HAWTHORN defender Josh Gibson has hosed down any talk of the Hawks already thinking about a fourth-straight premiership in 2016, saying the players’ focus was solely on getting a good start to the season.
Speaking to the media before training on Thursday, Gibson said talk of a fourth-consecutive flag would be left to the fans and commentators, as the players get down to business.
“That (four-straight premierships) is the furthest thing from our minds. It’s enjoyable for the fans to talk about that stuff, but inside these four walls we’ve got a job to do and our focus is on getting a good start to the year and building to finish top-four again – which is vital,” he said.
Gibson said the Hawks’ ability to cover the loss of key players over the course of previous seasons would hold the club in good position to cover the losses of Liam Shiels, Bradley Hill and Jarryd Roughead.
“I think we’ve shown in the past that we play a system here where it’s not about the individual,” he said.
“When we’ve had injuries before, guys have been able to step up and play their role.
“Yes we have some players out of the side but it creates some fantastic opportunities for some younger players.”
The 2015 best and fairest winner and three-time premiership player said the departure of Brian Lake and Matt Suckling wouldn’t change the way that the Hawks structure their defensive line.
“The way we play as a back six we really don’t leave it to one-on-ones – you’ve got to be able to play on an array of different opponents these days with the way that the game is played,” he said.
“We’ve still got some big guys down there with the likes of Chippa (James Frawley), but to master any good forward you have to play team defence, and that’s what we plan to do this weekend.”
Gibson said despite the Cats adding to their midfield depth over the pre-season, Monday’s clash wouldn’t be solely decided on who wins the midfield battle.
“There’s so many good players across the field that you can’t just focus on one area of the game – you’ve got to have everyone contributing and winning a lot of aspects on the field to come away with a win on Monday,” he said.
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