RUCKMAN Ben McEvoy says the Hawks have full belief in their trip west for Friday night’s preliminary final against Fremantle.
McEvoy, who is set to face off against the Dockers’ dominant big man Aaron Sandilands, said the side will be bracing for a close encounter after getting over the line by just three, five and five points in their previous preliminary final encounters.
“We’ve got full belief and we think we can go over there and get it done,” McEvoy told media on Saturday.
“Playing Freo over there, prelim final, in front of a home crowd, prelims are always close and tough, I think the Hawks’ last [three] maybe have been under a kick so it’s going to be really tough but obviously we’ve got full faith.”
While McEvoy dismissed any concerns about the travel to Perth, one challenge he will face comes in the shape of opponent Sandilands.
“Basically with his size, he’s going to win hit outs, we know that, but if we can try and have a little bit of influence on how effective they are then that gives our guys at ground level a chance to try and read the play a bit and give us a 50-50 chance,” he said.
“So we’ll have a look at that during the week and come up with strategies to try and nullify his influence and if we can try and break even in that area that’d be a good result for us.”
And despite spending time sidelines with a hamstring injury earlier in the season, McEvoy says his body is primed for what is an exciting time of the year.
“(My) body’s feeling good I had a little niggle earlier in the year which gave me a few weeks off and I think that always helps to have that little bit of rest, you feel better come the end of the season,” he said.
“But you’re just so excited and we work all year – all season all preseason – it all comes down to the finals games so there’s certainly a lot of excitement.”
The Hawks take on Fremantle in their Preliminary Final at Domain Stadium on Friday night.
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