONG CATS vs HAWTHORN HAWKS
2nd Qualifying Final - 7:50pm, Friday, September5 @ MCG
The 2014 finals series kicks off with ablockbuster contest between bitter rivals Geelong and Hawthorn. The home andaway season is a long, gruelling affair, but cannot match the intense,immediate pressure of finals football. It exposes the weaknesses of every sideand tests the character of every participant. Geelong will make as many as fivechanges to the team that defeated Brisbane, with big game specialist SteveJohnson still a speculative addition.
Their opponent, Hawthorn, is one they knowintimately. The Hawks sit second on the ladder at the completion of the regularseason, having endured injuries and illness to both players and coach. They area talented team with a wealth of finals experience, intent on defending their2013 premiership. The Cats qualified for finals in third place, ensuring adouble chance for the seventh time in eight seasons.
The enmity between the two teams continues togrow and is built largely on high stakes contests at the business end of theseason. Any victory over a rival provides great joy, but on Friday the spoilsare far more significant. The winner secures a break and a home groundadvantage for the rest of the finals series. The loser faces elimination thefollowing week and will be forced to travel interstate should they reach aPreliminary final. Geelong won two of their six games played interstate thisyear and have only lost once in Victoria, making Friday night a do or diematch.
KEY MATCH UP - JIMMY BARTEL vs LUKE HODGE
Jimmy Bartel was recently voted by the playingfraternity as the footballer without peer in the clutch moments of a game.Bartel’s reputation as a biggame player has been cemented through consistent, high quality performancesunder the pressure that only finals possess. He is the club record holder formost finals played and on Saturday will run out for his 25th Septemberappearance. Bartel has been utilised in the forward line this season, but hecan play in a variety of positions. He was predominantly a rebounding defenderlast year and is still more than capable of contributing in midfield. He sitsbehind Tom Hawkins as the club’sleading goal kicker and will continue to support the big power forward onFriday night. The Hawthorn back six operate as a cohesive unit and are betterthan any defence in the competition at leaving their opponents to provideaerial support. The Geelong forwards, led by Bartel, must all become dangerousand draw their opponent away from Hawkins to give him as many one on oneopportunities as possible.
Luke Hodge shares many similarities with JimmyBartel. They are both versatile players, have both tasted ultimate success andboth earned Norm Smith medals in the process. Hodge was awarded best afield inthe 2008 grand final when Geelong allowed him to play loose across half back.He excels at reading the ball in flight and is fearless in the air, averagingalmost 25 disposals in a similar role this season. The Hawthorn captain is aselfless footballer who provides unparalleled support for his teammates andsets the standard for the Hawthorn defence. The Hawks have elite foot skillsand are structurally disciplined, making them a difficult side to disposes.Hodge may not be the most skilled player, but he is an on-field general whomakes sure that his team executes their game plan. In finals uncontestedpossessions are difficult to come by and ferocious, physical competitors likeLuke Hodge become invaluable.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Geelong 11.5 (71)
Hawthorn 14.10 (94)
When Geelong and Hawthorn faced each other inthe penultimate round of the home and away season, their positions on theladder were relatively set. The two teams were destined to meet in the firstweek of September and the near certainty of a final in just a fortnight’s time loomed over the match. The contest itselfwas a game of two halves if ever there was one. Geelong got off to a flyingstart, overwhelming the Hawks with numbers at the contest. They broke the gameopen with quick fire handballs and electric foot speed. Hawthorn kicked twolate goals in the first quarter and drew level with the opening goal of thesecond term. The Cats were undeterred and continued to dominate with attackingflair and aggression. They scored six goals straight and led by 33 points earlyin the third term before Hawthorn responded with 10 consecutive majors. It wasas if the two sides had swapped jumpers at half time. Geelong could not find away to stop the Hawthorn onslaught and lost the match by 23 points. MitchDuncan collected 37 disposals, followed by Cam Guthrie and Mathew Stokes whohad 33 each. Tom Hawkins kicked three goals, as did Jarryd Roughead and DavidHale.
DID YOU KNOW?
Jimmy Bartel and Luke Hodge were both firstround selections in the 2001. The talent in that draft is widely regarded asthe best ever and no team benefitted more than Geelong. The class of 2001contributed 1,152 games, two Brownlow medals, two Norms Smith medals, 10All-Australian seasons and 11 Premiership medals. With such a wealth of youngtalent it is no surprise that the Cats won the 2002 VFL premiership.
2001 Draft Selections
8 Jimmy Bartel (270 games)
17 James Kelly (254 games)
23 Charlie Gardiner (51 games for Geelong, 12for St Kilda)
24 Steve Johnson (232 games)
40 Gary Ablett (192 games for Geelong, 76 forGold Coast)
41 Henry Playfair (52 games for Geelong, 16 forSydney)
69 Matthew McCarthy (22 games)
81 David Johnson (79 games)
