Sydney vs. Hawthorn
Round 1 – Sunday, March 27th
Sydney Cricket Ground
Last Three Meetings
ROUND 9 2004
Sydney 11.14.80 d Hawthorn 12.7.79 (1 point)
ROUND 19 2003
Hawthorn 17.8.110 d Sydney 14.9.93 (17 points)
ROUND 4 2003
Hawthorn 17.8.110 d Sydney 10.8.68 (42 points)
In week one of season 2005, Hawthorn travel to the SCG to take on the Swans. The first week of the season provides the Hawthorn Football Club with a great opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the year, test the ‘structures’ put in place over the off season and give the fans a reason to buy their memberships, the main reason why the Hawks need to put in a solid performance. Throughout the pre-season, the hardness, effort and ‘structure’ look to have improved on last year and combined with the potential debuts of draftees; Thurgood, Miller and Franklin, this game poses as an exiting prospect for all Hawk fans.
The SCG is a unique ground and Sydney is the only team which genuinely knows how to play it. Over the past three years Hawthorn have had success on this ground, a key explanation for this being the Everitt / Mitchell combination dominating the clearances that are so common in Swans games. However, with Mitchell suspended and the Swans picking up ex-demon ruckman Darren Jolly our dominance of this part of the game will diminish.
The thing that stands between Hawthorn and victory in each game this year will be kicking a winning score. Williams has proven form and while the pre-season form of Barker and Dixon has been promising, the team must be able to consistently kick close to 100 points to have a chance of winning.
BACKS
The status quo through the pre season competition has been a spare man in defense and this game will be no different. Not only does this allow for more space further up the ground, it provides extra numbers to get the ball out of the danger area. Ideally, Luke Hodge will be this loose man in defense. The smartest footballer in the Hawthorn team plays this role to perfection, as shown in the St Kilda Wizard Cup game. However, the Swans won’t let this happen and expect to see Danny Jacobs having to use his overhead marking ability when he finds himself as the spare man in defense.
After a year of ugly footy; stagnant pauses in play, poor skills and dumb footy, changes have been made that will encourage a free flowing style of play. One such change has been playing two of the most creative players; Smith and Hodge off HBF’s. Both players have quality disposal and the delivery to CHF will be to a better standard than that of last year. Both are capable of moving the ball 80m, whether it is by hard running and breaking a line or by kicking long, a feature that could move the ball from CHB to FF on the SCG.
Newspaper reports suggest that both O’Loughlin and Saddington are doubtful starters, which will considerably weaken the Swans across CHF. Not only will their absence force the Swans to play Goodes at CHF, they will also have to play through Barry Hall a lot more; ensuring that Danny Jacobs is in for a fun day as he drops back into Hall leads on numerous occasions.
Key match-ups involve:
Hay vs Hall
Croad vs Goodes
Thurgood vs O’Keefe
Smith vs Davis
MIDFIELD
The one thing that Hawthorn can ill afford to do with Sydney is to have a shootout; the forward line simply does not have enough fire power to go with them. Accountability through the midfield lost the St Kilda game and is something that must be paid close attention to if a shootout is to be avoided.
As with season 2004, Peter Everitt will give Hawks midfielders first use of the ball. The absence of Sam Mitchell will really hurt the Hawks and while there have been calls for draftee Jordan Lewis to take his spot, Ries or Sewell must be given the first opportunity to impress. Ries’ lack of foot skills have been a contentious issue but when he has had the opportunity to play his natural role (the one Mitchell usually plays) he has played some quality footy. If Ries can feed the ball out of the packs to the likes of Crawford, Bateman and Lonie, the quality of his disposal will come under less scrutiny.
The Swans top midfield pair are Bolton and Maxfield, who both must be paid close attention. Hawthorn’s most improved player of 2004, Tim Clarke should tag Bolton, with Vandenberg to run off a wing with Maxfield. Hawthorn’s only A grade midfielder, Crawford will no doubt face a heavy tag from Kirk. With Kirk having the ability to hurt teams offensively, Crawford must do his best to drag him forward and test him out in isolation.
New coach Alistair Clarkson will hopefully stop the midfield rotation that was such a frustrating feature in Peter Schwab coaching. While it is acknowledged that players will need to rest at times in a game, ‘hot’ players need to be left on the ground when and strategies need to be implace to ensure we don’t have a vulnerable midfield unit on at any time. This is particularly so of the set up around Rob Campbell when he is rucking, as the shift in momentum when Everitt leaves the ground for a rest has been noticeable on many occasions.
FORWARDS
Whilst the backline and midfield may hold their own, the Hawks won’t win the game unless they can kick a decent score. While all our forwards are capable of kicking multiple goals on their day, consistency is a trait which has eluded them. However, with a new 5-man forward set up in place expect to see a more open forward line and an increase of goals kicked.
Dixon and Williams need to be used out of the goal square. Screens, dummy leads and the like can be used to free up our best two converters in front of goal. Leo Barry will have the hard task of taking Williams, while the suspected absence of Schauble means it will be left to Heath James to oppose Dixon, a match up that the Hawks must exploit.
Back from a hamstring injury, John Barker looks the best option at CHF. He must be able to provide the players running off the half backline with a solid target; otherwise there will be a return to stagnant play. If he can do this and also get forward and kick a couple of goals he will have done his job. Beaumont will play as a secondary CHF, providing some back up if Barker is unable to provide an option.
Playing on a half-forward flank on the SCG is tough; the ball is constantly kicked over your head. However, the resultant flood back into the space that has been created creates opportunities for goal. Encouragingly, Harry Miller played this role very well against St Kilda and his pace and skills ensure that he will be given a game and that his opponent will be in for a tough day.
PLAYER TO WATCH
HHQ favorite, Josh Thurgood will this week play his debut game for the Hawthorn Football Club. After a solid year of footy at Box Hill and the departure of Mark Graham, there is a role in the senior team that he is well suited too. Expect to see him claim the first big scalp of the many he will have this year. Ryan O’Keefe is the first victim, a player that he matches up well on and is more than capable of beating. O’Keefe is an important link man across the Sydney half-forward line and Thurgood’s speed should enable him to spoil and in doing this shut out an important avenue to the Sydney goals.
DANGER MAN
The danger player for the Swans is Adam Goodes. After a year riddled with a knee injury, he has had a full pre-season to get his body back into 2003 Brownlow shape. One of the most versatile players in the league, Goodes spent most of 2004 in the backline running straight lines to protect his dodgy knees. Without Saddignton and O’Loughlin in the team, expect Goodes to play across centre half forward to fill the void and Croad to be his opponent.
RESULT
The Hawks should be able to hold the Swans to a score that is beatable. Kicking a winning score will decide the game and while the midfield will be able to break even, Hawthorn won’t have the fire power in the forward fifty to be able to match the Swans.
Sydney by 14 points