Tom Hawkins kicks five goals in 250th game to inspire Geelong to 27-point victory over Sydney
Tom Hawkins produced a 250th game to remember, booting five goals to inspire Geelong to a 27-point victory over Sydney on Sunday.
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Swans coach John Longmire says the remainder of the campaign is a crucial journey of discovery for his young side after they fell away in a defeat by ladder leaders Geelong at the SCG yesterday.
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The home side started brightly but the Cats took control to eventually run out winners 16.11 (107) to 12.8 (80) in front of 32,911 fans.
Visiting coach Chris Scott believes the Swans are better than their position on the ladder suggests but his counterpart says his team simply has to ‘find a way’.
And they’ll have to find it without young forward Will Hayward, Longmire revealing the player’s season is over following hip surgery. On the plus side ruckman Sam Naismith came through his return game unscathed in the reserves and could yet be an option for Saturday’s derby against the Giants. Lance Franklin is running but remains ‘at least a couple of weeks away’ according to Longmire.
In a match which saw the Cats’ Tom Hawkins celebrate his 250 game milestone with five goals, the Swans started brightly but couldn’t sustain their early pressure.
FALLING AWAY
“Our effort in the first half was a pretty high standard and we were right in it,” Longmire said. “We just fell away in the contest in the second half. We just dropped away.
“They’ve (Geelong) probably 40 games on average more experience than us. But we’ve got to learn to be able to compete with that, regardless of the differential in experience, we just have to make sure we find a way.
“Part of it (the learning process) is you’ve got to play four quarters. They were able to sustain it for longer than us.
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“We’re finding out (about the players). There’s always a balance between throwing blokes around and settling them down and giving them confidence. We’re still finding out about our team. It’s an important phase what we’re doing now, finding out about our team, players finding out about themselves. We need to make sure we continue to be competitive in the process of that.”
HAWKINS ON FIRE
The visitors started the second quarter in impressive fashion, two quick goals from Esava Ratugolea and Patrick Dangerfield bringing Geelong level. Then a real seesaw battle for the advantage. Josh Kennedy swiftly restored the lead for the Swans only for Hawkins to reply. Heeney responded and suddenly all level at 34 points apiece. Ronke made no mistake and the lead was back out to six.
“They’ve used all the options, they haven’t just bombed to (the absent) Buddy,” Wayne Carey said of the Swans use of their forwards on Triple M commentary.
The Swans were proving effective in keeping Gary Ablett very quiet, the Geelong man with only a couple of disposals as the main break approached. But keeping Hawkins quiet was not so easy and the milestone man soon had three from distance to level it up again.
Kelly led the way for the visitors with 16 disposals in the opening half, Dangerfield (13), Joel Selwood (12) just behind.
Jake Lloyd and Zak Jones (15 and 14 respectively) were best for the Swans with the former also gaining 365 metres in the opening half.
The Swans also enjoyed the advantage in inside 50s (26 to 21).
SCOTT’S PLEASURE
Geelong coach Chris Scott was delighted to secure an important win for his side, results on Saturday having seen two other sides draw level with the Cats at the top.
“We were well aware Sydney’s form over the last four or five weeks had been pretty solid. We certainly didn’t buy into the idea that the ladder position reflected what they could do,” he said.
“I thought it was a better performance from us than we’ve displayed in the last month. “Overall it was a good shift around the contest.”
Swans co-captain Josh Kennedy had warned it was a big test for the home side as the visitors boasted ‘class all over the park’.
And when push came to shove, the Cats just had too much for their hosts.
Hawkins (five goals), Tim Kelly (31 disposals), Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan all shone for the visiting side. Zac Smith won the hit-outs contest (35 to 10 against Hayden McLean).
Jordan Dawson (3), Isaac Heeney (3) and Ben Ronke (2) hit the scoreboard for the home side with Luke Parker (29) and Kennedy (28) leading the way for disposals. But it simply wasn’t enough.
OLLIE’S PAIN, BEN’S GAIN
The home side suffered a pre-match blow with Ollie Florent ruled out with a hip flexor problem and that opened the door to Ronke. He wasted no time in seizing his chance as he crashed over the Swans first goal in the seventh minute. It was an opening quarter that also delivered an acrobatic six-pointer from the impressive Jordan Dawson with Tom Papley adding a third.
But from the first break, it was the visitors who took control and despite a late flurry from the Swans in the final quarter, which included a double from Heeney, the gap — both on the field and on the scoreboard — proved too great to bridge.
CATS TAKE CONTROL
Hawkins collected his fourth of the afternoon as the third quarter began. Ronke appeared to clip the inside of the post when it looked easier to roll the ball through and a big chance was spurned as Geelong kept their noses in front. The Swans were struggling to make any impression on the scoreboard as the third period progressed.
In contrast, the Cats converted when it mattered, Dangerfield and Mitch Duncan pouncing to kick the visitors out to a 27-point lead in a dominant quarter for the Cats.
LOOK AGAIN
Dawson’s effort at the start of the fourth was reviewed and was duly given after umpire’s call. Gap back to 16 points. Not for long. Bang. Number five for Hawkins. Then Dangerfield pounced and it was out to 29 points and goodnight. Heeney refused to give up though, bagging a late double. But the Cats roared home to hit the 100 goal mark and finish in style.
SCOREBOARD
SYDNEY 3.3 6.5 7.6 12.8 (80)
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GEELONG 1.1 6.5 10.10 16.11 (107)
GOALS
Swans: Dawson 3, Heeney 3, Ronke 2, Papley, Kennedy, Blakey, Parker
Cats: Hawkins 5, Clark 2, Dangerfield 2, Duncan 2, Ratugolea, S.Selwood, J.Selwood, Parsons, Atkins
BEST
Swans: Kennedy, Dawson, Mills, Lloyd, Parker, Heeney
Cats: Hawkins, Duncan, J.Selwood, Kelly, Dangerfield, O’Connor
VOTES
3 — Tom Hawkins
2 — Mitch Duncan
1 — Josh Kennedy
INJURIES
Swans: Oliver Florent (hip flexor) replaced in selected side by Ben Ronke
Cats: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Power, Margetts, Hosking
Official crowd: 32,911 at the SCG
Originally published as Tom Hawkins kicks five goals in 250th game to inspire Geelong to 27-point victory over Sydney