Hawthorn may well be staring down the barrel of three straight losses, but the Hawks’ standing in a number of key areas suggests they remain in touch with the top sides.
The Hawks have now posted five wins and five losses from their opening ten games to sit tenth on the AFL ladder.
But Alastair Clarkson’s side still has the scoring prowess to match it with the best.
They have recorded the sixth-most points of any side this season, more than four clubs that currently reside inside the top eight.
This is helped largely by the Hawks’ ability to make the most of their opportunities.
They take their chances when they have the ball in hand, going at the fourth-best disposal efficiency across the competition.
They take their chances when they have the ball in their forward half, with only two sides recording more inside 50s than the Hawks in 2018.
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And, finally, and most of all, they take their chances in front of goal as the number one side in the league for their accuracy in front of the big sticks.
Hawthorn are being led ably by some outstanding individual performers through the first 10 rounds of the season.
Tom Mitchell continues to lead the way for the Hawks, averaging 34.7 possessions, to be the game’s number one ball-getter for the second year running.
Isaac Smith is averaging 22.3 disposals and 1.5 goals per game this season to join reigning Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin as the only two players to be gathering at least 22 disposals and a goal and a half each outing.
Luke Breust is the competition’s fifth-highest goal kicker this year. But what is less known about Breust’s season so far is that he is also laying career-high tackling numbers with 4.8 per game, more than anyone else in the top 20 goalkickers league-wide.
Finally, James Sicily’s 23.9 touches and 82.2 percent disposal efficiency are better numbers than any other player in the game with the same possession rate or higher, bar only Essendon’s Brendan Goddard.
Despite a tough last three weeks, Hawthorn supporters should have faith that the framework for success still exists within their side.
This week’s clash with Port Adelaide at the University of Tasmania Stadium figures as a pivotal clash for the Hawks to resume the strong form they showcased for the first seven games of the year.
