Another edition of footy\u2019s great rivalry between Hawthorn and Geelong headlines Easter Monday at the MCG.<\/p>\n
Who comes away with the choccies?<\/p>\n
Follow the action live.<\/p>\n
HT: ANOTHER EASTER MONDAY EPIC IN THE WORKS<\/p>\n
We might just have another Hawks-Cats classic on our hands.<\/p>\n
After some dreadful footy this weekend, the frenetic second term of the hotly anticipated clash was a joy to watch \u2013 and perhaps the best quarter of the season to date.<\/p>\n
The ball pinged from end-to-end and momentum see-sawed between the two sides, the Cats getting out of jail late in the term and slotting two goals in the last minute \u2013 including an after-the-siren finish from Shannon Neale – to take a nine-point lead into halftime.<\/p>\n
The Cats burst out of the blocks at the start of the quarter with three goals in six minutes, but the Hawks hit back with three goals of their own.<\/p>\n
After a quiet first quarter, Nick Watson produced some magic with two goals and a goal assist, the highlight a cracking finish at speed on his non-preferred left in the pocket.<\/p>\n
Jack Gunston has also given the Cats defence headaches and should have more than two goals to his name.<\/p>\n
Inclusion Jack Bowes (two goals), Ollie Henry (two goals, two goal assists) and Oli Wiltshire and have given the Cats plenty of spark up forward, while Bailey Smith (20 disposals and 64 SuperCoach points) is on for another monster possession tally. <\/p>\n
QT: HAWKS GET JUMP EARLY<\/p>\n
Hawthorn dominated the first term but was unable to put it on the scoreboard, keeping Geelong in the contest with an eight-point lead at quarter-time.<\/p>\n
The footy was in the Hawthorn\u2019s forward half for 70 per cent of the first 17 minutes, and they had seven of the first eight clearances.<\/p>\n
However, the Cats were able to make the Hawks pay down the other end as the Hawks missed gettable chances \u2013 most notably Mabior Chol\u2019s shocking shank out on the full.<\/p>\n
Ginni Easter Monday goal<\/p>\n
Hawthorn\u2019s transition out of the back-half has been electric and if it weren\u2019t for Tom Stewart\u2019s heroics, the Cats would be in a lot more trouble.<\/p>\n
Bailey Smith and Josh Ward (both 12 disposals) have found plenty of the Sherrin but Nick Watson (two disposals) has been well held by Cats stopper Oisin Mullin so far.<\/p>\n
Hawks debutants Jack Dalton (four disposals) and Flynn Perez (two disposals, four tackles) \u2013 who was split open by a high Brad Close tackle – have shown some good signs early. <\/p>\n
PRE-GAME: CATS IN BUTTERS RACE<\/p>\n
Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking says the Cats are among the clubs in the Zak Butters race, conceding that the current player movement market may force a change to their frugal list management philosophy.<\/p>\n
Butters is the most in-demand free agent in the competition with the Port Adelaide stand-in captain coming out of contract at the end of the season.<\/p>\n
Asked on the odds of Butters playing at Geelong next year, Hocking told 3AW: \u201cI\u2019m not a betting man, and we don\u2019t often talk about our list management. But happy to acknowledge we are one of a host of clubs that would have some interest in a player of that level.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you would across a number of players that would be available.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hocking said times have changed since the salary sacrifices that were adopted under former Geelong chief executive Brian Cook, a foundation of their success during the 21st century.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am fortunate enough to be around when the likes of Neale Balme and Brian Cook were part of it, we used to sit down with the likes of Tom Harley, Cameron Ling and Corey Enright often,\u201d Hocking said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that baton has been passed on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t just go \u2018Okay, someone might be available to us, let\u2019s now talk about that person\u2019, we are talking all the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been notoriously discerning as far as what our spend is.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the market has changed so we have to recognise that as well… But for us we look after the people we have on our list currently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bailey Smith is an example of that, with the Cats star in talks to have his salary increased across his deal after an All-Australian campaign last season.<\/p>\n
Hocking said this stemmed from mutual conversations between the Cats and Smith\u2019s management group.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been some commentary around potentially Bailey getting an uplift, that\u2019s an example of what we do. He\u2019s front and centre of it, but there are other players who have gained uplifts over the past couple of years too,\u201d Hocking said. <\/p>\n