Mitchell keeps on keeping on
Tom Mitchell shocked the football world in Round 9 against the Pies, when he collected 50 disposals to set a new club record for possessions in a single game.
As he has done all year, Mitchell backed up strong performances with more strong performances, this time gathering 35 touches, seven marks, seven clearances, six tackles and two all-important goals.
Having only kicked four goals this season before Sunday’s match, Mitchell’s two majors, both coming in the final term, were crucial to the Hawks coming away 24-point victors.
Celebrations spoilt for Pendlebury’s milestone game
Celebrating his 250th game on Sunday, Collingwood superstar Scott Pendlebury had Hawk Daniel Howe for company all day on Sunday, with the 22-year old successfully curtailing the influence of the Magpies captain.
With a clear regression from his typical impact on a game, Pendlebury finished with 21 touches and three tackles.
While Howe was able to not only perform his role on Pendlebury but also put together a strong offensive game himself which included 26 disposals, six marks and eight tackles.
Duryea keeps Howe down
Taylor Duryea was also given an assignment by coach Alastair Clarkson, as he was tasked with a defensive forward role on high-flying Pie Jeremy Howe.
Despite Howe finished with a reasonable stat-line of 23 touches and ten marks, the 26-year old Hawk ensured the former Demon did not have the level of influence that he has otherwise consistently produced this season.
In an unfamiliar role, Duryea kicked two goals on Howe, who was forced to keep a watchful eye on the left-footed Hawk.
The black and white ‘colour blind’
In his post-match press conference, Magpies coach Nathan Buckley was quick to highlight his side’s skill errors as a primary cause for their loss.
"I reckon we had colour-blindness in the second half, we kicked more to them than we did to us, unfortunately," Buckley said.
"It made it really hard to hold field position and defend some of the turnovers that we gave and ultimately it was too much for us to counter."
The Pies tallied 55 clangers to the Hawks’ 46 on the day, with the Hawks’ disposal efficiency of 79.5%, the highest of any side in Round 15 and a clear difference between the two clubs.
Burton’s star continues to rise
The emerging Ryan Burton continued his stellar break-out year, gathering a career-high 29 disposals against the Pies on Sunday.
The NAB AFL Rising Star nominee produced yet another outstanding performance after having a crucial influence in last week’s upset win over Adelaide.
The 20-year old’s foot skills were again on display at the MCG as he operated at 93 per cent efficiency by foot.
Read: Five talking points from Hawthorn vs Collingwood
