TRAVELLING west in the first week of finals won’t faze the Hawks, according to experienced midfielder Sam Mitchell.
The Hawks will meet the West Coast Eagles on Friday night at Domain Stadium in the second qualifying final, on the back of consecutive wins, against Brisbane Lions and Carlton.
Mitchell starred against the Blues in the Hawks’ final home-and-away game for 2015 on Saturday, collecting 34 disposals in his side’s 57-point win.
He believes the Hawks are well-placed to tackle the Eagles.
“We feel like if we play our best footy, then that will give them a real tilt,” Mitchell said.
“I imagine they’ll go in as favourites and deservedly so, but we feel like if we play our best footy then we can get the job done.”
While Mitchell said the Hawks hadn’t played their “best footy” against the Blues, he was confident in the team’s ability to rise for finals football.
“We didn’t play our best footy, but we got the job done in the end,” he said.
“We’re working on a few things and trialling a few things – not all of it has worked – we’re going to have to play better next week than we have the last couple of weeks if we’re going to win over in Perth.”
Refreshed from a week off – after missing the Hawks’ win over the Lions with illness – Mitchell returned with a bang and said there would be plenty of competition for spots this week.
Cyril Rioli (illness) and Luke Breust (rested) missed Saturday’s match, while Billy Hartung returned to the VFL and was one of a number of players to have a big impact in Box Hill Hawks’ qualifying final triumph and provide a case for senior selection.
Mitchell said the Hawks would move on quickly from the win against Carlton, with a six-day break to prepare for a massive clash with the Eagles.
The Hawks will be buoyed by their 14-point win against the Eagles at Domain Stadium a month ago.
“It’s (now) a little bit of ‘move on, we’ve got a big game to prepare for’,” he said.
“We played the Eagles not that long ago, but they had a few guys out, and we’ll start preparing for a six-day break.
“A lot of recovery goes into this week in preparing for the game. Andrew Russell, our head fitness coach, loves a challenge like this – the six-day break, going over to Perth and trying to really take it up to the Eagles.”
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