WITH little concern on the injury front, the Hawks are in the privileged position of having almost a full squad to choose from and the form of its players is creating pressure for spots.
The Hawks just Matt Suckling, Ryan Schoenmakers and Alex Woodward out long-term, not to return this season while Xavier Ellis’ period on the sidelines is unknown.
Other than that, the Hawks have only minor injury concerns, with Liam Shiels two weeks away from returning and Grant Birchall also between 2-4 weeks. Amos Frank is the only other who definitely won’t play football this weekend, 1-2 weeks away from a return.
The others – Jed Anderson, Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli and Matt Spangher will either play this weekend or next.
The natural progression and improvement of players on the Hawthorn list has also served as a positive for the Club this season, with players like Taylor Duryea and Sam Grimley adding to the Club’s depth of talent.
There’s also been the recruitment of Brian Lake, Jonathan Simpkin, Jonathon Ceglar and Spangher – all of whom have played for the Hawks this season.
Alastair Clarkson has spoken this year about the depth of talent at his fingertips, stating it is in as good a position as it has been in his time as coach.
“We just feel like our depth this year has been able to cope with a fair amount of injury and we’ve had a fair amount throughout the course of the year, some of them season-ending,” he said two weeks ago.
“We know it’s a tough, brutal game and the really good sides cope well with them and we’ve been pleased we’ve been able to do that thus far.”
It has created a pressure for spots and a headache for the match committee when selecting the Hawthorn side each week, with a number of players pushing for selection.
Even youngsters Will Langford and Mitch Hallahan are close to making their debut.
Veteran Brent Guerra says the pressure is not just felt by the young Hawks who have forced their way into the side this year, but also by the senior and more experienced players.
Even he, a favourite of Clarkson has found himself on the outer – not selected for the Round 15 loss to Geelong. Instead, he was named as an emergency after missing the week previous with a back injury.
Then, Brad Sewell was omitted from last week’s game against the Power for form that was simply deemed not up to standard.
Even the forward line managed to fire without star forward Lance Franklin last week, with Jarryd Roughead and Jack Gunston starring with five goals each.
“Box Hill is sitting in the top four in the VFL and the development team are sitting on top, there’s been a lot of improvement in the group this year and a lot of the younger boys are really coming through and now pushing for selection,” Guerra told hawthornfc.com.au
“It’s great; it’s good for the side and keeps everyone on their toes.
“If you had no pressure from underneath you, then you might not be performing as best you can.
“With that pressure though from below, it definitely keeps everyone on their toes.”
Utility Shaun Burgoyne, who won’t play for the next two weeks through suspension has also felt the pressure from the ever-improving crop of players at the Club.
“We've got a number players at Box Hill that are playing consistently good footy and they're putting pressure on the guys for spots as well, so that's a good dilemma for the coaching group to have," Burgoyne said in June.
"If you're not performing in the team these younger kids are going to come through and take your spot, so it's a good spot to be in."
