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Saturday’s AFL grand final was disappointing for neutral fans hoping to see another close contest between these great sides.
The Hawks dominated from ten minutes into the first quarter and did not release their stranglehold.
The so called ‘Bloods culture’ was nowhere to be found as Swans players went missing, the tackling and pressure they have become renowned for evaporating as Hawthorn waltzed into their attacking 50.
The most damning statistic from the game is that despite having almost 150 more possessions the Hawks also beat the Swans in the tackle count, something that rarely happens but shows the lack of desperation from Sydney to get the ball back when possession was lost.
While the Swans midfield was crushed and rendered completely ineffective, a telling comparison is between both sides’ bottom six players.
So often it is the roles played by a team’s lesser lights which propel a side to victory. Having a look at what I consider to be each side’s bottom six players going into the game (noting Cyril Rioli is only among them due to having such a long layoff) and seeing the impact both sets had on the contest proved to be decisive.
Rioli was a member of Hawthorn’s bottom six on Saturday, at best expected to play a minor role and at worst to give his hamstring an almighty twang. His first half was manic as he tackled, smothered, harassed and almost took mark of the year. While he only had nine touches before being subbed, his presence and ability to effect the contest was huge.
His green-vested replacement Taylor Duryea came into the game during junk time but still incredibly had nine possessions in just 21 minutes of play, while inexcusably five Swans who played more game time had less.
Paul Puopolo is another unsung Hawk whose frontal pressure was extraordinary and while only a minor player his attack on the football was relentless. A specific example in the second half was when Puopolo took on three Swans at ground level on his own and refused to let the ball out of the forward 50, winning his side a stoppage and the congratulations of his teammates.
Hawthorn’s cult hero may be a journeyman with limited ability, but the role Matt Spangher played on Saturday and throughout the entire finals series was critical. While his 15 touches were impressive, it was his critical intercepts and countless courageous acts backing into packs which won him respect.
Following the brave decision to recall Rioli, Alastair Clarkson made another critical decision to give Ben McEvoy his first senior game since Round 21. The thinking behind the call was that McEvoy could drop deep into defence but he equally pressed forward, causing the Swan key defenders all sorts of match-up problems.
Last but not least Will Langford, who surely can no longer be considered in the bottom six, again played the game of his life, shutting down his opponents while gathering 20-odd possessions and kicking three goals. Had others not excelled in the second half Langford could well have had the Norm Smith.
These six all gave great effort and helped their superstar teammates achieve greater heights by doing the grunt work.
Sydney however had only a handful of winners on the day and while they were roundly beaten all over the ground, their bottom six provided so little it was no surprise to see the final margin.
Least culpable would be the substitute Craig Bird, who at least came on with some fire and managed to get himself involved in the game with his tackling and pressure.
Jake Lloyd and Harry Cunningham both seemed completely overawed by the occasion, but that can happen with younger players. At least they showed some willingness to tackle and will be better for the experience.
Three of Sydney’s bottom six were also their worst performed on the day and highlighted how big a gulf there was between the Swans’ genuine stars and their role players.
Gary Rohan should use this week to catch up with Rhyce Shaw for a beer and ask him how he got over his nightmarish 2003 final appearance. Rohan not replicate his previous week’s efforts, and seemed frozen under the spotlight with numerous poor decisions with ball in hand. His turnover to Luke Hodge directly from a kick out highlighted how out of his depth he was and sounded the end of the Swans’ chances.
The final two players are quite experienced and premiership heroes but both will have a long summer ahead. Lewis Jetta and Sam Reid had games remembered for all the wrong reasons as Jetta was virtually anonymous with four touches while Reid was only marginally better. For two senior players their output was terrible and while Jetta is a required player I have huge concerns over Reid’s ability to turn potential into real quality.
While during home-and-away games individuals can lift a team to victory the grand final is too difficult a stage for just one person to perform. Lance Franklin played well, but he got such little support that the burden of trying to carry the Swans to a flag became too great even for him.
The Hawks, so well served by their bottom six players, showed how critical a role is played by those lesser lights.
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