Consistency.
It is what every coach wants in his players.
Knowing what you’re going to get from your charges week in, week out.
A football club’s Most Consistent award is an accolade held in the highest regard.
The past three winners of Hawthorn’s have been pillars of the club throughout this generation of success: Luke Hodge, Shaun Burgoyne and Grant Birchall.
This year, the next wave of leadership figure as the most likely to join these illustrious names.
Isaac Smith
Currently holding the sixth-longest run of consecutive games in the competition having played the last 89 straight games, Isaac Smith epitomises the reliability that a winner of this award should possess. For a second successive season Smith failed to register a game of less than 16 possessions, highlighting the wingman’s ability to consistently have an influence. The 29-year old also booted a career-high 26 goals in season 2018, which included a career-best four goals against St Kilda in Round 6.
Tom Mitchell
Sitting two places behind Smith league-wide for longest current game streak with 76 games, Tom Mitchell is another Hawk who just doesn’t seem to miss games. Mitchell had another incredible season this year, pacing the league for both disposals (averaging 35.3 per game) and clearances (eight per game). The 25-year old’s 848 possessions in 2018 set a new record for most touches ever gathered in a single season. His superb efforts were capped off with his second All Australian honour and, of course, the 2018 Brownlow Medal.
Watch: The moment Tom won the Brownlow
Luke Breust
With 54 goals to his name, Luke Breust was by far and away the best small forward in the competition this year. Breust’s second All Australian selection came on the back of a season in which he enjoyed career-high kicks (9.2 per game), marks (4.1), disposals (15.8), goals (2.3), inside 50s (3.1) and marks inside 50 (2.1). It was also the fourth of Breust’s eight seasons in which he featured in every game for the Hawks.
Jack Gunston
Jack Gunston delivered arguably the best season of his career in 2018. Booting 51 goals to go with a disposal rate of 17.8 per game, Gunston was rewarded with his maiden All Australian honour. The 26-year old went goalless in just four of his 23 games this year and did not fall below double-digit disposal numbers once. With his third goal against Melbourne in the semi-final loss, Gunston also moved past Michael Tuck into 11th position on the all-time club goalkicking ranks.
Watch: Gunston wins the longest kick comp
Ben Stratton
There was only one statistical category that Ben Stratton averaged career-high numbers in in 2018: one-percenters. The West Australian is never going to blow you away with numbers on the stat sheet, but his 7.2 one-percenters per game saw him rank number one at the Hawks and sixth across the league. Stratton took his defensive game to another level this year proving one of the most feared stoppers across the league. The 29-year old’s leadership ability in a back six now bereft of the likes of Gibson and Hodge also made huge strides.
