Jeff Kennett vows not to invoke 'Kennett curse' ahead of Geelong-Hawthorn preliminary final

Kieran Francis

Jeff Kennett vows not to invoke 'Kennett curse' ahead of Geelong-Hawthorn preliminary final image

The 'Kennett curse' famously haunted Hawthorn for five years after the Hawks beat Geelong in the 2008 grand final.

After Kennett claimed Hawthorn had the mental advantage over the Cats following the premiership win, Geelong won the next 11 matches against the Hawks.

With the Cats and Hawks set to play in a preliminary final on Friday night - their first final against each other since 2016 - Kennett promised to keep his mouth shut about the game.

"I'm keeping a low profile this week," Kennett told AFL.com.au.

MORE: Zach Merrett trade: Could Essendon captain join a club other than Hawthorn?

"I am playing it very safe, I am going to hibernate this week."

Despite, Hawthorn missing the finals every season between 2019-2023, the rivalry with Geelong has stood the test of time, especially with the annual Easter Monday clash.

The Cats have won the last four matches between the rivals, with Hawthorn's last victory coming on Easter Monday in 2022.

Earlier this season on Easter Monday, Geelong won by seven points in a tight contest across the four quarters.

But the Hawks are coming into the preliminary final full of confidence after defeating both GWS and Adelaide on the road to reach the last four.

Geelong reached the preliminary final by comprehensively defeating reigning premiers Brisbane in the qualifying final.

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.