Neil Balme swipe at Sam Mitchell stokes Geelong-Hawthorn rivalry

GEELONG football manager Neil Balme has taken a cheeky swipe at Hawthorn star Sam Mitchell, setting a fiery scene for Round 1 next season.

Sam Mitchell

GEELONG football manager Neil Balme has taken a cheeky swipe at Hawthorn midfielder Sam Mitchell, helping set a fiery scene for their Round 1 opener next season.

Geelong will try to extend its dominant run over Hawthorn when it shoots for a 10th straight win against the Hawks in their traditional Easter Monday clash.

In the middle of this year’s finals series, Mitchell said he was keen to play the Cats in September, confident they could finally end the hoodoo.

“I would have liked to have played Geelong and get a win because it would have got all the talk about that stuff away,” Mitchell said.

But Balme hit back this morning, ensuring the rivalry will continue to simmer in the lead-up to their season-opener.

“What, they wanted to get beaten again?” Balme said on SEN.

“I wouldn’t normally make comments about what is likely to happen in a game, but it’s kind of overwhelming.

“Most times when Geelong plays Hawthorn, Geelong seems to win. I’m not making that up - apart from the Grand Final.”

Full Round 1 fixture revealed

The Hawks last beat Geelong in the 2008 Grand Final.

The Cats were knocked out by Fremantle in the first week of the finals series, but have added three senior players in the trade period.

Midfielder Josh Caddy, ruckman Hamish McIntosh and defender Jared Rivers have joined Geelong.

The Hawks have picked up former Bulldog Brian Lake but lost Clinton Young to Collingwood and Tom Murphy to Gold Coast.