Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney has predicted Geelong could go all the way this year suggesting the Cats Cats are too strong across the park. While Cats coach Chris Scott has shut down claims Hawthorn rely too heavily on Jai Newcombe ahead of their preliminary final grudge match.
Heeney and the Swans were shock omissions from the AFL finals in 2025 having made the grand final last year, where they lost to the Brisbane Lions. And in their absence, Heeney has offered his thoughts on who will win the comp with four teams left.
Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney has predicted Geelong to go all the way this year over Collingwood, while Cats coach Chris Scott (pictured left) has shut down claims Hawthorn rely too heavily on Jai Newcombe.
Geelong are set to host Hawthorn on Friday in another chapter to their fierce rivalry. And Heeney feels Geelong have the tools to go all the way in 2025. Speaking on SEN Radio, the 2025 All-Australian star claimed Geelong will get the win over Hawthorn on Friday, before defeating the Lions or Collingwood in the final.
“I can’t see Geelong losing, to be honest,” Heeney told SEN Radio on Friday. “I think they’re just so balanced all over the park. “I don’t know, I like watching them play.”
Isaac Heeney has predicted the Cats will win the AFL premiership.
While he felt Scott’s team will go all the way in 2025, he felt the Brownlow Medal winner will come from Collingwood. And it will be the heavy favourite Nick Daicos. “I think it’s a three-horse race, but I reckon Nick Daicos gets it,” Heeney added.
“I think Bailey Smith and Noah Anderson are right up there, but I think they lose too many votes to other guns in their team. There’s Max Holmes and Jeremy Cameron will take a few as well (off Smith). Then Matt Rowell will take a few as well (off Anderson).
“So, Nick Daicos will take it out.” While Heeney believes Geelong are too strong across the park, Cats coach Scott has warned his team not to get too focused on Hawthorn superstar Newcombe in their clash.
Isaac Heeney (pictured) has predicted Geelong to win the 2025 AFL premiership.
Geelong set to tag Jai Newcombe in prelim final
Newcombe has been in sensational form for Hawthorn in 2025 with the midfielder also reserving some of his best footy for the finals. Scott could deploy Oisin Mullin to tag Newcombe during the clash, which has been a tactic used by Geelong. However, Scott feels his team shouldn’t purely focus on Newcombe with Hawthorn boasting a number of strong players.
“When you’re at this time of year against the best teams, they’ve all got good midfields,” Scott said ahead of the game. “Whoever the bottom four couple of teams are, they’ve got stars in there as well.
“Jai’s part of that for them (Hawthorn), but he’s not the whole picture. I look at them in the way they’ve evolved, and they’re quite complete. A lot of teams are realising, if you just rely on one or two players and they get shut down, you’re in big trouble. I don’t think the Hawks are in that category, but you’d have to be not watching to think Newcombe’s been good for them.”
Geelong coach Chris Scott Scott could deploy Oisin Mullin to tag Jai Newcombe during their clash.
Hawthorn and Geelong have not played against each other in an elimination game since the 2013 finals clash. The match saw Hawthorn reel in a 20-point three-quarter-time deficit to reach the grand final. The teams have won one game each in qualifying finals since that clash.
Scott admitted it wasn’t hard to get the players up for the grudge match with fans already building the momentum. “I reckon the fans should be completely out of their skin when it comes to this game,” he said. “You could hardly script it better. I would just feel inauthentic for me to say ‘hey boys, try a bit hard this week because it’s the Hawks’.”