The AFL has announced its latest brainchild, AFLX, will be unveiled through three tournaments in February 2018, with all clubs set to take part.
While the concept has been met with varied reactions from fans, there’s no denying that the high-octane format will be football like we’ve never seen before.
As a maximum of seven players from each team will be on the field at any given time (with a further three on the bench), we thought we’d take a look at which Hawks might thrive in this new age code.
While AFLX is relatively untried, we know a couple of things for certain;
● Players will need to be fast: The grounds will be a maximum of 120m long and 60m wide, but with just seven players on each team, options will be scarce. Unless the ball is in your own hands, you’ll either be presenting a lead, or preventing one.
● Decision making is pivotal: As above, with only six players to kick to at any time, you need to find the right option – and find it quick. Footy smarts will be intrinsic to the AFLX format.
● Defence is a whole new ball game: Players will not be able to punch the ball out of bounds and give their defensive lines a chance to reset (sorry Gib – we don’t think there’s much chance of a career revival in AFLX). The last touch out results in a free kick, meaning that defenders will need to do their best to keep the ball in play. Strong intercept and contested marks will be critical.
With these things in mind, here is what Hawthorn's AFLX line up might look like – completely speculative of course.
James Sicily – Agile, tough, with a strong overhead mark and ability to play at both ends of the ground. AFLX sounds like it was made with a player like James Sicily in mind. He oozes passion, and no matter the code, fans will always tune in when Sicily is in full flight.
Ryan Burton – Similarly to Sicily, Burton can play at both ends of the ground, and has been touted as a future midfield star. In just his second AFL season, the 20-year-old showed how damaging he can be, ranking number one for the Hawks in intercept possessions (118).
Conor Glass – One of the few players on Hawthorn’s list familiar with the rectangular-shaped pitch, Glass’ gaelic skills could translate nicely to AFLX. He’s got the leg speed necessary to attack the fast-paced format (remember that run-down hip and shoulder on Anthony Miles in the goal square?), and for a first-year player, his 84 per cent efficiency in his debut season was nothing to sneeze at.
Shaun Burgoyne – While Skipper Jarryd Roughead said he doesn’t expect the “older blokes” to take part in the 2018 edition of AFLX, we can still hope, right? Burgoyne, (aka Mr Fix it) has a set of skills that can seemingly translate to any football code, as evidenced by an impressive performance in this year’s International Rules Series. His decision making is elite, and we have a sneaky feeling that if our Silk played, there would be a few 10-point super goals on display.
Tom Mitchell – What would a Hawthorn line-up be without our Peter Crimmins Medallist himself? Tom Mitchell has a knack for being in three places at one time – handy when you’ve only got seven players on the field. Quick hands will be vital to help break the lines in AFLX, and Mitchell’s are perhaps the quickest of all.
Ben McEvoy – There will be less stoppages in AFLX than a traditional Aussies Rules game, with kick-ins from behind the goal line to ensue every score. But, McEvoy’s skill set will still come in handy for stoppages around the ground, with the AFL making no indication that these will be axed. He also led the Hawks for contested marks in 2017 (12th in the league) – a handy attribute in a code where the last touch out gets you penalised.
Isaac Smith – If you’ve got a code that prioritises speed and endurance, then Isaac Smith is your man. Smith averaged 15.13km distance covered per game in 2017, the most of any Hawk. He also dominated the recent 2.2km time trial (as he has done many times before), winning by a comfortable 16 seconds.
Jaeger O’Meara – He proved he is on the way back following an 11 tackle, 25 disposal performance in Round 23 to earn himself a Brownlow vote, and a stand out performance in this week’s aerobic repeat effort test cemented the fact. If Jaeger O’Meara is running around on the AFLX pitch, fans will come to watch. It also helps that he is lighting quick, with football smarts to suit.
Cyril Rioli – With a new sporting code comes plenty of unbridled excitement, as fans are unsure of what they will be dished up. And there’s few who can harness that excitement quite like our Cyril Rioli. Whatever the football code, whatever the sport, Cyril Rioli will improve it. No questions. Full stop. The end.
Blake Hardwick – When we talk about clean hands and good decision making, it’s hard to go past youngster Blake Hardwick. ‘Dimma’ managed a disposal efficiency of 85 per cent across his 19 games in 2017 – the most of any Hawk and 13th in the league (of players who played at least five games). His cool, calm head would be an asset to any AFLX backline.
