Hawthorn’s ‘realistic’ wake up call as ‘weakest line’ brutally exposed in prelim loss

For all the thrills of the new age Hawks, they were soundly beaten by Geelong’s old fashioned midfield brute force in Friday’s night preliminary final at the MCG.

The Cats booked a third Grand Final in the past six years with a 30-point victory, and also exposed Hawthorn’s glaring need to add more grunt to the middle of the ground in the process.

It is no secret that Sam Mitchell is eager to add to his midfield group, hence his well-publicised meeting with Essendon captain Zach Merrett.

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With Will Day sidelined with bone stress in his foot, four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis believes expectations should be tempered about where Hawthorn are truly at.

The team that finished eighth need Day to be fit again, and to recruit another top midfielder like Merrett to support the likes of Jai Newcombe and Connor Nash at the stoppages, in order to become a true premiership contender.

“I think there’s also a sense of being realistic on where they’re at,” Lewis said on Fox Footy’s post-match coverage.

“Will Day’s sitting on the bench, and hopefully they can bring in some talent in the off season, but they progressed from last year.

“I think that’s a step in the right direction.

“He’s very aware of where this football club was at, and has a great understanding of the game, and how it played out.

“But they go back to the drawing board and try and improve their list.

“One more game next year. That’s the challenge.”

Hawthorn were one of the most active teams last off season with the recruitment of key defensive duo Josh Battle and Tom Barrass.

That pair helped them go one week further this year, but the Hawks now have their eyes on midfield upgrades to help them reach the last Saturday in September.

During his press conference, Sam Mitchell agreed with a reporter who suggested that Geelong’s midfield dominance, highlighted by a rampaging Patrick Dangerfield, perfectly showcased Hawthorn’s need to acquire Merrett.

Mitchell also expressed that there is no time to rest on their laurels as Hawthorn is a club that prides itself on winning a premiership every decade, and they need to get to work to extend that streak into a seventh decade.

“The game doesn’t stand still for anyone,” Mitchell said.

“If we play exactly as well as we did this year, we probably won’t make the eight next year.

“We’ve got work to do, every club. Fifteen clubs now – finished. Everyone’s getting to work on how to improve for next season.

“We start back at ground zero and we’re gonna have plenty of work to do like every other club.”

Away from the trade table, that work will focus largely on the centre bounce.

Irishman Nash fought admirably with a team high seven clearances, bettered only by Dangerfield, with three of them coming following a centre bounce.

But Newcombe, who was kept below his usually lofty standards by the nagging presence of tackling machine Tom Atkins, and Mabior Chol were the only other two Hawks to register a centre clearance.

Lewis spelled out the extent of the Cats’ mauling when the game restarted.

“They really went after what is probably the weakest line in this Hawthorn side,” Lewis said.

“If you look at pure stoppage numbers, 50 to 33, centre bounce 20 to 5, and that was where the game was won and lost.

“Sam Mitchell referenced that in his press conference.

“72 points to 44 off that particular area.”

It was not the first time during the finals series that clearances had caused headaches for Mitchell and his coaching staff.

Despite a thrilling 19-point elimination final victory against the Giants in Sydney, the Hawks coughed up seven unanswered goals in quick succession either side of three quarter time off the back of losing their stronghold in the middle.

“It highlighted Hawthorn’s got an issue they need sort out in the off season, and I’m sure Sam will,” Brisbane Lions three-time premiership hero Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy’s post-match coverage.

“32 points in that third quarter from stoppage is a concern.

“Same thing happened a fortnight ago against GWS when Josh Kelly came on the field, 32 points as well.

“You can’t give up that number, can ya?

“That centre bounce clearance number, that was the most by any team in a final in the history of the game.

“So, a few problems there, but (Geelong) were just so powerful. Great to see.”