CATS HANG ON TO SOLID 11 POINT WIN OVER HAWKS
Anthony Jensen 27 July 2008

By Anthony Jensen An exuberant crowd of 86,179 flocked to a brisk MCG for the Friday night clash between top of the ladder Geelong and third-placed Hawthorn. The rugged-up fans rode a rollercoaster match which was well worth the build-up since these sides last met in Round 4, 2007. Despite leading at every change and coming away 11 point winners, the end result doesn’t come close to telling the story of this close encounter for the Cats.

Geelong faithful coming in on the V-Line express were worried to hear over the wireless that key backman Darren Milburn was a late withdrawal with a suspected virus, replaced by David Johnson coming off some fine form in the VFL. Whilst still confident, the Cats side now lacked 3 all-Australians in Gary Ablett, Cameron Ling and Milburn as well as in form David “Wojac” Wojcinski and looked far more vulnerable.

The match began with a tight contest all over the ground as both teams appeared to struggle with the dewy conditions. Andrew Mackie lined up on Lance Franklin, but Matthew Scarlett had the job for most of the match.

Mathew Stokes gained the first major after a Cam Mooney contest after almost 7 minutes of play. This was quickly followed by a reply from Buddy Franklin who looked dangerous whenever he went near the pill and would finish with 4 goals and the customary 5 behinds to remain at the top of the goal-kicking (77) and behind-kicking (61) leader boards. Geelong wasted some chances but took a comfortable 19 point lead into quarter time.

The second term saw the Hawks surge with Franklin drawing the ball to him, but often hard up on the boundary adding to kicking difficulty. Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell had 23 touches to half time and was among the best for his side, amassing hard ball gets and clearances inside 50 to key forwards like Jarryd Roughead. Joel Selwood once again stood up to lead the midfielders with effective possessions, while Jimmy Bartel was busy adding to his 9 touches gained in the first quarter.

Ryan “Vegas” Gamble, as dubbed by the vibrant lady in Row R, put his body on the line for his team and copped a bone-crunching knock in the goal square, earning a rest on the bench. At this stage Paul Chapman also headed to the pine after suffering a hamstring injury that could see him out for a couple. After an inaccurate term for the Cats with 7 behinds, they held on to a 17 point lead.

Hawthorn really put the foot down in the 3rd term, due in no small part to the aerobatic heroics of Cyril Rioli and Campbell Brown who made an uncommon venture into the forward line and finished with 2 goals. Buddy continued to prove too much for Scarlett on the lead with 3 strong marks in minutes, his inaccuracy the only saving grace for a backline under siege.

With Geelong’s lead being whittled to just 4 points at the outset of the final period, a Mark Williams goal 35 seconds in had Hawks fans up and about with a taste of potential victory. But after a Bartel goal from outside 50m and a James Kelly “don’t argue” and quick pass setting up another, the visiting side regained their confidence and their slight lead.

The last few minutes were tense and frantic for both sides. Hawthorn forced errors during Geelong kick-ins, with one tackle from young Rioli on Jared Rooke forcing an errant handball straight to Franklin who easily converted. But a final screamer and goal by the one and only Steve Johnson assured an 11 point victory and quashed any rumours that Geelong weren’t the best side going around.

At Telstra Dome next Saturday Geelong face Richmond who are pushing for a spot in the 8. All-Australian full back Matthew Scarlett will play his 200th game of AFL after 11 seasons with the club, while the Cats hope to have Gary Ablett back from his ankle injury.