‘Empty-nesters’: Secret brilliance of ‘Hok-ball’ revealed… and why the AFL can’t stop them

In eye-opening Fox Footy LAB footage, the inner machinations of Hawthorn’s offensive juggernaut have been put on display.

The ‘Hok-ball’ spectacle has been a sight to behold as well as a curiosity within the AFL landscape, particularly as Sam Mitchell’s scintillating offence continued to skyrocket.

After largely below-average production between Rounds 1-17, the Hawks have since flourished to the surprise of the rest of the competition — between Rounds 18-23, they have ranked first in points for, first in points from turnover, first in points from clearance, third in inside-50s, and third in scores-per-inside-50 percentage.

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“They have exploded offensively. They are now the best offensive team in the competition — we’ve all acknowledged that — and the numbers speak for themselves,” St Kilda great Leigh Montagna told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Wednesday night.

Referencing LAB footage, Montagna detailed the “empty-nesters” concept he has continually noticed while watching Hawthorn.

“I want to talk about the empty-nesters,” he began. “Just watch Hawthorn’s ability to get up and out of the corridor and use the full width of the ground.

“So, what they do is when they win the ball back at half-back, their half-forwards go wide to the wing, and their deep forwards retreat. You can see they’ve almost got this perimeter — almost like a U-shape — and it opens up so much space through the corridor, so if the opposition go out with them, they bring the ball back in.

“They roll up, as you do to defend, and as soon as they win the ball, watch them break — they empty the nest. Out they go … the half-forwards and the wings all break, the forwards retreat, so what does it do? It opens up the corridor, they see the space and they take it.

“That’s why people watching at home (ask) ‘how do Hawthorn end up with two, three players inside their forward-50?’ Because if the opposition is playing a pressing defence, it only takes them to be slightly off, there’s all this space, and then they’re out.”

But what if teams pre-empt Hawthorn’s use of the corridor and go to clog it up?

“They take what they’re given,” Montagna continued.

“They can’t go through the corridor, so they just use the width and say ‘right, you’re going to overcompensate — we’ll just go width, chip over the top, chip over the top’, and all of a sudden, they’re inside 50 again.

“It’s fascinating to me, but it’s really clear to see. It’s really obvious, and it’s really effective.”

How do opposition teams combat it?

“You have to break with them out wide, and you leave the corridor open,” the 287-gamer told Fox Footy.

“If you just corral into the corridor, you’re just giving them the width … they’re going to be hard to stop.”

Hawthorn, against all odds, has its 2024 finals fate in its hands — a win against North Melbourne at UTAS Stadium this Saturday will ensure an improbable finals berth.

And, given the Hawks’ 11-6 record (since 2020) at their second home, it seems a near certainty they’ll be trotting out come September.