Geelong’s last clash with Hawthorn came in the final round of the 2023 regular season, when the Cats cruised to a 40-point win over the Hawks to secure their spot in the top eight.

It was a masterclass at both ends of the ground from Geelong, holding Hawthorn goalless in the first half before kicking away with six majors after the main break to close out the victory.

Georgie Prespakis was simply dominant through the middle finishing with 35 disposals, 18 contested possessions and eight clearances in a best on ground performance.

Prespakis was well supported by fellow on-ballers Nina Morrison (34 disposals, seven clearances) and Amy McDonald (23 disposals, eight clearances), while Becky Webster (24 disposals, one goal) was instrumental off half back.

A highlight for the Cats up forward was their ability to find various avenues to goal, finishing with seven different goalkickers on the day while Chloe Scheer finished with three majors.

The opening quarter was an arm wrestle with the first goal of the game not coming until the 16-minute mark, when Darcy Moloney broke the deadlock with a brilliant finish on the run.

Geelong were able to find two more goals in the second term through Nina Morrison and Becky Webster, holding the Hawks to a single behind to open up a 19-point lead at the main break.

Another three goals in the third quarter, including two to Chloe Scheer, helped the Cats to kick away to an unassailable 33-point lead at three quarter time.

With the result all but out of reach, Geelong piled on three more goals in the final term as they cruised to an important 40-point win to secure a Finals berth.

One big takeaway from the game was the Cats ability to force turnovers in their attacking half, with the ball locked inside Geelong’s forward half for 64% of the game.

The Cats will be hoping for a repeat of this result tomorrow, when they welcome Hawthorn to GMHBA Stadium for a Thursday night blockbuster.