After Hawthorn’s 28-point win over Carlton at the MCG on Friday night, hawthornfc.com.au takes a look at the five main points to take out of the game.
1. Finding a way to win
For the second year running, the Blues have taken the challenge right up to Hawthorn but again fell short as the class of the Hawks elevated them to a 28-point victory.
The Hawks booted six goals to two in the final quarter, including eight of the last 10 to overrun the Blues after they booted five goals to three in the third quarter.
The Blues snatched the lead in that quarter and had all the momentum but Hawthorn’s fitness and class rose above the gallant Blues in the end despite being well beaten at the contested footy (124-149).
That’s an area the Hawks will work on during the week leading into Saturday’s clash with Collingwood.
2. The form of Brad Sewell
He’s now played four games this season after finally returning from injury in Round 10 and the veteran midfielder is starting to find some strong form.
Sewell was one of Hawthorn’s best players on Friday night, putting in a vintage performance in the midfield. He finished with a team-high 29 touches, four tackles, three clearances, three inside 50s and a goal.
The dual premiership player stood up when it counted and his goal was one of the most important of the night as it halted Carlton’s momentum in the third quarter and brought the Hawks back within two points.
After Sewell’s goal, the Hawks kicked the next one to regain the lead and kicked seven of the next eight goals to sew up their ninth victory of the year.
His performance comes after a solid outing against West Coast last weekend with 14 touches and eight tackles and 23 disposals and seven tackles in the Round 11 win over GWS.
3. Hawks share the load
For the first time since Round 7, Hawthorn had more than 10 individual goal kickers.
Hawthorn had 12 individual goal kickers against the Blues on Friday night, with interim coach Brendon Bolton lauding the spread of goals that resulted in an 18.10 to 13.12 victory even without Jack Gunston.
The Hawks shared the load up forward as Cyril Rioli and Jarryd Roughead top scored with three goals each, while Matt Suckling chipped in with two off half-back and win and ruckman Jonathan Ceglar also kicked two.
But it was goals from the midfield that helped the Hawks kick a winning score, with Isaac Smith, Bradley Hill, Sewell, Liam Shiels and Ben Ross all chipping in.
The Hawks lived their “lose a soldier, replace a soldier” mantra with Gunston going out and O’Brien coming in and still managing to kick a winning score.
4. Defensive response to Casboult domination
When Levi Casboult kicked three goals in the second quarter to give the Blues hope, he was monstering his Hawthorn opponents. But as he looked headed for a big bag of goals after kicking another in the opening seconds of the third term, the Hawthorn defence rallied.
Ryan Schoenmakers, Kyle Cheney and Matt Spangher never lost confidence in their ability and they, together with the defensive pressure through the midfield on ball coming in from the midfield, were able to lock-down on him and their Carlton opponents to stop the flow of goals.
That ability to re-structure and re-gain confidence or to never lose either at all during any stage of the domination from the opposition is key to being able to win games against the league’s best teams.
The trio responded, as did the whole side to absorb the pressure from Carlton and then kick away to victory.
That response shouldn’t be underestimated, it’s a credit to a backline that has been thrown together due to injury to ley personnel (the Hawks were missing Brian Lake, Josh Gibson and Ben Stratton from their back six).
5. Hill continues to shine
Bradley Hill continues to improve on the outstanding form shown in the early part of the season, with another impressive performance against the Blues.
While he is amassing big numbers (averaging 22.3 disposals this year), it has been the improvement in his disposal by foot that has seen him become a real offensive weapon.
On Friday night, Hill had 21 disposals and used the ball with precision, running at 90.5 per cent efficiency, the second-best for the Hawks (Kyle Cheney had 15 at 100 per cent).
That takes him to 74.3 per cent efficiency for the year – up there with the likes of Matt Suckling who is widely considered the best kick in the game (77.9 per cent efficiency).
Hill is ranked first at the Club for inside 50s, second for uncontested possessions and third for running bounces. He has also kicked six goals for the year, including a crucial one at the start of the last quarter on Friday night.
