Liam Shiels had a delayed start to the 2012 season as injury had him sidelined in the opening two rounds of the home-and-away season.
He emerged as a player to watch in 2011, and upon his return in Round 3, he reminded Hawks fans why he was a key component of Hawthorn’s side the previous year.
The midfielder is hard and tough, and his attack on the ball ferocious. He gathered 19 disposals in his first game of the year against the Crows and had nine tackles.
It wasn’t until Round 6 that Shiels really began to have an impact on the Hawthorn side, as he had his best game of the year to date against the Saints. 26 disposals, 11 marks and seven tackles had Shiels listed in Hawthorn’s best players and marked the beginning of a rich vein of form for the youngster.
He backed it up with 24 disposals against Melbourne and 27 against Fremantle the following week.
He added a more defensive side to his game this season, another Hawk youngster to develop another string to his bow in 2012.
Like teammate Isaac Smith, Alastair Clarkson cast Shiels in a number of differing roles aimed at developing his defensive game and Shiels responded.
His role on North Melbourne gun Brent Harvey was exceptional, restricting him to just 14 disposals. Harvey had no impact on the match, while Shiels’ influence was profound.
His education continued the following week, lining up on then-Power wingman, Danyle Pearce. Pearce managed only 15 possessions as Shiels curtailed his opponent’s ability to link up and provide the Power with run off half back.
One of his best games for the year came in Round 15 when the Hawks defeated the Giants at the MCG. Shiels was given extended periods in the centre, and delivered a performance worth mentioning as he gathered 29 disposals and laid six tackles to again be among Hawthorn’s best.
In Round 17 too, Shiels showed why he could take over from Sam Mitchell as Hawthorn’s best clearance player in the future, with eight clearances against Collingwood.
His ability to read the ball in the air and run to the right spots on the ground shows maturity beyond his years. He puts his head over the ball, uses the ball effectively when he has it and is as good defensively as he is offensively - something he added to throughout the year.
He enjoyed a good finals series, gathering 22, 18 and 18 disposals in the three matches and the experience will hold him in good stead as he continues to build on his impressive start to his AFL career.
| GA | K | H | D | DE% | CP | UP | M | CL | T | I50 | G | PCM | |
| 2012 averages | 22 | 11 | 8 | 19.1 | 68.3 | 7 | 12 | 3.4 | 3 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 86 |
Shiels celebrates a goal in the Qualifying Final with Lance Franklin.
Videos featuring Shiels in 2012
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2012 Player Review
