1. Hill having an impact
After a quiet couple of weeks between Rounds 18 and 21, Bradley Hill has bounced back to his best in the past fortnight.
Hill collected 30 disposals against Brisbane Lions a fortnight ago, and 27 against Carlton on the weekend.
With finals now on the horizon, the 22-year-old has struck some strong form at the right time.
His run and carry will be important for the Hawks against West Coast Eagles at Domain Stadium on Friday night.
2. Tall targets fire
The Hawks had nine goalkickers against the Blues, with three tall targets combining for 11 of their 17 goals.
Jack Gunston and Jarryd Roughead both kicked four, while defender-turned-forward James Frawley kicked three goals for the second week in a row.
Gunston’s haul took him to 52 goals for the home-and-away season.
Both he and Roughead (43 goals) have been in strong form the past three weeks, combining for 20 goals in that time.
3. Gibson doesn’t miss a beat
He’s played 21 of 22 matches this season, and spent almost 99% of those matches on the ground.
Josh Gibson has had another stellar season for the Hawks and will enter the finals in strong form.
The 31-year-old collected 25 disposals against the Blues, plus 11 marks.
Gibson had eight rebound 50s and four inside 50s, impacting the game right across the ground, as he will look to continue to do for the rest of the year.
4. Winning form is good form
Winning form is good form, and the Hawks will enter the finals on the back of consecutive wins.
While those wins have come against the competition’s bottom two sides, the Hawks will take confidence out of playing some strong football.
On top of that, the Hawks have 12 wins from their past 14 games, including a 14-point triumph against the Eagles in Perth a month ago.
5. Mitchell continues to deliver
After missing a week with illness, star midfielder Sam Mitchell returned as if he hadn’t missed a beat.
Mitchell collected 34 disposals against the Blues, more than any other player on the ground, and had an equal team-high six tackles.
The 32-year-old has had a stellar season, averaging 30.5 disposals per match in his 20 home-and-away matches.
Mitchell has been talked about as a Brownlow Medal contender – and after his performance against the Blues, things could be interesting if he is still in contention going into the final round.
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