Match

Geelong Cats vs Hawthorn

Commentary / 19 Sep 2025

Pre Game

00:00
Geelong and Hawthorn are the only two teams in 2025 that have not had a player under the age of 20 play a game this year.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
03:27
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Mitch Lewis)
03:41
Hawthorn create the first scoring chain of the game out of their defensive 50 via intercept. The Hawks average 25.3 defensive 50 intercepts per game in 2025, the second-highest average figure of any side this year.
07:34
Geelong have just recorded their first mark of the game, after conceding the first eight to Hawthorn. The Cats have outperformed their opponents in 2025 by an average of 12.1 marks per game, the second-largest per-game advantage of any side this year.
09:09
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
10:19
SCORE BEHIND - Hawks (Mitch Lewis)
10:56
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Jack Ginnivan)
11:21
A hot start to this final or the Hawks, with three scores from their four inside 50 entries. Their season average of a score from 45.2 per cent of their inside 50's ranks sixth in the AFL.
14:00
SCORE BEHIND - Hawks (Rushed)
15:23
Cats Interchange - Jack Henry off due to an injury.
16:50
The Hawks have been better moving the ball in transition through the midfield, leading uncontested possessions in between the 50 metre arc's 31-17. The Hawks have won this count by an average of 18 per game in 2025, ranked second in the AFL.
17:54
SCORE BEHIND - Hawks (Josh Weddle)
19:52
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Conor Nash)
20:57
Hawthorn make it three goals to zero to start the match. They have now kicked the first three goals in each of their last five matches.
23:18
SCORE BEHIND - Hawks (Rushed)
27:16
Cats Interchange - Tom Stewart off due to an injury.
28:42
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
28:52
Geelong get on the board in the final two minutes of the quarter through captain Patrick Dangerfield. He kicks his 28th goal of the season, which is highest individual tally since 2017 (45 goals) when he finished runner-up in the Brownlow Medal to Dustin Martin.
30:05
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Brad Close)
31:04
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Gryan Miers)
31:38
Hawthorn recorded a pressure rating of 205 in the opening quarter of tonight's match. Their average pressure rating in the 2025 Finals Series has been 181, the equal second-lowest figure of any side.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
02:00
SCORE BEHIND - Hawks (Rushed)
02:37
SCORE BEHIND - Hawks (Rushed)
04:17
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Shannon Neale)
04:44
Shannon Neale converts Geelong's first mark inside 50 into the opening goal of the second term. Neale's 56 marks inside 50 in 2025 ranks 10th in the AFL and second at Geelong behind the league-leader Jeremy Cameron (79).
06:16
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Mark Blicavs)
07:09
The Cats turn their fourth centre clearance into a goal, having conceded no scores from the Hawks two centre clearance wins. The Cats outscored the Lions by 15 points from centre clearances in their Qualifying Final win two weeks ago.
09:00
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Mitch Lewis)
10:26
Bailey Smith has lifted in the second term for Geelong. His five disposals this quarter have all come from contested possessions, with four of his five disposals being effective including his assist for Mark Blicavs' goal.
11:54
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Mitch Lewis)
12:24
Mitch Lewis has kicked a game-high three goals now, which is his best return in any game since he kicked four goals in Round 19, 2023 against the Tigers.
14:27
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Shaun Mannagh)
18:14
The role Josh Battle has played on Jeremy Cameron has been immense in this first half, limiting him to just one disposal and no marks in the Cats forward 50. Cameron leads the league in 2025 with 176 disposals inside 50.
18:16
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Nick Watson)
18:44
Nick Watson kicks the 61st goal of his young career, which places him second among players drafted in the last three years (Aaron Cadman leads with 80 goals since 2023).
21:04
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
23:57
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jack Martin)
26:01
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)
26:20
A nervous final four minutes for the Hawks in the first half. When the Hawks have lead at half-time in 2025, they have won 15 of 16 matches. When they have trailed at the main break, the have won two of nine matches.
28:40
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
30:07
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Oliver Dempsey)
31:15
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jack Bowes)
32:18
Karl Amon's 466 metres gained is the second-highest tally any player has achieved in a first half of this years finals series. Amon ranks fourth in the AFL in 2025 for total metres gained (14200).

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:37
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)
03:33
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
05:43
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Max Holmes)
05:54
Geelong flip the script with the first three goals of the second half. Brad Close has provided an assist for each of the last two goals. Only Ed Richards of the Bulldogs has accounted for more goal assists (35) in 2025 than Close (28).
07:13
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Bailey Smith)
08:39
Since the Hawks last score at the 19 minute mark of the second term, the Cats have recorded 10 of the last 12 clearances, 17 of the last 20 inside 50's, lead 63-24 in the uncontested possession column, taken all four marks recorded inside 50 and have scored 35 unanswered points.
12:52
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Jack Gunston)
14:43
The Hawks get a couple of goals back on the board to bring the margin under three goals. They have got their efficiency in attack back, turning their last two forward 50 entries into goals.
17:21
Geelong have really lifted the heat in the third term, with their pressure rating at 221 in the third term, the first time their rating has been above 200 for the match.
17:51
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Oliver Dempsey)
19:31
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Jarman Impey)
20:01
Jarman Impey gets just reward for a strong 10 minutes. He kicks his first goal since Round 19 after providing the assist for Connor Macdonald. Impey is the highest rated Hawk on the ground this quarter.
21:56
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
22:53
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jack Martin)
30:08
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
31:44
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Shaun Mannagh)
33:22
Geelong are making the Hawks pay from forward half stoppages in this third term. They have scored from all six of their clearances in their attacking half, kicking 5.1 (31). The Cats average 1.44 points per forward half clearance in 2025, the fourth-best strike rate of any side.
33:56
SCORE BEHIND - Hawks (Jack Gunston)
35:02
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Brad Close)
35:16
Geelong put the foot down through their centre bounce work in the third term, leading the centre clearance count 7-0 and spending 56 per cent of the term in their forward half. The Cats spent over 18 minutes more time in their forward half than the Lions in their Qualifying Final win.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:00
Jack Gunston gets the Hawks off to the perfect start from their first centre bounce clearance since the 10 minute mark of the second term. He has taken all three marks on the lead that the Hawks have recorded in tonight's match. He leads the AFL with 50 marks on a lead in 2025.
02:46
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
04:50
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
05:36
Patrick Dangerfield seals what has certainly been a best-on-ground performance with his third goal. It is his 12th score involvement, which is just one behind his best figure in a final which was recorded in the 2022 Grand Final when he was unlucky to miss out on the Norm Smith Medal.
07:14
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Gryan Miers)
12:34
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Dylan Moore)
14:14
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Jack Gunston)
15:25
Hawthorn take advantage of a couple of forward 50 free kicks to just keep themselves within reach. They now have 54 goals from free kicks in 2025, just one goal behind the Suns who lead the league in this category.
16:10
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
18:13
SCORE GOAL - Hawks (Mabior Chol)
18:32
Since Geelong's last goal, the Hawks have recorded a win in the contested possession count of 17-7, including 12-6 post-clearance. The Hawks rank second in post-clearance contested possession differential in 2025, winning this metric by an average of 5.8 per game.
20:01
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)
25:58
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Bailey Smith)
25:59
Bailey Smith ices the game and sends the Cats back to another Grand Final with his game-high 34th disposal. He also leads all players with 22 uncontested possessions and leads all Cats with 640 metres gained.
32:27
Geelong have won the inside 50 count by the equal seventh-largest margin in a final in the last 10 seasons (66-40). They have also won the clearance count by the fourth-highest margin in a final in the last 10 seasons (50-33).
32:53
The attacking half proved the difference in tonight's match. The Cats won forward half clearances by four and scored eight goals to four from this source, and won forward half intercepts by 10 and generated four goals to one from these chains.