Despite heading into Round 3 with a 1-1 ledger, the Hawks’ clearance numbers in the opening fortnight were probably not as high as Alastair Clarkson would have hoped.
In Round 1, the Crows midfield outpaced the Hawks by 11 clearances before the Dogs held a similar discrepancy with 12 more in Round 2.
But on Sunday, the Hawks were able to neutralise this previous weakness with the clearance count against the Roos finishing all-square at 36 apiece.
There were two Hawks in particular to thank for this improvement, with Jaeger O’Meara and James Worpel wonderful in the clinches.
The pair combined for 17 clearances and 24 contested possessions, as they proved integral to the functioning of the Hawks engine room.
O’Meara further set himself apart from the rest of the field by laying a match-high 12 tackles – six more than the next most in the game.
O’Meara (averaging 28.3 disposals through the first three games) and Worpel (26.3 possessions) have both started the season in career-best form.
With the Hawks on-ball brigade taking on a new look with the absence of Tom Mitchell (leg), Shaun Burgoyne (hamstring) and Liam Shiels (hamstring), the side will be hoping this dynamic duo can continue this high standard into the coming weeks.
