HAWTHORN will be out to claim its eighth consecutive victory when it faces Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
The Hawks currently sit in third place on the AFL ladder, and a win against the 16th-placed Blues could help them push closer to a top-two berth.
The form
Hawthorn – WWW (most recent first)
Seven wins in succession will have Alastair Clarkson’s charges full of confidence heading into their clash with the Blues.
The Hawks have claimed big wins against fellow top-four sides Fremantle (72 points) and Sydney (89 points) over the past fortnight, and have an average winning margin of more than eight goals over the past seven weeks.
Carlton – LLL
The Blues have been competitive over the past six weeks under interim coach John Barker, winning two of six matches.
Their four losses in this time have all been to top eight sides – Adelaide, Richmond, Western Bulldogs and most recently, Fremantle.
The Blues only trailed the ladder-leading Dockers by 21 points at three quarter time last week, before being defeated by 42 points.
Recent history
The Hawks have a stellar record against the Blues over the past decade.
In fact, the Blues most recent win against the Hawks was in Round 6, 2005.
The Hawks won the Round 17 fixture against the two sides in the same year, which was the beginning of an 11-game winning streak against the Blues.
In Round 13 last year, it was the Hawks by 28 points – with Jarryd Roughead and Cyril Rioli kicking three goals each, and now-retired Hawk Brad Sewell collecting 29 disposals.
Ins and outs
Hawthorn
Despite a strong win against the Swans on the weekend, the Hawks could be set to make a number of changes.
Bradley Hill is expected to return, after missing the match with a corked calf, while Taylor Duryea (shoulder), James Frawley (shoulder) and Will Langford (knee) could also be in line to return.
At VFL level, Jed Anderson pressed his claims with a six-goal, 27 disposal performance, while ruckman Jon Ceglar has been one of a number of players to impress in recent weeks for the ladder-leading Box Hill Hawks.
It’s a good problem for the Hawks’ match committee to have.
Carlton
The Blues will be without the likes of Dale Thomas, Bryce Gibbs, Andrew Walker and Dennis Armfield, who are all sidelined with injury.
However, there could be a couple of changes in the works.
Talls Liam Jones and Kristian Jaksch have impressed at VFL level, as has Mark Whiley, and could push for senior selection.
Ciaran Byrne will miss with a hamstring injury, while Troy Menzel will need to prove he’s overcome a corked quad.
The Blues’ first-round draft pick from last year, Blaine Boekhorst, could also be pushing for a senior recall.
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