Not panic stations, but serious questions asked
We search for answers after a concerning - but fixable display against the Power
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ROUND 5: PORT ADELAIDE 18.13 (121), HAWTHORN 14.7 (91)
For all the pre-match build-up and aeroplane cele hype, the final game of Gather Round ended with a whimper. The Hawks were steamrolled early by a Port Adelaide side riding a wave of emotion — and an Adelaide crowd who hadn’t seen this much excitement since Human Nature did a surprise acapella set at the Adelaide Central Market and someone almost knocked over a display table full of olive oil.
From the very get go, Port Adelaide looked switched on and emotionally charged, while the Hawks look shellshocked, listless, and struggled to get hands on the footy. When they did, they fumbled it around like a cake of soap. Did the 15-day break kill the momentum of our 4-0 start? You can make a pretty compelling case for it, but this game also asked genuine questions about our competitiveness and structures that other teams may look to exploit.
You’d really have to rewind to the Demolition in Darwin at the hands of the Suns almost exactly a year ago to think of a half in which we were this uncompetitive — and at least on that occasion, the greasy conditions were an excuse.
Smashed at the contest. Smashed at clearances. Smashed one-on-one. That was really the story of the first half.
As for the second, a lot of credit is due for getting it under three goals, but it would’ve been a 1999-esque comeback worthy of an Andrew Weiss dissertation had the Hawks kept their nerve and pulled it off. Many supporters have come for CJ for his ill-disciplined hit following Rioli’s showboating, but perhaps some of that mongrel is what we were missing in that first half?
Time to enact Sammy’s 24-hour rule and turn our attention to the Easter Monday clash against Geelong.
🕵🏻♂️ Danny dissects it
Non-existent start cost Hawks dearly: It felt like we were watching a repeat of the finals loss against Port. The Hawks were completely overrun in the first half, I’m not going to say the 71 points margin midway through the second quarter flattered Hawthorn, but I’m not, not going to say it either.
Defensive lapses: Port’s man-on-man setup exposed Hawthorn’s defensive structures, particularly through the midfield and across half-back. The Hawks looked disorganised and reactive early.
Forward line shutdown: Small forwards Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson along with our main focal point, Mabior Chol were kept quiet all night. The delivery inside 50 was often incredibly poor, but in Chol’s case, there was often a lack of desire to compete.
Late response shows some fight: To their credit, the Hawks rallied in the second half, even reducing the margin to 22 points at one stage. It showed there’s resilience in the group, but it came far too late.
Reality check for a young side: Sam Mitchell admitted his side was "outplayed" and took ownership of the performance. He noted the team wasn’t caught up in the rivalry narrative—just beaten by a better side on the night.
There’s plenty of work to do if we’re serious about being at the pointy end: The result reinforced how much improvement is needed. The Hawks are still a developing team, but massive gaps in the required effort and structural lapses like those early quarters can’t become a commonplace.
Competitiveness can’t be selective, and is vitally important: I mentioned how Mabior Chol not only struggled to impact the game, but didn’t look to have a desire to halve contests, the same can be said about Harry Morrison, who didn’t want a bar of the physicality that Port Adelaide player brought on the night.
Uncle Jack shows the way: It blows my mind that Jack Gunston led this Hawthorn forward line with 15 disposals, seven marks and half a dozen goals. The wily vet wound back the clock on Sunday night, it’s a shame he didn’t have many friends.
Outclassed and outplayed but not outworked: Jai Newcombe deserved some praise for his application. It didn’t all come off, but in a game where he was missing his partner in crime, Will Day, and had James Worpel easing back into it, Newcombe’s effort was unquestionable.
🧐 Things we like to see: Gunners winding back the clock
⭐️ Best on ground: Jack Gunston
There has been plenty of talk about the wait for Calsher Dear and Mitch Lewis to be back in this Hawthorn set up, and the talk of where the goals would come from until they returned was a legitimate query. Jack Gunston came out and made a statement on Sunday night. 6 goals from 15 disposals was a fantastic return for the three time premiership hero.
This can’t be the expected output week to week, but Gunston proved he still has it and can be a valuable contributor throughout what is expected to be his final season.
💫 Rising star: Cam Mackenzie
A tougher week for Hawthorn’s young brigade. Mackenzie stood out due to his ability to get his hands on the football early, when most of his teammates could not. Mackenzie had 7 of his 18 disposals in the first quarter, a time when Port were well and truly on top.
Not a massive game from the the exciting talent, but another foundational block in a strong start to the season.
👼 Unsung hero: Jai Newcombe
Like all Hawks, Newcombe struggled early. He is our unsung hero this week because of his never-say-die attitude and his ability to push through the difficult start. He lead the Hawks in clearances, but also hit the scoreboard and had an impact through his offering as a marking target forward of centre. Newcombe can hold his head up, he wasn’t spectacular, but he gets a pass mark for this one.
🤯 Under pressure: Jack Ginnivan
Sam Mitchell calls it a “dip” in form, but at least he’s acknowledged it now. Gini’s slow start to the season was magnified on Sunday night. Whether he’s carrying something, or just struggled on a night in which it was camped in Port’s half for long periods, Gini needs to find a way to get involved. He’s down in almost all of his 2024 key metrics, but if there’s one thing we know (and love) about Gini, it’s his love of the big stage. Easter Monday provides the perfect platform for a breakout game for 2025.
🍻 The Big Question: Does #6 start forward against the Cats?
🎤 Sammy said what!?
“They obviously taught us a bit of a lesson tonight.”
“The first half of that game was unacceptable and not the way we want to play and not the style and level of gameplay that we try to produce.”
“We’re four and one so not in a terrible position on the year, but it doesn’t feel like that right in this moment does it?”
“They kicked three goals in 20 seconds, pretty much. They were in sort of ‘save the game’ mode, they weren’t playing with the same vibrancy and energy that they were earlier in the game.”
“Even if we had have come back to win that game from the 22 points (down)... I wouldn’t be sitting here saying we deserved to win that.”
“There’s a little bit of, we’re four and one so not in a terrible position on the year, but it doesn’t feel like that right in this moment does it?”
🗣️ Final words: James Worpel
“It was a bit of a battle of two halves. They came out of the blocks really good early and we couldn’t claw it back. Think we played well in the second half but it was probably a bit too far gone for us. They started really hot and we couldn’t handle it.”
“We need to go back to what we’re good at — the basics of the game, handling the footy, winning contested footy, getting it in our forward half, and letting our forwards do their thing.”
⏭️ Next week:
Out of the Gather Round fire and into the Easter Monday furnace. The Hawks come home to the MCG to take on a Geelong outfit who are coming off an impressive win against a strong Adelaide side on their home deck last week.
This game is there to be won, but the Hawks will need to come out with the requisite effort and intent and be willing to put their body on the line for the cause. A win would erase the pain of last Sunday evening and set a strong foundation for the remainder of the season.
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What was learnt:
1. Listen to the coach – Across the first four games, Mitchell didn’t give any credence to the praise being given to the team in any of the wins with his continual line being that there are areas to work on which proved to be the case this week.
2. Adjusting to the prime-time schedule – With the scheduling of games reflecting the charge to the finals last year, having a 15-day break between games is a very new experience for this group. If you recall last year, when we had the Friday night final, they had a night training session to allow the players to at least try to “fill in” in the time before a night game. How you replicate a lengthy break is another matter. I do wonder if having a lengthy break last week would be repeated in similar circumstances next year.
3. The under 80 gamers couldn’t come to the fore this week – Having been key contributors to the GWS win, this group wasn’t able to repeat their contribution this week when the need was higher with another key player out (Day) and one coming back from a significant injury (Worpel) leaving the top end talent further depleted.
4. The midfield Big 4 are still the warriors – As per the previous point, this was the opportunity for those who aspire to become dominant midfield contributors to press their claims. Unfortunately, they again failed to make the most of their opportunities, particularly with Newcombe under the pump of a strong tag early.
5. Loss of structure across the ground – The concept of playing “complementary football” came to the fore in this game. With the midfield badly beaten in the first half, enormous pressure was placed on the defenders, and it showed some cracks in the connection amongst the back half that is still a work in progress, particularly with Sicily having the perfect tag for him – smart at finding space and strong overhead. This then impacted on the forward half as we pushed more into defence with Hardwick playing as a 7th defender, effectively leaving Gunston and Watson to counter the Port defensive wall, particularly across our half forward line.
6. Marking option coming out of the defence – Again, the capacity to take a mark from a defensive exit at half back/wing meant that the ball was regularly locked in the Port forward half. From the screen, it appeared that Chol was kept deep to remove the threat of Aliir or Ratugolea taking intercepting marks in a more dangerous position. Meek failed to take a mark in the game and whilst he worked manfully, he didn’t have a strong impact on the game. His goal kicking is very reliable inside 40 metres. This is where the impact of Battle and Barrass could be more influential.
7. Leadership was wanting – with the momentum flowing with Port in the first half, the inability of Moore to marshall either himself, Ginnivan or Maginness to lock down on Rozee was very disappointing.
8. If you’re not clean, you’ll be killed by quality opposition, particularly when they are better covering the ground. The first half was more reflective of this time last year than any game since!
Observations:
• When the wheels lose air (or come off), then the marginal players’ contributions become more apparent. It would be reasonable to say that this group would again become a focus of scrutiny – being the cream on the cake is relatively easy; being the flour is more important.
• The more significant issue is that a couple of prime movers from last year have not started the year at well and given that Mitchell has sent others down to Box Hill for a re-education program, they may find themselves in this boat. D’Ambrosio, aside from the first game, hasn’t played a four-quarter game since. His kicking efficiency in this game was 27% - his KE for this season 65% (73% last year). Given 70% of his possessions are uncontested, his efficiency by foot is an issue. Ginnivan is another who would be concerned about his form both on possessions and direct scoreboard impact.
• Both Ward and Mackenzie were poor by foot early in the game – as per the earlier learning, these are the players who we think can become significant contributors to future success. Similarly, Maginness has to convert his chances from 30 metres, particularly when the momentum is well and truly going the other way.
• Mackenzie (70% TOG) is again a watch. Whilst Mitchell at his presser said Mackenzie is an impact player, then there is a need to maximise his output. Ward (64%) was the lowest TOG.
• Kudos to Gunston for his finishing in front of goal, the forward structure of he and Chol to counter two intercepting defenders is not sustainable, particularly when there are floating interceptors as well. From the screen, it did appear Chol was instructed to play deep which isn’t necessarily his best role – this isn’t to defend his inability to, at least, break even in marking contests.
• The first half was our worst field kicking for the season with some very crucial turnovers assisting in building the Port emotion.
• Breust as the sub doesn’t really assist in a game like this.
• Still kicked over 90 points in the game!
Starting 4:
1st Qrt: Newcombe (27) Worpel (21) Nash (11)
2nd Qrt: Newcombe Worpel Mackenzie ((23)
3rd Qrt: Newcombe Worpel Moore (18)
4th Qrt: Newcombe Moore Mackenzie
Meek 33 Ward 5 Chol 2
With two of the Big 4 out of the side after half-time, it would be opportune to look at the centre square work in terms of those who are looking to make a stronger contribution in this part of the team.
Highest CBA by Qrt
1st 7 - Newcombe
2nd 8 - Mackenzie
3rd 6 - Moore & Newcombe
4th 9 - Mackenzie Newcombe Moore
Centre clearances by Qrt – 19 total (vs.14)
1st: 1 - Meek Nash Moore Chol
2nd: 2 – Jiath 1 – Meek Mackenzie Ward
3rd: 2 – Newcombe 1 Meek D’Ambrosio
4th: 3 – Newcombe 2 Moore 1 Worpel
The assessment of centre square clearances is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, but it appears that those in the engine room couldn’t get first use of the ball when you consider Jiath and D’Ambrosio had three centre clearances between them. As reflected by the eye, Newcombe’s ability to impose himself on the game after half-time was validated by the stats. Proportionally, Moore had a more significant impact than Mackenzie across the game.
Issue for the week:
Selection integrity – this being the first genuine hiccup for a while, the onus will be on selection integrity as the form at Box Hill has to be recognised other than acknowledging it in press conferences, leaving aside Scrimshaw and Macdonald returns as automatic. The early signs are that Nash is OK, it will be closely watched as to whether Serong or Hustwaite are rewarded for their work thus far. I would hope that the sub role is used for a strategic purpose other than having another on-field coach.
We are a sum of the parts team – we don’t have a Butters/JHF or Cameron/Dangerfield combination and we don’t have a Nick Daicos or Jordan de Goey. We rely on each player playing at a high level which makes the total. Aside from Finn just not being at the level (that first quarter missed goal snuffed out any chance of us getting back into the game in Q1), several players such as Nash, Ginnivan, Impey and Massimo are well below their 2024 form. Massimo has played two excellent second halves (Carlton and Port but has been significantly below his performances in 2024. Impey was a source of great run and drive from behind last season, however with Hardwick going forward, Jarman has been required to play a more lock down role, which has stifled his run. Notwithstanding an excellent game against GWS, it’s questionable whether the move of Hardwick forward has been a success and with Gunston returning to the forward line with Chol, is there a spot in the forward six for Hardwick? Moving him back and freeing up Impey may be of greater benefit. The acquisitions of Barass and Battle, along with the move of CJ to defence has left us with an abundance of defenders, which will only be exacerbated this week with Scrim returning. Perhaps we’re better off with Hardwick going back, Sic going forward and Scrim playing the Sicily role with CJ as the 7th defender? It did also make me wonder whether Battle was a player that we needed or was it more a ‘nice to have’.
It was interesting to listen to Daniel Hoyne of Champion Data last week who was of the view that the numbers did not reflect a 4-0 premiership favorite. Further, Hoyney said that they key metrics that defined the back 2/3 of season 2024 were well down in 2025. The point being that we can get a whole lot better if we address those areas, alternatively, if we don't, losses will inevitably come. Hoyney will be feeling vindicated.
The loss of Will Day should not be understated. It was surprising in last week's HI podcast to hear how unfazed we were about Will's absence. The dimension and depth he adds to our midfield can't be replaced. Rather than one player, it will likely be a combination of rotations that we need to use – Moore, McDonald, Ward, Watson and perhaps Weddle will all be required to play more midfield time. There was a notable lift around the ball when Moore moved on ball after half time.
Not for the first time this season, we had trouble in moving the ball from our defence to our front half and then when we did manage to get the ball into our front half, in the first half it just bounced out of there in what often looked like a training drill. This is a real worry for Monday's game as it’s a key strength of Geelong.
Too often, Mabior looks uncompetitive and that was the case last night. Mabior's assets are his mobility, speed and field kicking and we need to maximise those assets by getting him up the ground and on the ball more often where he can use those assets. Mabior’s last two weeks have been possibly his worst two games for the Hawks – a total of 8 possessions and 3 marks. Led by De Koning and Stewart, Geelong thrive on intercept marks, and we need a highly competitive key forward more than ever this week. If Mabior can’t produce that sort of performance, it’s probably time to give Ramsden an opportunity.