Is Big Boy the right man for right now?
We look at his captaincy reappointment from both sides
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Somewhat unsurprisingly, the Hawks have today announced that Big Boy Ben McEvoy will go around again for his second year as captain of the club.
There was some chatter that Sam Mitchell may’ve been contemplating younger more long-term options, but he was pretty definitive in his statement this afternoon.
“Certainly, from a players, coaches and, I think, a fans' perspective, he’s our clear leader,” he told the Hawthorn website this afternoon. “He’s very popular among the boys, and he certainly drives our standards and is pushing us more quickly in the direction that we’d like to go.”
Despite Mitch’s certainty, there was certainly a mixed response on the Hawks Insiders WhatsApp group.
Sitting on opposite sides of the captaincy fence, Hawks Insiders Andrew Weiss and Darren discuss both sides of the appointment below.
THE CASE FOR - ANDREW
As I wrote in my ‘Captaincy Conundrum’ article last week, Ben McEvoy was always going to be the clubhouse leader to retain the leadership role.
His selflessness over the past few years both by playing out of position, and taking the captaincy of a team we knew was going to perform poorly, showed how much he puts the club above himself.
He has always worn his heart on his sleeve, and has been a fan favourite for showing his emotions when performances have been below expectations. And the players love playing with and next to him.
We are still at the very start of our rebuild, and Sammy would know that. What we need through 2022 - a year where we are clearly going to win fewer games than we’d like, is some solid leadership with someone in the role who can take the added scrutiny and pressure the role brings.
Is he a lock to make the team each week? I’d say he is - with Reeves and Lynch jostling for the number one ruck spot, McEvoy will be the clear second ruck/pinch hitting forward/interchange option in the line-up.
Is he likely to be in the team in 2023 and beyond? I’d say maybe not, but that’s really not so relevant in 2022. Our next captain is likely to come from one of James Sicily, Blake Hardwick or even James Worpel.
Let them get another season of just playing under their belts figuring out Sammy’s systems, rather than add the weight of captaincy to their loads. Especially in Sicily’s case coming back from that injury.
The McEvoy decision makes so much sense for so many reasons - and I think it is a great choice from the club as we continue along our development pathway to premiership number 14.
THE CASE AGAINST - DARREN
I love Ben McEvoy. I love his selflessness. I love how you can almost stake your house on him nailing a set shot. I love his big safe pair of mitts. And I love how he literally bleeds for the club.
When Big Boy arrived from St Kilda, he was the missing piece to our three-peat puzzle, providing a more natural ruck foil to David Hale, a forward who learnt his ruck craft on the job. He’s been a selfless servant ever since, even going along with Clarko’s rather insane plan to reinvent him as an intercept defender.
The fact Clarko was prepared to do something so bold just to eke a few more games out of Macca’s banged up body speaks volumes of the esteem for which he’s held at within the four walls of the club. After the DJ Statts captaincy experiment went as pear shaped as his Facebook Live set, McEvoy seemed like the safe choice for captain at a tumultuous time for the club.
It wasn’t an obvious selection when it happened, but we all kinda accepted it was a stop-gap. Hawthorn wouldn’t be making the finals and there was a 40/1 chance of him lifting up the cup. (In hindsight those were some very generous odds.)
As he always does, McEvoy gave everything the club asked of him - and perhaps even more.
But things are a lot different now than they were 12 months ago at Hawthorn. There’s a new look senior coach. A new look coaching panel. Three high draft picks and, crucially, two young and hungry rucks; one of which seems to have leadership qualities himself and came to Hawthorn because he wasn’t getting much playing time at Collingwood. Max Lynch doesn’t think he’s a project ruck - he feels ready to go now.
Given his track record already at Hawthorn, at Box Hill and in the press, Sam Mitchell seems prepared to make bold moves to get this club back to where it rightly belongs. If he’s truly going to commit to that philosophy, he can’t feel like he needs to play a banged up and ageing ruckman every game. It’s true Ben McEvoy played 21 games in 2021, but that was mostly out of necessity and he looked truly cooked as the season wore on.
Can his 32-year-old body hold up in 2022? That is too much of a risk in my opinion when there are other leadership options - namely Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara, James Sicily, or smokeys like Blake Hardwick or James Worpel - that are genuine walk-up starts.
It’s why the McEvoy re-appointment seems like a move that may constrain Mitchell’s thinking on game day. You need leadership across all lines these days to win a flag, but you also need a central figure out there on the ground that can unite the group in key moments, or set the standards from the first to last bounce. Given his age profile and with two young rucks banging down the door, is McEvoy really going to be out there barking orders and leading by example for 20 odd games in 2022?
While Big Boy is a genuine great of a club, a natural leader, and a fine representative both internally and externally of the Hawthorn way, I’d hate for this appointment to hamper the progress of two developing rucks or lead to his selection when his battered body is no longer up to the task.
I'm comfortable with Big Boy staying captain for another season. For me, there's an element of respect involved. He's a guy and player worthy of it, and I think it would be just a tad disrespectful to give him the heave ho after one year. My feeling is that he'll be a regular in the team, and there will still be opportunities for Reeves and Lynch to get decent game time, given the likelihood injuries and COVID absences will impact at different times. By the end of 2022, Sicily or Hardwick should be cherry ripe to take over.