Two of the competition's strongest and most consistent teams across the course of the season will meet on Friday night, with Geelong and Hawthorn both among the best sides statistically in 2025. 

The Cats and Hawks have both been sound offensively this year and have had no trouble scoring, paired with two very strong defensive units that can pick apart a game. 

Over their two Finals matches so far, Hawthorn have been particularly solid through the midfield and it has helped them advance to Friday's Preliminary Final, setting up a colossal battle to watch between the likes of Bailey Smith and Jai Newcombe. 

In the build up to Friday's match, take a look at the main strengths of Hawthorn's game, proudly presented by Deakin University. 

Ladder 

Geelong: 2nd (17-6)

Hawthorn: 8th (15-8)

Finals Results

Qualifying Final: Geelong 16.16 (112) def Brisbane 11.8 (74)

Elimination Final: GWS Giants 13.10 (88) def by Hawthorn 16.11 (107)
Semi Final: Adelaide 10.7 (67) def by Hawthorn 14.17 (101)

Points For 

Geelong: 2,537

Hawthorn: 2,253

Points Against 

Geelong: 1,788

Hawthorn: 1,846

Deakin Performance Stat of the Week 

Navigating through Hawthorn's Defence

While their offensive prowess gets most of the attention, Hawthorn are certainly impressive in their defensive 50 and have the ability to significantly alter a game.

As a team, the Hawks average 68.2 intercept possessions per game which the second most of any side in the competition this year, also averaging 16.4 intercept marks which ranks fourth in the AFL. 

Perhaps the most impressive factor is that they are rarely beaten in defensive contests, averaging a loss in only 22.9% of one-on-one contests which is tied for the best in the league. 

They are led by three players in particular with James Sicily, Josh Battle and Tom Barrass all ranked in the AFL's top 10 players for intercept possessions this year. 

Geelong were able to gain the ascendancy in their Qualifying Final converting 60 inside 50s into 32 scoring shots, but they will need to be at their best once again on Friday night. 

Hawthorn's 2025 Defensive Leaders

The Ruck Battle

The contest in the middle of the ground will be vital on Friday night, and while Jai Newcombe is a big threat for the Hawks, Lloyd Meek might be even more dangerous. 

Able to impose his big frame around stoppages, Meek has had a strong 2025 season ranking third in the AFL for total hit-outs, third for hit-outs to advantage and ninth for score launches. 

He also ranks second at Hawthorn for contested possessions, second for clearances and third for tackles, while having a big impact in the first two weeks of Finals to show that his game also translates into September. 

Mark Blicavs did a stellar job against Brisbane a fortnight ago, but it will be a whole new test against Meek in the Preliminary Final. 

Bringing the ball to ground

One key asset of Hawthorn's offensive game is their ability to take marks inside 50, averaging 13.9 per game which is the third most of any team in the competition. 

The leader in that statistic is Jack Gunston who ranks third in the AFL this year with 73 marks inside 50, but he has also taken 50 marks on the lead which is the most of any player in the league. 

Mabior Chol is also a threat aerially for the Hawks, ranked 15th in the AFL for marks inside 50 and 14th for contested marks. 

Last week, Adelaide struggled to stop this area of the game with Hawthorn taking 17 marks inside 50 to the Crows six, making it another intriguing factor to watch on Friday night.