COMPARE Hawthorn’s win-loss record right now to the same stage in the past two years, and you won’t find a lot of difference.
After the first 10 rounds of 2016, the Hawks hold a 7-3 record, and sit in seventh spot on the AFL ladder.
And while the results may not have been as convincing as last year – when the Hawks’ average winning margin across the first 10 rounds was almost 70 points – there’s no doubt Alastair Clarkson’s side is setting itself for another tilt at September glory.
A big final quarter was enough to get the Hawks over the line against Brisbane Lions on Saturday, after the game was in the balance for the first three and a half quarters.
“It’s always nice to be able to kick goals and kick goals quickly,” Hawthorn midfielder Isaac Smith told 3AW after his side’s nine-goal-to-three final term.
“In footy over 100 years, if you can get scoreboard pressure on you’re going to go a long way to winning the game.
“We were able to break the game open and play some really good footy towards the end – it’d be nice to be able to link up and play like that every week.”
The Hawks have found that form in patches – against West Coast and Richmond – but are still looking to translate it into a full four-quarter performance.
But looking at the past two seasons, the Hawks are still in a strong position ahead of the second half of the year.
In 2014, the Hawks were 7-3 after their first 10 games, and last year their record was 6-4.
Both years resulted in top-four finishes.
The Hawks have been without a number of key players in the early stages of 2016, blooding youth and seeing positive signs, but not yet the consistency which has been a trademark of Clarkson’s side in recent years.
“You’d always like to play a game of footy and get a bit of a cruise in the park win, but we knew going up there it was going to be a tough road trip,” Smith said after the win against the Lions.
“Brisbane play really well up there and they really brought it to us, especially in the first three and a bit quarters.
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“It was good to be able to break the game open in the last quarter, put some score on the board and end up getting an eight, nine-goal victory. You take that every day of the week.”
The draw doesn’t get a lot easier for the Hawks heading into the break, with matches against Melbourne, Essendon and North Melbourne on the horizon.
It’s an even season, and Smith knows the Hawks need to be on their game to remain in a good position.
“At the moment there’s no real standout. North have only lost one game, but then they lose to Sydney on the weekend,” he said.
“I think the last three years as well, coming into about Round 10 we haven’t been playing our absolute best footy, but we’re giving ourselves a position in terms of win-loss to have a real crack at the second half of the season.”
