FOOTY IS BACK!!!
After what seemed like an eternity, it was finally time to watch the Hawks back in action as the boys headed out west to face the Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval.
A howling wind to the left of TV screens resulted in a slightly messy game at times, with the combination of cobwebs, new faces and that aforementioned wind playing its part on the quality of footy.
Although it is essential to not overreact to match simulation games, there were certainly some serious positives to take away, as well as a few concerns to potentially look out for as we race towards Round 1.
Without official player stats available, a lot of these notes are based off the eye test and how players and structures looked.
Ginni’s Got The Goods!
One of the more surprising player transactions of the AFL trade period was Hawthorn acquiring the services of Collingwood premiership player Jack Ginnivan.
A highly polarising figure amongst AFL followers, first impressions were going to be key for Ginni in his first game in the brown and gold and the signs were positive.
Not only did he finish with two goals, Ginnivan showed the ability to impact further up the ground, showcasing his clean foot skills and surprising cleanliness in traffic.
Massimo Magic
From a big name recruit to an under the radar recruit, former Bomber Massimo D’Ambrosio slot in beautifully on a vacant Hawthorn wing.
The big wrap on Massimo has been his foot skills and he showed that ability to hit targets with his laser-like left leg, as well as an underrated toughness in the contest.
Without Karl Amon, his absence was less felt compared to at times last year, with another smooth moving lefty roaming the wing.
Aerial Assault
Despite the majority of items in this article looking at the positive side of match simulation, there were a few glaring negatives, with the Bulldogs dominance in the air one of them.
Sam Darcy, Aaron Naughton, Rory Lobb and Liam Jones dominated the air out west, with the Hawks depleted tall stocks highlighted throughout the day.
While Ethan Phillips and Max Ramsden both impressed at times during the second half of the outing, this could be a recurring theme throughout 2024.
Young Mids Strut Their Stuff
With Will Day touted to miss the start of the home and away season through injury, there is a midfield spot up for grabs for a youngster who wants it.
Henry Hustwaite looked the pick of the bunch in this match-up, with his ability to free his hands and find time in the contest uncanny for a 19 year-old kid.
While Josh Ward and Cam McKenzie both had some good patches, Hustwaite was clearly the best of the trio, leading the Hawks in centre bounce attendances on the day.
Hardwick’s Home
Despite the defensive injuries and a myriad of new recruits in the forward half, it looks like Blake Hardwick has truly found a new home down forward.
It would be easy for Sam Mitchell to throw him back in defence and blame injuries, but he is sticking to his instincts and he looked really good!
He was heavily involved in the promising-looking second quarter, kicking two goals and playing a part in others, with his clever positioning and forward craft a true standout.
Rough Ruck
I was a vocal critic of the ruck duo of Ned Reeves and Lloyd Meek at times last year and it was an underwhelming start to 2024,
coming up against the second year stringbean in Sam Darcy.
I was hoping for a dominant type of performance both in the contest and around the ground, but it was quite the opposite.
Darcy was one of the better players for the Dogs on the day, kicking three goals from the ruck and giving Tom Liberatore, James Harmes and Ryley Sanders first look around the contest.
While it is never wise to overreact to match simulation, I will be keeping a close eye on the ruck duo during the first month of the season.
Scrim Soars
It was an indifferent year for Jack Scrimshaw last year, finding himself on the outside looking in for portions of the season.
From all reports this has been his best pre-season at Hawthorn and his performance today validated this; with strong defensive efforts and clean ball use for the majority of the day.
With those defensive injuries I mentioned earlier, Scrimshaw will be asked to play taller than he is as well as impact offensively, but he looks primed to produce a career best season.
Injury Curse Reversed?
After a brutal pre-season filled with injuries, it was nice to escape a full hit out without a major injury concern!
Mabior Chol looked to be in some trouble during the second quarter, but played the remainder of the game, with the incident put down to a shoulder stinger.
As long as everyone pulls up well and recovers from this hit out, that is an overall net positive in itself.
What’s Next For The Hawks?
The Hawks travel down to Tassie to have a more competitive hitout against the Dogs before taking on Essendon in Round 1 on March 16.
So there it is Hawks fans, what did you think of the first Hawk hit out of 2024?
