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The hysteria that greeted the match review panel’s decision to serve Jordan Lewis with only a two-match suspension confirms that the footballing public often lose all sense of perspective when emotions are involved.
Hawthorn’s so-called unsociable football from the 2008 season, that led them to the premiership, has never been looked on kindly by opposition supporters.
The current Hawks side are respected more than liked due to the reputation developed from that period, along with coach Alastair Clarkson’s penchant for rage-induced lapses in concentration.
The Hawks were obviously ropeable at their opening-term performance the previous week against Port, and came into the North match with an aggressive mindset and in-your-face attitude. It can sometimes be a fine line between asserting physical dominance and acts of thuggery.
Tempers flared after Luke Hodge clipped Andrew Swallow off the ball. The blood of North fans and righteous neutrals was on the boil after that incident, and it was well and truly overflowing after Jordan Lewis was late with a spoil on Todd Goldstein.
Lewis got there late, no doubt, and his calculated attempt to make Goldstein ‘earn it’ was clumsy at best, reckless at worst.
But it’s hard not to think the public outcry reached the extent it did because emotions were running at fever pitch after the Hodge strike on Swallow. The swinging arm of Lewis was also not a good look. It’s this ‘look’ that led people to take leave of their senses.
Last year, Richmond’s Tyrone Vickery delivered a swinging roundhouse punch to the jaw of West Coast’s Dean Cox with a clenched fist, knocking Cox out, causing him to be subbed out of the game, and miss the following week. Vickery’s four-week ban was deemed acceptable by most.
But now people are arguing that Lewis should have received the same or almost as much as Vickery. This, despite Lewis connecting with only his high inner forearm on Goldstein, causing the North ruckman no damage. In fact, Goldstein recorded 14 disposals in the match, against a season average of 16, and 40 hit outs against a season average of 41. The difference in those stats is negligible.
Where Goldstein suffered was with the hard stuff. He had totalled 24 tackles in his four matches heading into the Hawks game, outstanding for a ruckman, but laid a total of zero on Saturday night. Physical intimidation is still a factor at AFL level, even if some would have it leave the game.
It can’t be a coincidence that two of the most senior Hawks, long-time leaders on the field and off, both crossed the line in the opening quarter. It’s also not a coincidence that their team won the match by 10 goals.
Is it a coincidence that Hawthorn have Greater Western Sydney and Melbourne in the next two weeks? Not a bad couple of games for Hodge and Lewis to miss.
Some teams are able to set a hard, physical standard, and some players take that too far. Those who do get suspended by the match review panel. But missing a couple of weeks here and there to send a message is often no bad thing.
Perhaps the actions of Lewis and Hodge were an overt reminder to the top teams that the Hawks aren’t going to tread lightly any more. They mean to win their third flag in a row, and don’t plan on taking any prisoners while doing it.