Hawthorn Coach Sam Mitchell says he is proud of his side’s effort and resilience following the club's heartbreaking two-point loss to GWS on Sunday.
Speaking to the media post-game, a candid Mitchell said while he felt “flat” following the result, there were several positives to take away from the game.
“It was definitely a step forward, I think in particular the step forward was about the resilience to keep going despite some things going against us,” Mitchell said.
“I think we passed the ‘eye test’ on a lot of the things you look for as a coach.
“Our level of effort, our toughness, our physicality, and desire to play the right way - we got a lot of that right for a long time.
“There were some phases in the game where they got right on top, but we just kept coming back and that’s something we haven’t done consistently before. So, to get that all right and still lose is disappointing.
“We didn’t get the chocolates, but I’m pretty proud of the effort today and I hope the Hawks fans are too.”
Prior to the weekend, statistics showed Hawthorn had managed just 17 points for third quarters this year while conceding 166 points against.
But on Sunday the Hawks overcame their third quarter woes to open up an eight-point lead heading into the final term, adding 4.2 to GWS’ 1.4 in a dominant display.
Mitchell said he was pleased with how his side kept up their effort and intensity despite trailing by eight points heading into the main break.
“The players knew about the third quarters – it was everywhere, they live on their social media,” Mitchell said.
“We did concede the first goal (in the third quarter), but the energy amongst the boys and their talk and commitment to make a change – that was a positive out of today.
“It was a heartbreaking loss in a way, but part of it was ‘okay, we’ve made progress in a couple of areas.’
“I think some of the midfield work was strong – we won clearances, we won inside 50s, we won contested possession – there was a lot of stuff that was good, but we just couldn’t find a way to kick a winning score.”
Hear more from Mitchell post-game below.
