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The winner of Hawthorn versus Collingwood on Saturday will be the side much more likely to finish in the top four at season’s end. With so much on the line, it will ensure every tactic, clash, and potential match up will be dissected to the tenth degree.
One aspect that has been decisive in the recent clashes between the two is Nathan Buckley’s coaching style. It is an attacking style that has been laid to waste against Hawthorn. He has a 0-5 record, with an average losing margin of 39.4.
The losses have shown Buckley’s lack of respect to the mentoring of Mick Malthouse, who had frequent success against the Hawks.
Teams who have beaten the Hawks have focused on breaking down Hawthorn’s skilled kicking game and depriving them of time and space. With Hawthorn blessed with many players that can execute in front of goal, it is not an easy task.
But, in Collingwood’s case, it has exposed their preference for long bombing, especially into their forward line.
The subplot in support is eliminating Hawthorn’s team defence, by marking the players like Josh Gibson and Luke Hodge, who are masters of zoning off and impacting on key forwards. And ensuring that there is a straitjacket tight tag on Hawthorn playmaker Sam Mitchell
Nathan Buckley defies this by trying to beat Hawthorn at its own game.
His main focus is an attacking style that has few or any defensive strategies, with him backing his midfielders against Hawthorn’s. With few tags or even defensive constraints employed, it makes it a game where midfielders rack up huge numbers with disposal efficiency the key.
The space and time this creates accentuate the lethal foot skills of the Hawks’ midfielders as well as allowing the dangerous defensive outriders that the Hawks have in Matt Suckling and Grant Birchall.
The last domino to fall is the effect on Hawthorn’s forward line, with them averaging 134.8 points in the five games that Buckley has coached. That is an average of 22.8 goals a game.
When you take into account that the average team score for across the AFL is 12.8 goals in 2014, and 13.4 in 2013, it is startling
In the face of such damning facts and figures, the key question will be whether Buckley will take the horses for courses approach by modifying his attacking style. Showing promise in this is his relent of an aversion to taggers in the midfield, as seen in his preference of going head to head.
The use of Brent Maccaffer in the role has not only been a resounding success, but offered a greater balance by adding that defensive element to the Pies’ midfield.
Can Buckley take this a step further and show some much needed charisma in his coaching by realising that defence is the best form of attack against Hawthorn? Or will it be more of the same for the Hawks?
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