Hawthorn vs Essendon Mega Preview
Can we do the double over one of our most hated rivals?
What a week.
We have basked in the beauty that was our win against the Swans in round 13, we had our match against the Bombers relocated to our home away from home in Tassie, and we learnt that debutant Lachlan Bramble will be lining up for his first official game in the brown and gold.
There is PLENTY to be excited about heading into this game - though it should be tempered somewhat and we should be erring on the side of caution in terms of expectations.
The Dons have everything to play for tying to solidify a spot in the top eight, while despite our incredible four-quarter performance last week, one need only look at the few weeks prior our bye to see how bad it really can be at the moment.
Can we make it two on the trot? Whichever side of the fence you are sitting on ahead of today’s game, here is everything you need to know.
Current Form
Last five matches:
Hawthorn: LLLLW
Essendon: LWWWL
Last Start
The Hawks absolutely turned it on to cause one of the upsets of the year when we trounced sixth place Sydney by 38 points at the SCG in round 13. The game will be long remembered for Jai Newcombe and his Australian, Commonwealth, Olympic and World record 14-tackle game on debut, as well as the fact that we comprehensively beat the Swans on their home turf, in every facet of the game. Sam Frost had a game to remember completely blanketing Buddy Franklin, while Cegs, Titch and CJ were all exceptional.
The Bombers were on the other end of a bathing, losing their pre-bye Dreamtime Game against the Tigers by 39 points in Perth. After trailing the reigning premiers at three-quarter time by 22 points, Essendon kicked the first four goals of the final term to hit the front. From there it was all yellow and black, with Richmond going on to flex their muscles and score seven unanswered goals.
At the selection table
Hawthorn:
IN
James Cousins, Lachlan Bramble (debut)
OUT
Harry Morrison (Injured), James Worpel (Suspension)
It has really all been about Lachie this week, as we blood another debutant and continue our rebuild at pace.
Worpel misses through suspension with the club having opted not to challenge his one-match sanction - a decision weighing up convenience, cost, need and likely tribunal outcome. For the record, we think it was ridiculous that he copped a week for it and no doubt we will be part of a vocal band of Hawks crying out for justice every time we see similar tackles by opposition players in the future.
Cousins comes in as the obvious replacement for Morrison to add another layer of grunt to our midfield unit.
Essendon:
IN
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Devon Smith, Ned Cahill, Peter Wright, Sam Draper
OUT
Aaron Francis (Managed), Alec Waterman (Injured), Andrew McGrath (Injured), Andrew Phillips (Omitted), David Zaharakis (Injured), Patrick Ambrose (Omitted)
Wholesale changes at the Bombers who are coming back from the bye last round, with injuries and omissions galore. Francis has taken a break to address mental health concerns, while McGrath (knee) and Zaharakis (hamstring) are handy outs.
On the flipside, the additions of Smith, Wright and Draper give the Bombers a much needed boost and they go in with a solid line-up.
History
Overall:
P: 165 W:66 D:0 L:99
Last 10 years:
P: 13 W:8 D:0 L:5
Last five games:
P: 5 W:3 D:0 L:2
Our round one win this year snapped a two-game losing streak against the Dons, with those losses coming in 2020 and 2019. We last played Essendon twice in the same same year in 2018, winning both the round seven game by 23 points and the round 20 match by four points.
Record at the UTAS Stadium:
Hawthorn - P:66 W:50 D:1 L:15
Essendon - P:0 W:0 D:0 L:0
Brownlow Votes - last 10 matches:
HAWTHORN:
4 - Jack Gunston, Jarryd Roughead, Sam Mitchell
3 - James Sicily, Jordan Lewis, Shaun Burgoyne, Lance Franklin
2 – Tom Mitchell, Isaac Smith, Grant Birchall
1 – Ricky Henderson, Liam Shiels, Josh Gibson, Luke Hodge
ESSENDON:
8 – Zach Merrett
4 - Dyson Heppell, Michael Hurley
3 – Jobe Watson
2 – Andrew McGrath, Orazio Fantasia, Michael Hibberd
1 – Joe Daniher
Last time we met
Round 1, Saturday 25 July 2020
HAW 14.8.92 defeated ESS 13.13.91
What could be better than beating Essendon? Amirite?
How about beating Essendon by one point?
Or how about beating Essendon after they were in front by 38 points at half time?
It was a tale of two halves all the way back in the opening round of the 2021 season, and really the second half is the only one worth discussing. After being comprehensively outplayed in the first two terms, things turned around after the main-break with a totally different Hawthorn team taking to the field.
The lead extended out to 40 points at one point, but after a quiet opening half where he recorded 13 touches, Tom Mitchell stepped up with 26 in the second to seal all three Brownlow votes (no bigger certainty).
Will Day was enormous in the final quarter with 11 touches and three intercepts, but it was fan favourite Timmy O’Brien who bobbed up with his second goal of the match with just over a minute to play - putting us in front and sealing the most unlikely and satisfying comebacks.
Fun facts:
😓 Eight of the past 10 matches between Hawthorn and Essendon have been decided by 25 points or less. Given the venue and current form of each side, a blowout is unlikely.
🏷 Zach Merrett has polled Brownlow votes in four of his past five outings against the Hawks.
🏟 Bit of a myth we don’t ‘like’ playing at Marvel against the Bombers - we have won eight of our last 10 against them there, while we are 9-4 in our last 13 against them at the MCG.
🍎 Essendon have only ever played in Tasmania once - beating Fitzroy in round 17 in 1992 at North Hobart.
🔁 The round one win was the fourth highest second-half comeback in the history of our club when we came back from 38 points. Only wins against Geelong (49 points: 1989), St Kilda (44 points: 1999) and Melbourne (40 points: 1973) were greater.
🍽 Jaeger O’Meara has more career possessions against Essendon than any other team.
Hawks Insiders Tips
Ashley Browne: Hawthorn by 10 points
Darren Levin: Hawthorn by 8 points
Andrew Weiss: Essendon by 17 points