Can things only get better from here?
We dissect our loss against the Suns.
ROUND 11: Gold Coast 113, Hawthorn 76 - The Season’s Nadir?
📝 Main recap:
It was off. Then it was on again. Then we wished it was off. Then we switched off.
That’s the sorry story of Hawthorn’s round 11 clash against the Gold Coast Suns, which was originally scheduled in Darwin for the Sir Doug Nicholls Round but took place at the SCG.
After a very moving Welcome To Country by Uncle Lloyd and Matt Doyle, Silk fittingly wound back the clock in the early stages with a trademark pivot and a blind handball that found Mitchell in space and sent the Hawks away through Impey.
After that it was one way traffic. The Suns slotted the first four goals off some sloppy play, loose marking and a downfield free that saw Rankine kick his third from the goal square. We could barely get our hands on the footy (what’s new?) and the Suns continued to work harder, win the ground ball, find acres of space, and keep the footy locked in our forward-50.
A makeshift backline, featuring a returning TOB at CHB and an undersized Frost against Ben King seemed under constant aerial bombardment as the Suns continued to pile on the forward entries. Is it okay to say we miss Kyle Hartigan? Because we really did.
A Dylan Moore purple patch, including a wonderful snap with his back to goals, and some strong physicality, contested marking and leadership from Big Boy kept us in the game going into the second quarter. But normal transmission resumed from there. The Suns continued to pile on the goals, with Jack Lukosius cutting through our lines with his precision kicking and a goal from outside 50, and Ben King looking scarily ominous.
Our loveable big noodle Ned Reeves won most of the hitouts in just his second game, but it was the Suns’ midfield trio of Touk Miller, David Swallow and Hugh Greenwood that dominated in the middle. The Suns ended the match with +20 contested possessions, but looked much more dangerous going into FWD50, with King, Rankine and Sexton booting 11 out of the Suns’ 17 goals between them.
Meanwhile, we struggled to win the footy, and when we did we used it poorly - either hospital handballing to players under pressure, or taking lateral options when we had the opportunity to go direct. Even Luke Hodge was getting frustrated in the commentary box, calling out the static movement of the Hawthorn players and a perceived lack of work rate.
The disfunction between midfield and forward seems to be a persistent problem for this rebuilding team. Watching Mitch Lewis play behind the man all day was frustrating viewing, Josh Morris got three more possessions than the medical sub, while Dylan Moore practically begged Jacob Koschitzke to lead to the footy with a beautiful kick into space. When Kosi missed the set shot from 30 out, that just about summed up our forwards’ day.
We go into the bye at 17th on the ladder, with two wins from 11 starts and a bunch of questions to ponder.
Can we beat the bye next week?
Can Big Boy pivot to a stay-at-home forward with the emergence of Ned Reeves?
Will the returning trio of Jaeger, Gunston and Day make any difference whatsoever?
Can Mitchell and Worpel actually co-exist in our midfield?
Is Mitch Lewis destined to make way for Emerson Jeka?
Will Shaun Burgoyne play any more games after 400?
Will we take two picks or one in the Mid-Season Draft?
We’ve played the kids. Now what?
✂️ Snippet of the match:
Seven minutes into the third quarter, Dylan Moore laid a fantastic tackle in a one-on-one contest with Suns defender Jack Lukosius - dispossessing him and winning the free kick just outside 50.
Despite a fairly congested forward 50, Moore then put the ball out into space demanding Jacob Koschitzke to run onto it for the simplest of marks and shots at goal (which he duly shanked).
With the growing frustration on our forward to learn how to lead, this was precision play from Moore doing the hard work on Kosi’s behalf.
🍒 You’ll never forget your first
We were treated to a double celebration with both Ned Reeves and Damon Greaves kicking their first goals at AFL level.
Reeves was the first to pop his cherry, taking a big contested mark 20 metres out with claret pouring out of his nose.
Clearly one for the occasion, Reeves sneakily lifted his jumper, wiped all the blood away, got to take his kick and slotted it straight through the middle.
Greaves had to wait until the 27-minute mark of the final quarter to register his first career major - a long ranging bomb from the 50-metre line after an errant kick-in from the Suns found its way to the 6-gamer via Liam Shiels.
All the players got around both Reeves and Greaves. It was another little positive seeing them celebrating the small wins as a tight group.
🍔 Ash’s 6 Key takeaways
Luke Breust has been a joy to watch in his 10-plus years as a Hawk, but even now as one of the elder statesmen of the club, he has never been part of the formal leadership group. And we are starting to understand why. He might be the club’s leading goal kicker through 2021 but hasn’t really imposed himself on games. No decisive bursts through the middle, no taking games apart from the forward pocket. He needs to stay in the side, but perhaps play more up the ground so he can impose himself on games. As the Suns registered the first 14 inside 50s of the game on Saturday night he was trying to keep warm in the forward line.
Kyle Hartigan makes you want to cover your eyes when he has time and space in the backline, but he was brought to the club as a hulking defender for one reason and it is to keep the likes of Ben King from getting off the leash. He was in reasonable form before the brain fart in the final moments of the Carlton game and he’ll be hugely missed against the Swans and Dons as well.
Ned Reeves is the Will Day of 2021. Two games in and it looks as though the Hawks have found a player. But if the rebuild is to take place at the desired speed, the club needs to be uncovering two or three Days and Reeves each year for the next few years.
This might be a case of blind optimism but perhaps we have reached the nadir of Hawthorn’s season. The return after the bye of Jaeger O’Meara, Will Day and Jack Gunston makes the team much more competitive and dare we say it, watchable. DGB won’t be far behind, and Alastair Clarkson has flagged that the club will likely play whoever its selects at Wednesday’s mid-season draft. And speaking of Wednesday night…
Media Watch I: Shortly before Clarkson told the post-match presser that the Hawks would only use one selection at Wednesday’s Mid-Season Draft, James Sicily was on Triple M confirming Hawthorn’s worst-kept secret that he won’t play at all this year. Expect the club to make that formal on Tuesday, paving the way for an additional pick the following evening.
Media Watch II: The Herald Sun’s Sam Landsberger is one of the good ones, but it is nonsense to suggest as he did in the Sunday paper that “Hawthorn has assembled a football sub-committee”. They’ve had one for years, just like every other club in the competition. It has done some great things for the club and made some brave calls and the plan and the hope is that it will so again.
Superstar/Rising Star/Falling Star
⭐️ Superstar - Jack Scrimshaw
A wonderfully composed game from our number 14 who just looks a cut above most of his teammates when it comes to quality by foot. A first rounder that found his way back home having adored us as a kid, he is defying the early injury prone knocks on him in the brown and gold. After just 23 games in his first two seasons at Hawthorn, Scrimma has managed to play in 10 of the 11 games this season, and is one of the few untouchables when it comes to our list rebuild.
💫 Rising star - Ned Reeves
Checks last week’s article. Copy. Paste. Update opponent name.
Another quality game from our young ruckman that is one of the huge positives supporters are clinging onto at the moment. Reeves managed seven disposals, three marks, four tackles and a goal - but it was his ruckwork that really impressed. He had 35 hitouts for the night which included 10 hitouts to advantage and a wonderful 61 percent hitout win record. Encouraging. He should play the rest of the season as our number one man in the middle.
🤷♂️ Falling star - Harry Morrison
Okay - maybe he isn’t a star. But Morrison was the man to make way for Timmy O’Brien to come into the team - a late announcement made by the Hawks in the days leading up to the game. While the need for defensive reinforcement due to the suspension of Kyle Hartigan was obvious, Morrison was a touch unlucky after a two-goal, 15 possession performance against the Blues the week prior. We gave him a 6/10 player rating for last week and he has been an okay contributor so far this season, so it begs the question: does he have a spot in this team moving forward?
Unsung Hero & Scapegoat
👼 Unsung Hero - Dylan Moore
One of his best games for the brown and gold, Moore was one of the few players who put in a consistent four-quarter performance. He took eight marks, had 18 disposals (16 of which were effective), had a team-high eight score involvements, and kicked two goals as well. One of the brighter sparks on the night.
🔪 🐐 Scapegoat: Mitch Lewis
The knives were out on Hawthorn social pages throughout and after the game. After such a promising 2018 where he burst onto the scene and promised so much as a potential key forward, the output we are getting from him is just not up to standard. While the midfield is under the spotlight in the media at the moment, our forward line is extremely dysfunctional and Lewis - who is more often than not caught behind his defender, is firmly in the firing line.
The Obligatory & Painful Ladder Check-In
Not so painful in the eyes of many - who were actually hoping that we didn’t win the game, finished 17th and held onto pick two in this weeks’ Mid-Season Draft. We at Hawks Insiders think it’s ludicrous to have that attitude - it’s the Mid-Season Draft after all - and nevertheless, we find ourselves cemented into 17th going into our bye.
Current forecast 2022 Draft Picks of note: #2, #20, #21 (Collingwood’s second round selection).
News & Notes
The loss has handed us pick two in the mid-season draft and has offered an element of off-field excitement for the Hawks faithful. Is Ned Moyle actually in contention? Will we place Sis on the long-term injury list to have a second pick? Or are all of our eggs in the Jai Newcombe basket?
Ben McEvoy had a solid outing with two goals, 14 touches, six marks and 18 hit-outs. Perhaps his role for the year should be as a permanent forward giving Reeves a chopout in the ruck? It’ll be fascinating to see how his role changes after the bye.
Jack Scrimshaw went at over 90% disposal efficiency which was only the second time in his 36-game career he has achieved it. He was the best player on the ground for his effective use of the footy.
It was only the third time in 14 matches that the Suns have gone away with the four premiership points and you can’t help but wonder what could have been if we hadn’t started the game so lethargically conceding the first four goals.
Thanks to all of our followers that jumped on the live zoom we ran immediately after the game. It was pretty therapeutic debriefing with you all after another disappointing loss, and we hope to do it all again after the Round 13 game versus the Swans.
Clarko Press Conference Bingo
✅ Smacked us in the contest
✅ Lowered our colours
✅ Really pleased
What They Said
🗣️ Ben McEvoy
“We lost our way conceding the first four goals of the game. To use the cliche we just didn’t turn up at the start tonight. Pleased with how we fought to get back into the game, but our contest wasn’t consistent enough … and when you do that at AFL level you normally get beat.
“I was really pleased with Ned tonight. I thought he was outstanding, his endeavour. He got his hands on the ball and we didn’t capitalise on that. It was special to celebrate his first goal after a big mark, that was good. He’s come such a long over the last couple years he’s been with us and give me a reprieve … He was a shining light.
“We can’t shy away from learning some lessons. If we want to play at our best it’s competitive with anyone, especially earlier in the year we were close in games with really quality sides. But we’re tinkering a little bit finding out best method that works for this group. But not shirking away from the responsibility of the playing group to make sure we bring that consistent contest and compliance to what we’re trying to achieve on the ground.”
🗣️ Alastair Clarkson
“We just found that we were plugging holes right across the course of the game. The first part of the game they just smacked us in the contest, and had the game played totally in their half of the ground. It wasn’t really until the last quarter that the game was played more in our terms.”
“The group understands where we’re at … We feel we’re better than two wins and nine losses, but having said that the scoreboard in a lot of ways doesn’t lie either. We know our depth is being tested throughout the course of the year, and at some point in time that’s going to pay dividends for us because we’re giving some exposure to some younger players.”
“He [Ned Reeves] has still got a lot of learning in terms of the ruck craft, but we’re excited with what he’s able to bring. Part of it is also is taking some of the load off McEvoy, who’s been so lionhearted for us in that role for a long period of time … Ned got his hands to the ball a lot throughout the course of the game - he got more hitouts than any other player on the ground, the Gold Coast ruckman and Macca - but we weren’t able to convert that into the clearances we’d like. That’s just work in progress.”
🗣️ Dylan Moore
“A slow start cost us again. Across the whole ground we weren’t hard enough at the footy. We were second to the footy and it cost us in the end, especially giving away a three or four goal start. It was great from the boys that we fought back, tried to get into the game. But in the end they probably had too many momentum shifts going their way and at the end of the day our four quarter effort wasn't up to it.”
“We saw two boys kick their first goals, and that’s awesome for them.”
“It’s a massive round for our Indigenous boys - we’ve got a few now. Yesterday in our team meeting we got to share some stories about some great Indigenous players … probably some of the greatest players to ever play the game. Lucky here we have Shaun, who could be deemed the GOAT.”
“It’s a good time to reset. We’ve had a tough month, tough couple months, so it’s good to reset, refresh the mind, the bodies, and really narrow down our identity.”
Good to see Scrimshaw maintain form and some promising signs from Ned. But we need to be sanguine. This is not 2004 or 2005. There is no Buddy, Roughie or Jordy playing for the Hawks right now. There are a few guys going around who will be very good players in the VFL, WAFL, SANFL and VAFA but not AFL standard. 2021, 2022 and 2023 will all be painful. Maybe 2023 is the 2005 and 2024 might be 2006.