It was Rioli’s eye-catching second quarter that highlighted his ability to turn a game, laying six tackles to half time, plus the ability to force turnovers that resulted in scoring opportunities
.
Rioli finished the game with 14 disposals, eight tackles and a goal to be one of the Hawks’ best in Saturday’s 56-point triumph over Fremantle at Aurora Stadium, but Sewell says the Hawks need to get him involved more.
“He’s certainly got the ability to do that (a four-quarter effort) as much as anybody else,” Sewell said of Rioli.
“Our biggest challenge for him, I guess is to get him into the game a little bit more and whether that’s forward or midfield or he’s played down back and had an impact down there as well.
“He doesn’t need to touch the ball too many times to have an influence and bring other guys into a game.”
In just his fourth game for the season, Clinton Young showed why he is still a valuable asset to the Hawks in his 100th match for the Club.
Young’s powerful left boot was on display as he amassed 25 possessions and kicked a goal.
Combining with speedster Isaac Smith, the pair formed a dynamic duo of pace and skill, penetrating the forward 50 on numerous occasions.
Sewell says that Young and Smith’s running capacity is integral.
“Those guys both had a terrific game, and then Sav came on as the sub late in the game and we certainly know what he’s capable of,” Sewell said.
“It’s really important for us to have those guys contributing and we saw the impact they can potentially have on the weekend.”
Skipper Luke Hodge has missed the past two matches with a knee injury, and Sewell says that the Club won’t be rushing their skipper.
“He’ll just keep chugging along at the moment, I think there’s still a little bit of swelling there,” he said.
“We’ll take as much time as we need with him, he’s a guy that you’re certainly not going to take any risks with.
“He won’t be far away.”
Sewell also flagged a possible return for Xavier Ellis, describing him as adding “another dimension to our midfield.”
“He’s not far away at all,” Sewell said.
“He’s had a couple of little slight interruptions over the pre-season and early in the year but he’s at a point now where his fitness levels are really high and if he’s not playing in the next coming weeks, I’d be pretty surprised.”
Kate Salemme is a member of Hawthorn Football Club’s Digital media team reporting exclusively for hawthornfc.com.au from the Ricoh Centre
RELATED
Read hawthornfc.com.au's review of the win over the Dockers, Round 8 Recap, Fremantle.
See some of the best highlights from the win, plus hear from coach Alastair Clarkson in his post-match press conference.
