Geelong v Hawthorn: All the news, intel and key takeaways from pre-season practice match
There was plenty to learn about both sides when the Cats and Hawks clashed on Monday afternoon. Check out the key takeaways, centre bounce attendance stats and more here.
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Big-name recruit Bailey Smith came to Kardinia Park with plenty of anticipation and his first appearance in Cats colours certainly justified the hype – even though it was just over a half of footy.
Smith hadn’t played a competitive game since round 23, 2023 after his knee reconstruction but he showed no signs of rust, bringing his own Sherrin in Geelong’s 16-point scratch match win over Hawthorn at GMHBA Stadium.
Cheers erupted from the crowd on the well-populated near side every time the former Bulldog got the ball in the early stages, but they grew tired by midway through the first term.
There were no official stats kept in this match simulation but the former Bulldog would have had at least 10 possessions in the first quarter alone – including a one-handed grab and a passage where he gathered three disposals with his streaming run.
Few players can pull off a big white headband, and Smith showed he has the flare to match the look with his blistering burst as he played primarily on-ball with stints on the wing and half-forward.
Geelong showed a desire to go quick in transition and Smith looks set to give them a boost in this area in particular.
Smith combined nicely with Max Holmes, who put in an emphatic performance as a pure midfielder, as the Cats impressed with their run and gun game and their defensive structure behind the ball.
But Geelong was well beaten at stoppages throughout the contest.
Hawthorn playmaker Will Day shrugged off-season collarbone surgery with a dominant display through the midfield and up forward, kicking two goals and missing a couple more chances on goal.
Day was sidelined for Hawthorn’s finals run last year and this outing suggests he is primed to go to another level in 2025.
His partners in crime in reigning Crimmins medallist Jai Newcombe and James Worpel also ran rampant. Renowned for their inside ball-winning, the pair both showed greater damage with their disposal throughout the match.
POSITIONAL CHANGE
Geelong looked as if it was robbing Peter to pay Paul last season as it switched Holmes from defence and the midfield, but when the whips were cracking in the finals it was the speedster who was there in the centre square.
The Carji Greeves medallist didn’t leave the midfield against Hawthorn and was Geelong’s clear best player, with a running intercept mark and streaming goal the highlight.
Cats tall Sam De Koning rucked for the majority of the first half and had some good moments, including a strong pack mark, but the jury is out on him as a pure ruckman.
He turned heads late last year with 20 disposals and two goals against Lloyd Meek in his newfound ruck role, but the Hawthorn big man had the better of him on this occasion.
De Koning played the second half in defence with uncapped ruckman Mitch Edwards and then Rhys Stanley – who came on in the final term — also coming up against Meek and Ned Reeves.
Having played mostly on a wing to start his career, 193 centimetre Cat Mitch Knevitt was unleashed as a full-time midfielder and continued his opening round push after a bumper pre-season.
He showcased his rare speed for a player his size with a desperate rundown tackle on the wing.
Exciting Hawthorn youngster Josh Weddle was forced into a variety different of roles last season due to injuries and he had a say in attack against the Cats, kicking a goal and clunking a big mark overhead.
Swingman Blake Hardwick moved between defence and up forward as he did often last season, while Sicily played primarily in defence despite Hawthorn being short of tall forwards.
SULLY SHINES
Connor O’Sullivan played just the one game for the Cats in his debut season but the 198 centimetre key defender appears destined for more opportunity.
O’Sullivan started the game for the Cats over premiership veterans Jake Kolodjashnij and Mitch Duncan – who came on at halftime – and floated forward to kick the second goal of the match.
The 2023 first-round draftee’s leap was eye-catching, taking a few strong marks overhead.
O'Sullivan told this masthead last week he has tried to build his strength and power over the off-season and he looks to have improved both of these areas.
At the other end Seamus Mitchell provided bounce out of defence, using his penetrating kick and speed to great effect.
Two-game Hawk Bailey Macdonald, who was sidelined for the entire 2024 season with bone stress in his femur, also showed his electrifying run at stages in the second half.
Barwon Heads bolter Oli Wiltshire – plucked from local footy by the Cats in the 2023 draft – showed he has some tricks with a nice dribble goal in the final term.
Edwards doesn’t quite have the strength to compete with the premier rucks in the competition but he showed how much he has come on this pre-season in his half of gametime.
BARRASS-LESS DEFENCE EXPOSED
The first half highlighted why the Hawks went after intercept king Tom Barrass during the trade period.
The former Eagle missed the match after having his wedding late last week, and the Hawks defence was exposed in the first half in his absence.
New recruit Josh Battle, who went off looking sore late in the contest, captain James Sicily and youngster Jai Serong were forced to match up on Jeremy Cameron, Shannon Neale and Ollie Henry (four goals).
Inaccurate kicking saved the Hawks in the end as the Cats scored a wayward 6.13 in the first half.
Ex-Saint Battle was solid in his first display as a Hawk, using his vision to take a nice intercept mark early in the game as well as selling candy on the wing in another play.
DANGER THE FORWARD?
Patrick Dangerfield remained one of Geelong’s most important midfielders in 2024 with his absence felt throughout the season.
The Brownlow medallist, who turns 35 in April, only played the first half before completing sprint work, but he did not attend a centre bounce as Holmes, Knevitt, Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes formed the basis of their midfield.
Will we see this forward shift continue during the season?
With the wizard Nick Watson out of action for Hawthorn, it was tagger Finn Maginness who filled the void as a lively small forward.
Now wearing the No.20 worn by his father Scott, Finn kicked two clever crumbing goals in the first half and found a good amount of the footy around the ground.
ONE TO WATCH
Hawthorn has plenty of grunt in the midfield and Cam Mackenzie has the tools to be the icing on the cake for the Hawks’ on-ball brigade.
Mackenzie’s poise stood, particularly in several plays early when he dodged and weaved through tacklers as he pleased and hit targets lace out.
The No.7 pick from the 2022 draft averaged 15 touches last season and was sidelined during the finals series with a hamstring injury.
Don’t be surprised if he makes a name for himself alongside Day, Newcombe and Worpel in 2025.
HAWKS EMBRACE THE CHASE
Hawthorn has embraced the challenge of moving into the “top echelon” of the competition and is conscious of the notion it is standing at the bottom of the mountain yet again.
The Hawks jumped from 16th in 2023 to sixth on the ladder last year and after a competitive hitout against Geelong on Monday – its first against an opposition team for the summer – Hawthorn assistant coach David Hale said the firebrand team would be relishing the added pressure to perform this season.
“If you want to be a good team, you’ve got to play in front of big crowds and expect pressure,” he said.
“We’ve spoken as a group … the step from 16th to 6th is one thing, but getting from 6th to 1st is another thing.
“We want to get to that part of the ladder and play the big games when it matters in September.”
The Hawks won an elimination final against the Western Bulldogs last year before they were narrowly rolled by Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in a semi-final, and are hotly tipped to be a firm contender in 2025.
“We expect to improve as well,” Hale said.
“Expectation comes with wanting to finish higher on the ladder. Our young group’s not shying away from wanting to get to that part of the top echelon of teams, and this is just a step towards this season getting into that rung. We’re pushing to get there and these young guys are driving the standards.”
Electric midfielder Will Day showed what he could produce off the back of his first uninterrupted preseason, finding plenty of the ball and hitting the scoreboard at GMHBA Stadium.
“He’s had a good summer,” Hale said.
“I think he’s touched on it being the first full preseason he’s had and he looked the player that we know he’s going to be. He’s dynamic inside, he kicked a couple of goals, which is something we want him to do a bit more of.
“Getting through the game with him is a positive.”
Defenders Changkuoth Jiath and Luke Breust did not play, nor did livewire forward Nick Watson.
Jarman Impey and Karl Amon sat out after featuring in the indigenous All-Stars game while recruit Tom Barrass did not play after getting married on Friday.
All are expected to feature in the Hawks’ official practice match against the Western Bulldogs at UTAS Stadium next Thursday.
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