Here is a danger game. Hawthorn look to make it five in a row as they head over to Perth to play the Fremantle Dockers.
Hawthorn has done much to course correct their season over the past month, notching up some significant wins, most without key players such as captain James Sicily and midfielder Will Day, and securing their position in the eight.
Following a comprehensive, albeit unattractive, win against the St Kilda Saints last weekend, the Hawthorn Hawks now sit fifth on the ladder, with eleven wins and five losses for the season.
Despite having the scoreboard advantage for the entire match, the Saints didn’t make things easy for the Hawks. High pressure and congestion resulted in a stagnant, scrappy game where the opposition dominated much of the stat sheet.
However, Hawthorn’s ascendancy stemmed from their stronger disposal efficiency across the ground, particularly in the forward 50, where they operated at 61.9%. Jack Gunston continued his fantastic form, kicking three for the match, while Nick Watson and Mabior Chol made their mark with two majors each.
Despite having nine more inside 50s, the Saints had the same amount of scoring shots, kicking ten goals and 14 behinds for the night. In contrast, Hawthorn won the day with the inverse; 14 goals and ten behinds, resulting in a neat 20 point lead.
Lloyd Meek was awarded the MVP after registering a record breaking 59 hit outs, while Josh Battle was arguably the Hawks most valuable defender with seven marks and an equal game high nine intercept possessions (alongside Tom Barrass) from 23 disposals against his old side.
Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon, Fremantle was served a significant upset, losing to the Sydney Swans over at the SCG by 11 points. The Dockers came into the round right on the heels of the Hawks, sixth on the ladder, but last week’s loss saw the Dockers slip down to eighth with ten wins and six losses.
The Last They Met
The last time these two sides faced each other was in round 18 last season.
Fremantle led for over 73 minutes of the match, however, the lead never exceeded 15 points for either side. After Dylan Moore kicked the opener, Freo replied quickly with two in close succession. At the first siren, the Dockers had a four point lead, which they would yield in the following quarter.
By half time, Hawthorn had a slim, seven point lead, having scored 3.3 for the quarter to Freo’s 2.3. The pendulum swung once more in Fremantle’s favor, clawing back the lead by the final break.
Coming back from a shoulder injury, James Sicily was pivotal, kicking three for the match, after being swung forward late in the third term. His efforts helped the Hawks snatch the lead in the dying minutes of the game. The Hawks won the day 13.9.87 to Fremantle’s 10.14.74.
Calsher Dear and Luke Bruest made their mark on the contest, kicking two majors each, while Jai Newcome and Will Day dominated the midfield with 24 disposals each and a combined nine clearances and seven tackles.
Tale of the Tape
While Fremantle started the season somewhat hot and cold, their best isn’t anything to sniff at. Prior to last week’s surprise loss, Fremantle had won six games on the trot, including two notable scalps of the Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants.
Freo have won the last four out of five games against Hawthorn, two of which at Optus Stadium, where this game will take place. Fremantle’s wins over Hawthorn have been mostly dominant, winning by 37 in 2023, 69 in 2022, and 62 in 2021, before the Hawks turned the tide last season, by a narrow 13 points down at UTAS.
The danger for Hawthorn is in the clearance game. Fremantle are ranked 11th in the competition for average clearances, while Hawthorn stand at 14th. Star midfielder, Caleb Serong, is one of the best clearance players in the game, averaging an elite eight clearances per game from an average 27.4 disposals.
The Side
Hawthorn have recalled exciting forward Calsher Dear, who has found consistent form in the VFL. Dear has kicked eight in his last three games with Box Hill, whilst also averaging an impressive seven marks and 15 disposals. Max Ramsden will make way for Dear in the forward line in what is more of a reflection of the competition for sports in attack rather than Ramsden’s form.
Meanwhile, an ankle injury sustained in training this week sees defender Seamus Mitchell out of the side this week, replaced by Finn Maginness who is suspected to pay close attention to Caleb Serong after his struggles with a tag last week against Sydney.
Bailey Macdonald, Jack Scrimshaw, and Ramsden have been named as the emergencies.
The Short of It
Fans of the blog will probably already be sick of this author reiterating the importance of every win this season, but with the top eight very tight between 3rd and 8th, every point counts.
This is expected to be a tight contest, with both sides closely matched in team rankings and coming off lackluster performances the week prior. Concurrently, both sides can’t afford to drop games at this point in the season.
There are a number of big matchups this round, including Collingwood v Gold Coast at People First Stadium, and GWS Giants v Geelong at Engie Stadium. The outcomes of these games could impact the makeup of the eight.
Best result here is Hawthorn win and potentially reclaim their spot in the top four (provided GWS win at Engie Stadium), or lose and stay at fifth or fall to sixth.
