Daylight between us and them
Coach Alastair Clarkson says media suggestions that Hawthorn are premiership favourites are wide of the mark
HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson says his team still needs to get harder and tougher for longer before it can be considered a challenger to Collingwood and Geelong.
The Hawks entered Monday's clash with the Cats as outright premiership favourites after beating Collingwood in round one.
But they blew a three-goal three-quarter time lead, falling to a two-point defeat and prompting Clarkson to mock the hype surrounding the club.
"You guys (the media) keep saying, 'Hawthorn, premiership favourites', but we know that there's daylight between us and those sides, and we're still working damn hard to try and make up that daylight," Clarkson said after the loss.
"They [Geelong] are the best side that's probably ever played the game, they've won three of the last five flags, and they're just slipping under the radar saying, 'Oh well, we'll just sneak up on everyone'.
"We know how good a side they are, and we just haven't been quite good enough yet to get there.
"We're confident in our group that we will, but we need to be a bit better than what we were today."
Clarkson lamented the Hawks' inability to close out the game, despite having chances to do so.
They booted five behinds without a goal in the last quarter as Geelong came over the top with four goals and one behind.
Clarkson's men had more contested possessions (159-151), tackles (81-68), inside 50s (55-53) and clearances (39-38), but couldn't snap their losing streak against the Cats.
"We had our chances and we just didn't take them," the Hawks coach said.
"We won nearly every measurement except the most important one."
Clarkson praised the ability of Geelong's leading players to find ways to win, comparing the loss to last year's preliminary final against Collingwood when Hawthorn suffered a three-point defeat after leading for much of the match.
"When the game's really there to be won, guys like [Jimmy] Bartel and [Joel] Selwood and [Paul] Chapman just will themselves to victory," he said.
"When you go head-to-head with the really good sides, it's very, very hard to keep them down for a long time.
"But the really, really great sides find a way to win.
"And that's why there's a little bit of daylight still between us and Collingwood and Geelong, and we've got to find a way to be a little bit stronger and tougher at the contest for a longer period of time."
