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Hawthorn have shown resilience in the face of adversity

Roar Pro
2nd July, 2014
20

When Sam Mitchell injured his hamstring against St. Kilda in Round 7, it was the beginning of an injury crisis that threatened to derail Hawthorn’s 2014 campaign.

In that same game Norm Smith medalist Brian Lake also suffered a calf strain.

The following week against Sydney, Josh Gibson and Cyril Rioli both suffered injuries and Jarryd Roughead got reported and subsequently suspended.

Captain Luke Hodge didn’t play. That’s six players that would rank among Hawthorn’s top ten most important.

The Hawks followed up the loss to Sydney with another loss against Port Adelaide. Even the coach, Alastair Clarkson, was forced to the sidelines due to illness. All of a sudden the premiership favourites were being questioned by some, and totally written off by others.

In the five weeks since then, Hawthorn have won five on the trot. Thanks to Adelaide’s upset win over Port, the Hawks are now back on top of the ladder.

One of the measures of a great team is how they cope without their best players. Hawthorn have shown that within their club the personnel is not as important as the system. Like any strong organisation they have a set of policies and procedures that, when followed, ensure success.

Whether it is established leaders such as Mitchell, Hodge and Roughead, or younger players like Jack Gunston, Luke Breust and Bradley Hill, each player knows what is expected of them. They each have a role and have been taught to perform it, regardless of the circumstances.

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The season isn’t about to get any easier for Hawthorn. While Mitchell is likely to return this week to face North Melbourne, he will need a game or two to return to his best. Gibson is still up to a month away and Rioli’s latest hamstring injury might keep him out for the rest of the year.

Couple that with games against Sydney, Fremantle, Geelong and Collingwood still to come and their stay in top spot may be short lived.

There will be no cause for alarm within the club, though. The Hawks know that their best has the measure of every other team in the competition and they are capable of displaying it no matter who they have on the paddock.

Their resilience in the face of adversity in the last two months epitomises the character of a great team. If they manage to make it through to the end of September and claim back-to-back flags, they will go down in history as one of the greatest teams of our time.

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