Australian Football

Match Report

Geelong versus Hawthorn matches are the footy gift that keeps on giving. Over the past decade almost any meeting between the two sides has been a virtual guarantee of a special contest. Even the relatively rare one-sided clashes have usually provided a host of highlights. On Saturday, the two teams delivered yet again, commemorating Hawk Luke Hodge's 300th match with an absolute thriller that was yet again in doubt until the final siren. 

In the end it was the Cats, inspired by an injured Patrick Dangerfield in the role as a makeshift full forward, who prevailed by three points, but not before a late rush from Hawthorn which saw Hodge himself reignite the Hawks' with a goal when there were only 18 seconds on the clock. From the ensuing centre bounce, Hawthorn won the clearance and Isaac Smith marked inside 50. With seconds left, Smith - who had missed a shot after the siren that would have won the match against the Cats in last year's Qualifying Final - decided to play on and have a kick at goal. But as it had in last year's final, his kick missed narrowly, the siren sounded shortly after with Geelong somehow prevailing. 

Hawthorn came into the match with some very good recent form, but the Cats started strong favourites, and after Tom Mitchell scored the first goal of the match for the Hawks, Geelong looked like honouring that favouritism by kicking the next three majors via Rhys Stanley, Brandan Parfitt and Sam Simpson to jump to a 15-point lead. On the cusp of time on, though, Dangerfield was flattened by a bump from Hawk skipper Jarryd Roughead, and left the field with a lower leg injury. The tide turned Hawthorn's way from there, the Hawks adding goals through Liam Shiels and Tim O'Brien, and the Cats' lead at quarter time was a solitary point. 

A nice running goal to Dan Menzel saw the Cats extend their lead to seven points but Hawthorn took charge for a period after that, with Luke Breust, Mitchell and Smith all kicking goals to give the Hawks a two-goal lead. But Dangerfield had hobbled back onto the field after that and, stationed at full forward, began to have an impact on the match. After kicking a behind he took a strong mark near the goal square and goaled to cut the margin to five points.

The Hawks hit back with a goal to Shaun Burgoyne but another strong mark and goal by Dangerfield had the Cats back within four. Both sides squandered chances after that, Hawthorn adding there behinds to two - with one of Geelong's misses a 'poster' from Dangerfield - and the Hawks went into half time of a very physical encounter with a five-point lead.

Dangerfield stamped himself on the game once more when he marked and goaled at the two-minute mark of the third quarter to restore Geelong's lead and, after a behind to Smith tied the scores, Zach Tuohy marked and kicked truly to give the Cats an even one-goal lead. Jack Gunston levelled the scores again for Hawthorn at the 10-minute mark but Dangerfield marked again, missing this time as Geelong eked out a one-point lead. 

A Breust snap missed for the Hawks before once again Dangerfield came onto the scene, pulling down yet another mark and kicking his fourth goal at the 18-minute mark. A minute later, scores were level again when Ryan Schoenmakers bounced one through but Dangerfield did it again soon after when Hodge grabbed him in a marking contest, and he goaled from the resultant free kick. Dangerfield had yet another chance after that but missed, before Menzel goaled just before three-quarter time to put the Cats ahead by 11 at 'orange' time.

Menzel followed the last goal of the third quarter with the first of the last, and the Cats with a 17-point lead looked to have the game in hand. But, almost predictably given the history of these two sides, there were to be more twists in the tale. A goal to Will Langford brought the margin back to 11 points, and the Hawks had two more chances after that with Taylor Duryea and Langford both missing.

A mark and goal to skipper Joel Selwood saw Geelong's lead back out to 15 but when Schoenmakers marked and converted early in time on, the match was alive again. Dangerfield had a final chance to close the match out, but his shot at the 25-minute mark hit the post. The Cats looked like holding on but a great long snap from Hodge suddenly had the Hawks back within four points, with 18 seconds to play.

The final manic seconds saw Hawthorn win the centre clearance but Smith's narrowly astray last-second shot saw Geelong prevail at the end of an epic struggle.

Despite being 'on one leg' for the last three quarters of the match, Dangerfield was the most influential player on the field, his 12 marks and 5.6 vital to getting the Cats over the line. For the Hawks, Tom Mitchell was again prolific. In the first quarter alone he had 19 possessions, eventually finishing with 43 to go with his two goals.

The loss saw Hawthorn's faint finals hopes become fainter still, as it is now two and a half games shy of eighth-placed West Coast. The Hawks will have a chance to keep those hopes alive when they take on 12th-placed Fremantle at Subiaco next Saturday night. For Geelong, the win was vital, lifting it into second place on the ladder, and it sets up a top-of-the-table clash against Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night. A win there would see the Cats claim top spot, while a loss could see them slip to third.

GOALS
Geelong: Dangerfield 5; Menzel 3; Stanley, Parfitt, Simpson, Tuohy, Selwood
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Schoenmakers 2; Shiels, O'Brien, Breust, Smith, Burgoyne, Gunston, Langford, Hodge

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Geelong: Dangerfield, Henderson, Selwood, Menzel, Taylor, Duncan
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Shiels, Gunston, Hodge, Henderson, Hartung

BEST - THE AGE
Geelong: Dangerfield, Selwood, Tuohy, Menzel, Henderson, Duncan
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Shiels, Hartung, McEvoy, Smith, Gunston

INJURIES
Geelong: Dangerfield (left leg), C.Guthrie (head)
Hawthorn: Sicily (ankle), Burgoyne (thumb)

UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Meredith, Fleer 

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Sandy Roberts, Eddie McGuire, Brad Johnson, Jonathan Brown, David King