AFL 2025 Second Preliminary Final - Cats v Hawks Fri Sept 19th 7:40pm EST (MCG)

[StillAtLarge]

if you ignore their last game vs Brisbane, who were at the time premiership favourites or their second last H&A game vs Sydney who were the form team of the league at the time the yes, Cats have not been tested in 9 weeks

Turn it up Wojack! You played them just a few weeks after the Giants pumped them by 7 goals! Form team of the league my arse! The only in-form team at that stage was you guys because Geelong were playing sides like Sydney, Richmond, Essendon, Port and North!
You were very good against Brisbane, I'll give you that one but they had 3 teenagers, a crocked Neale and Sam Day out there!

 

[Xtreme]

What if you have naps as well?

6-8 more sleeps!!

 

[Xtreme]

, Cats have not been tested in 9 weeks

Geelong haven't been tested since Easter Monday - and even then they only got through thanks to dubious umpire free kicks in front of goal.

 

[year of the cat]

Geelong haven't been tested since Easter Monday - and even then they only got through thanks to dubious umpire free kicks in front of goal.

You also support the English cricket team right.

 

[Xtreme]

You also support the English cricket team right.

I support any team against the corrupt Australian cricket side!

 

[QuietB]

Will be interesting to see if the 2 games in 4 weeks thing helps or hindees Geelong. I'd think helps, for fresh bodies, but you never know.

It has happened 7 times since the pre season bye was introduced 9 years ago that the team playing 2 games in 4 weeks gets beaten.

It happened once in the 9 years before that and only because the two best teams and ultimate grand finalists played each other in week 1 of finals. It happened twice in the 9 years before that for the same reasons.

The pre finals bye massively disadvantages the teams who play only 2 games in 4 weeks.

Edit - updated because it happened twice in 2021 making it 7 times.

 

[Pistol Night]

I support any team against the corrupt Australian cricket side!

Pakistan cricket?

 

[Wojcinski]

Turn it up Wojack! You played them just a few weeks after the Giants pumped them by 7 goals! Form team of the league my arse! The only in-form team at that stage was you guys because Geelong were playing sides like Sydney, Richmond, Essendon, Port and North!
You were very good against Brisbane, I'll give you that one but they had 3 teenagers, a crocked Neale and Sam Day out there!

I'm agreeing with you, this game is Hawks to lose. Geelong has benefited from an easy draw, they haven't played any good teams all season as the good teams had teenagers playing/were cooked/gave up/umpires/dank/steve hocking

Hawks game to lose and if they can't win it's a bigger choke than when they went out in B2B straight sets in 2016-18

 

[Footy Smarts]

Not sure why Geelong are such heavy favourites. Feels like a 50/50 game. 60/40 at best.

 

[QuietB]

Not sure why Geelong are such heavy favourites. Feels like a 50/50 game. 60/40 at best.

I think it is mainly because how easily you swept away Brisbane who frankly rolled over for Geelong.

It is going to be a cracking game.

 

[NetworkNerd]

Not sure why Geelong are such heavy favourites. Feels like a 50/50 game. 60/40 at best.

More A graders, no injuries, weeks rest etc etc

 

[hk89]

Will be interesting to see if the 2 games in 4 weeks thing helps or hindees Geelong. I'd think helps, for fresh bodies, but you never know.

With their older list, you'd think it would definitely help.

I'm hoping their extremely soft run in the second half of the season will come home to roost though. From round 9 to round 24, they won a lot of games, but only a single win against a side that made the top 8 (Suns at the Cattery). Their other three games against sides that made the 8 were all losses (lions and GWS twice). They did murder pretty much every bottom 10 side they played though (apart from Bulldogs).

So it was a pretty soft run in which they flat-tracked their way through the second half of the season, stumbling a few times against the few top sides they played.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have done them much harm if the Qualifying final is anything to go by. It was an impressive demolition of a very talented Lions outfit, and Geelong didn't give much of a hint of being the worse for not being regularly tested in the run home.

On the other hand, I'm not sure Lions are the best pressure team going around (second last for average tackles this season), and perhaps the easy run may still unravel Cats in a game with higher tackle pressure (we're 5th ranked for tackles, despite a few weeks with poor numbers in a form slump mid season). The 3 teams other than lions still in it are all top 5 teams for average tackles. The Cats themselves love to tackle, and that pressure pretty much won them the game against us earlier in the season. Handling that better this time around will clearly be key (and obviously putting enough on in the other direction). Our midfield depth is still a massive concern, especially given Jai is likely to wear a pretty tight tag.

Overall a very good chance for Geelong to finally erase the 'when it counts' factor (which I think is overblown - some of the non-knockout finals we've lost to them were crucial in derailing our final campaigns, so they usually counted plenty).

Looking forward to Friday night!

 

[YeoShuey]

Umpires

Foot, Rosebury, Stephens, Meredith

 

[Mr Meow]

With their older list, you'd think it would definitely help.

I'm hoping their extremely soft run in the second half of the season will come home to roost though. From round 9 to round 24, they won a lot of games, but only a single win against a side that made the top 8 (Suns at the Cattery). Their other three games against sides that made the 8 were all losses (lions and GWS twice). They did murder pretty much every bottom 10 side they played though (apart from Bulldogs).

So it was a pretty soft run in which they flat-tracked their way through the second half of the season, stumbling a few times against the few top sides they played.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have done them much harm if the Qualifying final is anything to go by. It was an impressive demolition of a very talented Lions outfit, and Geelong didn't give much of a hint of being the worse for not being regularly tested in the run home.

On the other hand, I'm not sure Lions are the best pressure team going around (second last for average tackles this season), and perhaps the easy run may still unravel Cats in a game with higher tackle pressure (we're 5th ranked for tackles, despite a few weeks with poor numbers in a form slump mid season). The 3 teams other than lions still in it are all top 5 teams for average tackles. The Cats themselves love to tackle, and that pressure pretty much won them the game against us earlier in the season. Handling that better this time around will clearly be key (and obviously putting enough on in the other direction). Our midfield depth is still a massive concern, especially given Jai is likely to wear a pretty tight tag.

Overall a very good chance for Geelong to finally erase the 'when it counts' factor (which I think is overblown - some of the non-knockout finals we've lost to them were crucial in derailing our final campaigns, so they usually counted plenty).

Looking forward to Friday night!

The 23 we are fielding aren't ancient. A year older on average than the team Hawthorn have been sending out.

Geelong veterans vs Hawks kids is another nice narrative to run with though.

The finals experience has a bigger gap than age or games played simply because we were up there 2019-2022 while Hawthorn were not. But only 10 or 11 will feature from the 2022 premiership side.

 

[hk89]

The 23 we are fielding aren't ancient. A year older on average than the team Hawthorn have been sending out.

Geelong veterans vs Hawks kids is another nice narrative to run with though.

The finals experience has a bigger gap than age or games played simply because we were up there 2019-2022 while Hawthorn were not. But only 10 or 11 will feature from the 2022 premiership side.

True, the average age between the teams isn't that different, but you are carrying a lot of 31+ players compared to us.

Players you've played this year in that age category that I guess will play if deemed fit:
Cameron 32
Stewart 32
Blicavs 34
Stanley 34
Dangerfield 35

And a couple who I guess will not:
Duncan 34
Bews 31

Compare to Hawthorn's 31+ brigade likely to play
Gunston 33

(with Sicily 31 in 4 months, and Amon & Impy just turned 30)

So Geelong have quite a few more older blokes than we have, including 3 who are older than any play we'll field. I'm sure they'll have appreciated the time off.

Unlike Geelong, Pies really do have a significant average age gap on the players they are fielding compared to Geelong and Hawthorn, so I'm sure they'll appreciate it even more.

 

[Mr Meow]

True, the average age between the teams isn't that different, but you are carrying a lot of 31+ players compared to us.

Players you've played this year in that age category that I guess will play if deemed fit:
Cameron 32
Stewart 32
Blicavs 34
Stanley 34
Dangerfield 35

And a couple who I guess will not:
Duncan 34
Bews 31

Compare to Hawthorn's 31+ brigade likely to play
Gunston 33

(with Sicily 31 in 4 months, and Amon & Impy just turned 30)

So Geelong have quite a few more older blokes than we have, including 3 who are older than any play we'll field. I'm sure they'll have appreciated the time off.

Unlike Geelong, Pies really do have a significant average age gap on the players they are fielding compared to Geelong and Hawthorn, so I'm sure they'll appreciate it even more.

Exactly, we have a handful of the old heads remaining, while its looking like Duncan, Bews, C.Guthrie, Stanley and Kolo won't play - with Selwood, Hawkins, Tuohy, I.Smith and Rohan retired.

Dangerfield, Blicavs, Stewart and Cameron have 133 years between them so do pull the average up. It's only 4 players though - 5 with a miracle Stanley recovery. Then we have mature agers like Mannagh and Mullin who haven't actually played that many senior games. Even Neale is 23 but has only played 43 games.

 

[Xtreme]

Pakistan cricket?

I did say ANY

 

[GoPies1]

Nice little melt there. Neutrals are more interested in this match, because it's objectively more interesting. A longer and more bitter rivalry, both playing the more interesting football of the first fortnight of finals. I'm sure some will still tune in to Saturday's game, too. Don't worry about that.

It’s not a melt, it’s an opinion
None of what you stated is factual.
Obviously young

 

[Wojcinski]

Cats v Hawks in a flipping PF and it's a Collingwood poster having an absoloute meltdown

 

[Hawkk]

Umpires

Foot, Rosebury, Stephens, Meredith

No Stevic is a blow

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

The 23 we are fielding aren't ancient. A year older on average than the team Hawthorn have been sending out.

Geelong veterans vs Hawks kids is another nice narrative to run with though.

The finals experience has a bigger gap than age or games played simply because we were up there 2019-2022 while Hawthorn were not. But only 10 or 11 will feature from the 2022 premiership side.

Once you have played 4-5 finals than the experience factor isn't as relevant. It won't be the reason we lose I'll put it that way. It will be because we can't deal with what you blokes dish up. This group isn't fazed by finals intensity that's why I'm quietly confident we will absorb anything you bring. There's a few blokes in the team that have been waiting for a match like this. Guys like Hardwick, Sicily etc who have spent alot of their career in mediocre sides. Not the case now so I would expect a strong showing from both.

 

[Mr Meow]

Once you have played 4-5 finals than the experience factor isn't as relevant. It won't be the reason we lose I'll put it that way. It will be because we can't deal with what you blokes dish up. This group isn't fazed by finals intensity that's why I'm quietly confident we will absorb anything you bring. There's a few blokes in the team that have been waiting for a match like this. Guys like Hardwick, Sicily etc who have spent alot of their career in mediocre sides. Not the case now so I would expect a strong showing from both.

Spot on. This Hawks group have played well in 4 finals in quick succession, with 3 of them on the road. They will hold no fears on this stage.

From my perspective the extra finals experience of our very old guys is somewhat offset by them no longer being in their absolute physical prime. The know-how is great but finals heat can test older guys bodies.

Then we have some midrange experience guys (Atkins, Zuthrie, Miers, Henry, Close) and a bunch that are in that 3 to 6 finals range (Mannagh, Mullin, SDK, Stengle, Holmes, Dempsey, Humphries, Neale, Martin, Bowes) that are closer to the average Hawks player finals exposure.

So while there is a bit of a finals gap, it's minor compared to say these Hawks playing the Geelong 2020-2022 era side.

 

[Moonatic77]

Go Hawks beat those cheating campaigners
Please stop Geelong

 

[ShivaTheDestroyer]

Usually in finals one can pick a side to go for so an interest can be generated, reasons such as in seeing their supporters enjoy winning a flag ie doggies 2016.
But this game, there is just nothing.
Both coaches are probably 1 and 2 on the ladder for being the biggest aholes in the comp, and that includes their playing careers.
Just pure flogs, both of them
So this week, I’m not following anyone, just want to see a brutal contest with massive carnage then the losing coach crash as low as they can.
The winner go away with massive headaches re their side’s selection for the following week

You want carnage? I will shatter Nick’s knee.

 

[LRobbo]

Geez handbag fans are arrogant, trying to justify the softest run home the competitions ever seen.

Not surprising though, Max Holmes the smug campaigner said after a round 11 win over the Dogs, ‘Well that’s finals locked in for us now’.
He knew how soft the draw home was as much as the rest of the footy world did, yet Cats fans argue against it with rubbish like Sydney were the form team of the competition when we played them
Astonishing really

They won’t have been tested like they will be tomorrow night, in months.