In a titanic struggle in which the lead changed eight times, the Cats held firm to win a classic, 12.13 (85) to 11.17 (83).
It wasn’t always pretty at the home of football on a cold and blustery day, but it was a gripping contest, with pressure rivalling that seen in September.
The two sides played what many believe to be the match of the season in round two, and Saturday’s clash was every bit as good.
Like Hawthorn’s round-14 match against the Western Bulldogs, the game ebbed and flowed and was only decided in the final seconds.
But while the Hawks have won several close ones in recent weeks, this time the footy gods smiled on Geelong.
“It was an even game all day,” Cats coach Mark Thompson said after the win.
“We were just lucky to be ahead at the time [of the siren] ... it was just contest after contest, we happened to have our nose in front [and] we take the points home.”
Geelong booted 4.5 to 3.3 in the last quarter to seal victory, coming from six points down at three quarter-time after trailing narrowly at every break.
Jimmy Bartel (26 possessions, 16 contested) was outstanding for Geelong while Mathew Stokes proved a matchwinner with four goals, including a gem in the pulsating final term.
Gary Ablett led all comers with 32 possessions but faded after the main break, Joel Selwood was terrific with 30 while Cameron Ling did a terrific stopping job on superstar Luke Hodge.
Cyril Rioli (25 touches) and Lance Franklin (three goals) were both instrumental in Hawthorn’s push for victory. Brad Sewell had his best game for some time, while defender Stephen Gilham was also terrific on James Podsiadly.
Kicking with the aid of the gusty breeze in the final term, Geelong led by nine points late in the match and appeared set for victory. However the Hawks made one final charge.
Mark Blake’s snap shaved the post down the Cats’ end but Hawthorn worked the ball down the other end. When Brad Sewell snapped not only his first goal of the game but his first of the season, it was just three points the difference with five minutes remaining.
The next few minutes provided some desperate and heroic acts.
Hawk Clinton Young had two chances to put his team in front but was first denied by Cat Harry Taylor’s goal-line spoil, and then his radar.
In between, Taylor marked courageously on the half-back flank in scenes reminiscent of his important grab in the 2009 grand final.
However the Cats were bogged down in their own half with Hawthorn on the attack, searching for a goal to steal the win.
With just a few seconds remaining on the clock, Geelong cleared the ball outside its own 50m line but Franklin marked.
Sensing there was little time left, he launched a torpedo punt from 60m but it sailed out of bounds on the full.
The errant kick gave Geelong another hard-fought but memorable win over its recent rival.
While disappointed his side’s winning sequence had come to an end, Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said his team was returning to some of its best form.
“Geelong were in front at the right time when the siren went but we will take a lot of confidence out of the fact we can really run the premier side of the competition to a really great game of footy,” he said.
“Hopefully [we] look forward to a chance later in the season to have another crack.”
The Cats have now won all four of their contests with Hawthorn since their 2008 grand final defeat, with no more than nine points separating the two sides on each occasion.
Next week Geelong travels to AAMI Stadium where it meets a rejuvenated Adelaide, while Hawthorn hosts the Brisbane Lions at Aurora Stadium.
Geelong 3.3 5.6 8.8 12.13 (85)
Hawthorn 4.4 6.7 8.14 11.17 (83)
GOALS
Geelong: Stokes 4, Podsiadly 2, Chapman 2, Ablett, Bartel, Byrnes, Varcoe
Hawthorn: Franklin 3, Lewis 2, Roughead 2, Ellis, Hodge, Sewell, Young
BEST
Geelong: Bartel, Stokes, Selwood, Ablett, Ling, Chapman, Kelly, Taylor
Hawthorn: Rioli, Sewell, Franklin, Burgoyne, Birchall, Hodge, Gilham, Guerra
INJURIES
Geelong: Corey (knee), replaced in selected side by Simon Hogan
Hawthorn: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Chamberlain, Pannell, McInerney
Official crowd: 69,220 at MCG
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL.
