We cooking.

After a resounding Gather Round victory against the Dogs, there's a new contender in town

Apr 14, 2026

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R4: HAWKS 15.14 (104) d WESTERN BULLDOGS 8.16 (64)

Could the Hawks back it up five days after one of the most cathartic (there’s that word again) wins against the Cats in recent memory?

Well, that question was answered emphatically against the Dogs, who — let’s be honest — have been our bunnies since we turned our season around against them on a Sunday afternoon at Marvel. Remember when we played on Sunday afternoons?

No? Me neither.

This win marked our first Gather Round victory in four attempts, spurred on by a loud — and fairly sizeable — brown and gold crowd. A reflection not just of the travelling Hawks fans (of which Daz was one), but our loyal and passionate SA supporter base.

While it was billed as the match of Gather Round, any neutrals at Adelaide Oval expecting another Easter Monday-style thriller probably haven’t been paying close attention to our recent record against the Dogs.

That’s now five straight wins against them — including a final — at an average margin of 21 points.

Despite what the media tells you, the Dogs stars — most notably Marcus Bontempelli, Joel Freijah and Bailey Dale — were nowhere to be found. But the Hawks — led by our own bull Jai Newcombe and Jack Ginnivan in an All-Australian form — turned on the jets and spanked them in every facet of the game. That’s as much about coaching as it is personnel.

Case in point: the Tim English-sized hole in the ruck, which Reeves and Meek exploited all day. The Dogs, and Beveridge, had no real answer. When they were finally forced into a switch — pushing Lobb into the middle — it felt like a move made out of necessity rather than design. Too little, too late, Bevo.

By contrast, Mitchell had every answer… and a few no one else saw coming.

So with scalps now over contenders in the Cats, the Swans and the Dogs; a group of emerging players — Macdonald, Ward, Ginnivan, Watson and D’Ambrosio — taking things to another level; and a twin-tower ruck combo that’s starting to monster teams, the Hawks have well and truly announced themselves.

One of the best five-day turnarounds in Hawthorn history? You bet.

🕵🏻‍♂️ Danny’s Observations:

1. Gather Round is such a strange concept to me, a packed stadium but so many neutrals. Saturday night definitely didn’t have the same vibe as Easter Monday 😅

2. Back-to-back BIG wins for the Hawks who have now won four on the trot after a poor start to the year.

3. I’m not a betting man, but Jack Gunston to kick the first goal for the Hawks almost isn’t betting anymore, it’s investment. [Note from Daz: betting is NEVER an investment #gambleresponsibly]

4. The Hawks had their way for most of this match, and that is a big step in the right direction for this group. A tense little 10-minute period in the third may have raised a few eyebrows, but the response in the fourth was “very pleasing”.

5. On that third quarter Bulldogs run, maybe there needs to be a ramen-type sign held up when teams get on a run like that, just to shake the team out of it. For those 10 minutes, the Hawks kept trying to go long down the line to marking contests that just weren’t working. Be brave, open the game up, try something.

Bring back the noodles, Chad, and Jai’s big hair.

6. Welcome back Mitch Lewis. I’m not too stubborn to admit that I had some serious doubts about what lewis was bringing to the team in the first few round of 2026, but ‘Mitta’ was a shining light in the forward half against the Dogs.

Contested marking ✅
50m set shot goals ✅
Week to week consistency? Let’s see.

7. 14 clearances in one game is absurd, just saying. Jai Newcombe loves playing the Bulldogs, and he went about his work in this one like Richards and co owed him money. What a player, and already a serious leader for this Hawthorn side.

8. Hawthorn’s defence is elite. The Bulldogs hadn’t scored under 94 in a game until Saturday night. the Hawks (and some poor conversion) kept them to 8 goals and a score of 64. If the Hawks win the clearance, even if it’s a turnover, this defence sets up impeccably.

Don’t you just love a media mea culpa, especially when it’s from Matthew ‘Brother of Brad’ Lloyd. (via Let’s Talk Hawthorn FB)

9. We know this, but it still needs to be said. Nick Watson needs very little of the football to have a major impact. His run past Khamis for the assist to Lewis, his goal, his contested chest mark on the defensive wing. The Wizard is a freak, and I’m so glad he’s ours.

10. Another one that I was skeptical about in pre-season was the two ruck set up. I didn’t see the vision from Mitchell early, but Reeves and Meek as a tag team have been exceptional. They beat up on Emmett and co on Saturday night, but for me it’s their unique and complimentary skill sets that make them an daunting prospect for the opposition to try and stop.

11. The Hawthorn midfield is so interesting for mine, and is definitely a case of ‘better than the sum of your parts’. Newcombe is A-grade, but without Day, he lacks a clear running mate. That hasn’t stopped the Hawks from getting it done in the middle most weeks, and that should be the ultimate feather in the cap for Sam Mitchell and David Mackay. So many different looks mean the Hawks are so hard to plan against.

12. Even with an early injury to Mabior Chol, the Hawks forward set up looked dangerous. It does pose the question of who replaces Marbs? I would select Dear, because he’s effectively plug and play. My gut feel is that they’ll play Schubert or McCabe and if they do, fair play to the boys. Both of them will have earned it.

❓Question Of The Week

🧐 Things we like to see #1: Lace out delivery from Ginni

🧐 Things we like to see #2: The Wizard turns on the jets

🧐 Things we like to see #3: The Wizard turns on the jets (again)

🧐 Things we like to see #4: Reeves taking it out of the ruck

⭐️ Best on ground: Jack Ginnivan

Despite being left out of a certain Insiders votes, Ginnivan was instrumental in getting the Hawks going early in this one. His IQ is always elite, but he has added defensive work and improved ball use by foot to his arsenal this year. Three goal assists in the first quarter, five in total, ten score involvements and 28 disposals? Ginnivan left Adelaide with our meat tray.

👼 Unsung hero: Conor Nash

There were a few, including Mitch Lewis, but we’re going with the incredibly unsung ‘Bont stopper’, Conor Nash here. Bontempelli is arguably the best player in the competition, and yet Nash seems to be his kryptonite. Don’t let McClure’s votes fool you, Bont wasn’t the best player on his team, let alone in the best players on the ground. Nash consistently gets the tough jobs, and he almost always delivers.

Should Egregious Player Votes be a new HI series?

🤯 Under pressure:

The side has won four in a row and sits in third place on the AFL ladder. No one in this team is under immediate pressure. Josh Ward didn’t have his best game, but his previous three weeks have been top shelf. Sam Butler plays his role, whatever role the coaches give him week to week. Flynn Perez has looked right at home in this Hawthorn set up, as he adjusts to playing football at an AFL standard for the first time (😉).

There are those pushing to play though, with 2025 regulars like Jack Scrimshaw managed, plus Harry Morrison and Calsher Dear playing at Box Hill to start the season. Add to that the emergence of Jack Dalton, Aiden Schubert and Will McCabe. Competition for spots is tough.

🎤 Sammy said what!?

“I thought we played with a level of intensity that is required to beat really good sides.”
“We know we need to beat those best sides. That was sort of the next step for us as a club and as a team.”
“We still had to perform at a high level and I thought we did that pretty consistently.”
“With the short turnaround, to be able to play with that level of intensity … we did a pretty good job over the night.”
“Winning the territory battle against the Dogs is really important and we were able to do that.”
“How we used the midfield mix became a bit of a challenge particularly once we lost Marbs. We had a bit of flexibility for the team that we needed to change. So overall we managed that part of the game well particularly early.”
“I don’t think any any team is exactly nailed the five on the bench how to utilize it at this stage.”
“We’re pretty pleased with the way the ruck combo is going… Meeky was a little bit better in centre bounces. He stayed and did centre bounces and we had Reevsy forward. So probably the different mix to what it would have been if we had have done that last week. It gives us a bit of flexibility with the team which is pretty important.”
“There was a 10-minute period where we were nowhere near our best… we looked like we were inviting them back into the contest.”
“I addressed it reasonably strongly… but I was really pleased with the boys’ response in the last quarter to put the game to bed.”
“We have proven that when we work hard on things, we see improvement in that area.”

🗣️ Final Word: Tom Barrass

On the win:

“It was magical. The mids did a pretty good job, got on top early, and made our job easier for the second half … For the most part we played a game that was within our brand, that we can be proud of.”