Hawthorn and Essendon are set to renew hostilities in what will be their most important clash in almost a decade, according to vice-captain Isaac Smith.
With both sides clamouring for a place in this year’s finals, Saturday’s game at the MCG is set to have a seismic bearing on both sides’ September fortunes, with the Hawks hoping to keep their top four chances intact, while the 11th placed Bombers need a win to keep their season alive.
Not since the two sides met with a finals spot up on the line in Round 22, 2009 – the game infamous for the collision between midfielder Brad Sewell and Bombers skipper Matthew Lloyd – has a clash between the two sides had such high stakes.
“I don’t think since I’ve been playing in the competition that we’ve got a game with so much on it against Essendon,” Smith told RSN on Wednesday.
“So it’s pretty exciting.”
Despite coming off consecutive 50-point-plus wins, the Hawks are set to have their work cut out for them in the Round 20 encounter as they start as underdogs against a Bombers side that has won nine of their last 10 games.
“Personally I believe they’ve been the best team in the competition the last ten weeks,” Smith said.
“So, we’ve got a massive challenge on our hands this week and hopefully we can stop the Essendon juggernaut.”
While the age-old rivalry between the two sides hasn’t been quite as fierce in recent times as it was through the 1980s and even early 2000s, Smith said that Saturday’s game would likely add another chapter to the teams’ storied past.
“Even though a lot of the stuff happened in the past the fans still rock up and there’s a heap of passion and emotion around the game,” he said.
“So I’m really looking forward to it, we haven’t played a big game at the ‘G for a few weeks so it should be a cracker.”
