AFL Round 2 – Hawthorn v Geelong: Hawks run out of steam, Barnstable runs out of daylight.

by Josh Barnstable

I have a theory on Easter Mondays. After a solid day of eating chocolate the day before, you get the day off Monday to work off all the weight you may or may not have put on. Anyway, as it seems hot outside, I’ll put this off for later on.

The blockbuster game at the MCG begins and with Chance Bateman, Cyril Rioli and Lance Franklin returning to the Hawthorn line-up, I give the Hawks a big chance of knocking off the premiers. Sam Mitchell sneaks forward and takes an uncontested mark to slot the first of the day, before Franklin snaps a goal after a great run by Rioli. Rioli then gets a goal of his own after a great chase down and earning the free kick. Jarryd Roughead takes a good mark and kicks the goal, and Hawthorn have jumped out to a 23 point lead. Shannon Byrnes finally puts through Geelong’s first after Mitch Duncan kicked the opening two behinds. Cameron Ling snaps a high goal from a pack, almost the carbon-copy of the goal he kicked last week against Essendon. Duncan shows great ball-handling skills to snap his first of his AFL career before Roughead and Luke Hodge get goals to take the margin back out to 20 points. Cameron Mooney marks and goals on the siren to reduce the margin at the first break to 14 points, 6.4 to 4.2.

The second quarter begins and Chance Bateman gathers and kicks a long running goal, before Mooney marks and goals. Dad comes into my room to question a commentating mistake made about Campbell Brown, and while this is happening Michael Osborne slotted through a nice goal from the boundary line. Jarryd Morton capitalizes on the unselfishness of Roughead, kicking his first to take the margin out to 23. At the main break the Hawks lead by 24, 9.9 to a wasteful 5.9. I have a feeling I’ve seen the same kind of game been played before.

The second half starts and Mooney gets things going with the first two goals, pumping up the Cats and the crowd. Roughead marks and goals, before Byrnes snaps his second. Roughead again marks on the lead and puts through his fourth. Duncan kicks a composed goal and then a terrific strong mark to Brad Ottens saw a goal and the margin slashed to four at the last break, 11.10 to 10.12.

The final quarter was set to be a ripper, and that’s what I anticipated. Johnson gave Geelong the lead after Ottens again took a great contested mark before handballing to Johnson, who coolly slotted the major. Morton went forward and kicked his second, before Buddy marked on the lead before thumping through one of his trademark goals, followed by his trademark celebration, Hawthorn leading by two goals. Harry Taylor intercepted a pass though, and kicked his first. Paul Chapman took a great mark over the top of Byrnes and slotted the goal to put Geelong in front, and then Byrnes tackled Bateman, earning the free kick and kicking the sealing goal. It wasn’t quite the finish everyone expected, but still thrilling nonetheless, 14.16.100 to 13.13.91.

A great finish to Round 2, with two thrillers at the MCG for the round. The Hawks may have been the better team on the day, but the Cats, as they usually do, pipped them at the post to score the win that seemed unlikely in the first 15 minutes of the game. Well, as for me, I’m off to go exercise. Oh no the sun’s down, bloody Daylight Savings, already stuffing my mind up.

Hawthorn 6.4—9.9—11.10—13.13.91

Geelong 4.2—5.9—10.12—14.16.100

Goalkickers:

Hawthorn-Roughead 4, Morton 2, Franklin 2, Osborne, Hodge, Mitchell, Rioli, Bateman

Geelong-Mooney 4, Byrnes 3, Duncan 2, Ling, Chapman, Johnson, Taylor, Ottens

Best:

Hawthorn-Mitchell, Bateman, Hodge, Renouf, Ellis, Roughead

Geelong-Bartel, Byrnes, Corey, Chapman, Ablett, Mooney, Ottens, Enright

Crowd:

68,628 at the MCG

Votes:

3: Jimmy Bartel (G)

2: Sam Mitchell (H)

1: Shannon Byrnes (G)

About Josh Barnstable

21 year old North Melbourne supporter from country Victoria. Currently living in Melbourne studying a Bachelor of Sports Media. Dreams of becoming a sports journalist and broadcaster.

Comments

  1. Steve Healy says

    I can’t get my head around how you do these reports so quickly, hahaha just kidding.

    I don’t believe in that chocolate theory, Easter Monday is purely for footy (and it doesn’t affect me because I never put on weight).

    I listened to most of the game and watched bits and pieces. I regret going to my grandma’s house, I was too tired.

  2. Steve Healy says

    By the way, JOHN Barnstable, nice piece.

    I wonder if John Butler had anything to do with that

  3. 1: I was going to text you back this afternoon Healy but I forgot lol.

    2: John Barnstable? He died a few weeks ago.

    To be fair, this game was live in the country so I finished the report as the game would have been ending for you city people.

  4. Damian Watson says

    Great report John Barnstable,

    What was the commentating mistake?

    A great character building victory for the Cats.

    I found Roughead to lead up the ground presenting more often while for the vast majority of the match Buddy Franklin stood back in the square, it was clear which player had more of an impact.

  5. At one stage in the second quarter, one of the commentators said Campbell Brown had only one handball for the match, but he had kicked a behind in the first quarter from just inside 50.

  6. Can’t agree Hawthorn were the better team for the day. As the Hawthorn blokes behind me put it: “Geelong was a 10-goal better team in the second half … they were always going to win it.”

    Hawthorn smashed us in the first half, but even then – 1.7 in the second quarter was the only thing that kept us from tacking a comfortable lead into the main break. The second half was all Geelong, but again inaccuracy just left the game in the balance longer than it needed to be.

    Byrnes is gonna play a big part in Geelong’s premiership defence. 8 scoring shots last week, 5 this week. 12 score assists last week, and he would’ve added to the tally. His tackling has always been great, but has lifted. And he’s getting more possessions. He’ll be this year’s surprise packet.

    Harry Taylor is going to be the defender to watch this year. Absolutely fantastic marking ability, and didn’t even flinch when Buddy ran into him full-bore in the first quarter. If you can stand up to a Buddy bump, and not concede any ground, I officially dub you the greatest defender in the land ;-)

    Gary Ablett was disgraceful, though. Makes me feel sorry for Fremantle. He will cop a battering in the media this week, and come out all guns blazing. After this performance, you can all but lock him in for a 45-possession, 6-goal game next week.

  7. Richard Naco says

    It’s becoming a tad de rigeur for these games that Hawthorn kicks the most amazing and memorable goals, but Geelong inevitably kicks more – although obviously less spactacular – majors.

    Hawks fans can cherish their memories. The Pivot’ll just make do with the win.

    Again.

    :lol: ;)

  8. Peter Flynn says

    Josh,

    Well done on getting a report up so quickly.

    In the 60’s and 70’s, you would have got a job with The Sporting Globe.

    This famous paper used to come out on a Saturday night not long after the final siren.

    I thought Harry Taylor was close to Geelong’s best.

    Cool, assured, great judgement on whether to punch or mark, poised and precise with his kicking.

    Little Gazza got caught a couple of times and floated the odd kick. This is nit-picking.

    Geelong could run out of gas in Perth on Sunday. That was a tough game today.

  9. Thanks Peter. I’d love to work at the Herald Sun, in the country we don’t get any information of the Saturday night games in the Sunday paper since they have to ship off all the newspapers earlier to get to the country, therefor not leaving enough time for a match report to be wrote on the night games.

    I generally hate Ablett and found myself cheering when Peterson and Rioli tackled him after trying to take them on, he played selfishly today and you know what that means. GC here he comes.

    Susie, I was really feeling for you in the last quarter when the Hawks got back out to a 12 point lead, although I would have loved to see Hawthorn win, nothing like seeing Geelong lose.

  10. Dang, that sucks about the newspapers.

    I keep forgetting Hawks got a two-goal lead halfway through the last quarter – it didn’t phase me. The whole game, not once did I get panicky. Not even when they got the first 4 goals of the game.

    Geelong were always going to win, I could just tell.

    Not so sure about next week’s game, though. Much of it rests on Ablett. If he plays the game history shows he will play, then we’ll be right. But Freo have had a dream start to the season. But will this form endure, or is it just a burst?

    Byrnesy and Harry (I think BOG today, what a star) usually play well against the Dockers, and they’re both in career-best form, so I look forward to the show they’ll put on.

    There is also the little fact that Pods is all but guaranteed to play next week. If he does, I consider the game in the bag. And a pretty little highlights reel to boot :-D

  11. Another great article Josh, it amazes me how you can do so many reports. Well done mate.

  12. I didn’t think it was fair to give all the votes to Cats’ players, so I squeezed Mitchell in with 2, and had no room for Harry, who was courageous, skilled and really had sticky hands today, he grabbed everything that came his way. Funny how Ablett has 35+ touches and everyone is saying how bad he played, but yes today wasn’t one for his highlights reel.

  13. Comment 2 – sorry, that was me. Too many Johns in my life.

    Josh’s evil twin John has now been escorted from the Almanac website…

  14. Edward Rush says

    Great game. I was at work when I checked in at half time (I live in Asia — no such thing as Easter Monday) and saw the Catters were down by a bit. Like Susie, though, I didn’t really have any doubt, but just to make sure I cancelled my classes and rushed home to make sure that my solo screaming at the TV would lift the bhouys. Glad, glad I did. I usually think hirsutosaurus Robbo is a bit off the mark, but I really did think this was a mintox game.

    Honorary mention: Melbourne v Pies. I actively hate one of these sides, and couldn’t give a stuff about the other, but I went ballistic in the final 5 minutes.

  15. Tim Ivins says

    Great report and well done Josh. Sadly though I think I still hold the record – 45 minutes after siren for North Melbourne v Fremantle last year.

    I’m throwing down the gauntlet!

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