Unbeaten and behind Collingwood only on percentage, the Cats are the Magpies' most legitimate threat. They meet on May 13.

The Hawks had the Cats pinned down for the kill no less than three times in a titanic clash.

In the first quarter the rampaging Hawks kicked the first four goals and led 26-0. Again, they kicked the first three goals of the second term to lead by 16, then they opened the third quarter with two of the first three goals to lead by 14.

But the steely resilience of this Geelong side, which contained 18 premiership players, remains remarkable. It outlasted an old foe to win the most pulsating contest of the season so far, by 19 points.

Geelong won with the type of breathtaking third-quarter surge that was the hallmark of its 2007 and 2009 premiership campaigns. The Cats slammed through five goals in seven minutes and six unanswered in a devastating burst of power football that ran the Hawks ragged.

The sixth goal, which blew the margin out to 22 points, started with a daring run by Matthew Scarlett, continued with Joel Selwood's show of strength and ended with Travis Varcoe's freakish snap across his body from 40m.

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