Cats hope to claw Hawks’ wings

FRESH off a thrilling victory in South Australia, the Cats will aim to continue its strong start to the year against the Hawks on Easter Monday.

The annual fixture between the two sides is sure to garner the attention of the footy world, as two heavyweights of the competition go at it for four premiership points.

Geelong came back from 30 points down in Round 5 to defeat the Adelaide Crows by 19 points in its Gather Round matchup.

Jeremy Cameron and Patrick Dangerfield were at their best for the Cats, combining for eight goals in a dominant display.

Bailey Smith and Max Holmes led the midfield, amassing 35 and 32 disposals respectively, while Tom Atkins also received plaudits from coach Chris Scott, who added he was rapt with his team’s fight.

“We were pretty confident that four rounds in, [Adelaide] are one of the best teams in it at the moment. They’ve been pretty hot. Especially the way they attack, they’re a real threat,” he said.

“It was good for us to play on that stage, in a really hot environment. It was finals-like.

“We were confident we’d be running hard at the end of the game.”

This Monday’s opponent Hawthorn is coming off its first loss of the season, a 30-point one to Port Adelaide.

Geelong will need to fire all over the field if it is to come out victors.

“It’s a privilege to play in these sorts of occasions,” Scott said.

“Our next game is Easter Monday and it’s a Geelong home game and there’ll be over 90,000 people there.

“That’s pretty cool for Connor O’Sullivan and Mitch Knevitt to think about.”

The match begins at 3.20pm and will be live on Seven and Kayo Sports.