Entering its Round 5 clash on Monday, Geelong held an interesting mantle of being the most effective side in the competition when entering its forward 50 despite recording the third-least inside 50s of any side in the opening month.
From Rounds 1 to 4 this year, the Cats had scored on just shy of 49 per cent of their entries – clearly a league leader in this area.
With a capable mix of strong-marking goal kickers and dangerous small forwards, Hawthorn made a focus of not only quelling the Cats’ inside 50 production but also their ability to generate scores at the rate they’d been allowed previously.
Although the Hawks enjoyed a promising opening term offensively, the Cats’ potency continued as they posted seven scores from 11 entries in their first term.
Interestingly, the Hawks were able to match the Cats in their area of strength, scoring on 52 per cent of their entries compared to Geelong’s 51.
This was reflected on the scoreboard, with Hawthorn posting 90 points, its highest score of the season to date, while conceding a season-high as well with Geelong’s 113 points.
A notable factor in this statistic is the number of marks inside 50 a side is able to record.
The Easter Monday clash saw the first time this season that the Hawks were outpaced in this area.
Against Adelaide, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, Alastair Clarkson’s men had registered slightly more forward 50 marks than their opposition while also drawing even with 10 apiece against the Saints.
