Who, where and when: Collingwood at Box Hill City Oval, 24th August at 11:30am.
It is do or die this weekend for Hawthorn’s VFLW side. With one game left of the season, the Hawks’ chance at finals footy hangs in the balance and Saturday’s game against Collingwood may just be the decider.
When the Hawks played against the Pies in Round 2 this season, Collingwood came away 28-point victors. However, Saturday’s game will prove to be very different as both sides have had a reasonable amount of changes over the course of the season.
Collingwood are coming off the back of their second loss of the season last week, a surprise loss for the side who were sitting at the top of the ladder and were defeated by the Bombers, who sit at ninth. The Hawks also lost last week, going down by 27 points to the Southern Saints.
Read: The last time we met West Coast
Jamiee Lambert is the obvious choice for threat on Saturday. Lambert hasn’t played the last two rounds but has been an integral player for the Pies all season, averaging 23 disposals and leading the league for goals. If Lambert is named in Collingwood’s side for Saturday’s match, Hawthorn will no doubt make shutting her down a priority.
Rebecca Beeson is one of the strongest midfielder’s for Hawthorn. Beeson is leading the league’s disposals leaderboard, averaging 22 a game. When the Hawks faced the Pies in Round 2 this season, Beeson was absent from the side and could potentially be a huge difference on Saturday.
Phoebe McWilliams is another player who missed the previous match against the Pies and will increase Hawthorn’s chances on the weekend. McWilliams kicked two goals last weekend against the Saints and sits sixth on the league’s goal leaderboard.
Saturday’s match is bound to be a heated one that will affect the Hawks’ future this season, with the hopes that finals footy is just around the corner.