“Mitchell will probably start at half-back, they like to start him there and then move him into the middle when things get going,” Gullan told Cats TV.

“So I don’t think they’ll spend a lot of time head-to-head.”

However, Gullan says statistics show that the Geelong skipper is more likely to cause havoc for the Hawks than Mitchell will for the Cats.     

“His record against Hawthorn is phenomenal, he’s been by far the best player,” Gullan said.

“Hawthorn have talked all week and they’ve got to bring something different… because you’ve got to do something about Selwood.”

After last week’s formidable performance, James Kelly is likely to keep more than one Hawk very busy this Friday night. As McNicol says, Kelly never likes to leave anybody out when he’s going in for the kill.

He always prefers to shutdown the entire pack, which is exactly what he did last time they met, with seven tackles, five inside-50s and 23 disposals.

“Kelly had 16 touches in the first half last week against Port, which was crucial because the Cats really were struggling,” McNicol explained.

“Their ball use was horrendous early on but Kelly just kept them in it and kept winning the ball.

“He is the guy who will win a lot of his own ball and lay a lot of tackles on all sorts of players, rather than going head-to-head with anyone specifically.

“His tough stuff is crucial against Hawthorn.”

Another midfielder who has carried the X-factor with him this year is young star, Steven Motlop.

Gullan strongly believes Motlop has the ability to outshine Hawthorn’s speedster Cyril Rioli.

The Hawhtorn man to watch, according to Gullan, is young gun Isaak Smith.

“People talk up Cyril Rioli, but this bloke (Motlop) is going better than him and that’s a big statement,” Gullan said.

“He’s averaging 20 plus possessions and he is the X-factor. Geelong have a few, but if he gets running and space launching from half-back to the wing and then forward, he’s unstoppable.

“He’s crucial, but on the flip side Hawthorn have Isaak Smith who’s a young runner, so Geelong will be watching Smith and Hawthorn will have to have someone for Motlop.”

Catch the full episode of this week's Argue the Toss, click on the video above.