Coming off a seven-day break, the Hawks are facing the Adelaide Crows for a Sunday twilight rematch.
57 days after the Hawks last faced Adelaide, Hawthorn will fly up to Adelaide Oval, the Crows’ home turf, and hopefully make it three wins in a row for the Hawks.
It should be a close game, one which will test Hawthorn’s patchy form on the road.
Hawthorn’s win-loss ratio at Adelaide Oval is 7-10, 41%, including the two close losses in Gather Round (against Collingwood) and Round 10 (against Port Adelaide).
Hawthorn has only won on the road once this season, defeating the West Coast Eagles at Optus, while losing the other four times.
Round 12 saw Hawthorn comprehensively beat the Crows by 27 at the MCG.
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, where the Hawks led for the entire game. The 250th gamer Jack Gunston kicked four against his old side, while vice-captain Dylan Moore kicked five goals from 27 disposals earning him the Talking Hawks MVP for the round.
Adelaide are coming into this game with some form, having won three of their last five, including last week’s 36-point win against Essendon at Marvel Stadium.
Half-forward, Ben Keays, was best on ground, kicking five goals from 22 disposals, five clearances, and eight tackles. Fellow forward, Darcy Fogarty, was also counted amongst Adelaide’s best, kicking four goals for the match.
Given the club’s recent success, there aren’t too many changes to the on-field mix. However, Harry Morrison, Cam Mackenzie and Jack Gunston have each been listed as inclusions to this week’s squad as emergencies.
With no outs listed, the only changes appear to be some magnets moved around the ground by Sam Mitchell.
Success this round could see Hawthorn crack the top eight, depending on some of the results across the league.
Round 20
Adelaide Oval – Kaurna
Sunday 28 July 2024
4:10 PM (AEST)
