GEELONG has won a thrilling contest against Hawthorn on the back of a sensational third term burst of six unanswered goals in front of 78,579 fans at the MCG on Tuesday afternoon.

In one of the games of the season so far, the Cats conceded the first four goals of the match but clawed back to win by 19 points, 17.15 (117) to 15.8 (98).

In a constantly see-sawing contest, Geelong turned a 14-point deficit at the 12-minute mark of the third quarter into a 22-point lead 10 minutes later to set up the win.

Although the Hawks kicked two late third-quarter goals to pull within 10 points at the final change, Chris Scott's men were eventually able to kick away in a frantic final term to claim a fifth straight win over their 2008 Grand Final conquerors.

Earlier, the Hawks opened the game in sensational fashion, superstar Lance Franklin booting two goals in the first three minutes as his side skipped out to a 26-point lead midway through the term.

But the game changed when Harry Taylor was replaced by Tom Lonergan as Franklin's direct opponent.

Freed from having to shadow the Hawthorn spearhead's every move, Taylor became the game's most influential player, repeatedly setting up Geelong attacking thrusts out of defence.

With Lonergan superbly blanketing Franklin's influence, Geelong prime midfield movers Joel Selwood (32 disposals) and Jimmy Bartel (28 disposals) worked their way into the match, the Cats briefly hitting the front midway through the second term.

But missed chances by Geelong and goals to Clinton Young, Jarryd Roughead and Shaun Burgoyne saw the Hawks steady again to take an eight-point lead into the main break.

It wasn't enough though, as the Cats gained the lead in the third quarter and kicked four goals to three in the last to clinch the win.

Influential players
Hawk Brad Sewell shaped the game early, picking up four centre clearances in the first 10 minutes as Hawthorn built a handy lead.

But as Geelong fought back into the match, veteran Paul Chapman and later ruckman Brad Ottens joined Taylor as the most important players on the ground.

Chapman kicked three goals and had a game-high 10 tackles, providing the toughness at the contests the Cats lacked during their lacklustre opening.

Ottens came to the fore when the Hawks subbed Brent Renouf from the ground at the end of the third quarter, leaving David Hale and Roughead to share tap duties.

The Cats won the centre clearances 6-2 in the final term, with Ottens repeatedly giving his onballers first use.

What it means
Geelong enters its round six bye undefeated and shaping as Collingwood's major flag challenger.

Written off by many at the start of the year, the 2009 premier has impressive wins against St Kilda, Fremantle away and now Hawthorn to its credit and couldn't be in better shape approaching the next phase of its season.

The Hawks also have the bye before facing Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

They're in much better shape than they were this time last year, and putting up such a brave effort against the impressive Cats is a sign they're on the right track.

But Alastair Clarkson's men will need to be at their best during a testing upcoming period to avoid slipping out of touch with the top four.

The next four
Hawthorn: Bye, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Sydney
Geelong: Bye, North Melbourne, Collingwood, Carlton

Dream Team highlight
Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell was the only Hawk to break 100, his 29 disposals and seven tackles earning him 114 points.
Geelong: Ever-reliable Joel Selwood (134 points), Paul Chapman (130) and Jimmy Bartel (124) all turned in stellar performances.

Winning move
Taylor started the match next to Franklin, but when the big Hawk kicked the first two goals he quickly found Lonergan at his side.

Not only did Lonergan do an outstanding job, but by keeping Franklin in check he allowed Taylor to play a more roving role, imposing himself on contests across the Cats' backline.

Turning point
The Hawks had kicked two in a row and had the upper hand at the 14-minute mark of the third term when young Cat Mitch Duncan somehow booted a brilliant soccer goal out of heavy traffic.

When Travis Varcoe snapped his second goal of the quarter at the 27-minute mark, Geelong had kicked six straight and skipped out to a 22-point lead.

Geelong     5.2   6.7   13.10       17.15 (117)
Hawthorn     5.3   8.3   12.6      15.8 (98)

GOALS
Geelong: Chapman 3, Duncan 3, Varcoe 2, Podsiadly 2, Selwood, Ling, Hawkins, Corey, Bartel, Ottens, Kelly
Hawthorn: Roughead 3, Bateman 3, Franklin 3, Hale 2, Burgoyne, Young, Guerra, Savage

BEST
Geelong: Taylor, Scarlett, Chapman, Lonergan, Selwood, Bartel.
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Suckling, Rioli, Bateman, Sewell.

INJURIES
Geelong: Taylor Hunt (knee)
Hawthorn: Cyril Rioli (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Taylor Hunt replaced by Daniel Menzel in the first quarter
Hawthorn: Brent Renouf replaced by Xavier Ellis in the third quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Vozzo, Armstrong, Pannell

Official crowd: 78,579 at MCG