geelong vs hawthorn is set for the MCG on Monday, April 6 at 3. 15pm ET, with both clubs confirming their Round 4 teams for the traditional Easter Monday clash. Hawthorn will be without Karl Amon and Cam Mackenzie, while Geelong has brought back Jack Bowes and Brad Close. The game also carries the Dare to Hope match theme, with both clubs uniting to raise awareness and vital funds for pancreatic cancer.
Selection moves shape geelong vs hawthorn
The biggest selection news around geelong vs hawthorn is Hawthorn’s double omission on the eve of the contest. Amon, who had been on light duties at training this week because of a knee issue, is out, and Mackenzie will also miss because of a knee concern. Hawthorn had already confirmed an AFL debut for 2025 draftee Jack Dalton, while former North Melbourne defender Flynn Perez is set for his first game for the club.
Geelong, meanwhile, has made two changes of its own. Bowes returns after producing 38 disposals and three goals in the VFL last weekend, and Brad Close is also back in the side. Mark O’Connor has been managed, Jhye Clark has been omitted, and former Hawk James Worpel has again been overlooked. The Cats said Clark is being sent back to the VFL to work on his game as an inside midfielder, with coach Chris Scott defending the decision on Sunday.
What the teams have said before geelong vs hawthorn
Scott said the Cats remain “really bullish” about Clark and stressed that selection in any given week is not a full judgment on the club’s best 23 players. That message comes as Geelong heads into geelong vs hawthorn with confidence in its recalled players and a clear role for those left out.
On the Hawthorn side, the match sheet also underlines how quickly the injury picture has altered the build-up. Amon’s knee issue and Mackenzie’s knee concern have forced changes that add pressure to a side already preparing for a major Easter Monday stage at the MCG.
Dare to Hope adds weight to geelong vs hawthorn
This geelong vs hawthorn meeting is not only about four points. The match is being played as the Dare to Hope match, with the clubs uniting in the fight against pancreatic cancer and honouring Hawthorn premiership player and 1991 Norm Smith Medallist Paul Dear, as well as Geelong champion and former captain Michael “Mick” Turner, both of whom battled the disease.
Hawthorn also marked individual milestones around the fixture, with Jarman Impey set for his 150th game in brown and gold and Senior Coach Sam Mitchell coaching his 100th game. The clubs last met in the 2025 preliminary final, a game Geelong won after Hawthorn was unable to hold off the pressure at the MCG.
What happens next
With both teams now named, attention turns fully to the first bounce and the immediate impact of the selection calls. Geelong Vs Hawthorn will begin at 3. 15pm ET on Monday, and the early storyline is clear: how Hawthorn covers its outs, and whether Geelong’s recalled players can shape the contest from the start. For both clubs, geelong vs hawthorn now moves from team sheets to the MCG spotlight.
