Geelong vs Hawthorn AFL Round 2 betting tips & odds

Geelong vs Hawthorn AFL betting preview

One of the great modern footy rivalries will be reignited this Friday night when the Geelong Cats and Hawthorn Hawks clash at GMHBA Stadium in round two of the 2020 AFL Premiership season.

These teams often meet twice a year due to their locked-in Easter Monday clash, but the revamped schedule means this will be the only time they square up before the finals.

SEE ALSO: AFL ROUND 2 BETTING PREVIEW

The biggest talking point heading into the clash is the injury to Jaeger O’Meara, who will miss the game due to a fracture above his eye, leaving the Hawks short of star quality in midfield.

Moving from St Kilda to the Cats was seen as a great trade for Jack Steven, but he is currently recovering from a stab wound that will most likely keep him out of the side until next week.

Alastair Clarkson coached the Hawks to an underdog victory in round one against the Brisbane Lions, and he hopes to do the same again at Kardinia Park.

Geelong vs Hawthorn disposal betting

Geelong fans have been blessed with Mitch Duncan – an underrated midfielder that always plays good footy. Although round one was a bad loss for the Cats, Duncan finished the game with 21 disposals and three goals in a best afield display for Geelong. He has always been a great asset against the Hawks and will be tough to stop this Friday.

Someone needs to step up and fill the void left by O’Meara’s absence in the middle, and in our eyes it’s Ricky Henderson. He has a knack for finding the footy on the outside when he plays a defensive role, but his big body will be useful in the contest this week against the big Cats such as Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood. Henderson had 55 disposals across his two 2019 matches against Geelong.

Geelong vs Hawthorn goalkicking tips

It is hard to pinpoint a player that consistently performs well in these huge clashes, but Tom Hawkins stands out as the safest option at full forward. Having kicked an absurd number of behinds against Hawthorn in recent times, the big Tomahawk needs to aim straight this Friday and convert his chances.

It was beautiful to see Chad Wingard at his best against the Lions in round one, kicking three goals and finding plenty of the footy. We love the odds provided for the crafty forward to kick just two goals, which he has done over 50 times throughout his career. If the Hawks use Wingard inside the forward 50, he could finish with a few more than two.

Geelong vs Hawthorn match predictions

Even with the shortened match times reducing scoring, we still see this game as one that will produce plenty of action around the sticks. Expect several lead changes and a close finish with both teams cracking the 10-goal mark by the final siren.

Not only did the Hawks cause a big upset in round one over the Lions, they also beat the Cats in two of their last three clashes. We are only taking Hawthorn at the line at this point as the absence of O’Meara robs them of some midfield firepower, but 2018 Brownlow Medal winner Tom Mitchell will be able to cover in our eyes.