Geelong put the AFL on notice with demolition job on Hawthorn

The reigning premiers endured a horror start to the season, but one quarter showed why they’re a serious force to be reckoned with.

MELBOURNE. 10/04/2023. AFL. Round 4. Geelong vs Hawthorn at the MCG. Jeremy Cameron hugs Tom Hawkins after Hawkins gave a handball to Tyson Stengle for an easy goal. Pic: Michael Klein

The reigning premiers only needed one quarter to remind the AFL world why they’re a serious force of nature.

After starting the season 0-3, Geelong entered the Easter Monday contest against Hawthorn desperate for a win.

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Things looked ugly in the opening half as it was the Hawks who dictated the terms of the contest and held a nine-point lead at the main break.

Then came the premiership quarter the Cats not only flipped the script, they went absolutely nuclear against their long-time rival.

The Cats went goal crazy as they slammed home 10 unanswered goals to go from being nine-points down to 56 points up at three-quarter time.

Tom Hawkins, Jeremy Cameron, Brad Close and Ollie Henry led the way in front of goal, each slotting two during the dominant period.

CODE Sports’ Daniel Cherny noted the third-quarter dominance was the biggest quarter in the AFL since 2013.

“Geelong 10.5 65 to Hawthorn 0.0.0 in Q3 was the biggest margin in a quarter of an AFL game since Richmond 11.5.71 to GWS 0.1.1 in Q2 of Rd 22,2013,” he tweeted.

Geelong Q3: +57 disposals, +23 contested possessions, +21 inside 50s, +15 scoring shots, +10 clearances. These are all hosings across a full game, let alone a single quarter. #AFLCatsHawks

— Rudi Edsall (@RudiEdsall) April 10, 2023

The Cats however didn’t take their foot off the gas as they kicked five goals in the final term to record the 82-point victory.

Hawthorn started the contest like a house on fire as they slotted the opening three goals of the game.

But after kicking the opening two goals of the second quarter, the latter coming through Karl Amon with a little over five minutes gone, they failed to kick their sixth goal until halfway through the fourth quarter.

The brutal nature of the demolition job from the Cats saw the Hawks only impact the scoreboard a handful of times in the second half, adding a measly nine points to their tally.

Jeremy Cameron produced his most dominant display of the season, ending the contest with seven goals to his name. Eclipsing the output from Hawthorn.

The win pushes the Cats from last place on the ladder all the way up to 13th and only one game outside of the top eight.

The best player in the comp? Pic: Michael Klein

Hawthorn left fans and commentators scratching their heads in the second quarter when a sign was displayed on their bench.

Displayed on the cardboard was a bowl of noodles with chopsticks hanging above with a noodle dangling.

Instant bemusement took over the commentary box with Brian Taylor and Luke Hodge having absolutely no idea what it meant.

“I’ve seen some signs this year, but chopsticks and noodles beats them all,” Taylor said on Channel 7’s coverage.

“I’ve got no idea,” Hodge added.

They weren’t alone with the official AFL account tweeting: “Any ideas what this sign means?” while Channel 7’s AFL account tweeted in a similar vein with: “What could this sign mean?”

Fans speculated over what the sign could possibly mean with differing opinions being thrown around.

Many believed the sign was referencing two minute noodles and trying to tell the team how long was left in the quarter. Unfortunately there was well over six minutes on the clock.

Others believed the reference was correct but it instead meant to hold the ball and slow the game down for two minutes.

Some simply believed it was the club passing along what was going to be on the menu for the players when they went into the rooms at halftime.

Originally published as Geelong put the AFL on notice with demolition job on Hawthorn