With the Hawks ready to take on Melbourne on Saturday, hawthornfc.com.au looks at the five key players who could impact the result.
1. Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn)
After starting the year in blistering form, Burgoyne has slipped back out of the public spotlight after playing a variety of roles during the middle part of the season.
His recent form indicates, however, he is building towards his most damaging and eye-catching form at the right end of the season.
Burgoyne has been particularly influential the past two weeks, playing through the midfield to total 47 disposals, 19 contested possessions, seven clearances, six inside-50s, seven marks, six tackles and a goal.
His ominous form doesn’t bode well for the Demons, a team Burgoyne has dominated in the past.
In his past three games against the Dees, Burgoyne has tallied 62 disposals and five goals while operating at 86% disposal efficiency.
His versatility and precise skills make him a tough match-up and could cause headaches for Paul Roos and the Melbourne coaching staff.
2. Dom Tyson (Melbourne)
The former number three draft pick has been a revelation for the Demons this year in just his third season of AFL footy and emerged as a key player.
Tyson is ranked second to Nathan Jones in disposals (23.4), contested possessions (9.7) and clearances (4.7) and has also become a real goal kicker, booting 12 for the season.
With little expectation placed on his this year given he’s only just turned 21, it is fair to say the former GWS player has exceeded his club’s hopes of what he could add to the midfield.
A solidly built midfielder, Tyson is hard at it and brings his teammates into the game thanks to his willingness to run and dish the ball out in contested situations.
With Jones, Tyson has been an integral part of Melbourne’s improvement this year and is a player that can slip under the radar of opposition teams if not prepared for in the lead-up.
No doubt Alastair Clarkson and Hawthorn have put time into him though and will see him as a player to stop if they’re to win.
Dom Tyson celebrates a goal.
3. Nathan Jones (Melbourne)
The Melbourne co-captain has been outstanding this season and been the leader of the growing depth of midfielders in his team.
He leads his club for disposals (27.4), contested possessions (11.3), clearances (6.2), centre clearances (2.5) and tackles (5.2) – he is undoubtedly their main man in the middle.
That means his side’s success on Saturday depends on his ability to get his hands on the footy, particularly against a Hawthorn team ranked number one in the league for clearances and second for contested possessions.
Jones has been the star in his side’s wins this year, picking up 28 disposals against Carlton in Round 4, 33 against Richmond in Round 9 and 27 against Essendon in Round 13.
He was heavily tagged against the Crows in Round 7, however, managing just 14 possessions – his lowest total for the year.
Jones has picked up 30 disposals or more in eight of his 18 games and 20 or more in another eight.
He has struggled against the Hawks in past meetings though, averaging just 21.1 touches in 10 matches.
4. Liam Shiels (Hawthorn)
The Hawthorn midfielder could find his way onto Jones in stages tomorrow having been used at this this year again as a defensive midfielder.
But the most impressive part of Shiels’s game this year has been his ability to win the footy in his own right.
The 23 year-old has steadily increased his output since returning from a five-week shoulder injury he sustained in Round 4 but the past fortnight has seen him re-capture the stellar form of his opening four rounds of the season.
In that time, Shiels averaged 22 disposals and booted four goals.
Shiels was among the Hawks best in the Round 18 win over Sydney, chalking up 26 disposals and eight inside-50s while reducing the impact of key Sydney playmaker Josh Kennedy.
He backed it up with an encouraging performance against the Bulldogs last week, recording 28 disposals, seven clearances, eight tackles and two goal assists to place second only to Jarryd Roughead in the Coach’s votes.
With the Demons ranking last in the competition for clearances, Shiels will look to build on his rock solid form in the back end of the season.
Liam Shiels in action for the Hawks.
5. Chris Dawes (Melbourne)
Like the Demons, Dawes started the season well, booting eight goals and clunking 16 marks in his first four games of the year, however, as his side’s ball use and delivery inside-50 has declined in the past few weeks, so has Dawes’ offensive output.
He has managed just the one goal in the Demons’ past four games, while recording 41 disposals during this time.
The former Magpie will look to bounce back into form against the Hawks this week, the side who he first demonstrated his capabilities in a Melbourne guernsey.
The last time the two sides met was in Round 10 of last year, Dawes’s fourth game for his new club.
Despite the Hawks controlling the game for much of the day, the energized forward clunked 12 marks (four contested) to contribute to his 21 disposals, while his five inside-50s and goal were a result of his willingness to work relentlessly to apply pressure on the Hawks ball carriers.
Dawes will come as a solid challenge for the Hawks’ defence, with Ryan Schoenmakers and Matt Spangher aiming to hone their craft as finals approach.
Chris Dawes of Melbourne.
