Not for the first time since the 2008 Grand Final the Hawks seemed to have the Cats on the ropes when they led by five goals late in the second quarter at the MCG on Monday. The Cats had kicked just three goals for the game to that stage and their ball use had been almost haphazard by their lofty standards. But as the Hawks know all too well, the Cats can look as defeated as Monty Python's dismembered Black Knight only to rediscover their claws and grab victory from the belly of defeat. Again, the Cats conjured a remarkable victory on Monday. Skipper Joel Selwood and veteran Paul Chapman led the fightback and were ably assisted by exciting youngster Billie Smedts.
2. Kennett curse lives on
Hawthorn president Andrew Newbold joked before Monday's game that his predecessor, Jeff Kennett, was the one Hawks supporter who did not want to see the club halt its losing streak against the Cats. That streak stood at nine games prior to Monday's clash, with the Hawks not having beaten the Cats since the 2008 Grand Final, after which Kennett said the Cats lacked Hawthorn's "mental drive". Newbold said Kennett feared that if his curse was lifted his name wouldn't appear in the paper as much. Kennett must have thought he was headed for relative anonymity when the Hawks led by 30 points at the 24-minute mark of the second quarter. But the Cats then turned the game on its head to stretch their winning streak to 10.
3. Superstars collide
He might have conceded 14cm and 16kg to Hawthorn spearhead Lance Franklin, but Geelong captain Joel Selwood is not one to shirk a fight outside his weight division. Especially when someone picks a fight with him as Franklin seemed to do when he ran straight off the bench midway through thefirst quarter and bumped into the Cats skipper. The superstar pair then engaged in a push and shove with both getting in a few innocuous jumper punches. Franklin played with physical presence all game and renewed hostilities with Selwood early in the second quarter when teammate Cyril Rioli received a free kick after being caught high in a tackle by Steven Motlop.
AFL.com.au's Adam McNicol speaks to Cats star Paul Champan after the epic victory
4. Hawks rucks stand tall
Much was rightly made of Mark Blicavs' incredible journey from Olympic steeplechase aspirant to AFL debutant in the lead-up to Monday's game. After his impressive NAB Cup form, some wondered whether the 198cm endurance machine would run Hawthorn's ruckmen off their feet. However, the Hawks' ruck duo of David Hale and Max Bailey, who was a late replacement for Brian Lake, held sway against Blicavs and his partner Trent West in the ruck contests and also won more of the ball around the ground.
5. Fans give Cats heads up
Geelong put the responsibility for calling the coin toss in the hands of its supporters on Monday. And the fans didn't let the Cats down. In a vote on Twitter, 59 per cent of Cats fans called for Joel Selwood to call heads at Monday's coin toss. Their 'advice' helped Selwood call correctly and he chose to kick to the MCG's city end.
