PLAYER REVIEW: #26 Liam Shiels
PLAYER REVIEW: #26 Liam Shiels
Mr Consistency - but does he still make the team given our rebuild?
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Our player reviews continue with one of our three-peat heroes, #26 Liam Shiels. How was his season in 2021? Read on and find out.
#26 LIAM SHIELS
2021 Stats:
General Summary:
Fans are divided on where Pup’s future lies over the coming years at the club, but we will probably get a good idea of where Sammy and the coaching fraternity see him fitting in as the 2022 season rolls on.
If we have a look back at the 2021 season, Liam was the consistent and resilient player we have all come to know and love over the years.
He managed to play 21 of a possible 22 games - missing the round 10 game against Carlton after he was a late withdrawal with neck soreness.
On the field he averaged 21 touches per game which is slightly down on the output we have come to expect year-on-year, and did well in the first half of the season collecting more than 20 touches in nine of his first 11 games.
But it was his last five matches that prove some interesting insight.
Through those games where we went 3-1-1, Liam managed to get more than 20 touches on one occasion, and scored one goal in that run of matches.
While he did manage seven tackles (a quality Pup trait) against the Bulldogs in the penultimate game of the year, he registered nine across the other four matches, including zero in the last game.
And though the number of marks and tackles this year were above average for most players in the entire competition, most of his numbers across the board were rated average or below.
That’s not to say that it is all about stats - and no doubt in as season of transition, the leadership and experience that he added cannot be measured externally - certainly not on a stats sheet.
And there-in lies the question about where he fits. Shiels has always been see as a top-shelf clubman, and very much a part of the fabric of the club.
You need players like him around the club during times of transition but at some point, the quality on the field will speak more volumes than the quality one can provide off it.
His quality off the field was certainly there to see in 2021 and has been glowing through the Clarkson era - he is one of the fascinating watches to see what happens with him as the Mitchell transition takes full swing.
Best Game:
Round 21, Hawthorn V Collingwood
It was tough to pick out Liam’s best game for 2021, and it wasn’t for the reason that he had so many standout, or consistently wonderful matches. It was because in all honesty, there weren’t too many that were truly notable.
Pup had a good day out at the MCG against the Pies in round 21, which came after a couple of matches where he was down on his usual output.
It was another match this season which followed a certain formula: when Titch, JOM and Worps were firing, Shiels and Tom Phillips seemed to be more effective as outside ball users.
Shiels made most of his 26 touches count and worked hard down the wings and up around half forward to have an impact.
He was a solid contributor across all four quarters registering five marks, five score involvements and went at 88% disposal efficiency for the game.
Best Highlight:
It was pretty hard to go past Pup’s incredible run down and tackle of every commentators’ favourite player, Marcus Bontempelli.
Merely 20 seconds into the opening quarter of our round 22 game against the Dogs in Tasmania, Shiels set the tone for the day.
After receiving a handball from fellow midfielder Adam Treloar, Bont took off thinking he was clear of the pack - little did he know who was waiting.
Shiels took six huge strides, tackled him from behind causing the ball to spill, and the first holding the ball decision paid to us since 1923 was the result.
Incredible effort.
You don’t see that every day:
A touch of feel-good for Liam who married his partner Claire in the Yarra Valley in February this year.
A number of Hawks players have tied the knot in recent years, and there were plenty in attendance, with Ryan Schoenmakers taking a spot in the bridal party.
A nice ‘you don’t see that every day’ moment from off the footy field.
Social Love:
What you think:
Current Contract Status:
Liam is contracted until the end of the 2022 season, at which point he will become an Unrestricted Free Agent.
It remains to be seen throughout the season how many games he plays, how important a role he has in the Sam Mitchell list build, and subsequently, if he is then offered another year on his contract to take him into 2023.
Where does he fit?
Ash says:
Hard to predict what the future holds for Liam Shiels. His leadership is vital (although strangely he eschewed the captaincy when it was offered in 2019) and he will be valuable for Sam Mitchell as he sets about creating a new culture at the club. From all reports, he is the most respected and liked senior player at Hawthorn.
When his tackle numbers are high and he is hunting the ball, he remains an important contributor for Hawthorn and invariably, the team wins.
But the regeneration of the Hawks will will focus on the midfield next year and come the end of the season, he might find himself having the same conversation with the coach, that the coach himself had with Alastair Clarkson at the end of 2016.
Shiels is borderline best 22 in 2022. The following season will be a different story.
Andrew says:
Controversially I left him out of my best starting 23 for round one of next season, and there weren’t too many fence sitters with social followers either totally agreeing or in a state of disbelief.
For me he actually dropped off last year, and in a midfield that has been coming under question for some time, his lack of pace is an issue for mine.
There can be no question of his consistency, his role-playing, and the experience that he brings, but I just can’t see him being in the best 23 once our kids come through over the next year.
Has been a warrior for the club.