Hawthorn forward Luke Breust says that North Melbourne’s performance in its win over Collingwood on the weekend has provided the Hawks with a “blueprint” heading into this weekend.
The Kangaroos were simply too good for the Magpies on Saturday night, winning by 44 points to record their sixth win of the season.
Breust said Hawthorn would be looking closely at how Rhyce Shaw’s side picked apart the premiership contenders ahead of the Hawks’ clash with Collingwood on Friday night.
“North Melbourne have given us a bit of a blueprint on how to beat Collingwood,” Breust told a press conference on Monday.
“But Collingwood is a quality side, with quality players across all lines so we’re going to have to be on our game on Friday night to quell their influence.”
The Hawks are coming off a fourth consecutive loss, after they fell devastatingly short of West Coast on Saturday.
But Breust, who will celebrate his 200th game against the Magpies, said the effort of his teammates could not be questioned.
“I thought our intent and our endeavour all day was first-class.
“There were just a few little things late in the day that let it slip for us.
“We’ll continue to learn; we’ve got a lot of young guys still learning the game and so there’s a big emphasis on education and continuing to build on the elements of our game that we know work.”
The three-time premiership goalkicker said there wouldn’t be a better stage for the Hawks to make a return to the winners’ list than this Friday night.
“Friday nights for me personally are one of the best times to play.
“It makes it a short week for us, with a six-day turn around, but Friday night at the MCG against Collingwood – it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Hawthorn will be celebrating the inaugural Emergency Services match against Collingwood this Friday night at the MCG. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 7.15pm to witness an exciting pre-match ceremony.
To donate, head to esf.com.au.
