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Review Geelong defeat Hawks "when it matters" by 6 goals to make another Grand Final

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I basically sat on my phone in the second half and once it started raining it was getting a little more difficult to type any updates

Hawthorn fans left in different little sub-groups
  • the first set to up & leave did so after Miers goal in the last
  • those who stayed obviously enjoyed that 5/6 minute patch where they kicked 3 goals; Jezza.... 😠
  • but then more left after Stengle's soccer goal
  • before Smith's goal a few minutes later put the rest out of their misery

Always interesting to watch fan groups up & leave early when they've decided their team is done for the match
 

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Who is the older guy with the long grey jacket and grey hair in the rooms? Looks like he is there with his son who has same haircut
The guy who looks like a tanned Colonel Sanders? I saw him walking around behind behind the interviews in the room a couple of weeks ago trying to get his head on the cameras and wondered the same thing
 
So gutting for Stewart. Deserves another shot at a premiership
Yeah it’s a real shame, always some hard luck stories in grand finals.

Last time it was Holmes with the hammy this time it’s Stewart.
 
First quarter and a half very messy
The rest unbelievable
Dangerfield is not human
Cameron and he were incredible bargains
Atkins smashed Newcomb
Smith's game impeccable
Holmes second half magnificent
Zuthrie so reliable
Blicavs cannot be stopped
Mannagh has become a very good player
Miers second half of powerful
The Irish duo beat the best every week
Real grand final shot
Stewart is very sad
 
Never heard a moment like when Jack Henry took a step and collapsed. The entire stadium made a sound of shock when he did. So bizarre and so happy he made his back on, albeit a little bung
 
Cracking game they threw the kitchen sink at us.
Sat down the city end it was tense at .
R
I got to take my dog to the vet tomorrow im putting a cats sock on his back paw.

Shaun Manny dog went to rainbow Bridge thats why he had a black arm band ..
RIP doggie.
 

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I basically sat on my phone in the second half and once it started raining it was getting a little more difficult to type any updates

Hawthorn fans left in different little sub-groups
  • the first set to up & leave did so after Miers goal in the last
  • those who stayed obviously enjoyed that 5/6 minute patch where they kicked 3 goals; Jezza.... 😠
  • but then more left after Stengle's soccer goal
  • before Smith's goal a few minutes later put the rest out of their misery

Always interesting to watch fan groups up & leave early when they've decided their team is done for the match
It’s difficult for me to understand + accept.

Footy is like marriage:
For better, or worse,
For richer or poorer, in sickness + in health,
To love + to cherish, till death us do part.

The players, coaches + supporters are devastated. You stay to support everyone.

Still, the 44 year drought was hard.

But since 2007, we’ve had amazing teams. So blessed to be a Geelong supporter + now we’re in another Grand Final 😻

Go Cats 🐈‍⬛
 
That was a very different game, we won it too good in the contests as we thought we would, and great efforts across a depleted backline and a slowish start. Great forward entries, try try again, until we got our mojo.
Will give them so much confidence they can overtake.

Now to sweat on the bank balance Monday.
BF Catters really deserve this, nerves shot, in great voice, well done everyone.
And Fcuk you Dirty Dawks.
 
Never heard a moment like when Jack Henry took a step and collapsed. The entire stadium made a sound of shock when he did. So bizarre and so happy he made his back on, albeit a little bung
Initially thought he’d done his Achilles
 

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Apart from that one crossfield kick he was super. He still doesnt have the engine for 4 quarters or the body size but hes a class player he just needs time.
Kudos. You were big on him right from the start.

Clark has that grit. That will to affect the contest. Almost Selwood..
Edit: Fixed typo
 
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That was a very different game, we won it too good in the contests as we thought we would, and great efforts across a depleted backline and a slowish start. Great forward entries, try try again, until we got our mojo.
Will give them so much confidence they can overtake.

Now to sweat on the bank balance Monday.
BF Catters really deserve this, nerves shot, in great voice, well done everyone.
And Fcuk you Dirty Dawks.
If we win tickets to the GF + win, I’ll buy us a bottle of Cristal for us to celebrate 🥂

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Potentially unpopular opinion - I'm also really happy for Bailey Smith. I think the media are protecting their own in relation to him. Even in the final minutes Ben Casanelia (who called him a "dickhead" on X whilst simultaneously mouthing off about how professional should use professional language) was describing his goal in terms which lingered on how unfortunate it was that Geelong fans couldn't truly celebrate the goal with him.

So happy for this mob. Each iteration of the side is a bit different.
If i know anything about footy media it's that, having won, we have no case to answer
 
I love writing these, but tonight's is extra sweet. We looked like the world's saddest losers for the first twenty minutes, got ourselves back into it, weathered a few very strong Hawthorn comebacks and ran the game out like the GRAND FINALLIST POWERHOUSE that we are.

3. Bailey Smith - In the first quarter when we were getting swarmed he was our only shining light. Kept on winning touches in the midfield, disposal was near faultless, and I was very happy to see him get the rewards with a goal near the end. What a difference a genuine midfield accumulator makes.

5. Jeremy Cameron - Did the job. Hawforn's unusual defensive structure made it hard for him all night but being able to conjure goals from nothing was a big part in getting us over the line, and of course his ability to run up and down the field all day exhausted Josh Battle a lot. The longer the game went, the more prominent he became.

7. Shaun Mannagh - Some of his decision making going inside 50 was atrocious. He seemed to be a half-second slow in thinking things through and also butchered the kicks. On the other hand his shots on goal were deadly, and I cannot fault his fierce tackling.

9. Max Holmes - After a pretty quiet first quarter he really lifted. When Stewy went down, Holmes got the kickin duties which, ironically, ended up working out in our favour. There's two reasons for this. Firstly, the threat of Max just tucking the ball under his arm and taking off made Hawthorn defend the kickins differently, in a way that helped us. Second, after struggling to get into the game getting a chance to see all the matchups over the whole field from the back goalsquare gave him the chance to think his way into the game back in the midfield.

12. Jack Bowes - Not a huge possession count, but his level head and accuracy kicking inside 50 made a big difference. I haven't always seen his value to the side, but he's starting to win me over. I can see why we were so eaget to pry him out of the Suns' grasp.

13. Jhye Clark - Massive props. This guy is an AFL footballer, I don't care what anyone else says. Coming in at 1/4 time wouldn't have been the plan, though as it turned out adding another midfield bull to the mix was just what we needed. I thought he competed tirelessly, usually made the correct decision with ball in hand, and ran to the right positions. That mid-air handball to Mannagh was elite. I still think he looks a bit light-framed to play as an inside mid though. He's more than done enough to retain the vest, or even a starting 22 posiiton, in the Grand Final.

14. Connor O'Sullivan - Quiet game possession-wise, but what continues to impress me is how smart he plays. He definitely didn't lower his colours tonight. Though I wish the umps wouldn't make him specifically the scapegoat every time they need to pay a rash of frees to the opposition to keep them in the game. It's not the first time I've seen that. :mad:

16. Sam De Koning - This is probably the best he's played since 2022. What a time to get back in form. Alternating between ruck and tall defender isn't easy, regardless of how simple Blicavs makes it look, but what impressed me was his attack on the footy and sharp reading of the play. When Hawthorn were all over us in the first quarter he was one of only a handful who could lift their heads up high and we'd have likely gone into 1/4 time five goals down if not for SDK. He let himself down with a few comically derpy disposals, but if he keeps up this level of intensity in the GF we've got half a hand on the cup already.

17. Lawson Humphries - Of late he's not gotten a lot of the ball, which is a shame since he's such a good kick. But he kept his opponent right out of the game, won some crucial contests, and kept the half back line organised.

18. Tyson Stengle - Matchwinner. He was a constant thorn in the side of Hawthorn's defenders. All three of his goals were sharp, fiercely contested, and difficult. I've no doubt that the threat of Stengle lurking on his own drew the Hawthorn defenders back a bit when Sam Mitchell would have liked them to keep pushing forward and helping the midfield like they'd been doing in the first quarter.

19. Jack Martin - This was the quietest game he's had for a while. I don't think he had a touch until late in the 2nd quarter. Hawks plainly did their homework on him, but to his credit he worked his way into the game and jagged a goal at an important moment.

28. Oliver Dempsey - Constantly dangerous. If his shots on goal had been a trifle luckier, I'd be full of praise. Tonight was a rare occasion where i saw a team try to tag him specifically, and they did as OK job I have to admit. That said, he has added a bit of inside grunt to his game and keeps racking up score involvements so I can't complain too much.

30. Tom Atkins - This guy is a frickin' beast. Another two-digit tackle count, 25 touches, and on top of that a lot of unrewarded hard running. He didn't give Hawthorn a centimetre of wiggle room all night and it was a big part of our win. Amazing player, we are so lucky to have him.

32. Gryan Miers - Excellent game. What's impressed me most this year from his move into the midfield is his increasing ability to contest the hard ball gets. To have someone with his creative disposal in the midfield also winning HTB decisions is a huge win for us. Dropping forward he's as lethal around goals as he ever was.

33. Shannon Neale - Quiet game, but handy in the ruck and tackled for keeps as always. I think at the start of the game he attacked it too hard and as a result ran under the ball too much. He looked far more involved in the game than his stat sheet suggests.

34. Oisin Mullin - While he can still be a worry on the very last line of defence, I can't fault his game after the first 15 minutes. Jai Newcombe was a complete nonentity all night.

35. Patrick Dangerfield - What can I possibly say that could do him justice? This was probably the best Captain's game in finals history. He's like a cheat code made flesh.

38. Jack Henry - He copped a leg injury very early in the game that clearly hampered him all night. And yes, he was beaten by Jack Gunston. But with Stewart's injury there's not a lot else we could have done. Even hobbling on one leg Henry turned his duel with Gunston into a 40/60 loss, and Gunston is definitely the kind of guy who could kick six or seven against an out-of-sorts opponent. YUUUUUGE applause for Henry tonight.

39. Zach Guthrie] - I cannot fault this guy. Sixteen touches pushing through the midfield in the first half when we were under siege kept us in the game. After half time, kept Mitch Lewis goalless. A few times in the 2nd half the Hawks were pressing and I reckon if Lewis had a chance to do anything useful we'd have lost the game.

42. Mark O'Connor - OK, so Josh Weddle is a very, very dangerous player. Fast, tall, good kick of the footy, and can run all day. Tagging him would be like tagging Mark Blicavs. O'Connor beat him hands down. Weddle hardly got a touch until Sam Mitchell shifted him into the ruck. MOC only got 7 touches himself but that handball to Miers was champagne.

44. Tom Stewart - What a misfortune. Horrible reason to miss a GF, just because of a clumsy tackle. :(

45. Brad Close - I'm having a hard time evaluating his game tonight. If he'd not shanked both his set shots I'd call it a good game. On the other hand he won a lot of midfield-type possessions around the half forward line that were great value. If he can continue keeping opponents accountable, dragging them deep into a pocket and cure his chronic yips we've got the GF half won.

46. Mark Blicavs - This guy never stops astounding me. While Lloyd Meek got more raw hitouts Blitz killed him around the ground, snagging a goal through smarts and gut running, and racking up Atkins-level tackle numbers on literally everyone who got in his way. I hope he plays on into his forties, because he's not showing any signs of relenting and there'll never be another player like him.
 

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Review Geelong defeat Hawks "when it matters" by 6 goals to make another Grand Final

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