Preview Prelim Final 25 - Geelong V Hawthorn Fri 19th Sept 2025 740pm @ MCG

[winty]

This makes a fast start on Friday night even more important...

 

[year of the cat]

This makes a fast start on Friday night even more important...

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Hasn’t been a terribly inspiring finals series so far though. No game has really been in the balance in the last 10 mins.

Along as it’s not a ridiculous margin I’d be still confident we could come back even if Hawks get a buffer at 1/4 time. Scott is a genius at rejigging us at the break and solving any issues on the run.

 

[fpm84]

I'm trying to find a scenario on how we don't win this by 50+ points. Someone. Please. Bring me back to reality.

Hawthorn is a very good team with some attacking weapons (Moore, Weddle, Watson) and a FF who has kicked 70+ for the season.

We only beat them by two goals earlier this season.

They are full of confidence after two interstate finals wins in a row.

There’s always a bit of doubt with a team coming off the double bye (pre-finals plus semi final week) and whether they’ll start slowly. Hawthorn have started in electric fashion in both finals, with a 4 goal early lead against GWS, and scoring three on the Crows before Adelaide even had an inside 50.

Mitchell is a very good coach who will no doubt have a plan to disrupt us - maybe they try to tag Holmes, or get in Stewart’s head, or get physical with Miers or Dempsey. But they’ll undoubtedly try something.

We deserve to be favourites but I can’t see any way we win by more than 3-4 goals, if we are fortunate enough to get the win to begin with.

 

[you pick one]

I think the club are playing mind games on Stanley to keep Hawthorn guessing.

Unless it was on the very minor side of hamstring strains then I'd be amazed if he was declared fit to play in a cut throat prelim final. As of a week ago people close to him were saying he'd be line ball to play again this season.

Who knows

I agree with the mind games but still think Stanley will play my take has been all the time we played the Lions twice through the home and away we lost in rd3 with SDK and Blitz up against Forte by 9 points rd15 we went with Stanley against Forte and got annihilated Scott just went with the better ruck option against the Lions in the qualifying final.

 

[Del216647]

Hawthorn is a very good team with some attacking weapons (Moore, Weddle, Watson) and a FF who has kicked 70+ for the season.

We only beat them by two goals earlier this season.

They are full of confidence after two interstate finals wins in a row.

There’s always a bit of doubt with a team coming off the double bye (pre-finals plus semi final week) and whether they’ll start slowly. Hawthorn have started in electric fashion in both finals, with a 4 goal early lead against GWS, and scoring three on the Crows before Adelaide even had an inside 50.

Mitchell is a very good coach who will no doubt have a plan to disrupt us - maybe they try to tag Holmes, or get in Stewart’s head, or get physical with Miers or Dempsey. But they’ll undoubtedly try something.

We deserve to be favourites but I can’t see any way we win by more than 3-4 goals, if we are fortunate enough to get the win to begin with.

Yeah they have got fast starts, but I'll say this:

Crows got the next three to level it up after Hawks kicked the opening three. Then we saw a team that lacked intensity, composure and pressure - they would have beat very few good teams that night, if any at all. They did not win any of eight quarters which says a lot.

As for the GWS game, the Hawks jumped the Giants and at one point got out to a 42 point lead in the third. Giants then kicked 7-8 in a row very quickly and hit the front early in the last quarter before injuries essentially stopped any further charge and momentum they had. They had multiple players injured which impacted their rotations and run. They were running over the top of them and Hawks were dead and buried.

One thing I noticed with GWS all year on their home deck was they got off to slow starts all year and quite often found themselves 4-5 goals down in the first quarter. This happened a lot. Then they would find their mojo and get a run on.

So whilst Hawks have had some good starts, they have also had teams reign them in with piles of goals in quick succession. A team of our quality, I wouldn't be massively worried if we got 3-4 goals down against them. Not ideal of course and I actually think we will start well, but we're good enough and resilient enough to get back into the contest and take control IMO.

Hawks have shown at times they can also give up a lead and get heavily scored against.

 

[cats_09]

“Selection shock for Geelong Friday night” according to the Tackle tonight . “Tune in to find out” … wonder if it’s just click bait with Stanley being a test

Mitch Edwards to debut



























I'll keep posting this every match week until it happens

 

[you pick one]

This makes a fast start on Friday night even more important...

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Good I'll be in bed by 8:15.

 

[catters_28]

They still forecasting rain?

I hope not, I'm out in the open!

 

[catempire]

Pretty true, though. Coming from eighth, through two interstate finals, and into a PF against a team they truly love to get after.

Whether it actually emboldens them to bring their best or not is another thing, of course.

It’s never true that there’s nothing to lose in a Prelim.

 

[MisterMarcus]

“Selection shock for Geelong Friday night” according to the Tackle tonight . “Tune in to find out” … wonder if it’s just click bait with Stanley being a test

The Cameron calf rumours were true!!

 

[Cataholic]

Danger saying Stanley did 10km last Friday and trained today.

 

[joe444]

This will not even be close. I have 2022 GF vibes about this. We are injury free and are fresh. They won't handle the system. We will be lifting the cup in a fortnight....And I never make these predictions. Lock it in

I'm close to your level, too. I have this pencilled in at 45 points. They're not that good.

My big fear was that we cop Brisbane in the granny, but they're even more banged up now.

Doesn't make me any less nervous, but at least there's two of us.

 

[Munich]

I was resigned to the fact he wasn't coming back this season.

God I hope they don't play him underdone.

 

[Cataholic]

Danger saying Smith knows he did wrong, he spoke to Smith as captain, but they've been careful to not make more of it than it deserved.

They've moved on and are focused on Friday night.

 

[fpm84]

Danger saying Smith knows he did wrong, he spoke to Smith as captain, but they've been careful to not make more of it than it deserved.

They've moved on and are focused on Friday night.

AFL360 or somewhere else?

 

[Cataholic]

AFL360 or somewhere else?

Yeah, 360.

 

[Munich]

Gerard wasn't letting it go, kept pushing Danger on it.

Guess he needs to look impartial

 

[dudusmaximus]

I agree with the mind games but still think Stanley will play my take has been all the time we played the Lions twice through the home and away we lost in rd3 with SDK and Blitz up against Forte by 9 points rd15 we went with Stanley against Forte and got annihilated Scott just went with the better ruck option against the Lions in the qualifying final.

I had the same feeling. Has there been any article/video of Stanley's injury?

 

[Goggin Our Best]

Danger saying Stanley did 10km last Friday and trained today.

And Rhys is in Geelongs best team - clear cut - so i hope he is fit and in the team

Geelongs recent finals form has been 1st class , annihilated Port Ade by 80 plus points in Ade , well in front of Bris and would have won if Holmes didnt do the hamstring - then demolished the Lions 2 weeks ago

Ijust get the feeling with the current Geel side if the foot is on the pedal , flat to the boards , then they wont ease up , what happened last year , which would have been a certain flag against the Swans , would have stung , and is probably the driving force at the moment , so if Geel get in front i dont think there will be any easing up at all

 

[dudusmaximus]

Mitch Edwards to debut

Likely. Called this on Sep 8 in post.

 

[Munich]

Feel like we haven't played in an eternity so I've put on the QF.

 

[Cataholic]

Likely. Called this on Sep 8 in post.

That'd be one hell of a ballsy move.

It'd be throwing him into the fire.

 

[Zouz Kitty]

In MASSIVE BREAKING NEWS, Geelong‘s pregame music DJs were decided this afternoon!

Blitz was the Michael Gudinski of pregame music for a few years.

Earlier this year he handed his mantle to Bailey Smith

3

Bailey Smith

Age

25

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

+ Shannon Neale. They weren’t working for Blitz. Neale relinquished his role. Blitz chose COS + Holmes for our PF entrance.

COS + Holmes like a bit of Connor McGregor to run through the banner.

Connor McGregor‘s Entrance Tune is:
Foggy Dew / Hypnotize Remix

 

[BIGANT]

Get the W cat's and as much as our fwd line can be unselfish would love Jezza to get in the 90's leading into the big dance.

 

[Zouz Kitty]

How serious do we think the soreness may be

While I’d never wish injury on any athlete, my concern is for our players

Reading this thread to find Stanley updates.

Midweek Tackle, Fox, declaring Stanley has made a phenomenal recovery.