Hawks supporter Steve Polak reviews the first Elimination Final between Hawthorn and Adelaide.
We all know the feeling. . . .
That portly bloke with the red suit is due to shimmy down your chimney and it is the night before. Naturally you can’t sleep in anticipation of the big day that lies ahead and it is total torture!
This was how my elimination final day began. At four thirty in the bleeping morning!
Getting the mind to relax and drifting back to sleep is hard when you keep thinking about the major challenge that lies ahead. Will the boys stop McLeod? Will the heroic Hawks prove that the round fourteen loss was just a blip and that they can ‘out muscle’ the beefy Crows in this sudden death game?
Thankfully sleep came like a silent assassin and before I knew it I was waking up at a ‘normal’ time and rushing to get ready for the BIG DAY. Everything went to plan. I met my partner in crime for the day, Mrs ‘Not Long to be an Essendon Supporter’. Got the haircut, bought the new Hawthorn jersey just for the game and clambered onto the train carrying us to The Dome and one of the best games of football I was ever to witness.
However by the first ten minutes the greatness was scarily elusive. We were a shocking three goals down with the Crows looking confident and our lads still working through the big event nerves. Crows, McGregor, Gill and Porplyzia had helped launch ‘the enemy’ in impressive fashion. Our lads were also suffering from a few apparent jitters. After a superb mark the first shot on goal by Roughy was wobbly and this reflected the feeling amongst some of the team as they realised that a massive step up in intensity was required.
Thankfully Mitchell and the rest of the midfield had hit the ground running and we had our first goal courtesy of Lewis. Roughy then followed with two quick goals, one from a seemingly impossible angle. The big fella with the wide smile also took a few stunning marks to set up opportunities too.
The Crows were in charge though and at times the crowd, which was a seething sea of gold and brown, was hushed by what was quickly becoming a commanding margin for the inter-state team.
The second quarter didn’t start well either. Hodge was off with what seemed to be a serious knee injury and Bateman threw himself at the ball with a desperate lunge and it looked like his troubled hammy had decided to revisit him.
The Crows blew the lead out to thirty one points and the crowd got very nervous. However Buddy delivered the sort of magic that the very few are capable of and with three quick goals in under five minutes we were back in the game with a chance!
Even more miraculously Bateman and Hodge made it back on to the field looking a bit wooden, but both gradually gained composure as they demonstrated true grit to play themselves back in to form. This ‘do or die’ attitude was the stuff of legends and the whole team seemed to be inspired by the injured pair’s return.
From where Mrs ‘soon not to be an Essendon supporter’ and I were watching the game (top tier above the Hawk cheer squad) the game was incredibly tight. However by the first half Hawthorn had proved one thing. They wouldn’t get shoved around by the Crows even though there was plenty of niggle coming from the visitors. We didn’t want a fight, we wanted to play football!
The Crows simply couldn’t match us in the air and our defensive back line was held together by the twin towers of Croad and Brown. Out midfield was starting to get on top too. For the first time I could smell the whiff of a win in the air. The loss to the Dons in our last finals appearance half a decade ago might just be avenged!
However the third quarter proved that those blokes from Adelaide know a thing or two about the grinding arm wrestle that is a finals game as they managed to maintain their lead of roughly two straight kicks. Our lads were valiant and showed a preparedness to fight that was inspiring though. Bateman took an incredible mark, proving his hammy was just fine to keep us in the match, but some work was going to have to be put in big time if we are to keep our season alive. The quarter passed in what felt like a few mere minutes as the action was unrelenting. Ten missed calls appeared on my mobile and that number could have doubled for all I cared.
The final quarter began with Crawford showing his incredible versatility by feeding off a Hodge ball and booting a major. Crawf had set an awesome example, playing arguably the best game we have seen this year. Our midfield, as tired as it was, clearly had the centre square under control, pinching possession seemingly at will, even when we lost the hit outs. The fit young Hawks were proving that they are a major force as they made the Crows look slow and weary in the middle of the ground.
Finally Buddy also booted us into the lead! However the Crows continued to dog us with replies. It was all looking very scary and while the crowd was going nuts there was a hint of desperation in the air. Mrs ‘No Longer an Essendon Supporter’ said she will support the Hawks full time if they win.
The dying minutes of the game were a blur. The Crows got a steadying goal and looked like they might hang on for grim death. However Hodge was showing incredible form considering his knee injury and suddenly Buddy had a snap at goal with what we later found out was seven seconds on the clock. The rest is history as one of the best games I have ever witnessed came to the right conclusion.
So now we have another test, this time against the faltering Roos. So maybe the rotund fella with the swag of pressies might be visiting us early this year. This week I’ll be gobbling sleeping pills the night before the game!
Steve Polak
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Check out another Hawk supporter review, Matt White
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Hawthorn Football Club. hawthornfc.com.au would like to acknowledge the contribution of supporters to the Official Club website. If you would like to sign up to write for hawthornfc.com.au click here for more details.
* The Hawks raised $1,500 for HSBCkids after kicking 22 goals against Adelaide.
