Second qualifying final

GEELONG v HAWTHORN, MCG

Yet another installment of footy's greatest modern rivalry.

The Hawks look too old and too slow, yet there they are, finishing top four and keeping their bid for the four-peat alive. They'll want to play much better than they did against Collingwood on Sunday, conceding 17 goals and allowing the Pies, led by Adam Treloar, to waltz their way through the midfield as they did repeatedly in the final quarter.

If you think it seems an eternity since the Cats and Hawks have played, that's because it is. Thanks to the AFL's 'six-six-six' fixture, the two clubs played their season opener on Easter Monday and have been circling each other ever since.

The round one game served as Patrick Dangerfield's first game for Geelong and he put in a masterclass, with a career-high 43 touches and a mark of the year contender. Dangerfield had played well against the Hawks plenty of times for Adelaide without hurting them on the scoreboard but in the blue-and-white hoops, it was a different affair. He destroyed Hawthorn and what to do this time around will be the biggest question for Alastair Clarkson to deal with in the lead-up. 

WATCH: Highlights of the Cats' win over Hawthorn in round one

The Cats have played well over the last month, but the issue for Chris Scott will be the major step up in class the Hawks will offer, after a milquetoast run-in to the finals against Essendon, Richmond, the Brisbane Lions and Melbourne.

The Cats owe the Hawks for a couple of recent finals defeats, most notably the epic 2013 preliminary final. And they should start favourites. But there's a reason why they were hoping the Magpies could spring a boilover on Sunday and knock the Hawks out of the top four. 

And that's because the Hawks are the September specialists. And if there's a goal in it late in the final quarter of this qualifying final, who's your money going to be on?