Preview 2025 Preliminary Final: Geelong v Hawthorn, 19 September 2025, 7.40pm @ MCG

[A Diakos]

We only beat a struggling Collingwood in the home and away season.

Nearly coughed up a lead to GWS, which rendered Adelaide favourites last night.

We saved our best performance since the 2015 GF. Incredible display. 2025 season =

Amazing what one single game can do for confidence.

Reality and statistics suggest Geelong will win between 2-15 points, however these games rarely go to script.

Many have suggested a free hit at a gf, and I have to agree. Few teams win two interstate finals in a row to earn a home prelim.

If we beat Geelong, we are miles ahead of schedule, which following the GWS flurry of goals looked extremely unlikely.

KOLOKOTRONIS

We beat a "struggling pies" by 11 goals in a game that mattered .....they are also in a prelim and favourites to win it

the time is now

Our team does have improvement in it over the next 3 years

In the meantime seize the moment in our 100th year

With 2 interstate finals wins and a strong performance v crows there is no reason not to have belief

 

[A Diakos]

Raining all day friday

good or bad for us ?

 

[marklar]

good or bad for us ?

Good. We've got youth on our side, and the G has a great playing surface.

 

[Hawkk]

Good. We've got youth on our side, and the G has a great playing surface.

Cats love aerial ball. Might change the forward set up though.

 

[Elhawko]

It's also at the MCG. Lewis looked much more competitive in his games against Carlton and Melbourne, and that was early on in his return. His three interstate games (Brisbane, GWS and Crows) are when he's looked the most lost. Knows this ground a lot better to find space etc. For structure will still be important.

I think Lewis will benefit from a preseason working with the other forwards (not that that helps now) because until his return this year he has pretty much been the number one forward in the team. Now he's having to work around Gunners, Chol and Dear when he's playing. Sometimes he gets in good positions but gets ignored and sometimes the kicker just misses the kick and the ball goes a few metres either side of him or falls short or goes over his head. In modern parlance, the connection hasn't been there. But if it's going to be wet he just has to provide a contest and get the ball to ground. He's probably about a better bet to do that than Ramma at this stage.

 

[KermitJagger]

We only beat a struggling Collingwood in the home and away season.

Nearly coughed up a lead to GWS, which rendered Adelaide favourites last night.

We saved our best performance since the 2015 GF. Incredible display. 2025 season =

Amazing what one single game can do for confidence.

Reality and statistics suggest Geelong will win between 2-15 points, however these games rarely go to script.

Many have suggested a free hit at a gf, and I have to agree. Few teams win two interstate finals in a row to earn a home prelim.

If we beat Geelong, we are miles ahead of schedule, which following the GWS flurry of goals looked extremely unlikely.

KOLOKOTRONIS

It's funny how framing works here.

It's the difference between "nearly coughed up a lead to GWS" or "won our first game at Engie stadium ever, beating GWS in the longest and hardest running game in 2025".

Could also add "weathered a flurry of goals from GWS after All Australian and 2x B&F Josh Kelly was activated as Sub in the 3rd quarter".

I find your schedule to be nonsense. We started the season as one of the flag favourites for a reason, and only poor luck with injury ever rendered us not one. Even if we lose to Geelong we're right where we deserve to be.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Who BMAC or HH?

Bailey MacDonald and Henry Hustwaite

 

[DearJai]

Which Geelong turns up you wonder?

The team who torched Brisbane and looked all supreme in finals week 1?

Or the team who scraped in to win against us when we were on our way to struggle street, and working our way through injury and suspension troubles?

They are rested, they are confident. But are they earning themselves some ring rust and complacency after one of the softest draws in the competition?

They're still only 1-2 against top 8 sides since round 12.

 

[brew]

Which Geelong turns up you wonder?

The team who torched Brisbane and looked all supreme in finals week 1?

Or the team who scraped in to win against us when we were on our way to struggle street, and working our way through injury and suspension troubles?

They are rested, they are confident. But are they earning themselves some ring rust and complacency after one of the softest draws in the competition?

They're still only 1-2 against top 8 sides since round 12.

Don’t care what anyone tells me… having 1 solid hit out in 4 weeks before a prelim is not ideal.

We got this!

 

[reubski23]

Bailey MacDonald and Henry Hustwaite

lol sorry I meant who do you think comes in?

 

[Hawks future]

We haven't lost a melbourne game in 17 weeks

 

[KOLOKOTRONIS]

Strange things can happen PF day against a rival (and we are miles better than Carlton 1999)

I am desperately hoping for a win against Geelong. It’s annoying constantly losing to them. Smith’s miss in 2016 still irks me. The fact he went on to win a norm smith with them stings even more. At least buddy never won anything. I’m bitter and old

A grand final appearance would be huge, with will day and a grade midfield hawthorn bound.

KOLOKOTRONIS

 

[DearJai]

We haven't lost a melbourne game in 17 weeks

Traditionally this current team is at its best on the MCG, in front of a big crowd.

These wins the past two weeks are insanely massive, given our poor interstate record.

The question now is are we also going to elevate further on the ground that we love most?

If the petrol tickets are still there, nothing says that we won't.

 

[burger09]

This is the shot at the cats we have been craving. Now let's see if we are up to it......yet.

We'll have to play out of our skins. They don't have bad days.

We're starting to show some injury cracks after a couple of big finals. I fear this might get us in the end.

Back amongst the big boys. Win or lose, hopefully this is just the beginning of it all.

 

[Hot Cheese Rioli]

If not for injuries I'm feeling confident..I need positive injury news!! On a similar note - we don't want to be going in with injury clouds.

 

[Hawks future]

Traditionally this current team is at its best on the MCG, in front of a big crowd.

These wins the past two weeks are insanely massive, given our poor interstate record.

The question now is are we also going to elevate further on the ground that we love most?

If the petrol tickets are still there, nothing says that we won't.

It's gonna be wet so I think it evens out smith and holmes run being so contested .. we must stop danger his a great wet weather player don't let him smash through 3 tackles then give it to them 2 and will be okay

 

[Hawkk]

Don’t care what anyone tells me… having 1 solid hit out in 4 weeks before a prelim is not ideal.

We got this!

Since the introduction of the bye, the PF host has won 10 of 18 PF’s (55%). Before the bye, it was 26 out of 30 (86%).

The number of teams that have come from outside the top 4 to make a GF has risen from 0 (in 15 years) to 4 (in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024).

These are the years where a visiting PF team has rolled the host off the longer break — 2016 (x2), 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024. And before the bye it happened in 2003, 2005, 2006 2015 only.

Based on past finals, there is an almost 50/50 chance the GF won’t be Geelong v Collingwood. Whether that means Hawthorn capitalise remains to be seen…

 

[Agent_99]

My only worry is the amount of travel we’ve done recently vs Geelong who will be well rested.

 

[matey]

So on top of Ginni, Gunners now Impey is also under a cloud. These guys are important to our team/structure so fingers crossed 7 days will be enough

 

[LRobbo]

My only worry is the amount of travel we’ve done recently vs Geelong who will be well rested.

Sydney and Adelaide aren't
gruelling long trips though. In the air for an hour maximum

 

[A Diakos]

So on top of Ginni, Gunners now Impey is also under a cloud. These guys are important to our team/structure so fingers crossed 7 days will be enough

Where did u get this from ?

 

[matey]

Where did u get this from ?

Hopefully bringing them off towards the end of the game was the club managing their niggles for next week

Hawks' injury concerns grow as retiring great hurts knee

Luke Breust's career could be over after he suffered a potentially serious knee injury while playing at VFL level

www.afl.com.au

 

[Sturty]

Got the Grandfinal ticket regsitration email last night
Starting to feel very real now
Lets get this one done then secure another flag.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

If we run the ball and kick on angles we win.
If we result to the last 15+ years vs geelong of kicking down the line, or long-high bombs forward, we will get spanked

 

[matey]

Hope impey gets the chance to break Smith in a tackle

Won’t forget Smith putting the ball into Impey’s head very disrespectful ….. deserves some payback. Hope someone gets into Smith’s face as he will lose the plot and give away 50’s guaranteed!