IT'S AN old football rivalry with a new W flavour.

Geelong and Hawthorn will once again meet on the Thursday night before the Grand Final eve public holiday at GMHBA Stadium.

It marks the fifth consecutive time the Cats' W side hosted a game on that evening, and the third straight time the fixture has been against the Hawks.

The two clubs hold a deep rivalry in the men's competition, particularly since the 2008 Grand Final. Having been upset by Hawthorn that day, Geelong players made a private vow not to lose to the Hawks again. 

Then-club president Jeff Kennett also said Hawthorn held a "psychological edge" over Geelong – the Cats went on to win 11 straight over their nemesis, a period which went down in footy folklore as the Kennett Curse.

The two men's teams now meet annually on Easter Monday, with most matches going right down to the wire regardless of the form of both at the time.

On the women's side of the equation, Hawthorn has won its past two meetings against Geelong, securing an 18-point victory in 2024 and just seven points last year.

The 2024 match was widely regarded as one of the best exhibitions of the women's game to that point, with 21 majors kicked between the two sides in a free-flowing affair, and the Hawks only pulling away late to record the three-goal win.

Last year's edition was a fiercely fought affair, with high pressure and plenty of crunching tackles from both sides, and the Hawks overhauling a 16-point deficit in a lower-scoring match.

This year, Hawthorn comes into the game off an outrageous upset, breaking North Melbourne's 32-match winning streak with a gutsy effort in Cairns.

Geelong has a five-day turnaround, but is simply purring, sitting at 5-1 after being demolished by the Kangaroos back in round one.

While the Cats have had some straightforward assignments against St Kilda, Essendon and Collingwood, they showed their mettle with an 11-point win on the road over Adelaide.

Georgie Prespakis is in career-best form through the midfield for Geelong, averaging 29 disposals and eight clearances, while Mikayla Bowen (averaging 26.5 touches) is thriving with her new inside role, having trained at half-forward all pre-season.

Geelong has finally reunited its triple-pronged attack, with a fully fit Chloe Scheer (13 goals) joining Jackie Parry (12) and Aishling Moloney (10).

The trio currently take up three of the top seven goalkicking spots in the competition, a chart that's led by Hawthorn's Áine McDonagh (16).

McDonagh’s new partner in crime is former Sun Jac Dupuy, and the duo are building in confidence as a pairing, visibly working together in a more seamless fashion as the season progresses.

The Hawks suffered a big blow last fortnight, losing skipper Emily Bates to an ACL injury, but rising star Jasmine Fleming is hitting her straps, polling nine AFL Coaches Association votes for 25 touches and four clearances against the might of North Melbourne.

Geelong will have to be wary of Fleming's linking disposal and hit-up kicks inside 50, which have become her forte over the past few years, while Eliza West is the engine room operator and is likely to be locked in a fierce battle with fellow hard nut Bowen.

Hawthorn key back Jenna Richardson leads the league in marks, while Lucy Wales is fast coming for the shared ruck crown of Mim Strom and Matilda Scholz, and should be far too powerful for inexperienced Cat Piper Dunlop.

Then there's Geelong co-captain Nina Morrison who binds the Cats together in an all-encompassing midfield role, the crucial link in the chain.

Geelong is a different prospect this year under new coach Mick Stinear, but the Hawks are coming off the biggest win in their AFLW history.

We're set for another enthralling chapter in a great football rivalry that extends across both elite competitions.

GEELONG has sent a powerful warning to the rest of the competition with a comprehensive 36-point victory over the giant-killing Hawthorn to record its sixth consecutive win.

The Cats had far too many options in attack and pushed out to a 50-point lead early in the fourth, before a few late Hawks goals finalised the 12.10 (82) to 7.4 (46) result.

CATS v HAWKS Full match coverage and stats

Jas Fleming sent a scare through the Hawks camp, finishing the game on the bench with what coach Daniel Webster later confirmed was just cramp.

Geelong was coming off a five-game winning streak, and facing its fiercest opponent since its massive loss to North Melbourne in round one.

Hawthorn itself had just become the first team in 33 attempts to knock off the Roos, but the heightened emotions and return trip from Cairns may have resulted in some tired players.

The Cats roared out of the blocks, with forward pressure directly resulting in three goals in the opening five minutes, and Jas Stewart's hard running and brace of goals took the margin out to four majors at the first break.

As an inaccurate home side began peppering the goals in the second quarter, Hawks spearhead Aine McDonagh – starved of the footy in attack, as her side failed to record a single inside 50 for the term – pushed back as a defensive winger in an attempt to stem the flow.

"They destroyed us around the ball in the first half. I think it was a combination of they were very good – which we know they are, especially through their midfield – and we were completely outplayed through there, it was embarrassing, really," Webster said.

"You can't shy away from what you want to be. We want to be the best side in the competition, and to do that, you need to consistently back up week to week and perform. It's not an overreaction – we showed last week we can beat the best, and we didn't do that in the first half especially and gave ourselves no chance in the game. That's the reality of where we're at."

Geelong key back Lexi Gregor was sidelined early in the third term with concussion, just as Hawthorn began to control the flow of footy out of the middle, and the Hawks then found life considerably easier going into attack without the Cats tall in the way.

But even with the Hawks managing to have a few scattered periods of dominance, Geelong was still able to maintain a comfortable margin.

Gregor's absence meant a combination of Evie Cowcher and Annie Lee were called upon to watch the considerably more powerful Jac Dupuy, and the Hawks key forward grew in influence as the game progressed.

The margin had drifted out as much as 50 points early in the last quarter, but McDonagh shook free of Claudia Gunjaca's clutches, booting two to trim things somewhat.

The midfield trio of Georgie Prespakis (29 disposals, seven clearances), Nina Morrison (24 and three) and Mikayla Bowen (24) continued their strong season, with fellow onball buddy Amy McDonald (on return from a hamstring injury) on managed minutes. 

The overhead strength of Jackie Parry (three goals) was too much for the understrength Hawthorn backline to counter, while stand-in captain Eliza West (23 and six clearances) battled hard for the brown and gold.

"It was a perfect start, really. I know Hawthorn probably expended a lot of energy last week, with their performance and the travel, and we saw an opportunity to start well and stamp our authority on the game," Geelong coach Mick Stinear said.

"It was as close as we've got to four quarters against a really good side. The game had some different looks at times – I thought the third quarter the Hawks went quick and challenged us with their height. [But] it looked like us for the majority of the night, against a really good team who have proven themselves." 

Nic Stevens may come under MRO scrutiny for a sling tackle on Daisy Flockart in the third quarter, for which a free kick was paid. 

Slick Cats teach Hawks a transition lesson
The Hawks' disposal wasn't quite as clean as the Cats', so when they did manage to find some space on the outside, they invited more pressure through fumbles, affecting their disposal into attack. By contrast, Geelong flew down the wings of GMHBA Stadium, fluently overlapping and sending the ball into its forward 50 time after time. The inside 50 count blew out to 30-8 at the main break, and while things weren't quite as dominant for Geelong in the second half, its ball movement and hit-up kicks inside 50 remained a class above.

Hawthorn's double blow
In a 12-round season, not only does every match count, but percentage is also vital. Hawthorn is likely to be locked in a battle in the lower half of the top eight for the remainder of the season, and not only coughed up the four points, but lost 14.4 in percentage as well.

Up next
It doesn't get any easier for Hawthorn, with Carlton at Ikon Park next Thursday night – Blues coach Mathew Buck and his children were keen onlookers at GMHBA Stadium. Geelong will be eyeing off another four points against a rebuilding Richmond, also playing at Ikon Park on Friday night.

GEELONG          5.1     7.6     9.9     12.10     (82)
HAWTHORN     1.0     1.0     3.2     7.4     (46)

GOALS
Geelong: Parry 3, Stewart 2, Kearns 2, Scheer 2, Crockett-Grills, Moloney, Webster
Hawthorn: McDonagh 2, Dupuy 2, Antony, Martin, Flockart

BEST
Geelong: Prespakis, Morrison, Parry, Webster, Bowen, Gunjaca
Hawthorn: West, Wales, Fleming, Elliott

INJURIES
Geelong: Gregor (concussion)
Hawthorn: Nil

Crowd: 3430 at GMHBA Stadium