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Sydney vs Hawthorn
Round 8, Friday May 8
ANZ Stadium
Hawthorn vs Geelong
Round 5, Monday April 21
MCG
Fremantle vs Geelong
Round 9, Saturday May 17
Patersons Stadium
The last few seasons have seen Sydney and Hawthorn engaged in a rivalry that many thought had reached its peak with the Swans upset victory in the 2012 Grand Final. However, this rivalry is only set to intensify further now that the most beloved Hawthorn player of this generation Buddy Franklin, has joined the Swans. These two sides are the pre-season premiership favourites and as the two most recent premiers, they have plenty of big game experience and players that know how to win.
Franklin moving to Sydney raises many questions. How will he go against his old team-mates? Will his best friend in Josh Gibson match up on him up to try and unsettle him? Will Lake pick him up, a match-up that enthralled fans for many seasons when Lake was a Bulldog? Can Franklin, Tippett and Goodes function in the Swans forward line? All of these questions will keep fans enticed to watch every minute of this contest, plus the added fact that it is two genuine flag contenders on Friday night football.
The preliminary final of 2013 may have exorcised the demons associated with the ‘Kennett Curse’ for the hawks, but it certainly did not dispel the notion that the Cats seem to have the ‘wood’ over the Hawks. Hawthorn’s upset of the Cats on grand final day in 2008 created the template for this recent rivalry, and Geelong’s determination to make the Hawks pay for that loss has further strengthened the rivalry and legend surrounding their contests. Over the past 6 years, this has become a contest that transcends loyalties of fans, with the only certainty being that we are going to be treated to a tough and gruelling contest, that will invariably be decided in the last couple of minutes and by less than a couple of kicks.
Hodge, Mitchell, Sewell, Selwood, Enright and Bartel- over the past 6 years these players have had gladiatorial bouts, usually among the most physical contests of the season, yet always possessing fantastic skills and individual brilliance. These contests have been the natural successor to the Sydney and West Coast struggles of the mid 2000’s and have kept the football public on the edge of their seats.
This match will see significant changes to both teams (Corey, Hunt, Chapman, Franklin to name a few), but there is no doubt that this will be another tough, skilful and enthralling contest that all football fans will be looking forward to.
September 7th, 2013- this date is what makes this 2014 game the most anticipated game for the coming season. The September qualifying final at Skilled Stadium saw Fremantle record the greatest win in its history, triumphing by 15 points over the more fancied Cats. Not only did Fremantle walk away with the victory, they also seemed to gain a slight psychological advantage over the Cats, mainly due to their two preeminent ‘pests’ Hayden Ballantyne and Ryan Crowley. Ballantyne is one of the most hated players in the AFL and for Geelong fans he will always be remembered as the man who bruised Scarlett’s right arm a few seasons back, which ultimately cost Scarlett three weeks of football. Crowley, arguably the best tagger in the game, employs tactics that have been highlighted and questioned by many. At the end of this final, Crowley, Steve Johnson and Joel Selwood had a heated engage, which has only added to the spiteful undertone that exists between these two sides.
This match will feature two contenders for the premiership, an undertone of hatred and redemption, classy, skilful players and a sense of desperation to redeem last season’s failures make this the contest that I am most eagerly awaiting for this coming season.