After their seven-match unbeaten run came to an end in agonising fashion, Gibson says his side learned some valuable lessons from the defeat to the high-flying Cats.
“I personally use them as the measuring stick all over the ground - their ability even when they are behind on the scoreboard to keep pushing on and their contested footy is fantastic - they’re great,” he said.
But Gibson is adamant the Hawks can build on their performances from the previous two weeks, taking great confidence from their three-point win over the Western Bulldogs the previous week as well as their loss to the top of the table Cats.
“We’ve played in the last two weeks probably the two in-form teams of the competition and we have beaten one and come within a couple of points of the other, so it shows the direction the boys are going in at the minute is pretty good.”
“They [Geelong] have been at the top for a while now, so in terms of matching a game-plan up to theirs and to come within a couple of points shows we’re doing something right.”
After a two week stint in the VFL Gibson made a successful return from the injured hamstring he sustained against the Western Bulldogs in round three and is confident he can play a major role in the Hawthorn defence for the remainder of the season.
“It’s exciting to be playing again and getting through injury free is fantastic. At the end of the day, you would have loved to win but to get through injury free is great and hopefully I can build on that from here.”
The 26-year-old said the match had the feel of a finals encounter and hoped it was just the beginning for the Hawks as they battled for a place in the top eight.
“The atmosphere out there was fantastic - the competitiveness of the game. Obviously the pressure of my first game back, I was really feeling the pinch out there,” he said.
“The amount of contested footy and the way the blokes had to win the ball out there - with the finals I’ve played it’s pretty similar.”
