Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
It was somewhat personal for the Hawks.
Hawthorn’s Easter Monday heist over Geelong, clinching victory with a solitary point before the siren, was fuelled by the pain of last season’s preliminary final.
The Patrick Dangerfield-led Cats knocked the Hawks out of the 2025 premiership race with a blitzing second half.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell emphasised what the Cats took last September and it paid dividends when his Hawks overturned a six-point lead with just 94 seconds left.
“(Mitchell) touched on (Easter Monday) a little bit, obviously played in a fair share too, but it was more just about Geelong in general,” defender Jack Scrimshaw said.
“The prelim, they took away the chance to play in a grand final, so we had that level of eagerness to get after them.
“We sort of touched on it pre-game, it added a bit more motivation for us and we were keen to get them back.
“Last year, I think we lost to Brisbane twice and we lost to Geelong twice, so the next step for us is being able to beat those teams. We made a big scalp today.”
Geelong was on its way to inflict further pain on the Hawks when Shannon Neale booted the Cats up by a goal deep into the final quarter.
Scrimshaw said the eventual team win came off perfecting the individual battle first.
“Oh mate, I was worried to be honest, it could have gone either way,” he said.
“We were just making sure we got our job done individually, the boys pulled off something special.
“It was good to get one back over Geelong, we haven’t beaten them for a while so it was good to get it done.
“There’s a rich history between the two clubs and no matter where we’ve been on the ladder they always tend to be close-ish games.”
Jack Gunston’s experience ultimately decided the result, kicking a loose ball into the post to nudge the Hawks in front just moments before the final siren.
Gunston’s brilliant form is amassing as much praise internally as it is externally.
“I’ve got no words for him, he’s unbelievable,” Scrimshaw said.
