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

[Hawkk]

Isn’t the last bit how sport works? It’s played two ways. YOUR team has the option of shutting down OUR players who do damage too, you know. If he’s so superior, let him step up. I thought Cameron was pretty well held last night. You know what? He stepped up and still kicked 3 really important goals.

For a team whose MO is shutting down ‘superior players’ we sure did well to kick 115 points in a little over 3 quarters. If Watson is so superior, he should get away. He didn’t. He got shut down by someone from the other side of the planet.

Gotta agree with this. We have some work to do to make up the gap. Reminded me a lot of the 2011 Qualifying Final to be honest. Same margin and weather too…

 

[StackedHunch]

Team defends. Huge if true.

Others tried. They just haven't built a team around having the fortune of a team whose only glaring weakness is missing a top 5 player in the comp. Props to Scott for finding a way to win, but it's ugly AF.

 

[CanuckSuns]

Just give Geelong the championship right now. No team is beating them.

 

[Hawkk]

Just give Geelong the championship right now. No team is beating them.

Don't rule out the Lions. Teams who meet in the QF and GF have a pretty good record at turning the tables — especially defending premiers. They are easily the two best in it and its not even close. The Lions just need to find a way to make it through today…

 

[Whiskers]

Finally we’ve knocked them out and they can hang onto an event 17 years ago.

 

[Hawkk]

Finally we’ve knocked them out and they can hang onto an event 17 years ago.

Hey, we've still got 2013 and 1989 too! Last night reminded me why I'm sort of glad we didn't win the 2011 PF against the Pies.

 

[rapidfire7]

Not even Ablett Jr could play like Danger can at 35. What a special & incredible athlete. Just saying.

 

[CabWesty]

Geelong is uniquely negative in the league. It's a clear point of difference and a competitive advantage. Realistically, if our mids were firing, Watson wouldn't have been so quiet. The mids under Newcombe were not going to be able to make up for Day's absence.

Please explain to me how Geelong is uniquely negative. They scored almost 400 points more than the Hawks in the home and away rounds, and Hawthorn had 23 less points scored against them.

Geelong scored the second most points in the home and away rounds behind the Western Bulldogs (who didn't even make the eight) and were fourth best in defence. Hawthorn were seventh in points for and third in defence.

They do have some run with players, but there is nothing wrong with that. If they were twelfth in points scored and first in defence you might have a point.

 

[StackedHunch]

Please explain to me how Geelong is uniquely negative. They scored almost 400 points more than the Hawks in the home and away rounds, and Hawthorn had 23 less points scored against them.

Geelong scored the second most points in the home and away rounds behind the Western Bulldogs (who didn't even make the eight) and were fourth best in defence. Hawthorn were seventh in points for and third in defence.

They do have some run with players, but there is nothing wrong with that. If they were twelfth in points scored and first in defence you might have a point.

You get all the shit teams in the back half, in your substandard ground, obviously it's easy to score. But honestly, props to Scott for his asymmetric tactics, turning spuds into proper neutralisers.

 

[Hawkk]

Not even Ablett Jr could play like Danger can at 35. What a special & incredible athlete. Just saying.

Unbelievable that he's still capable of 2016 levels in 2025

 

[PhatBoy]

Others tried. They just haven't built a team around having the fortune of a team whose only glaring weakness is missing a top 5 player in the comp. Props to Scott for finding a way to win, but it's ugly AF.

Well it scored 400 points more than your style across the regular season didn’t it.

 

[Wish Wellingtons]

Off the top of my head I can think of 2 HTB decisions that were clear as day Geelong didn’t get. Siciliy and Worpel were tackled and both dropped the ball. Clear free kicks not paid.

Swings and roundabouts….

There was a passage of play where Chol was caught HTB dead to rights not paid. Immediately resulted in a hawks goal.

I don't think we really have a problem with KPFs anymore.

A combination of Chol/Lewis/Gunston/Dear is something to work with.

Lol. It really isn't.

 

[PhatBoy]

You get all the shit teams in the back half, in your substandard ground, obviously it's easy to score. But honestly, props to Scott for his asymmetric tactics, turning spuds into proper neutralisers.

We went 7-3 at KP this year. We are 12-3 away from there this year.

We averaged 107.9 points at our substandard ground. A full 2 points higher than our overall average points for. Wow.

 

[VinnieB]

Just give Geelong the championship right now. No team is beating them.

If the Pies win this evening, I’m confident we will be premiers.

 

[PhatBoy]

Gotta agree with this. We have some work to do to make up the gap. Reminded me a lot of the 2011 Qualifying Final to be honest. Same margin and weather too…

I don’t get why people get annoyed with the idea of a tagger. Even moreso when he’s deployed on an almost permanent small forward. How is it in any way different to a spoiling defender who shuts down a key forward.

I mean Geelong have pretty much spent 20 years setting the template for defenders running off the backline: Scarlett, Mackie, Milburn, Enright, Stewart, Guthrie, Humphries now, even big O’Sullivan is starting to do it a bit. Players who aren’t just there to defend but attack.


In a game won by both defence and attack I’m not sure why a side would be singled out for its ability to do one of those things really well.

 

[SA HAWK]

I don’t get why people get annoyed with the idea of a tagger. Even moreso when he’s deployed on an almost permanent small forward. How is it in any way different to a spoiling defender who shuts down a key forward.

I mean Geelong have pretty much spent 20 years setting the template for defenders running off the backline: Scarlett, Mackie, Milburn, Enright, Stewart, Guthrie, Humphries now, even big O’Sullivan is starting to do it a bit. Players who aren’t just there to defend but attack.


In a game won by both defence and attack I’m not sure why a side would be singled out for its ability to do one of those things really well.

I really don’t know why other teams don’t do it.

Works pretty well for Geelong.

 

[Hawkk]

If the Pies win this evening, I’m confident we will be premiers.

Good luck. I'll be in the members bar by 5 mins into the 2nd quarter and it'll be 2022 all over again (and I'd be actively going for the Pies in that GF).

The gap in talent and system between those two is obscene…

 

[PhatBoy]

I really don’t know why other teams don’t do it.

Works pretty well for Geelong.

Agreed and it’s not like other teams don’t have players who could tag, and do more damage the other way than Mullin.

 

[joe444]

There was one thing which confused me (but it didn't seem to confuse the Hawks coaching staff) which was this belief so many people had that the match was going to be "chaos v control". I don't think a single team that has tried chaos against us this year has won (Collingwood came close). And the idea that we are a "control" side is way out of date (think 2021).

Also, I don't know if Collingwood fans recall how in the 2011 GF they had the game in hand until Podsiadly went off injured. We improvised in a way that the Pies hadn't planned for, because we hadn't. I suspect, ironically, that the Stewart injury may well make us no less difficult to beat. Especially for the Lions, who no doubt are going to try to approach us very differently if they make it.

 

[CabWesty]

You get all the shit teams in the back half, in your substandard ground, obviously it's easy to score. But honestly, props to Scott for his asymmetric tactics, turning spuds into proper neutralisers.

Oh sook it up. If you're going there, then it's obvious you've got nothing.

We got the lesser teams in the back half because we played the better teams in the first half. Be glad you didn't play us twice during the home and away system or you might not have made finals at all.

Geelong played Port twice - Port were second in H&A last year. We can't help they slid to 10th. Perhaps we contributed.
Geelong played Swans twice - Swans were first in H&A last year. We can't help they slid to 13th. Perhaps we contributed.
Geelong played Brisbane twice - Brisbane were fourth in H&A last year. They beat us both times this year.
Geelong played GWS twice - GWS were fifth in H&A last year. They beat us both times.

Excellence is described as doing the best you have with what you have. We've taken a bunch of no names, rookies, cast offs, guys running around in the VFL and local leagues, a steeplechaser, a 400m runner, a soccer player (Ratagolea), a few Gaelic football guys, plus a few excellent players (who we have traded for) and only had two top 10 picks in the last 15 years and had an awesome run of success. When you look at that rag tag bunch is it any wonder we haven't had to pay overs.

Each player has played their role and the coaches have focused on their strengths and helped them minimise their weaknesses.

 

[STPer18]

Young Jhye Clark picked a hell of a time to play the best game of his career. Handball to 'Best Young Player' Mannagh to goal was a thing of beauty.

 

[StackedHunch]

Oh sook it up. If you're going there, then it's obvious you've got nothing.

We got the lesser teams in the back half because we played the better teams in the first half. Be glad you didn't play us twice during the home and away system or you might not have made finals at all.

Geelong played Port twice - Port were second in H&A last year. We can't help they slid to 10th.
Geelong played Swans twice - Swans were first in H&A last year. We can't help they slid to 13th.
Geelong played Brisbane twice - Brisbane were fourth in H&A last year. They beat us both times this year.
Geelong played GWS twice - GWS were fifth in H&A last year. They beat us both times.

Excellence is described as doing the best you have with what you have. We've taken a bunch of no names, rookies, cast offs, guys running around in the VFL and local leagues, a steeplechaser, a 400m runner, a soccer player (Ratagolea), a few Gaelic football guys, plus a few excellent players (who we have traded for) and only had two top 10 picks in the last 15 years and had an awesome run of success. When you look at that rag tag bunch is it any wonder we haven't had to pay overs.

Each player has played their role and the coaches have focused on their strengths and helped them minimise their weaknesses.

You play the shit teams in the back half - it's a whole different equation, especially with respect to point scoring. They put the cue in the rack, and allow the ridiculous Jezzathon wankfest to happen.
Don't know why it rustles you to hear it. At least the flogs on here like the guy who just posted a clip have the self awareness to own the breeze you were kicking with this season.

 

[Hawkk]

There was one thing which confused me (but it didn't seem to confuse the Hawks coaching staff) which was this belief so many people had that the match was going to be "chaos v control". I don't think a single team that has tried chaos against us this year has won (Collingwood came close). And the idea that we are a "control" side is way out of date (think 2021).

Also, I don't know if Collingwood fans recall how in the 2011 GF they had the game in hand until Podsiadly went off injured. We improvised in a way that the Pies hadn't planned for, because we hadn't. I suspect, ironically, that the Stewart injury may well make us no less difficult to beat. Especially for the Lions, who no doubt are going to try to approach us very differently if they make it.

100 per cent. If Brisbane make it they will bring a very different style. Would be an incredible GF to watch live…

 

[CabWesty]

You play the shit teams in the back half - it's a whole different equation, especially with respect to point scoring. They put the cue in the rack, and allow the ridiculous Jezzathon wankfest to happen.

Congratulations, you're continuing to sook. You learned nothing from what I wrote, and I'm dumber for reading your response.

 

[StackedHunch]

Congratulations, you're continuing to sook. You learned nothing from what I wrote, and I'm dumber for reading your response.

The weird thing is, you're sooking about my pointing out your clear special treatment by your mates at AFL House. No doubt the phones will be ringing hot to make a tenuous exception for Stewart to play next week.