IF YOU told Geelong supporters before Sunday’s clash with Essendon that Tom Hawkins and Paul Chapman wouldn’t kick a goal between them, they might have been a little concerned.
Yet the fact the Cats pumped the Bombers by almost 100 points and still believe there’s room for improvement, well, that’s a little scary.
Sunday’s shellacking provided many highlights for Geelong fans to replay this week, but there was one coach Mark Thompson would get particular enjoyment watching.
It wasn’t a spectacular goal nor did it involve the side’s biggest name.
This team-first act in Sunday’s 99-point drubbing came from one of the Cats’ young stars and was evidence not only of why this Geelong side is such a good team, but also how this Cats side is able to improve week to week.
While it was Jimmy Bartel’s mini-screamer five minutes into the second quarter that brought the house down, one suspects it would be Tom Hawkins’ squaring kick leading up to the grab that would win plaudits at the team meeting this week.
The previous week the big ‘Tomahawk’ had laid a check-side kick across his body from tight in the forward pocket against the Power.
Luckily for Hawkins, he kicked truly.
Observers might have seen Mathew Stokes swamp the massive teenager shortly after to congratulate his teammate.
He also offered a few words. While we don’t know exactly what Stokes said, one suspects it could have been along the lines of: “Hey, great goal mate, but we don’t do things that way round here.”
Ten days later against Essendon, Big Tom was on the end of a handball deep in the forward pocket.
But when he looked up this time, he thought twice.
Whether Stokes' words were bouncing around in Hawkins’ head, or whether it was just the Cats’ strict set of team rules in play, something altered the goalkicker’s initial instincts to again let fly.
One could see him, albeit momentarily, wrestling with himself.
There were the boyish, front yard urges to set sail for home versus the second-year AFL forward playing in a premiership team's desire to play by the book.
Some would have thought he was entitled to have a crack.
He had yet to join the goal fest in what was fast becoming a rout, and as one of the Cats’ designated spearheads, his job was to do damage on the scoreboard.
However, instead of blazing away, Hawkins spotted Bartel 25m out from goal, and the Brownlow Medallist didn’t let him down.
This Geelong side is disciplined, and the joy they get out of giving goals away seems, at times, to exceed that of kicking one themselves.
The 'Tomahawk' and even Chapman didn’t kick one on Saturday, yet 14 others did.
Scary, isn’t it?
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
