HAWTHORN might be the clear premiership favourite at the moment but Geelong coach Chris Scott is adamant his team has what it takes to topple its arch-rival on Easter Monday.
Both sides are undefeated after winning their first four matches, and the clash at the MCG will pit the Hawks' League-leading offence against the Cats' competition-leading defence.
"Certainly they're playing great footy," Scott said at Simonds Stadium on Tuesday.
"I think they probably looked at their fixture and saw they played Essendon and Fremantle and Geelong in the first five rounds and knew they needed to be up and going, which clearly they are.
"But we're not too different to that, to be honest. We really rate the teams that we've played early on in the season.
"Hawthorn's going to be the biggest test for us so far, given their form, and we acknowledge what a good team they are and how well they're playing.
"No one uses the ball better or attacks better than Hawthorn, but we give ourselves some chance of winning the game."
Monday's game will add another intriguing chapter to the recent history between the two fierce rivals.
The Cats defeated the Hawks in 11 consecutive matches between round one, 2009 and round 15 last season but Hawthorn had the last laugh when it defeated Geelong by five points in last year's preliminary final.
Although he's not encouraging his men to use that loss as motivation, Scott isn't discouraging it either.
"I think we'll be trying absolutely as hard as we can in this game, and previous results don't influence that too much at all," he said.
"But if it means something for some of our players, and we can use that as a positive, then I'm not going to work against it."
Scott admitted there was an excited vibe around the Cattery in the lead-up to the meeting with Hawthorn.
"I think it's always a little bit different for the really big games," he said.
"Most good clubs pride themselves on their consistency of process, and we're not different to that, to an extent.
"But we do embrace the big occasions. We really value players who stand up on the big stage against the best opposition, and this will be a big stage and they will be very good opposition.
"I think internally we're really looking forward to it. Taking an external view for a moment, I think we're all just so proud to be part of this era and this rivalry.
"I can't imagine a better time to be a Geelong or a Hawthorn supporter. I think we will all look back on this era and recognise it as one of the great times in football history.
"It's a stand-alone game on Easter Monday at the MCG. I can't imagine wanting for a bigger occasion to come and see two good teams go hard at each other."
Scott added he believed inspirational skipper Joel Selwood was in the best form of his career.
"I can’t remember seeing him play much better over a month of footy, which is saying something because he dominated the competition for period last year," Scott said.
"And given all the circumstances with his lack of pre-season game-time, I think that makes it even more remarkable."
