Will Geelong spit out feathers next week?
September 21st 2008 00:52
A Geelong - Hawthorn grand final will decide who has the distinction of being premiers in the AFL's 150th anniversary.
After weeks of toil, hard work, brilliance and controversies, these two teams have stood tall among the rest and now find themselves one win away from the moment all AFL players dream of achieving.
In the end, it is the Grand final that was decided weeks ago when both Hawthorn and Geelong dominated their respective rivals to qualify for the finals with relative ease.
The Cats in particular only lost one game this season. Mark Thompson's side is no doubt on the verge of a dynasty if his team can conjure up another premiership next week.
Despite Hawthorn's flair and whatnot, Geelong will be favourites, considering they beat Port Adelaide in last year's decider by a record 159 points.
The Cats have continued on their merry ways this season once again and really look the team capable of destroying Hawthorn instead of vice versa.
If Hawthorn are to win next week's decider, Lance Franklin must have a say. He is the premier forward in the game at the moment scoring over 110 goals this year alone.
He is a player with a gift, let alone talent, and his aura of invulnerability when he marks the footy inside 50 will be felt by even the best defender in the AFL in Cats back Matthew Scarlett.
Indeed the Hawks will need more than Franklin's magic to dethrone Geelong from their premiership perch.
They will need their fair element of luck and courage against a side that will take no prisoners.
The Cats are the perfect team in terms of knowing how weak opposition can be.
If Hawthorn give too much away early in the first quarter, the final could be all over before 100,000 fans ever took their seats.
In saying that, Hawthorn are much better than Port Adelaide and will no doubt give it their all come next week.
After all, these moments in history come only once. Twice if you are as dominant as Geelong.
But like Australian sport often does, rarely do teams stay on top for long, so it is paramount that these two sides give AFL fans the spectacle befitting of a true Premiership decider.
No doubt the Cats will play. Can Hawthorn?
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