It is The Greatest Show that the sport has on offer.
Hawthorn. Geelong.
Two proud clubs steeped in history and pride.
While Geelong holds the ascendancy in the rivalry’s history, with the Cats having won 90 of the clubs’ 166 meetings, the Hawks hold the advantage, albeit narrow, when it matters.
The enemies have gone to battle in 10 finals with the Hawks victorious on six of those occasions.
Footy Flashbacks: The Hawks are set to reach an exciting milestone this Friday night
It doesn’t seem like much, but among those 10 finals, there are games that now define not just these two clubs but the game itself.
The battlefield that was the 1989 Grand Final, the Hawks against-all-odds upset in ’08, the four-and-a-half-year Kennett Curse, the 2013 prelim that finally put an end to all of that Hawk hurt.
There’s a lot more too.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another conflict in the game that has endured more enthralling chapters.
There are some match-ups in sport that media, players, marketing departments try to amplify beyond the reality.
But, there is no need for hyperbole in the case of the Hawks and the Cats.
It is already, very naturally, a strong dislike, cultivated over decades.
This Friday night, for a whole range of unprecedented reasons, the anticipation is again at an epic high.
Players, coaches and fans alike, champing at the bit for a return of competition, tribalism and passion.
It might not be the stakes of a Grand Final just yet, but we’re still as pumped as ever to once again do battle with the Cats.
Geelong v Hawthorn
Friday 12th June, 7.50pm AEST
GMHBA Stadium
Watch live on Seven or FoxFooty
