Hawthorn have vowed to reload, then unload in 2013 after their AFL grand final heartbreak.
Midfielder Brad Sewell says he expects the gutted Hawks to use their 10-point loss in an MCG epic to Sydney to be the catalyst for an even better pre-season preparation.
Sewell admits using the grand final defeat as a spur to go one better in 2013 emerged as a theme in post-match dressing room soul-searching.
“We’ll go away tonight, over the next week, over the next six to eight weeks, and lick our wounds,” Sewell said.
“We’ll prepare for next year in the same manner we did for this year, with probably a little bit more. That was certainly mentioned in there (the dressing rooms).
“Our group will bounce back, no doubt about that. We’ll reload, and go again.”
Just like their 2008 grand final win against a raft of statistics which favoured Geelong, it was the Hawks who became statistical anomalies on Saturday.
The Hawks had more contested possessions – usually as much a winning barometer in modern AFL as the scoreboard – and more scoring shots, but still lost.
Sewell believes Hawthorn’s waste in front of goal at vital times – eventually kicking 11.15 to Sydney’s 14.7 – was telling.
“They capitalised on their opportunities. We didn’t,” he said.
“We lacked a bit of polish today. 11.15 we ended up kicking, and that’s the story at the end of the day – straight kicking.”
But Sewell – arguably his side’s best with 33 touches and 10 tackles – was full of praise for Sydney’s efforts, describing the Swans as a remarkable side.
“(Today they showed) terrific resilience, discipline and all those things that they get put up on a pedestal for.”
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