Hawthorn have been written off more often in the last five years than Alastair Clarkson has had hot dinners. How has Bozza graded their start to another season in which the fall of the Hawks dynasty has been predicted, declared, reported, and rescinded?
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What’s gone right
Everything after the 20 minute mark of the first quarter against Carlton surely fits in this category. Just as the knives were primed for a dissection of all that was wrong with the Hawks, they produced one of the more scintillating performances of the season. Built on run and dare, they overturned a 31-point deficit and won running away.
It’s a long time ago now, but their Round One victory was classic Hawthorn too. Given very little hope against a team fancied for the premiership, they looked every bit the contender themselves on the way to a convincing win.
Their demolition of Richmond deserves mention too. While the Tigers weren’t operating anywhere near their best, the victory did prompt one of the best post match quotes of the season. Coming just a week after a disappointing loss to Geelong, Alastair Clarkson was emboldened to declare that result proved that Geelong ‘weren’t that good’.
What’s gone wrong
For four weeks in the lead up to the Carlton turnaround, the Hawks completely forgot how to score. Against GWS, Collingwood, Melbourne and Sydney the Hawks could manage just scores of 49, 27, 48 & 53 points. Not since his first few years in the job had Clarkson’s Hawks looked so incapable of scoring.
While the Hawks are almost at full health as the competition enters it’s final stretch, they had not had the best run with injuries prior. Former Giant Jon Patton has struggled to get on the park, so too Luke Breust, Jon Ceglar, Tim O’Brien and Ricky Henderson.
Standout player
James Sicily
Fast becoming one of the competition’s elite defenders, Sicily has been a rare shining light for the Hawks in a difficult season. Leading the competition for intercept possessions, he is also in the top tier of players in rebound 50s, meters gained, intercept marks and marks.
Run home
| Rd 11 | Fremantle | Optus Stadium |
| Rd 12 | West Coast | Optus Stadium |
| Rd 13 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval |
| ? | Adelaide | ? |
| ? | Essendon | ? |
| ? | Gold Coast | ? |
| ? | St Kilda | ? |
| ? | Western Bulldogs | ? |
With four games to come against current top eight opposition, including three of the current top four, it is a tough final stretch for the Hawks. Currently just one game outside the eight, the next three games will go a long way to deciding if they stay in touch or are cut adrift to a year without finals footy.
Final Grade
C-
The tight nature of the season means that the Hawks remain in the hunt for a finals berth but, their bad has been really bad and its hard to be positive about a 4 & 5 record.
Can’t get enough footy? Check out more of our Pinch Hitters Mid Season Report Cards here.