LANCE FRANKLIN and Jordan Lewis believe tonight’s match against the Swans gives the side one last opportunity to learn lessons valuable for the finals series.
Hawthorn and Sydney face-off in the final round of the home and away season tonight at ANZ Stadium with a Hawthorn win almost guaranteeing the two sides will meet again next week in a Qualifying Final.
But that possibility doesn’t mean Alastair Clarkson and his coaching staff won’t be trying various tactics it believes could be useful during its finals campaign.
When trailing by 26 points midway through the second term last Saturday against the Kangaroos, the Hawks were forced into trialling various tactics to overcome the North Melbourne challenge, something it believes will hold the team in good stead for September action.
The week before, the Hawks were challenged by an in-form Collingwood before running away with a 35-point victory.
Tonight’s clash against the Swans ends what the Hawks believe is a perfect run into the 2013 finals series.
Midfielder and Vice-Captain Lewis says the benefits of playing good sides three weeks out from finals will come to fruition as the Hawks hope to go deep into September.
“The tough games are the ones that make you really learn and although you’ve got a lot of things set in stone, you can maybe tinker with a few things leading into finals,” he told hawthornfc.com.au
“When you play those good sides, you want to see if things work and if they do, you hold onto them and if they don’t, you’ve got to devise another plan.
“You’d rather play those three sides than three who are at the bottom end of the table.”
Superstar forward Franklin agrees as he prepares to take on a Sydney team he historically plays well against.
The gun forward has kicked three goals in his last two games against the Swans - in Round 7 this season and the 2012 Grand Final as well as a four-goal haul in Round 22 last year.
The Swans will be missing 10 premiership players, with Daniel Hannebery, Adam Goodes, Sam Reid, Lewis Jetta, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Rhyce Shaw, Nick Smith and Alex Johnson all out injured, while Mitch Morton is listed as an emergency and Martin Mattner has retired.
But Franklin and the Hawks know it’s not about who’s missing for Sydney given the evenness of their side and their ability to cover for injured stars.
He says a win tonight will be a welcome confidence boost ahead of the first final next week.
“It’s always good to get a measure on where we are in the season and playing against Sydney just before the finals is great for the team to really draw some confidence,” he told hawthornfc.com.au
“Hopefully we can get the win up there and a good lead into the finals.”
