With the Hawks ready to take on Fremantle in a Friday night blockbuster, hawthornfc.com.au looks at the five key players who could impact the result.
1. Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle)
He’s the competition’s biggest ruckman but he’s also the most dominant. In the opening two rounds, Sandilands has had more hit outs than any other ruckman with 97 – an average of 48 in his first two games.
Hit outs are one thing but palming them to the advantage of a teammate is another and Sandilands, so far this season has done it well. In fact, he had a massive 21 hit outs to advantage against the Suns last week.
His ability to find midfield teammates will be the most crucial aspect of tonight’s game because if the Dockers dominate the clearances, the Hawks could find themselves in trouble, particularly considering their undermanned defence.
2. Jack Gunston (Hawthorn)
Unlucky not to win the Norm Smith Medal on Grand Final day, Gunston has had a reasonably quiet start to the season, kicking three goals in two games but his ability to make space for Jarryd Roughead and Luke Breust to kick goals has been important.
With Zac Dawson, the likely match-up for him out with suspension, there is a chance for the forward to expose the Fremantle defence. He went under the radar early in the Grand Final with Dawson, Luke McPharlin and Michael Johnson all playing, so he might be the type of forward the Dockers struggle to handle because of his athleticism and running ability.
His lead-up work to the dangerous spots will be crucial but more importantly his midfield teammates need to lower their eyes and kick it to him when he’s available.
If Johnson ends up being his opponent, he could play further up the ground to take the Docker defender out of his comfort zone and unable to impact as third-man up.
3. David Mundy (Fremantle)
He’s ranked number one at Fremantle for centre clearances, averaging 2.5 in his first two matches and with Nathan Fyfe missing through suspension, Mundy looms as his side’s most dangerous midfielder.
With Fyfe out, Mundy is statistically the best clearance player at the Dockers, averaging five per game and given his ability to break free at a contest, is a dangerous prospect for the Hawthorn midfield to counter.
Interestingly though, he averages 17.7 disposals against the Hawks, his third-worst record against any club. For the record, he performs best against Gold Coast, averaging 26 touches.
His performance against the Hawks in last year’s Grand Final was outstanding though, with 28 disposals, seven clearances and eight tackles.
4. Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
The clearance specialist will no doubt have Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley for company tonight, just like he did in last year’s Grand Final. Although Mitchell’s disposal rate was well below his best, he found ways to impact the contest without possessions, with his tackling and pressure.
If he’s struggling with the tag tonight, his ability to make a contribution in another way will be important, particularly if he can get the majority of his touches in the middle.
He reads the ball well off the hand of an opposition ruckman, he’s arguably the best at it in the league, so if Mitchell can win some clearances for the Hawks, that will go a long way to winning the game.
He averages 26 disposals in 15 matches against the Dockers, along with six clearances.
5. Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn)
He was the match-winner last Friday night thanks to his move into the midfield and his impact at the stoppages and Burgoyne looms as another important player for the Hawks tonight.
Like Mitchell, he is a clearance specialist, and Hawks fans will be hoping to see him spend time in the midfield, sharking the Sandilands hit outs tonight.
He has the speed to accelerate from the contest and his kicking penetration along with his elite vision means he heaps the pressure on the opposition’s defence.
He could be one to go head-to-head with Mundy in the midfield but also roam across half back to help relieve the pressure applied by the Dockers in the back half.
