In 2015, the Cats are thrilled to be partnering with fantasy experts footyprophet.com to bring you all the insight you need about AFL Fantasy and the Cats’ fantasy value. Every week Footy Prophet will rank their ‘Footy Prophet Fantasy Five’, ranking the top 5 players predicted to score the highest and then will review the results in the review!

THE WRAP UP

The match of the round that promised so much, delivered so very little for Geelong. The day started with bad news for Andrew Mackie, who would miss the game due to tightness in his quad. This was good news for Billie Smedts, who after Chris Scott had previously come out and said that he should be a “best 22” player, got the call up to play.

Hamish McIntosh and George Horlin-Smith were surprise omissions from the team to face the Hawks, but the side that took to the ground on Monday afternoon got off to a solid start. After Paul Puopolo and Jarryd Roughead kicked the first two goals of the game, Tom Hawkins, Mitch Clark and Steve Motlop hit the scoreboard and Geelong took a 6 point lead into the first break.

It was all downhill after that. Jordan Lewis ($643,000 MID) ran rampant, gathering the football at will and Josh Gibson ($457,000 DEF) was able to cut off many a pressured forward thrust. Hawthorn's small forwards, Luke Breust and Paul Puopolo kicked 8 goals between them, getting the better of medium defenders, Jed Bews and Billie Smedts.

Geelong were out gunned at the stoppages and around the ball, making it difficult to drive the ball forward, and turnovers, particularly in defense led to scores. Hawthorn’s pressure and their attack on the football was devastating. Geelong won the first and last quarters, but what happened in between was where it was decided.

THE STANDOUTS

It's always hard to find positives in a loss of the magnitude of which Geelong suffered at the hands of the reigning premiers on Monday evening. There were a few players however, who stood out among a sea of brown and gold.

Steven Motlop ($482,000 FWD,MID) was one of those players. He was perhaps Geelong's best on ground. A career high 32 disposals was impressive but his work rate was more impressive. In a game where the pressure on the ball carrier was immense, Motlop had 26 uncontested possessions as well as leading Geelong for inside 50s. An AFL Fantasy score of 122 was the 7^th best for the round and was a positive return for his coaches’ investment. Although a standout performance for his AFL Fantasy coaches, Motlop will be looking to lift his disposal efficiency next week.

No such issue for Mark Blicavs ($364,000 RUCK,MID) who held a disposal efficiency of above 80% for the match on his way to 81 AFL Fantasy points. Blicavs’ performance was a standout not because his fantasy score was elite, but because his football was. In a team that boasts the likes of Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel, James Kelly and Mitch Duncan, Mark Blicavs had the most clearances for Geelong. He was solid when required in defence, a move that has been planned and practiced during Geelong's off season, and he made 5 tackles, second behind only his captain.

Mitch Clark ($184,000 FWD) was the man that all Geelong fans were keen to see on Monday afternoon and they didn't have to wait long to see his first goal. Setup by Tom Hawkins in the first quarter his goal was widely celebrated, no harder than by Hawkins himself. Clark was Geelong's leading goal kicker with 3 by games end from his 8 marks. An AFL Fantasy score of 86 led to a $28,000 price rise for his fantasy coaches this week.

WHO FELL SHORT

Dawson Simpson ($270,000 RUCK) did the bulk of the ruck work for Geelong during the pre-season and Monday afternoon's match was no different. Although he competed well, he was beaten by opponents Jonathon Ceglar and Ben McEvoy. Hawthorn's ability to get a “third man up” also hindered Simpson's performance. Before being substituted out of the game, Simpson had 15 hit-outs and 31 AFL Fantasy points.

Tom Hawkins ($423,000 FWD) started well, kicking the first Geelong goal of the game and setting up another for Mitch Clark, before fading. He was well held by Brian Lake who kept him to just the 5 kicks and 2 goals but the work rate was there. Hawkins also contributed on the defensive end and made 4 tackles during the match. Although he wasn't receiving great service from the midfield, his AFL Fantasy coaches would have expected more than a 50 point return from the big man.

Poised for a breakout year, his third at new home Geelong, Josh Caddy ($390,000 MID) did not go above or beyond his 2014 form. Chris Scott spoke during the week about the need for Geelong to address a poor clearance record and for Josh Caddy to be one the players driving that change. With only 2 clearances for the game and a couple of opportunities at goal going begging, Caddy's AFL Fantasy score of 65 was reflective of his game.

FOOTY PROPHET'S FANTASY FIVE

Last week we predicted who Geelong's top 5 AFL Fantasy players would be. Some of them we got right, a couple we got wrong. Let’s take a look.

1. Jimmy Bartel (3^rd) was among Geelong's best on field. Playing in the midfield, he amassed 28 possessions for 96 AFL Fantasy points. Concussed in the dying seconds of the match was the only downside to the Brownlow Medalist’s performance.

2. Mitch Duncan(13^th) has a successful history against Hawthorn, but was well beaten in his matchup against Brad Hill. 57 AFL Fantasy points won't enamor his fantasy coaches.

3. Joel Selwood (10^th) was kept quiet by his standards, 50% of his 21 possessions were uncontested. Selwood needs and most likely will improve on his 76 AFL Fantasy points next week.

4. Matthew Stokes(2^nd)showed why we rate him so highly. He found plenty of space and plenty of the football for an AFL Fantasy score of 100.

5. Steve Johnson (4^th) was near his creative best at times against Hawthorn. 27 touches, of which 20 were kicks saw him tally 92 AFL Fantasy points. He was lucky to escape suspension for a bump on Sam Mitchell in the second quarter.

NEXT WEEK

After a 6 day break, Geelong will take on Fremantle at Simonds Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Dockers are coming off of a rousing victory against one of the flag favourites in Port Adelaide and will be full of confidence. Geelong will need to recovery quickly and work on turning around a poor start to the season if they want to beat Fremantle. Here’s hoping a big crowd full of Cats fans at Simonds Stadium can give them the edge.