Robbo: Geelong stake claim as flag favourite after dissecting Port Adelaide, Tom Hawkins ‘Lockett-esque’
Before Port forward Charlie Dixon had even touched the ball on Friday night, Tom Hawkins had played Geelong a winning hand. It’s no wonder Chris Scott’s team are the premiership favourites, says Mark Robinson.
Mark Robinson
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The tom toms are beating menacingly.
Geelong surely is premiership favourite after dissecting top-of-the table Port Adelaide on Friday night and Tom Hawkins surely is the most feared full-forward in the AFL after dismantling Port’s defence.
We say premiership favourites not necessarily guided by the flood of money, more so because their game style, their team ethic and, most of all, their adaptation to wherever the ball is on the ground, is the most robust weapon in the competition.
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Simply, the Cats kick goals and stop the opposition kicking goals.
Across the four quarters, Port kicked 0.1, 1.5, 2.1 and 1.0
Hawkins himself kicked 2.1, 1.0, 2.1 and 1.0.
At halftime, when the result was set up, Port Adelaide’s powerhouse forward Charlie Dixon had not touched the ball.
Hawkins had kicked three goals, had 10 disposals, taken six marks and had six score involvements.
In the second half, it was three goals, seven disposals, four contested marks and had another six score involvements.
His presence and performance, however, was that of goliath, perhaps Lockett-esque by today’s standards.
He now leads the Coleman Medal and is also the No. 1 score assists player in the competition.
He was helped by his teammates, of course. They gave him space to compete one-one one and kicked the ball to his advantage. Port instead kicked it on top of Dixon’s head and the Cats led by Harry Taylor, continually gang-spoiled him.
Hawkin kicked four of his six goals on Tom Clurey. Clurey would’ve hated it. He was embarrassed by Hawkins. At the same time, Clurey would’ve hated his midfield teammates.
They embarrassed themselves by their lack of pressure on their opponents.
After his fourth goal, coach Ken Hinkley switched skipper Tom Jonas to Hawkins.
It didn’t matter. Hawkins took his ninth mark and kicked his fifth goal.
By then the game was effectively over.
Hawkins’ modus operandi was to allow his opponent the front position, and when the high ball arrived, he would hold his ground, and then push off and mark the ball on his chest over the back.
He wanted to wrestle all night, like an unmasked Undertaker, flexing his muscle and menace and confidence.
“Port are getting caught in front of him (Hawkins),” Wayne Carey said on Channel 7. “He’s finding it far too easy the one over the back.”
Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy at halftime: “He absolutely destroyed Clurey.”
Hawkins post-match didn’t want the accolades: “I do say you are a product of what happens up the field and I had a lot of one-on-ones tonight, so that certainly helps the way I play because that’s my strength.”
In the coaches box, it was a win for Chris Scott because he manipulated Hawkins one-on-one and Ken Hinkley could not combat it.
Up the other end, meanwhile, Dixon was besieged like it was stacks on in the Royal Rumble.
Similar to the St Kilda result at the Gabba earlier this week, the Cats largely controlled the flow of the game, which didn’t give Port a lot of opportunities.
The Power had one point at the first break and it was a rushed behind. Their 31 points was their lowest score of the season.
Hawkins’ performance glowed with perfection in what was another glowing performance from Geelong.
That first quarter was perfection from the Cats, the second half even better.
In totality, they are a complete team. They deny the opposition their strength, they are hungry for the contest and so many times they outnumber at the ball.
One play in the forward flank area in the second quarter was just fabulous on a loose ball.
The sequence was: Sam Simpson tackle, Gary Rohan and Simpson pressure, Cameron Guthrie and Simpson pressure, Lachie Henderson pressure, Hawkins tackle, Simpson smother. It said a lot about Geelong’s mindset. It said plenty about why Simpson is in the team.
They do the fundamentals well. In defence, they don’t mark when they can punch, Mark Blicavs, Henderson, Tom Stewart always supply the air support, and when they ball come so ground, they often than not have the outnumber. Then they reload: Kick. Mark, Safe. Think. Kick. Mark. And always set to defend the ball if it’s turned over.
We called the dismantling of St Kilda as football’s equivalent of a professional assassination.
Last night was even more sadistic in its execution.
In essence, the Cats strangled Port Adelaide and it remains to be seen if any mental scarring comes from Friday night.
They’re a good team, Port Adelaide, but as we sit here Geelong is the best team.
It was their fifth game in 19 days and the return was four wins and a loss to West Coast by nine points.
The drums clearly are beating menacingly.
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Originally published as Robbo: Geelong stake claim as flag favourite after dissecting Port Adelaide, Tom Hawkins ‘Lockett-esque’