HAWTHORN is keen to atone for last Friday night’s shock loss to North Melbourne against the Crows tonight at Adelaide Oval, midfielder Isaac Smith says.
The Hawks were beaten by a more desperate and polished Kangaroos outfit last week, with Smith declaring it has been a long wait for the opportunity to make amends.
“The boys are raring to go,” Smith told hawthornfc.com.au
“Thank god it’s a Friday night game this week and we didn’t have to wait until Sunday because I know the boys are itching to get out there.
Hawthorn had 70 less disposals than North Melbourne last Friday night, unable to get the game played on their terms for the majority.
It was an uncharacteristic performance from last year’s premiers, who currently sit second on the AFL ladder with 11 wins and four losses.
The defeat was hard to take, Smith admitted, but it has had a positive effect on the playing group.
Playing in losing sides has been few and far between for the gun midfielder and his teammates since 2011, with Hawthorn boasting an impressive record of 71 wins and 19 losses.
Of the 77 career games he has played so far, Smith has played in 64 victories and just 14 losses.
Teammate Luke Breust has played in 66 wins and 15 losses, while Paul Puopolo has played in 63 wins and 15 losses.
“The thing is you want to get back out there – you want to play straight away, play the next day and try to knock it on the head,” Smith said.
“The beauty about football is you get the chance to produce a good effort every week, it’s not like life where you have to maybe wait six months or a year to get another opportunity.
“We get an opportunity this week so we’re looking forward to it.”
To bounce back, the Hawks will need to be at their best against a resurgent Adelaide who knocked off then-ladder-leaders Port Adelaide two weeks ago.
The Crows are one of the in-form teams in the competition, having won eight of their last 12 matches and are now pushing for a finals spot.
Their improvement has come from their forward line gelling, with Eddie Betts leading the way with 33 goals including 15 in his last four games, while Josh Jenkins has kicked 29, James Podsiadly 20 and Taylor Walker 12 since returning in Round 9.
But it has also been the strength in performance of their midfield, with ruckman Sam Jacobs leading the way as one of the game’s dominant ruckman.
Jacobs leads all ruckmen for disposals (17.1) and marks (4.6) per game, while his average of 30.6 hit-outs and 2.9 clearances ranks him in the top five for his position.
Patrick Dangerfield has been outstanding this year, as has Rory Sloane and Scott Thompson as the game breakers.
“We’re going to have to put a little bit of time into them,” Smith said.
“They’ve got some very good midfielders and then there’s Jacobs in the ruck so we’re going to have to nullify them and break even, which will go a long way to winning the game.”
The Crows have brought manic pressure to game against the top teams, recording a tackle count of 93 against Collingwood in Round 9 and 91 against the Power in Round 15, something the Hawks will need to be prepared for.
But the Hawks will be bringing their own intensity to the hostile environment at Adelaide Oval.
“If we bring our intent and hunger for the contest then hopefully we’ll be ok,” Smith said.
