Hawkk
22 Apr 2008, 15:43
Cats in crosshairs: Mitchell
http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/tabid/4742/Default.aspx?newsid=58330
The battle may be three months away but Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell has fired the first shot at Geelong ahead of the round 17 showdown between the two clubs, stating the Hawks might just be the ones to pip last year's premiers.
With both sides in stunning touch and the only clubs to win all their matches this season, the Hawks and the Cats are on track to face off in what could loom as a preview of the Grand Final.
While the Cats have lost just two matches from 26 starts in the past 12 months, Mitchell said his young breed of Hawks are capable of beating the competition's dominant team.
"I think anyone can beat them, whether or not they have a chink their armour that hopefully someone can find before we get to play them," he said.
"They're playing very, very good football, and I read an article the other day that said you have to play the perfect game to beat them.
"I think if we play our very, very best footy, we're going to give them a good run."
Mitchell conceded difficulty in looking ahead to such an encounter, as the two sides won't meet until Friday July 25 – almost 15 months after their previous encounter in round four last season at Aurora Stadium.
But Mitchell says the Hawks are still keenly anticipating the MCG clash as it could provide a measure of how close they are to the cream of the crop.
"It's very hard to look too far forward, with the old cliché 'one week at a time'," he said.
"But they're the benchmark side and I think not just us, but everyone likes to go up against Geelong.
"They come out every week and the side that's playing against them has just really been setting themselves for that game, because everyone wants to know where they're at against the benchmark side."
http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/tabid/4742/Default.aspx?newsid=58330
The battle may be three months away but Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell has fired the first shot at Geelong ahead of the round 17 showdown between the two clubs, stating the Hawks might just be the ones to pip last year's premiers.
With both sides in stunning touch and the only clubs to win all their matches this season, the Hawks and the Cats are on track to face off in what could loom as a preview of the Grand Final.
While the Cats have lost just two matches from 26 starts in the past 12 months, Mitchell said his young breed of Hawks are capable of beating the competition's dominant team.
"I think anyone can beat them, whether or not they have a chink their armour that hopefully someone can find before we get to play them," he said.
"They're playing very, very good football, and I read an article the other day that said you have to play the perfect game to beat them.
"I think if we play our very, very best footy, we're going to give them a good run."
Mitchell conceded difficulty in looking ahead to such an encounter, as the two sides won't meet until Friday July 25 – almost 15 months after their previous encounter in round four last season at Aurora Stadium.
But Mitchell says the Hawks are still keenly anticipating the MCG clash as it could provide a measure of how close they are to the cream of the crop.
"It's very hard to look too far forward, with the old cliché 'one week at a time'," he said.
"But they're the benchmark side and I think not just us, but everyone likes to go up against Geelong.
"They come out every week and the side that's playing against them has just really been setting themselves for that game, because everyone wants to know where they're at against the benchmark side."