1 day Ago By The Roar
Geelong have resisted the urge to recall Tom Hawkins for their do-or-die preliminary final clash with Brisbane. Coach Chris Scott confirmed on Wednesday night that the 36-year old triple-premiership champion, who has played just one VFL match since sustaining a serious foot injury in June, has not been deemed fit enough for a recall. Fellow veteran Cameron Guthrie will also miss out on selection, who also played in the Cats’ VFL semi final loss to Southport a fortnight ago on the comeback trail from foot injuries that have restricted him to just four games in 2024 and none since Round 10.
“We don’t think that Hawkins and Guthrie and fit and available this week,” Scott said on Seven’s Talking Footy . Win a Ziggy BBQ for Grand Final day, thanks to Barbeques Galore! Enter Here. “They’ve done a remarkable job, really, from where they came from to get themselves in the position where we had to think about it a lot – but we’ve just made the call to this point that they’re not going to be quite ready.
” The call is set to end Hawkins’ glittering career, with the key forward great having booted 796 goals from 359 games since making his debut in 2007, with five All-Australians, the 2020 Coleman Medal and 11 Cats leading goalkicker awards among a string of honours to his name. "We don't think that Hawkins and Guthrie are fit and available this week." Chris Scott confirms Tom Hawkins and Cam Guthrie won't play in Saturday's preliminary final.
pic.twitter.com/cF8dHraESM However, Scott wouldn’t rule out recalling either Hawkins or Guthrie for the grand final, should the Cats defeat the Lions and book their spot on the last Saturday in September for the third time in five years.
“That [not selecting Hawkins and Guthrie for the preliminary final] certainly doesn’t preclude them from being available next week, so that’s exciting for us – if we’re good enough,” Scott sad. “It was a close call, but not close enough that we weren’t confident to make the call by now.” More AFL With Hawkins ruled out, Scott’s curliest selection dilemma is now whether to recall young swingman Sam De Koning, who was surprisingly left out of the Cats’ qualifying final line-up despite being cleared to play following a knee injury.
The 23-year old, who was instrumental in the Cats’ 2022 premiership as a key defender, has been used regularly as a ruckman in 2024, though veterans Rhys Stanley and Mark Blicavs are expected to take on those duties in Saturday night’s preliminary final. Scott confirmed De Koning was heavily in the selection mix on Talking Footy , while on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle , News Corp journalist Josh Barnes revealed an extraordinary stat in his favour: that in three games against the Lions opposed to Joe Daniher, the Lions star and semi final hero has just one goal to his name. “He’s played on him three times in the past three years; Joe Daniher has kicked one goal in 237 minutes opposed to Sam De Koning,” Barnes said.
” “They have to play him,” co-host Jay Clark added. Tom Hawkins (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Petracca slammed for call to skip Dees’ B&F Melbourne star Christian Petracca might have confirmed he’ll be remaining a Demon for 2025 despite shock recent trade rumours – but his decision to skip the club’s upcoming best and fairest night has raised eyebrows. The 2021 Norm Smith Medallist has reportedly raised the ire of teammates for his repeated absences around the club since suffering horrific, life-threatening internal injuries in the Demons’ King’s Birthday loss to Collingwood.
He revealed on Wednesday that he will be attending a Red Bull training camp in Austria in lieu of the Dees’ best and fairest evening, adding further fuel to rumours fences between the club and their biggest star are yet to be mended, despite the Demons giving it their approval. “This training camp is crucial for Christian, both from a performance and mental wellbeing perspective,” Melbourne fitness boss Selwyn Griffith said. Petracca also appeared in a feature video on the Dees’ website on Wednesday talking through his arduous recovery process, with the injury damaging him both physically and mentally.
“It’ll be awesome probably from a mental point of view, getting back to that confidence in myself and my body, ready to attack day one of pre-season,” Petracca said. “For me it’s just been the most amazing experience, being able to use their [Red Bull’s] facilities and have access to some of the best high performance people in the world. “I want to be able to compete and get back out on the ‘G in round 1 for the fans, and be really excited to run back out there.
” Petracca has the green light to hit the gas on his rehab ????????️ Full interview + feature ???? | https://t.co/eGg0AZYXmt pic.twitter.
com/CTzoG8wtp1 Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 , Gerard Whateley described the Petracca footage as ‘like hostage videos’, while co-host Mark Robinson was unsure whether missing the night was the right call. “People think it’s a fractured football club,” Robinson said of the Demons. “To have Christian Petracca walk in on best and fairest night and make a speech to the faithful – not in a hostage situation – but standing up in front of 1000 people, I think that could have been really powerful.
“But he’s going away and going to get himself right, he’s going to come back and play good football next year. “I’m a bit torn on that one to be honest, I understand both sides. I’m not being condemning or congratulating either.
” Former great Matthew Lloyd was even less impressed, saying Petracca showed ‘a real lack of awareness’ with his decision. “He gets paid his money to represent Melbourne,” Lloyd said. “It’s one of their major functions for the year.
“Imagine the next player that turns up and says to the club ‘something has popped up for me, are you right if I miss the best and fairest?’. That’s why you have problems within a club, if there’s rules for some and rules for others.” "With what he's been through, where he's been seen as selfish through this, I think it's a real lack of awareness.
" The panel reacts to the news Christian Petracca has opted to attend a Red Bull training camp rather than attend Melbourne's B&F. #9FootyClassified | 9Now ????️ pic.twitter.
com/2pbVD7PBmp Petracca’s reported eagerness to seek a trade was a late-season bombshell amid the Demons’ poor on-field run that saw them miss the finals for the first time since 2020. Sports opinion delivered daily However, with the 28-year old contracted until the end of 2029, it soon became clear no club was prepared to offer anything as part of a trade the Dees would be happy with..
