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Hawks vs Swans was a grand final preview to savour

27th July, 2014
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27th July, 2014
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This week I could have written about Richmond’s continued ability to find some form, which would have coach Damien Hardwick a little less stressed about his future.

About how Adelaide have suddenly become a serious finals contender, and questioning whether Collingwood will miss the finals for the first time since 2005.

Or how one man cannot maketh a team, yet when he is the son of the man they called ‘God’, the hole he leaves is massive, and the Suns’ hopes of an historic first finals appearance in 2014 is looking about as likely as Fitzroy returning.

But really, there was only one story on the weekend.

So often matches which are highly hyped and loudly trumpeted as a grand final preview or the clash of the season have a habit of not living up to the pre-game expectations. But not this one.

Sydney versus Hawthorn promised so much, and delivered.

If you were a supporter of the winners you smiled all the way home, and awoke the next morning with great feelings about 2014. But, even if you were a fan of the beaten team, you still walked away knowing your team is one of the best, that they have improvement on that performance, and they were only a couple of kicks short of victory.

But if you were a fan of neither, then this game also delivered. It was an enthralling contest with so many subplots, twists and turns, ebbs and flows, and, putting your own favouritism – or perhaps even hatred – of either of these two teams to one side, if you are a lover of footy, you have to agree the Swans and Hawks would provide a gripping grand final.

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Judging by what was on show at the MCG on Saturday night, barring disasters and vital injuries, these two have to be short-priced to meet again on the final Saturday in September.

The Hawks really are a team capable of going back-to-back. Despite missing Brian Lake, Brad Sewell, Cyril Rioli, and Matt Spangher, they were still able to not only match the Swans, but come back from a seemingly dire position in the third quarter when they trailed by 22, to win by 10.

While they are big outs for the Hawks, the Swans too were missing some troops, with Rhyce Shaw and most notably Dan Hannebery sidelined.

The midfield was the one area where the Hawks, with their superior run, got on top, particularly late in the game. Hannebery – who had averaged 32 possessions a game in the seven games prior to his ankle injury against Port in Round 13 – was the vital missing link for the Swans.

To come back from four goals down in the second half was a tremendous effort and will do wonders for the confidence of the Hawthorn players. Put most of the other teams in the competition in that spot against the Swans this season and the result would have been ugly. But as coach Alastair Clarkson said, their “resilience and perseverance just to hang in there when things weren’t working out for us too well early in the third quarter” was crucial.

In the end the margin was 10, just enough for the Swans to maintain top spot on the ladder, just ahead of the Hawks, positions they will still be calling home at the end of the regular season.

But back to Saturday night, and it’s kind of ironic the margin was 10, identical to the margin when the Swans upset the Hawks in the 2012 grand final. And, just as it was back in 2012, on Saturday one team might have boasted the big names and possibly possessed the most talent, the other worked harder and was more committed. And just as it was back in 2012, the hard workers got the job done.

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People love the stats, and quite often too much is read into them. Looking at the stats from Saturday and you will see – just like the scoreboard – there wasn’t much between the teams. Each had 29 scoring shots, there was little in the clearances, 35-33 to the Hawks. The Hawks had 44 more disposals, and 6 more inside 50s, while the Swans just won the contested possessions 143-138, and had 18 more tackles than Hawthorn.

One interesting stat from the game was the one per centers. Back in Round 8, when the Swans won by 19, they also won the one per center category by 63-40.

While not as dominant a victory in the statistical category to the Hawks, on Saturday night they also won the one per centers, 62-54.

While the Hawks should be brimming with confidence following their thoroughly deserved victory, the Swans wouldn’t be too heartbroken.

They also did what they do best and never gave in, fighting back late from a large deficit to keep the contest alive until the dying minutes, and they will take a lot out of the clash.

A number of their key players weren’t at their best, admittedly partly due to great Hawthorn defensive assignments, but there is room for improvement.

The loss also takes the heat off in terms of winning streaks. With every win, you are one game closer to a loss, and imagine taking an 18 game winning streak into the finals, or even perhaps then a 20 game streak into the grand final.

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So both got something out of it, and so did we as spectators. It whet the appetite for the finals, and who knows, the Swans and Hawks could be the new big rivalry of the AFL.

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