A third consecutive loss to another premiership contender leaves the Hawks with serious questions to answer.
Under the bright lights of the iconic MCG, Hawthorn had their colours lowered to the Collingwood Magpies, going down by 51 points with the final scores 16.11 (107) to 8.8 (56) in a Friday night thrashing.
There were many promising signs early, with the young Hawks doing well to keep the contest tight and the pressure high. Collingwood were quick to start, with veteran Jamie Elliot kicking the first of the game within the first couple of minutes.
Hawthorn weren’t far behind, however, kicking their first major through James Worpel and another from Jack Ginnivan shortly after. By the first break, a mere four points separated the Pies from the Hawks.
Collingwood may have had the slim lead, but the Hawks led on the stat sheet, in particular in terms of possession (104 disposals to Collingwood’s 86) and inside 50s (14 to Collingwood’s nine), making some Pies’ fans nervous.
However, Hawthorn’s dominance on the stat sheet would do little to give them the lead. Collingwood’s efficiency inside fifty eclipsed Hawthorn’s, kicking 6.2 from 19 inside 50s in the second, extending the lead to 24 by halftime.
Things would only get worse for the Hawks following the main break. Hawthorn would kick a mere two goals and five behinds for the remainder of the game, while Craig McRae’s hot Pies blazed away with little resistance.
Ginnivan was Hawthorn’s most impactful player, with the former Pie kicking three majors from 31 disposals.
Cashing in Reality Checks
After starting the season 4-0, without hitting top gear, many had Hawthorn pegged as a surefire premiership favourite. However, back-to-back losses to Port Adelaide Power and the Geelong Cats proved to be reality checks for Sam Mitchell and his squad.
A more forgiving run in the fixture saw the Hawks win the next three, beating the West Coast Eagles, Richmond Tigers, and Melbourne Demons comfortably, leaving them with a 7-2 record and a spot in the top four.
But when faced with the challenge of facing top-of-the-table sides in the Gold Coast Suns, Brisbane Lions, and now Collingwood, the Hawthorn Football Club has shown it is much further away from premiership contention than many first thought earlier in the season.
Sam Mitchell’s men now find themselves sitting with seven wins and five losses after 12 rounds.
Following last week’s insipid performance against Brisbane, in which Hawthorn registered a mere 36 tackles in total, with nine players failing to lay a single tackle, Sam Mitchell had put tackling pressure front and square on the agenda. Fans of the brown and gold expected their side to come out firing and have a real hot crack at the contest.
Instead, they were left disappointed, with the Hawks registering a total of 38 tackles against Collingwood, just two more than last week, with five failing to lay a single tackle for the game. Collingwood, in contrast, laid 44 more tackles as they amassed a total of 82 tackles, with their pressure resulting in 62 turnovers from Hawthorn.
Mitchell kept his side behind closed doors for a lengthy discussion post-match, clearly disappointed with the lack of intensity his side brought to the contest yet again.
“That Collingwood team are super sharp,” Mitchell admitted in the post-match press conference.
“We played Brisbane last week, and they’re very good as well. But that was another level today. That’s what we need to aspire to and above to beat them when it matters. We’ve got plenty of work to do.”
The Hawks should consider themselves lucky to be sitting sixth on the ladder following three consecutive losses. However, given that their next two games are also against top-eight sides, there is much work to be done if they are to retain their place in the top eight before the bye.
Hawthorn will face an in-form Western Bulldogs outfit, coming fresh off a bye, next Thursday night at Marvel Stadium.
