Luckily, David Hale, a player who had predominantly played forward for the Hawks and the Kangaroos was capable of stepping up and filling the void.
In his second year at the Club, Hale had his best season for the Hawks as he and ruck partner Jarryd Roughead formed a ruck partnership that flourished throughout the year.
It became such a dynamic partnership that when Bailey was ready to return, the Hawks coaching staff opted for the Hale-Roughead combination as it headed towards its finals campaign.
Throughout the year, Hale said his partnership with Roughead and the midfield group was something he was constantly working on, but it really gelled midway through the year.
“Working with Monkey (ruck coach Damian Monkhorst) each week and trying to learn and get advice from him has been a slow process,” he told hawthornfc.com.au
“Each week we've have got a bit better and gelled together…we've played some good footy but it's something that we're still learning.”
One of Hale’s biggest strengths in 2012 was his ability to also push forward and make himself a dangerous forward option.
His mobility, overhead marking and dead-eye kicking routine in front of goal had him seventh on Hawthorn’s goalkicking leaderboard at the conclusion of the 2012 season - he booted 24 goals for the year.
One of his best performances for the year came against his old side North Melbourne in Round 10. In that game, Hale had 40 hit outs against highly-rated ruckman Todd Goldstein and also managed 13 possessions, four tackles, four clearances and a goal.
He also showed throughout the season that his mobility enables him to become a dangerous player around stoppages with the ability to win his fair share of clearances.
His best clearance return was against Gold Coast in Round 21 with seven.
He averaged 22.8 hit outs per game to become one of the most dangerous ruckmen in the competition given his ability to push hard forward and in defence.
The challenge for the 28 year old is to continue to work with Ruck Coach Damian Monkhorst to build on his skill set in the position, and also to work on his fitness to ensure he can continue to carry the number one ruck mantle in the future and provide a healthy competition for the spot with Bailey.
| GA | K | H | D | DE% | CP | UP | M | CL | T | I50 | G | PCM | |
| 2012 averages | 24 | 5.8 | 8.0 | 13.8 | 70.7 | 7.2 | 8 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 97 |
Hale shows his marking prowess against the Giants.
Hale in the news in 2012
Hale confident in ruck combinationHow did you rate Hale's 2012 season? Leave your view below.
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2012 Player Review
