The Cattery has been a challenging venue for opposition teams in recent years and this season’s fixture between the Sydney Swans and Geelong proved no different.
With a potential top-two spot on the line, the Swans were rarely in the hunt as Geelong controlled the match and then piled on late goals to run away with the win by 44 points.
Rhyce Shaw left the game early in the first quarter with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament which would end his season, while other players including Dan Hannebery, Nick Smith, Kieren Jack and Kurt Tippett all required various treatment for knocks suffered during the game.
Josh Kennedy (32 disposals), Jarrad McVeigh (31 disposals) and Mike Pyke (3 goals) competed hard but didn’t receive much support as the team slipped to fourth place on the ladder.
Sydney Swans 2.2 3.2 5.5 7.6 (48)
Geelong 4.4 6.9 8.12 13.14 (92)
GOALS: Pyke 3, McGlynn 2, Tippett, Hannebery
CLUB CHAMPION VOTES: Jarrad McVeigh 40, Josh Kennedy 35, Mike Pyke 35
CROWD: 28,459 at Simonds Stadium
LADDER POSITION: Fourth
Round 23 v Hawthorn
With top four positions all but locked in and finals just a week away, the result of the round 23 match between the Swans and Hawthorn didn’t have much consequence as the two teams would meet a week later in a qualifying final.
Coming off a loss to second-placed Geelong and with Kurt Tippett a late withdrawal, it was always going to be a hard task for the hosts against a side who had only lost to two teams all season.
In his debut match, Swans rookie Shane Biggs showed poise and confidence off half-back as the team returned to form at the right time of year.
The Swans led at every change and set the pace all night as Shane Mumford (41 hitouts, 2 goals) and Josh Kennedy (33 disposals) exerted their influence on the contest, but the Hawks kicked six goals to three in the final term to win by 12 points in an absorbing game of finals-like football.
Sydney Swans 5.2 9.2 13.4 16.4 (100)
Hawthorn 2.2 7.5 11.6 17.10 (112)
GOALS: White 3, Parker 3, Rohan 2, Mumford 2, Bolton, K. Jack, Mitchell, McGlynn, Pyke, Morton
CLUB CHAMPION VOTES: Shane Mumford 43, Josh Kennedy 43, Kieren Jack 39
CROWD: 37,980 at ANZ Stadium
LADDER POSITION: Fourth
