HAWTHORN's defensive zone is one of the most talked about football tactics in years, and when Geelong comes up against the Hawks in the most talked about game of the year, coach Mark Thompson is hopeful the Cats will show the football world they have the game to run right through it.

Thompson said he was expecting an intriguing tactical battle at the MCG tomorrow night when his ladder-leading Cats meet the highly rated Hawks for the first time since round four last year. "Tactically, it'll be a very interesting game," Thompson said yesterday. "We'd like to not go too far away from what we do, but you certainly have to make some alterations to how you play because, in effect, that cluster they implement has worked for them and it's a good strategy. But the way we play gives us a chance to actually break through it."

Given that 15 months had passed since the two teams last met, Thompson said the preparation had differed from the usual process. "When you prepare (against) a team, if you've played them three or four times in the last 12 months, you just pull out your old notes and you have a look at what you did," he said.

"Unfortunately, it's been such a long time since we played each other … all we can do is look at as much film as you can and work out the strategy."

A look at the recent head-to-head would suggest the Hawks, who have beaten the Cats in their past three meetings, have the upper hand, but given Geelong has lost just three of its 37 games since then, such comparisons may have little bearing on the outcome.

Public interest in tomorrow's game has reached fever pitch, with the AFL reporting yesterday that all public seating and standing-room positions had been sold, with only a small amount of AFL members' tickets remaining.

Thompson said the Cats could get midfielder David Wojcinski back after he missed last week's game against the Western Bulldogs with an Achilles injury, and that while Gary Ablett and Cameron Ling would not be fit for the Hawthorn game, he expected both to be right to play against Richmond next week.