Earlier this season I wrote an article on The Roar suggesting that both Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans would face the beginning of the end in 2017.
Both teams had endured poor starts to the season, the Hawks losing five of their first six matches and the Swans faring surprisingly worse, dropping their first six games of a season for the first time since 1993.
This left both clubs in the unusual position of propping up the ladder at the end of Round 6. It was a far cry from the glory days of earlier this decade when the two teams featured prominently at the upper echelon of the ladder.
But if the past three months is anything to go by, then fears of both teams’ decline may have been exaggerated for the moment.
The Swans have won ten of their past eleven games to shoot up to sixth on the ladder, with their only loss since the start of May coming when they lost to Hawthorn by just six points at the SCG in Round 10.
After that defeat, which dropped the Swans to 3-7, it seemed as though September was the last thing on their mind as they set about regenerating their list after having lost so much experience in the preceding years.
In fact, John Longmire’s men are undefeated since their Round 11 bye, their seven-match winning streak currently the longest of any club so far this season, eclipsing the Adelaide Crows’ 6-0 start to the year.
(AAP Image/David Moir)
Last Saturday night they dominated St Kilda from start to finish to win by 42 points, banking their tenth win of the year and keeping alive their chances of featuring in September for the eighth consecutive year.
They had previously put the Western Bulldogs, Richmond, Essendon, Melbourne, the Gold Coast Suns and the GWS Giants to the sword between rounds 12 and 17 inclusive.
Several of their stars have been at the forefront of their revival in form, namely Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, captain Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery, among others.
Franklin remains on track to maintain a pattern of winning the Coleman Medal every three years, having hit 50 goals for the year with five rounds, Friday night’s showdown against Hawthorn included, still to play.
Former Eagle Callum Sinclair made the most of a recall into the AFL side by kicking five majors, while Lewis Melican received the club’s first Rising Star nomination for his shut-down job on Saints veteran Nick Riewoldt.
Such is the fierce competition for places in the Swans’ best 22, that forward Kurt Tippett has found it tough to break back into the side, despite his best efforts in the NEAFL.
John Longmire’s men will have every reason to be confident that they can continue their winning run against Hawthorn at the MCG this Friday night.
While they have lost their last three matches against their fierce rivals at home, one statistic stands out – it’s that they haven’t lost to them at the home of football since the disaster that was the 2014 grand final.
They won the rematch by four points in Round 8, 2015, while they also enjoyed a 14-point win in Round 9 last year in a match overshadowed by the news that current Hawks captain Jarryd Roughead had suffered a recurrence of the melanoma cancer which he had (and has) recovered from.
The Hawks, on the other hand, have won three and drawn one of their last five matches since their Round 13 bye to currently be sitting in 12th place on the ladder with a percentage of 88 per cent.
Also last Saturday night, the Hawks celebrated coach Alastair Clarkson’s 300th game at the helm with a 52-point win over Fremantle in Perth to keep their finals hopes alive.
Apart from their home games in Launceston, it was their third win in five interstate trips for the year.
They had previously, as mentioned before, defeated the Swans by six points at the SCG in Round 10 with Jarryd Roughead kicking the match-winning goal with two minutes left, while they caused an upset over runaway competition leaders the Adelaide Crows at the Oval in Round 14.
It is proof that there is still life left in the powerhouse club, which has gone about regenerating its playing list following the departures of Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis at the end of last season, and the imminent retirement of former captain and two-time Norm Smith Medallist Luke Hodge.
Ex-Swan Tom Mitchell has performed well since moving to the Hawks, and shapes as the club’s best chance at this year’s Brownlow Medal, while Ryan Burton remains the favourite to take out the Rising Star Award.
Both had big shoes to fill in guernseys number three and five respectively, the jumpers having been vacated by Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell when they were controversially traded away last October.
However, both are proving their worth as the Hawks look to build their next era of success around the pair, plus many others, as their premiership dynasty continues to be slowly dismantled.
Thus, it’s fair to say that the future is starting to look bright for the club, which is rebuilding in a much smarter way than they did at the start of this decade.
After the Hawks had missed the finals barely twelve months after mounting the premiership dais in 2008, the club started 2010 poorly, losing six of their first seven games, and the pressure mounted on coach Alastair Clarkson.
In fact, the turning point in the club’s recent history came all the way back in Round 8, 2010, when Sam Mitchell laid a match-saving tackle on Richmond’s Shane Tuck in the dying minutes to give the Hawks a three-point win.
The win over the Tigers came a fortnight after their previous match at the MCG resulted in an embarrassing 43-point loss to Essendon, in which the Hawks copped all sorts of criticism from the media for their insipid performance against a side that would eventually finish 14th at year’s end.
Matthew Knights, who was the coach of the Bombers at the time, is one of the few men who can boast a positive head-to-head record against Clarkson, the Bombers winning three of five matches against the Hawks during his three-year tenure at the club.
Back to the present now, and it’s fair to say that Clarkson woudn’t be at the club today had Sam Mitchell not chased down Shane Tuck in that pivotal match against Richmond seven years ago.
It later emerged that had the Hawks lost that match, the present-day master coach would’ve been given his marching orders by then-President Jeff Kennett the following morning and the club wouldn’t have achieved the success it did between 2013 and 2015.
(Image: AAP Image/Joe Castro)
But despite the below-standard season the Hawks have endured this year, Clarkson isn’t under the same pressure as he was all those years ago, though there have been calls for him to walk away from the club at some point.
Whether he is pushed, or walks on his own accord like John Worsfold did when he left the West Coast Eagles at the end of 2013, remains to be seen.
In the meantime, all he can do is focus on what is ahead, with matches against Richmond, North Melbourne, Carlton and the Western Bulldogs still to come after Friday night’s clash against the Swans.
A win would see their finals hopes remain alive for another week, while a loss will set them further back the pace with four rounds to play after this weekend.
As for the Swans, an eighth straight win, something they have not achieved since 2014, would further consolidate them as the team to beat entering what could be their eighth consecutive finals series.
All is set for what should be another blockbuster clash between the two rivals at the MCG this Friday night.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy has been forced into a premature and immediate AFL retirement through concussion to prioritise a "full and healthy life"…
Geelong has been crafty and creative in its list management and has quietly assembled a very exciting young group of midfielders and half-forwards.
Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale will be looking to lead his team to a victory against Melbourne in what will be his 250th AFL game.
It’s high stakes with five teams having lost their first three games of season 2024, and in desperate need of a win.
