Can Anyone Stop Jai Newcombe?
When people talk about finals performers, Jai Newcombe’s name is now front and center. Once a mid-season draft pick, he’s quickly built a reputation as one of the most influential midfielders in the AFL. At just 24 years old, he has already stamped himself as a big-game player. In fact, in each of his four career finals so far, he’s been rated the best player on the ground. That’s the kind of consistency that makes coaches nervous and fans excited.
This week, all eyes are on him as Hawthorn prepares to take on Geelong in a massive preliminary final at the MCG. The matchup carries extra spice because of the history between the two clubs. These teams have shared plenty of finals battles over the past few decades, from the epic 1989 Grand Final right through to hard-fought clashes in 2013, 2014, and 2016. Now, another chapter is about to be written, and Newcombe is right in the middle of it.
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Geelong coach Chris Scott, however, has been quick to play down the idea that Hawthorn is a one-man team. He insists the Hawks are “quite complete” and far from being over-reliant on Newcombe. According to Scott, the Hawks have evolved into a balanced side that spreads the workload. Still, he admitted you’d have to be “not watching” to ignore just how much Newcombe has delivered this season.
One of the big tactical questions surrounds whether Geelong will assign a hard tag to Newcombe. In their qualifying final win, Irishman Oisin Mullin was given the job on Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage and came out on top. That performance has made him the likely candidate to shadow Newcombe. If he does, it could shape the entire game.
But finals footy is rarely that simple. As Scott pointed out, every team left in September has a strong midfield. If one star is shut down, another usually steps up. That’s the challenge Newcombe presents—stop him, and you still need to contain the rest of Hawthorn’s engine room. Don’t stop him, and he could take the game away from you.
The anticipation for this clash is enormous. Geelong and Hawthorn fans know the rivalry runs deep, and Scott himself acknowledged the emotion, saying supporters should be “completely out of their skin” about the occasion. The stakes couldn’t be higher: a spot in the Grand Final.
So, the big question remains—can Jai Newcombe be stopped, or will he once again rise to the moment and drive Hawthorn forward? Friday night at the MCG, we’re about to find out.
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