A magical day at the MCG
Incredible pre-match celebration of the history of our club, and a team forging it's own history with a rampaging win against the Tigers
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ROUND 8: HAWTHORN 16.13 (109), RICHMOND 6.8 (44)
In our time as Hawthorn fans, there are days at the footy and then there are days at the footy.
This was some day at the footy.
A true celebration of the history, culture and fabric of this wonderful club that we are so luck to have been a part of - all of us with our own club connection stories.
Sunday at the MCG was the enmeshment of all of our stories, told through the script of the most successful AFL club of the past 60 years.
And what a perfect balance of respect, storytelling and celebration the club managed in one of the great pre-game celebrations we have ever been able to witness.
So much to consider from the day which we will touch upon in this article and you can listen to from our recap pod:
And of course there was the footy. A scrappy first half turned into a free-flowing second that was more on brand with our current day team.
A comprehensive 65-point win fitting of the occasion - adding to a day to celebrate 100 years - a day to celebrate being part of the Hawthorn family.
🕵🏻♂️ Weissy gives us some Obs
Well done HFC on an incredible pre-game celebration. It didn’t matter which era was your favourite, everyone, every generation and every success was suitably catered for. What a club.
Something soothing about Clarko back on the G with his Hawk brethren. And it is no surprise that the loudest cheer of the day was when his name was read out as part of the pre-game fanfare. Such a wonderful moment, and the healing process has now hopefully officially begun.
One of my favourite moments - when the footage of the Chance Bateman kicking the goal in the 2008 Grand Final came onto the screens at the MCG, the three x 40-50 year old males in front of me gave each other a look and one of them with a glint in his eye said “goosebumps”. Turned my already formed goosebumps into mega goosebumps.
The vision on the screen of the pre-game speech before the players ran out and that huddle was pure magic.
Boos for Noah Balta, bronx cheers for James Sicily when he found a target, BREUSTTTTTT ringing out in unison and some hearty umpire bashing (which we do not condone). It was wonderful to hear the 62,321 fans - most of whom were Hawk fans, getting involved.
Speaking of James Sicily, what’s the best emoji to use right now? 🤦🏻♂️? 😬? 😢? 🙏🏻? Or 🦵🏻? More in the coming sections of this article…
On the field it was a slow start, again highlighted with 2.5 in the opening term. Turn one of these quarters around and we will see a blowout beyond all blowouts. Hopefully this week we are more accurate against the Dees.
Patience is a virtue. There were times when Richmond had EVERY player inside their defensive 50 and we did well to hold the ball, maintain possession from side-to-side of the 50 metre arc and wait for the right moment to hit a target. Again, let’s see this against the Demons and no long bombs straight to Max Gawn.
Mabior Chol has become (some will argue always was) a super important player for us, and somewhat of a barometer for the team. His chasing and pressure for a big man was again outstanding.
That is the Massimo we remember form 2024. Two goals and 30 touches - was all over the place doing Massimo things.
Jai Newcombe is a star.
Best game CJ has played in…. ever? Absolute cracking outing and really helped bring the Hok back with his run, carry and energy.
Gee Henry Hustwaite can play. Would love to work out how we fit him in post the returns of Nash, Amon, Scrimma, Calsh and even Day. I’d love to see him retain his spot as the year progresses as he belongs at the level - impressed with his eight tackles, five clearances and 10 score involvements.
Jack Gunston is some sort of footballer. Shame he has lost the five metres off his kick or could be bagging more. But still looking great on a lead and is a demanding presence up forward. Give him another year.
Josh Battle and Tom Barrass. The contrast of seeing Brian Lake and Josh Gibson off the field on the day, and this pair on field controlling our defence was front of mind.
Great to finish the day of celebrations with kick-to-kick on the MCG after the game. Smiles all around, and kids of all ages loving being on the hallowed turf.
🧐 Things we like to see (I): Gunners 500
Classic Jack Gunston. 500 of the best - and in front of a decent group of brown and gold champions which he is well and truly a part of. Well done to all the players for bringing the cele back in style - every Hawk player on the ground surrounding Gunners and bowing to pay homage to him. Another memorable moment into the forever memory bank.
🧐 Things we like to see (II): Clarko in the brown & gold
Not only did he front up, not only did he embrace the day, not only did he get the loudest cheer from the fans, and not only did he heal many supporter hearts… but he also sat out the entire game in his brown and gold scarf. On a day of unlimited highlights, this was right up there with the very best.
🧐 Things we like to see (III): Langers and the jumper wave
Be still beating heart. We have this ahead of the Shane highlight below as another cracking moment that gives us all the feels. And a moment that had Chris Langford not only enshrined into folklore, but a healthy #18 on Ash’s Top 100 HFC Movers and Shakers list. This re-enactment will be a photo that once again transcends generations.
🧐 Things we like to see (IV): That’s what he’s talking about
The monologue from Shane was something else. Who better to narrate the pre-game ceremony than one of our greatest players, captains and leaders in Crawf. But the line that really got us all going was his finale - bringing back “That’s What I’m Talking About” in absolute style.
⭐️ Best on ground: Josh Battle
The standout performer on the ground repelling wave after wave of Richmond attacks, and creating many rebound forward attacks of our own. Battle finished the day with a career-high 33 touches at 93% disposal efficiency, had 12 marks, seven score involvements and a game-high 10 intercepts possessions. Was probably seen as the ‘poor cousin’ to Tom Barrass when the pair came through the Waverley doors - now looking like a pair of in-synch twins that you just can’t separate. Quality.
💫 Rising star: Nick Watson
Doesn’t need a bevy of touches to get noticed - Watson managed three goals and six score involvements from his 10 touches on the day and was a real source of energy. His goal on the boundary where he sprinted at pace away from Nick Vlaustin, snapped truly, and then let Ben Miller know what he thought about his dirty little body check is the type of goal we will be seeing on repeat from the Wiz for years to come. Magic.
👼 Unsung hero: Jack Ginnivan
Started the day with two shots at goal for two behinds, followed up with a shot that didn’t make the distance and was rushed through. His recovery from that point was magnificent - ending the game with two goals, 23 touches, nine marks and 10 score involvements. It was the 2024 Ginni back in action, topping off a great fortnight since his return to the senior line up from Box Hill.
🤯 Under pressure: James Sicily
I mean he’s not really under pressure is he. But he kind of is. And that is because if we had the James Sicily from any of the past few years playing in this team we would be a six to seven goal better outfit. It’s not just his kicking either which has taken a remarkable dip - he is dropping one or two absolute dolly marks every game, and the pressure he puts on himself must be starting to build. You can’t keep a champion down though (and that’s what he is), so we are backing him to turn his mini form slump around very soon.
🎤 Sammy said what!?
“It was a little bit scrappy early - I was really pleased that the players were able to continue with the right attitude and I really thought that they handled the occasion well.”
“This was a big occasion for the club and to see the people that were there it was quite daunting to be honest for all of us.”
“Then to go from this huge emotional understanding of 100 years and the weight that that carried to then go and play 10 minutes later, I thought that they did a great job.”
“I found it quite difficult on a personal leave to get back to it - I thought we handled it really well and I very proud of the boys.”
“In the AFL environment you get challenged sometimes with the way you play - sometimes it’s weather or opposition or momentum, but sometimes it is occasion in finals or like that. Today maybe what was on the field wasn’t a final and didn’t have that feel about it, but certainly the event of it had that element for us.”
🗣️ The final word: Tom Barrass
“What a fantastic win - the boys put in an amazing effort in honour of all the legends who came down to celebrate 100 years of Hawthorn and it was great to be a part of.”
“Richmond were able to put up a really good fight early as we knew they would and there was a lot of pressure in the game.”
“It was magic - having everyone come out to show their support and respect for the footy club.”
“To have the past players and the champions of the game and the club come down and be involved - I have been really surprised at what a quality activation it was and just how much support and love has been shown for this 100 year celebration.”
“It’s just an honour to be involved.”
⏭️ Next week:
Another MCG game - this time against the Demons who are a team that we haven’t beaten in our last nine attempts.
You need to go all the way back to Round 4 in 2018 for the last time it happened, but we are probably at opposite end of the table than we each have been since then.
So a huge opportunity to go 7-2 heading into a five day break in Darwin against the Suns.
Surely this one will be another formality?
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It was an incredible day, and I deeply regret not being there – the problem with living in Perth I guess! The enormous feeling of pride was inescapable and at times the emotions overwhelming. It was also impossible not to be struck by just how fortunate we are to support our club and the extraordinary successes and unforgettable memories we’ve been gifted. My only comment about the celebrations was to perhaps have had some recognition of the pre 1961 period, which was a time of extreme struggle (it wasn’t until John Peck goaled after the siren in 1960 that we recorded our first win at Victoria Park) and some of the key figures at the time including Col Austen, our first Brownlow Medalist, Bob McCaskill and Jack Hale. We’ve been blessed with remarkable success over the past 64 years, but we should never forget the tough times and the figures that sustained our club during those years.
I’d also like to thank all the HI crew for helping to make such a memorable occasion even more memorable. It was quite nostalgic to reflect on the HI’s memories (and to learn about the wide age group of the HI crew). While it’s a labour of love no doubt, the effort is greatly appreciated and the passion for our club comes through loud and clear.
As for the game itself, goal kicking early was again an issue and the opportunity to gain an early lead of note was again lost. This improved as the game went on and hopefully it’s just a passing fad, but this will be costly against better opposition.
Poor turnovers were again an issue, though these seemed to be more confined to a few this week (Sicily and Morrison most notably), rather than the broad spread of blooper makers over the two previous games. I heard Sam say that Sic hasn’t lost his kicking talent, and we get the point, but these past three weeks have been an issue, so much so that he’s become a liability with ball in hand.
Not sure what the ball movement numbers will say this week, but we took 21 marks inside 50 and conceded 13, which suggests something is going ok. As the game progressed, it was terrific to see Jarman return to something like his best – he is a key part of our ball movement form defence. It may be coincidence, but as Mick notes, his best game for the year coincided with Hardwick returning to the backline. Interestingly, it was also Ginnivan’s best game for the year, again perhaps related to Hardwick going back. Hardwick’s real value as a forward was earlier in the season when we were playing just the one tall forward and he played as something of a ‘second tall’ but with Gunston now a permanent forward, that role Hardwick played is now largely redundant. It also just feels safer when he’s down back.
Perhaps I’m imagining it, but it seemed that several times we over committed to the marking contest and were outnumbered when the ball hit the ground, especially in the first half. Unless he’s a lock to mark or spoil, would much prefer to see Jarman and CJ stay down.
The running power of some of our boys was again apparent – Ward’s last quarter was outstanding, Maginness’s second half was excellent, after a number of howlers in the first half Morrison had a good back end of the game, Massimo had a four quarter performance and CJ ran the game out strongly. All are players noted for their high-end endurance capabilities.
Is there any concern that a few players have carried a big load so far this season and that this run of congested games, followed by an extremely tough block of five games, may run out of gas? Here, I’m thinking of Meeky, Jai and Barass (who is maybe surprisingly, yet to miss a game) in particular, but also mindful of the load that Jarman, Sicily, Hardwick, Dylan Moore and Watson have carried. In the coming weeks, do we need to adopt a squad mentality and think about giving some of these boys a rest and playing Frosty, Big Ned, Jai Serong, Bailey McDonald and Sam Butler for example?
Hopefully, my concern about this week's game is misplaced, but Melbourne is strong around the ball, which is where we are most vulnerable and it's very hard to get a read on our form over these past two weeks.
What was learnt:
1. Impey’s 2025 role compared to 2024 – With Amon and Scrimshaw out, forcing Hardwick back to his traditional role, this released Impey to provide the run-off half back which is the role we were used to see him play in 2024. This reflects how his role has changed this year with the move of Hardwick forward, Impey has taken over the main defensive lockdown role which perhaps has been underappreciated thus far. Like Amon, Impey looks to run goal to goal compared to a couple of his fellow defenders who often run wing to wing. Being able to break the defensive wall of the opposition is a key part of the run & gun style of play that was the trademark of 2024 and been seen less often this year.
2. Exiting defensive 50 – an issue that has been on the agenda for 12 months is still an issue again highlighted by the absence of Amon and Sicily’s current case of the kicking yips. Being able to find an outlet marking target at half back is a missing piece of the puzzle, hence when we look to go to the open side to a one-on-one option has such an impact on our ball movement. One thing for sure is kicking to Moore as an exit option isn’t a bankable option.
3. Barrass demonstrated his worth – When the game was on i.e. we didn’t control the momentum in the first quarter, Barrass demonstrated his worth with his strength and marking ability. What could be overlooked in assessing his contribution to the overall impact on the game is the Tigers I50 by quarter – 16/9//6/11 (4 in the last 4 mins) as against his TOG % by quarter - 100/90/80/65. Again, he was managed within the context of the game. A thing to ponder is when he is able to spoil the ball so easily, but not effectively in that it went to a Tiger small for a goal, why doesn’t he mark it?
4. Chol’s ruck and midfield work has been underappreciated – Whilst Meek and Nankervis fought out a nil all draw, Chol was able to provide a point of difference when he went into the midfield, not only with his ruck work, but also his field kicking going inside 50 from the centre square.
5. Selection integrity has a (slight) quandary to it – With two half backs out and then a midfielder out, the ins – Jiath, Maginness and Breust – didn’t quite align on balance, especially with B. Macdonald remaining as the sub. If last week was the week for Hustwaite as the midfielder with the credits, then this week should’ve been the week for Serong to be recognised for his past 12 months. With Amon coming back next week (& possibly Scrimshaw), it will be a watch as to the balance of the team for next week.
Observations:
• Undoubtedly Jiath’s best game for a long time and when he reacts on instinctive action, he is dynamic to the game plan, however when he has time to “think”, you can see how he can become unpredictable to his teammates who must wonder when he will release the ball.
• D’Ambrosio hitting the scoreboard has been the missing part of his game as a winger. His KE in general play is still a work in progress and playing on the Warne wing, it was evident on a couple of occasions that he doesn’t always steady himself to ensure that the option is kicking to is either a viable one or he is putting the ball to their advantage.
• Taking scoring opportunities from good spots (or players in the wrong spot) – again, the issues of where shots are taken from and who takes them are keys to maximizing the scoreboard impact e.g. Meek taking a snap from congestion & Hustwaite from 45+m are not the best options, whereas D’Ambrosio from 30m and Ginnivan from 45m missing would be issues against a better side.
• For a number of players they certainly played for the celebration jumper as they will be donating their match payments to the concussion review fund.
• After ¼ time, Battle tidied up his disposal efficiency particularly by foot which allowed him to maximise his impact on the game. Whilst his disposal numbers were a career high, his ability to hit targets without creating clangers that have caught his teammates offside.
Starting 4: (CBA/CC)
1st Qrt: Newcombe (18/0) Worpel (22/1) Hustwaite (12/1)
2nd Qrt: Newcombe Worpel Ward (17/4)
3rd Qrt: Newcombe Worpel Hustwaite
4th Qrt: Newcombe Worpel Ward
Meek 18/1 Chol 6/1 Moore 8/1 Watson 3/0 Moore 2/1
Whether it was coincidence or correlation, when Watson went into the midfield in the last 5 minutes, the Tigers were able go inside F50 4-5 times. Leaving aside his size at the initial contest in the centre square, Watson’s work rate defensively didn’t look to be a feature in the transition from offence to defence.
The fact that Ward had third most CBA may indicate what the pecking order is – Mackenzie was third last week with Hustwaite having the same number as last week.
Issue for the week:
Following on from above, the new look midfield has had a couple of games to develop a synergy between themselves. With Melbourne and Gold Coast to come, where Meek will be taking on opponents that have troubled him in the past, along with midfields that are key to their respective game plans, how the midfield group perform will be crucial.
Looking at the newcomers to the CBA set up:
Hustwaite has been given the starting role with Newcombe and Worpel and has been credited with one centre clearance over the two games. He certainly has had his hands on the ball, however I do wonder if his propensity to handball as a first option impact on this stat. Against the Tigers, his disposal count was 4 kicks /15 handballs, however it didn’t seem to be unbalanced within the flow of the game. The issue that did come to light was his foot speed (the extended weather pattern hasn’t helped him in terms of bringing others back to him with the sting out of the ground) hence tackling becomes an important part of his game this week.
Ward in this game seemed to adopt a slightly different role going into the packs, feeding the clearances out, particularly to Newcombe who was lethal by foot. Ward had a good patch in the last 5 minutes of the second quarter where we scored two quick goals and his last quarter with his running capacity was important, even though the sting was out of the game.
For the Tigers, their midfield is their current strength with Nankervis, Hooper and Taranto, Worpel didn’t have has great an impact on the game and I wonder if he was the one they sat on. Newcombe’s work was outstanding – his kicking had penetration and a couple of his handballs were as good as a kick. It was interesting that Maginness wasn’t given time in the centre square when he dominated in this part of the ground at Box Hill last week.
Not a measure, but juat an indicator – Metres gained - Newcombe 537, Worpel 168, Ward 161, Hustwaite 182.
Coming up against Gawn, Petracca, Viney, Oliver, Pickett, Langford & Rivers, then Witts, Anderson, Rowell, Miller, Humprey & Flanders, we will have a better understanding as to the quality of our depth in the midfield in the coming weeks.