The Hawks on the other hand have lost four matches since the Round 1 clash, but more importantly have strung together six straight wins as the Club continues to build momentum in the tail end of the season.

It shapes as a heavyweight battle that could go down to the wire, as both teams are sure to throw everything they have at one another, in what could be a preview for a much bigger clash later in the year.

Looking ahead

The Magpies have won 11 of their past 12 matches, including victories over West Coast, Adelaide and Geelong twice. It has been a stretch of good form that no one saw coming after a dismal performance against the Blues in Round 3.

Since that 60-point loss, the Magpies have found the hunger for the contest, the desire to work for one another and the ability to put insurmountable pressure on the opposition that the football world have become accustomed to from the Magpies.

So how has that been achieved?

The Magpies average 150 contested possessions per game, the third best average in the league.

In the Round 3 match, however, the Pies grabbed just 123 contested possessions while the Blues gathered 151. In the same game, the Pies were smashed at the stoppages, something that has not happened to the Magpies in recent seasons. The Blues had a whopping 18 more clearances in Round 3.

The Magpies now, at Round 17 average 39 clearances per match, one of the best in the competition.

When highlighting those two areas, it becomes clear that the aim for the Hawks should be to limit the Magpies’ ability to grab the ball at the stoppages and send it forward to their tall timber. That is how the Blues defeated the Pies too, in Round 15.
The Pies managed just 26 clearances for the game, resulting in 44 indirect inside 50s.

In order to restrict Collingwood’s ability to win the stoppages, the Hawks must stop Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury. It seems so obvious, but given the Hawks have the likes of Sam Mitchell, Brad Sewell, Liam Shiels and Jordan Lewis in the middle, it’s a possibility.

Integral too, to the Pies’ ability to send the ball forward to Travis Cloke, Chris Dawes and now Chris Tarrant is Heath Shaw’s drive off half back.

The dashing defender breaks the lines for the Pies from defensive 50, and is often the player that delivers long to the Magpies’ forwards. He was given a free run against the Cats on Saturday night, playing as the loose man in defence and was arguably the best player on the ground. The Hawks can’t afford to give Shaw the same luxury, a defensive role for small forward Paul Puopolo could beckon.

The availability and fitness of Hawthorn’s three tall defenders could not have come at a better time. Ryan Schoenmakers, Josh Gibson and Stephen Gilham all played in the win over the Bulldogs last weekend and could all be in contention to line-up all the Magpies’ three-pronged attack.

The Hawks have conceded just 10 goals in their past two matches, a credit to the defensive commitment across all areas of the ground. Forward pressure could be the key against the Pies, restricting the run of half backs Harry O’Brien, Nick Maxwell and Shaw.


Josh Gibson: “It’s a great challenge for our midfielders, and us as a team, to see where we’re at to go up against the best.

“I know that our midfielders in Lewis, Sewell and Mitchell and those guys will be loving the challenge.”


Michael Emmerson on Facebook: “I think it’s hard to limit the Swan and Pendlebury’s influence. It’s up to the likes of Sewell, Lewis and Mitchell to win the battle. Our zones work very well but what I would like to see is the likes of O'Brien, Shaw and Maxwell manned up and have zero ability to run the ball outside our 50. This will go a long way in how we can get over the pies. Puopolo, Cyril and Breust are key in this area.”






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Check out some highlights from the last time the Hawks met the Magpies.