After Hawthorn’s thrilling four-point victory over Essendon at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, hawthornfc.com.au takes a look at the five main points to take out of the game.
1. Hawthorn guts and determination
If some were wondering whether the Hawthorn players have the hunger to do the hard things, to fight to the death after achieving the ultimate success in 2013, their questions were answered in the last quarter on Friday night.
When Paul Chapman goaled to put the Bombers in front by nine points at the 24-minute mark of the final term, the Hawks looked gone. Some fans decided they’d seen enough, failing to count on the fighting Hawthorn spirit that came to the fore.
Immediately from the centre bounce Luke Breust snapped a goal to bring the Hawks within three points and three minutes later Cyril Rioli stormed into goal to put the Hawks in front.
Even without skipper Luke Hodge who was subbed out with a groin complaint, the Hawks kept their composure, never once resorting to panic kicks forward that landed with a swarm of Essendon defenders.
The players had full confidence in the game plan and stuck to their strategies to deliver what looked like an unlikely victory after Chapman’s goal.
2. The return of Cyril Rioli
As good as Cyril Rioli is, sometimes his importance to the Hawks can be undervalued and it’s hard to see why. Maybe it’s because he’s not a key position player who’s important to the structure like Josh Gibson or Jarryd Roughead but he is just as important to the Hawks as any of his taller teammates.
After missing Round 1 with suspension, Rioli took a little while to warm up against the Bombers but when he did, he was breathtaking.
Rioli’s pressure was as good as ever and his ability to find space and constantly be dangerous when near the ball was a welcome addition and important factor in the victory.
It came as no surprise that he kicked the winning goal by working smartly into space but then was a cool head when he marked a brilliant Jordan Lewis pass from the next centre bounce.
He finished the game as one of Hawthorn’s best with 19 disposals and two goals.
3. Young leaders emerge
When Sam Mitchell was withdrawn from the side with calf soreness, many predicted the Bombers would record their first victory in four meetings with the Hawks given the personnel missing for the premiers.
Brian Lake, Ben Stratton, Brad Sewell, Ryan Schoenmakers were also missing and Luke Hodge was injured and subbed out in the third term.
The task of pulling off an unlikely victory was left to a younger Hawks team than we’ve seen in the past and they did it brilliantly.
Taylor Duryea’s attack on the ball and confidence to go for his marks in defence was critical as was Kyle Cheney’s outstanding performance as one of the side’s key defenders.
Isaac Smith stepped up in the dying stages and got the Hawks forward in any way he could, an approach that eventually resulted in the match-winning goal to Cyril Rioli and Bradley Hill’s clean hands in tight along with his pace up the wings were crucial in breaking the game apart and helping the Hawks break the Essendon shackles.
Paul Puopolo was buzzing around as usual and in the last term was crucial in forcing the Bombers into errors in defence and then kicked a critical goal to bring the Hawks within striking distance.
And then there was Luke Breust who kicked a goal in the dying stages and was always in dangerous positions, keeping the ball alive in the Hawthorn forward line.
4. Burgoyne does it again
He might not get the same plaudits as the Sam Mitchells, the Luke Hodges and the Gary Abletts but make no mistake, Shaun Burgoyne is one of the league’s alite players.
He can play forward, in the middle and down back and influence the result of the game from any if not all those positions.
He was outstanding again on Friday night and provided great leadership in the final term when the Hawks looked headed for defeat. He was thrown into the middle in the final term and won five clearances, including the one that saw Luke Breust answer Paul Chapman’s goal within a minute at the 24 and 25-minute marks of the final term.
When the Hawks needed a spark, Burgoyne, and not for the first time was the one to step up.
5. Litherland good on debut
Drafted all the way back in 2010, it has been a long wait for Angus Litherland but he finally got his chance at senior level on Friday night.
A late inclusion for Sam Mitchell, Litherland helped add size to an undersized Hawthorn defence and was actually the Hawks’ tallest key defender on the night at 192cm.
An athletic defender for his size, Litherland didn’t look out of his depth at AFL level and in fact made a number of key spoils at crucial stages of the game.
His follow-up work and ability to keep his feet were impressive, meaning he was able to keep himself in the contest and able to pressure the Bomber forwards.
Alastair Clarkson, defensive coach Luke Beveridge and Hawthorn fans alike would have been impressed with his first hit out, he looks like a promising player for the future.
