Week to week, year to year, AFL clubs experience ebs and flows, highs and lows, as they each follow different paths, in the hope it will them lead to premiership success.
At present, and after experiencing so much joy over the past decade, it seems Hawthorn is currently in the midst of a ‘low’, having lost four games straight for the first time since Round 4, 2017.
While some critics are signalling the “end of an era” for the brown and gold, four-time premiership Coach Alastair Clarkson isn’t as quick to jump to conclusions.
Speaking to the press after his side went down to West Coast by a single kick, Clarkson reminded everyone how quickly tides can turn.
“We’ve been in this position plenty of times as a footy club,” he said.
“Each of the last three premiers have been in this position the year before they won a flag.
“Sometimes it just takes a couple of players, a couple of youngsters that emerge, [or] a couple of guys you might secure from another club.
“Just look at the Cats, full credit to them, but they bring in a couple of guys and re-jig their forward line.
“Everyone was thinking they’d be 0-6, and there was the chance of that because they had a tough draw early, but they were 6-0.
“They built that belief and now they’re premiership favourites, so that’s how quickly it can turn.”
Having previously conceded that the Hawks are a ‘middle of the road’ side at present, Clarkson turned to the history books to reinforce just how quickly things can turn around.
“It feels like we’re off the pace right at the minute.
“Everyone’s saying it’s the end of an era, but it was the end of an era after 2008 too.
“We were battling at 1-6 in 2010, and then at the end of 2011 we were playing in a prelim against Collingwood and lost by a kick, and then the next year we played in a grand final.
“As long as you stay the course and don’t throw the toys out of the cot when things aren’t going so well for you... the capacity to be able to turn things around in this competition is as quick as I’ve ever seen it.
“For the next eight weeks of the season, whether we win all eight or lose all eight, it doesn’t matter.
“What matters is that we’re taking positive steps forward with where we can take this footy club in the next two to three years, and we think we’re on the right track.
