Thanks for the memories, North
Gunston seven goals. Chol five straight. The Wiz GOTY. Where do we even begin?
Subscribe to Hawks Insiders for the most in-depth and wide ranging Hawthorn coverage available. Exclusive interviews to analysis, match recaps to podcasts, the Insiders have you covered.
ROUND 16: HAWTHORN 23.12 (150), NORTH 9.11 (65)
You wanted HOKball. Well, you got it. After grinding out tough wins against the Crows and the Dogs, the Hawks were back to their scintillating best, absolutely destroying North Melbourne by 85 points in Tassie.
If there were any concerns about some post-bye rust they were dispelled in an opening quarter of dominance capped off by a Nick Watson goal of the year contender and elite pressure and clearance work. The Hawks’ pressure rating was 191 for the quarter compared to North’s 156. For reference the AFL average is about 180, so that just shows the Hawks came to play.
So much for North’s “in-form” midfield. At quarter time the Hawks were +9 for clearances, with the ball spending 64% of the quarter camped in our forward half. We ended the game winning every facet of the midfield battle. We won clearances by 14, with Jai the standout mid on the night and Meek more than holding his own against a quality ruckman in Xerri.
Some easy first quarter misses from Watson, Ward and Ramsden left the door slightly open for North, but once the Hawks started nailing their chances — led by Jack Gunston’s career best haul and a Mabior Chol set shot clinic — the result was only going to go one way.
And was there ever any doubt? Our recent record against North speaks volumes of the gulf between two rebuilds that started roughly around the same time:
Seven straight wins.
Average 55-point winning margin.
Combined total of 209 points in our past two clashes at UTAS.
Utter. Domination.
🕵🏻♂️ 14 Observations from Nat
First and foremost, that was our most complete four quarter performance of the year. Yes, it was against a bottom four side — but they’d had a good six weeks and last time they were in Tassie drew with the reigning premiers. A few were a little wary of North before this, but we smoked them and they were never in the hunt.
It was excellent to see us really put the foot down and make a mess of a side when well on top, and gives us a much needed percentage boost.
Our clearance work from the jump was absolutely A+, and this was the area I thought North could hurt us pre-game. Meek had the better of Xerri in the ruck when the game was there to be won, and Newcombe and Nash were enormous inside. A 17-8 clearance differential in the first quarter wins you a LOT of games.
Speaking of Newcombe — it’s those sort of performances that could push him consistently into the ‘A’ echelon of competition mids - if he’s not there already. 12 disposals and five clearances in the first quarter set the tone and we didn’t look back.
You guys ever heard of this Jai Newcombe guy? Karl Amon is having a career best year, and pretty much no one is noticing apart from Hawthorn supporters. Such a weapon for us off that half back flank and our best user inside 50. Clear top two in the PCM for mine.
Very good improvisation from the Hawks media team. It may have had a fair bit to do with the lack of pressure on the ball carrier — North’s tackle count of 40 was not good — but that was the best we’ve looked going inside 50 all year. 35 scoring shots from 63 entries is good bang for buck, our forward spacing and movement was elite and nearly everyone got a lick of the ice cream.
In addition, our transition game was on speed dial, particularly in the second and third term. The goal of Ramsden’s where we went coast to coast from the kick-in (after Moore’s big contested mark on the wing) was a highlight.
Jack Gunston — what can you say? No one in their wildest dreams could’ve anticipated what he is producing this year at age 33. He has his body in great nick (two bombs from outside 50 attest to this), and is playing to his strengths every week. You can’t buy his footy IQ. Sixth in the Coleman with 35 goals and on track for his sixth 50 goal season — but first since 2018. Remarkable.
How about the Chols Royce? I think he’s fully won over the fanbase. Still capable of the odd stinker but they’re few and far between this year. That chase down on Fisher is absolute gold from a key forward. Lights out with set shots too.
Iconic. Watson’s first half was electric and a welcome return to form — he’s been down since the first half in Darwin — but when he’s doing that he is such a weapon. I love the way we roll him into centre bounce occasionally too. Have to be careful with when to do it, as he’s not going to give us anything defensively at stoppage, but he is such a weapon and point of difference with his pace.
Ramsden has been really impressive since coming back in and this was clearly his best game at AFL level. You think he will be squeezed out for a Lewis/Dear in the run into September but absolutely looks a viable long term AFL prospect.
Slight negative but Tom Barrass had a bit of a night to forget. Had 5.3 kicked on him in an 85 point win when North only had 35 entries. Larkey is a very good player but not a great night.
Sammy Butler has been pretty solid since coming in against the Bulldogs but didn’t quite keep his form going. Eight touches from 73% TOG and three tackles will probably see him make way for Worpel next week.
Another one we should be banking is next week against the Saints — before the real stuff starts. We seemed to have turned a corner since the Collingwood debacle, the challenge now is to keep the momentum flowing.
🧐 Things we like to see #1: Goal Of The Year?
This is what you get when you put the Wiz at centre bounce: an electric clearance, in which he torched LDU, a handball receive, and a contender for goal of the year. Weissy in our Instant Reaction Pod said he loses half a point for fumbling the footy, but there’s a fan theory doing the rounds that he actually tapped it ahead of himself to avoid an oncoming defender. (The less said about the North fan theory that he threw it, the better).
Either way, you know something special happened when a rival supporter mate texts you mid-game.
🧐 Things we like to see #2: Chol Embraced By The Fans
He’s been a bit of a whipping boy since arriving from the Suns in 2024. But big Marbs has worked his way into the brown and gold faithful’s hearts. And this interaction — following his chase down tackle and goal from a tight angle — shows how much the big fella is loved and appreciated by Hawks fans. Long may it continue.
🧐 Things we like to see #3: Gunners’ Magnificent 7
After seven bags of six, Jack Gunston finally went one better, notching his highest career tally of seven with a long bomb midway through the final quarter.
What makes it even more special? It takes him past his best mate (and healthy rival) Luke Breust, who has only ever notched a game high of six.
“That will shut him up about one thing that’s for sure,” Gunston joked post game, “but he’s still got a few more individual accolades than me. He’s a bloody good player and he’s played over 300 games so it’s good to get one back.”
We love to see it, even if he hardly could.
⭐️ Best on ground: Jai Newcombe
How do you go past a guy who’s kicked a personal best seven goals in an 85 point win, I hear you say? It’s a fair question, but when the game as somewhere near close, and in the area of the ground the ball is most fiercely contested, Newcombe was the difference. As mentioned in Nat’s observations, Newcombe’s first quarter was absurd, and set the Hawks on their path to victory. He did it without his running mates James Worpel and Will Day. Again.
💫 Rising star: Max Ramsden
His best game at the level, even if he did have us pulling our hair out with his first shot at goal. Ramsden is big — really big — but he moves well for a man his size. He presented all night and took his share of marks in a forward set up that dismantled North’s defence. Three goals from 12 disposals to go with four marks and four hitouts gave Hawks fans a glimpse of what Rmasden can do. He needs to work on his set shot kicking, but there’s something in this unicorn type package.
👼 Unsung hero: Conor Nash
A real bruisers game. 21 disposals, five tackles and 10 clearances but his game was so much more than that. He does all the stuff for this team that doesn’t show on the stats sheet. Blocks, shepherds, clearing paths, the works. There is not a better defensive-minded player in the Hawthorn midfield and his importance was once again on show, if you looked hard enough.
🤯 Under pressure: Sammy Butler
Through no real fault of his own, Butler just couldn’t get near the football on Saturday. His game against the Crows prior to the bye was his best game at the level, and the bye has probably come at the worst possible time for him. If Worpel is back fit next week, Butler looms as the unlucky one to make way for him. It’s a shame because 4-6 weeks at the level is what he needs.
🎤 Sammy said what!?
“We’ve had a couple slower starts here this year, so we were really focussed on the early part of the game.”
“[Meek] really set the terms of the game really early.”
“They’ve got a huge amount of talent — first round picks everywhere — so we knew that if we gave them too much space and a bit of a look at it in the front half, they’d be potent. We knew the stoppage battle would be really important.”
“To win contested possession by 20+ and to win tackles by 15+ — that’s the sort of footy that stands up.”
“We were pleased we were able to be reasonably consistent through the game. A little bit disappointed maybe in the last 10 minutes, but can’t be perfect.”
“I’m rapt for him [Gunston] because he has put in an enormous amount of work without reward. A lot of what he’s done is he’s committed to other people. Even tonight - I think he gave away two inside-50s in the last part of the game when he was on six.”
“[Gunston] plays in a manner that is very coach-like.”
“That’s a team that’s built from the right stuff. They value the things that matter — not what appears on the stat sheet, but what’s right for the team.”
“Every coach’s dream is to have player led performances … Our players right now are driving their own standards and coaches are sitting back and watching what they do.”
“There were some really good performances at Box Hill … selection will be a challenge.”
“[Chol’s] form over the last month has been really good.”
“I definitely want to keep playing here [Launceston]. We love coming down here. We feel it’s a really homely place — I brought my family down for this trip … Being able to experience Tassie is what this club has done for a quarter of a century.”
🗣️ Final word … Josh Ward
“From the first bounce, the intensity that was there, the ferocity was there. There were some spot fires, some fights all over the place, but you could see that we really came to play.”
Listen to the full interview below:
⏭️ Next week: St Kilda
A Ross Lyon masterclass nearly saw the Saints pinch it against Freo on their home deck, falling short by just a couple of goals. They’re a well-coached, if often dour, side with a few class players who can hurt you if you switch off. Expect them to set up behind the ball, force us wide, and wait for a turnover to pounce. But these are the games the Hawks need to win if we’re serious about climbing the ladder and making a mark in September. It’s a test of maturity as much as talent, and the kind we have to pass if we want to bat deep into September.
The Hawks are up and about and the Hawks Insiders are in full flight - subscribe now and make sure to follow us on social media through the links below:
With Gunners playing like he's 23 instead of 33; the Chols Royce cooking; the Wizard doing Wizardly things; opposition players bouncing off Crash & Bash, and Duke Nukem flying, the Hawks are back to having fun.
Kudos to Max Ramsden, too. Not to mention the foot lasers from Karl Amon...
This kind of stuff just makes really, really happy.
What was learnt:
1. The bye came at a good time – Looking at the way the team covered the ground, the bye may have worked to the advantage of giving a few players a breather to rest their bodies and for the team to regroup on a strategic level as well. The midfield looked particularly fresh with their ability to cover the ground. There were still times where North were able to spread with speed inside to out which highlights our need for some breakaway midfield foot speed.
2. Kill the head of the snake and the body dies – With the Roos strength being their midfield clearance work, the ability of Meek to take on Xerri and provide first use of the ball from the stoppages really assisted our midfielders who were as clean with their hands and movement around the stoppages as they had been all season. This provided opportunities to leave these contests through the front and more importantly, we were rarely pressured to start our attack from a back half chain.
3. Three tall forwards can work for the right opposition – Having to acknowledge that the Roos’ defensive talls are a liability for them, the capacity for Ramsden in particular to take advantage of this structural advantage was important. This actually allowed Gunston to reprise his role from the 2010’s where he played as the third roving tall forward option. When you consider that a couple of his goals were ground balls rather than from the work of a tall forward option.
4. Taking your set shot opportunities does make a huge difference – Being able to create 20 set shot opportunities and to then convert 15 of those for goals does make a huge difference to the scoreboard and the flow of the game. It is even more significant with 4 of these conversions from outside 50 and 1 just inside the arc (Watson). 75% conversion was our highest for the season. We only missed two shots at goal (both set shots) for the game which is the equal lowest for the season.
5. Small/medium forwards hit the scoreboard – For the first time this year, we had a strong return from this group with 8 goals from Watson, Macdonald, Ginnivan and Moore, even though the focus was on Gunston and Chol. This was a key part of our scoring source last year, however they haven’t really hit the scoreboard in unison thus far this year.
6. Exiting from kick outs are on the improve – With the addition of Ramsden, it looks as though our capacity to at least halve the contest for kick outs to the congested side has improved. Both Ramsden and Chol have taken contested marks in recent games and more importantly, not allow the opposition to take a mark allowing them to have a quick re-entry inside their forward 50. The opportunity to take the open side option is a key indicator to the level of game awareness of the opposition. We did it once in the last quarter but couldn’t quite make the right connection after winning the initial contest. It is worth noting a short kick in to Barrass well inside the boundary wasn’t a great option.
7. The sub role looks to have a two-week limit – With Jiath coming into the starting team after two weeks as the sub, it follows the experience from earlier in the year with Frost who after two weeks as sub went back to Box Hill for game time. This was also the experience of Maginness last year. Unlike Breust who with his experience was able to be a specialist sub last year, this doesn’t appear to be a viable option this year. Again, it meant a defensive option was the sub which then means a swing option has to be found if a forward or mid is injured or subbed off.
Observations:
• Nash and Newcombe weren’t going to let some lighter bodies get the better of them at any point in this game. The capacity of these two to break tackles allowed others to work outside the contest to our advantage.
• In the first quarter when the run of the game was going strongly with 5 goals straight, there was some “laziness” rather than lairizing with scoring opportunity wasted by Ward and a forward entry from Watson that missed targets by miles. The quarter-time break may have been handy to realign the process.
• When Jiath gives the first option, he is so much better to the flow of the team’s playing style, so when he takes off on run, it is hard to know how the ball will be distributed in the end. He was harshly judged in the 3rd quarter coming out of a contested stoppage.
• As to whether Mackenzie has done enough to keep Worpel out the team, it was pleasing to see him at least attempt to use his left foot in a game albeit the ball went higher than it travelled forward.
• Meek is coming into his 2024 form after having been challenged in a number of games earlier in the year. His spoil in the 3rd quarter when Xerri had crept forward was outstanding.
• Watson’s centre square work is purely instinct as he doesn’t do any on field work at training. This is not to say that he doesn’t do some work upstairs at Waverley Park.
• Ginnivan’s footy IQ is not given enough credit for his work around the ball.
• 0 disposals quarters – Barrass (2nd quarter)
• Tackle count by quarter – 16/10; 16/8; 14/9; 10/13
• I50 count by quarter – 19/9; 17/9; 12/9; 15/13.
• TOG % - Bottom 5 (leaving out subs): Ward 68% Butler 73%, D’Ambrosio 74%, Watson 75%, Mackenzie 78%. (Battle 92% highest.)
• Kicking efficiency (DE): Barrass 100% (100), Moore 100% (94), Battle 91% (83), Ramsden 88% (83), Jiath 86% (87), D’Ambrosio 86% (88) (Note: Battle is an interesting watch as his clangers can be damaging – the one in the last quarter was where he kicked off one step and missed the diagonal inside kick allowing the Roos to goal.
Morrison 63% (75), Macdonald 63% (82), Ward 56% (55), Weddle 40% (67), Butler 25% (63) – one of the smallest differentials between the top and bottom KE%.
Starting 4: (CBA/CC)
1st Qrt: Newcombe (25/3) Nash (26/4) Ward (16/1)
2nd Qrt: Newcombe Nash Butler (12/2)
3rd Qrt: Newcombe Nash Ward
4th Qrt: Newcombe Butler Mackenzie (17/2)
Meek 27/3 Chol 5/0 Watson 4/1 Moore 2/0 Ramsden 2/1
(Morrison 0/1)
The mix of the starting 4 was an interesting watch, particularly in the last quarter, with Butler and Mackenzie starting in there. In the last quarter, it looked as though Newcombe’s load was slightly reduced, giving others an opportunity. Chol’s ruck work in the square was outstanding, so again, the fact that Ramsden was used in the last quarter provided a learning opportunity and he wasn’t out of place against the other 2nd ruck option. Ramsden may also have taken on Xerri at one of these contests.
Issue for the week:
As everyone is aware there is a bigger selection log jam coming in the approaching weeks for both the midfield and forward lines, given that the defensive log jam has been there for the entire year. As to the midfield, it is fair to say that Worpel has credits in the bank which should mean that he returns to the team, particularly as all of those who have come into the team haven’t made themselves indispensable (Ward has made a stronger claim than Mackenzie for the inside role and Butler has the leg speed point of difference).
As to the forward options, with both Dear and Lewis now playing, thus becoming potential options, I’d suggest that there is a more significant dynamic in play here i.e. connection between the forwards as well as between the forwards/midfields. There is no doubt that Gunston’s form has his magnet firmly on the board, so unless he needs some time management, it is unlikely that he will be dropped. Similarly, Chol’s form and his role in the centre square has him in the best 22. This obviously makes Ramsden the one most at risk, yet he has played both an important structural role as the chop out ruck option around the ground and in this game was able to impact the game in the forward half. This is not to say that either Lewis or Dear could be better than him, however the immediate issue is: do either have the credits in the bank that allow them to come in over the top and replace him immediately?