With the Hawks ready to take on North Melbourne tonight, hawthornfc.com.au looks at the five key players who could impact the result.
1. Isaac Smith (Hawthorn)
Smith continues to improve all areas of his game, making him one of the league’s most difficult players to contain.
After spending last year developing into an elite wingman, Smith has joined the Hawks’ forward line rotations this season and has become a tricky and unpredictable match-up.
He’s booted 16 goals this year to sit fifth in the Hawks goal kicking tally.
The 25 year-old has also increased his output around the ground, ranking in the top five Hawks for disposals (23.6), marks (5.7) and inside-50s (3.6) per game.
Smith put in a similarly rounded effort last time the Hawks played North Melbourne, tallying 22 disposals, five marks, five tackles, five inside-50s and a goal.
The running machine will again look to exploit the Roos on the outside and looms as a key player in the outcome of Friday night’s contest, partiocualrly given North Melbourne’s running power from half-back. Hawthorn’s ability to match them in that area will be critical.
2. Lindsay Thomas (North Melbourne)
North Melbourne’s leading goalkicker can easily cause headaches for the opposition. A tedious matchup at 180cm, Thomas is a straight kick for goal, more than capable overhead and clean below his knees.
He’s kicked 15 of his 27 goals in his past six matches, including bags of four coming against Adelaide in Round 13 and Brisbane in Round 9.
Thomas threatened to steal the show in the Hawks three-point win over the Roos in Round 5 last year, booting five goals from six touches in an efficient outing at the MCG.
He was better contained in the Hawks 14-point win in Round 22, scoring just one goal from seven touches.
Lindsay Thomas celebrates a goal for the Roos.
3. Levi Greenwood (North Melbourne)
Last year his career looked to be on shaky ground after spending most of his time in the VFL due to poor form but Greenwood has improved out of sight this season and has developed into one of his team’s most important players.
Usually tasked with containing the opposition’s best midfielder, Greenwood has combined his defensive game with an offensive apetite.
He is ranked fourth at his club this year for disposals, averaging 25.5 per game, while he is ranked second for centre clearances (1.8), third for overall clearances (3.9) and third for contested possessions (10.1).
He is also ranked equal fourth for tackles per game with 4.2.
Greenwood tagged Patrick Dangerfield in his team’s loss to the Crows at Adelaide Oval in Round 13, restricting him to just 23 touches, while Greenwood managed 32 of his own along with six marks and a goal.
The Hawks possess a number of gun midfielders, with Greenwood likely to be sent to one of Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis or Sam Mitchell. He could also be sent to someone like Smith or Bradley Hill to stop their outside run.
4. Brad Sewell (Hawthorn)
Required to fill the void left by stoppage specialist Sam Mitchell, Sewell has risen to the challenge and is producing a brand of football that rivals the best form of his career.
His past three weeks have been particularly impressive, boasting an average of 25.7 disposals, 9.3 contested possessions, 3.3 clearances and five inside-50s per game, while operating at 78.3 per cent disposal efficiency and chipping in with a couple of goals.
Sewell’s strong form in the midfield also allows the Hawks to be flexible with senior players Shaun Burgoyne and Luke Hodge, with the returning Sam Mitchell also aided by Sewell’s reliability in the middle.
With the Roos priding themselves on tough and contested footy, Sewell will need to be at his brutal best on Friday night if the Hawks are to stay on top in the midfield battle.
Brad Sewell in action for the Hawks.
5. Paul Puopolo (Hawthorn)
A tackling machine, Puopolo’s ability to apply manic pressure will be important in shutting down North Melbourne’s run off half-back.
He is Hawthorn’s number one tackler this year, having laid 64 tackles this year, an average of 4.6 per game.
The Roos love to move the ball by hand out from defence to begin their counterattack, once managing to turn the ball over inside the opposition’s forward 50.
That play, combined with a dominance in the midfield in the second half against Richmond led to their massive come-from-behind win.
The Hawks love to force their opposition into handball so they can force a turnover by way of their forward pressure and Puopolo is the leader in that area.
With Cyril Rioli out with injury, the onus is on Puopolo to be the leading pressure acts player on the ground for the Hawks to lift the instensity of his teammates around him. Obviously, it will be up to Jarryd Roughead, Luke Breust, Jack Gunston and any other Hawk forward to help him out.
