Hawthorn have claimed early pre-season bragging rights over bitter rival Geelong in an unofficial practice game on Monday at the Hawks’ new base in Dingley.
The Hawks came from behind to win the match, 16.15 (111) to 14.10 (94), but there were early concerns when rising forward Calsher Dear went down with an injury.
Dear was in pain during the first term and left the field after he copped a nasty blow to the chest.
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Fortunately, though, he returned and was able to hit the scoreboard while his team put the foot down.
The Hawks kicked eight goals on the bounce in the second and third stanzas and ripped the game apart, after going goalless in the first term.
Dear finished with two goals while fellow key forward Mitch Lewis also had two and so did gun small forward Dylan Moore.
Meanwhile, another Hawthorn key forward, Mabior Chol, also contributed to the highlights reel with a huge speccy.
The Hawks were impressive but it was a seriously depleted Geelong outfit they were playing with about half of their grand final team absent.
The uncapped Jay Polkinghorne booted three goals for the Cats in a bid to earn an early AFL debut in 2026, while big Geelong forward Shannon Neale booted four goals.
Veteran champion Patrick Dangerfield, Bailey Smith, Max Holmes, Tom Stewart, Jeremy Cameron, Mark Blicavs, Lawson Humphries, Zach Guthrie, Rhys Stanley, Shaun Mannagh, Tyson Stengle, and Jack Martin were just some of the missing names.
More to come …
