Hawks vow to become AFL's nice guys

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson has announced his players will not take the field again until finals, opting instead to send the team on an intense two-week etiquette course to help stamp out their ‘unsociable’ behaviour.

Clarkson’s decision comes after Hawks skipper Luke Hodge received his second suspension for the season after an ugly bump on Port’s Chad Wingard at the weekend.

The incident is the latest in a string of on-field controversies for the Hawks this year which have seen key playmakers Hodge, Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell fall under scrutiny, prompting Clarkson to declare “enough is enough”.

“We don’t want to be known as the unsociable Hawks anymore. It’s hurtful,” he said.

“Given what’s happened this year I think it’s pretty clear that the boys need to grow up and learn some manners before we let them play again.

“Football is about having fun and when people are getting hurt, whether it’s physically and emotionally, that’s not fun for anyone.”

“Making friends is much more important than winning flags so if our opponents think we’re being mean, then I think it’s pretty clear that we need to rethink our attitudes and start treating others as we’d like to be treated.”

Clarkson said that while the team would focus on a number of behavioural aspects over the next two weeks, close attention would be paid to certain key areas.

“We really want to stamp out swearing and name-calling. It’s just really impolite and there’s no need for it,” he said.

“I’d also like to see the boys compliment their opponents a bit more. I’m pretty sure Jay Schulz had a haircut before last week’s game and from what I’ve heard, Gibbo (Josh Gibson) didn’t compliment him once.

“I’m not angry but it’s very disappointing to hear. Not only did Gibbo let our club down, he let himself down.

“It’s just rude and it shows a lack of manners.”

The next two weeks will determine the makeup of the finals, but given the Hawks play Brisbane (18th) and Carlton (17th) to close out the season, Clarkson says the team can afford to rest its starting 22.

“We’ve been looking for an opportunity to give our Under-12s team a run this year, so given the boys will be busy for a couple of weeks learning important life skills, we figured that we’d give them a crack at it.”

Bookmakers TAB and Sportsbet have reacted quickly to the news, with Hawthorn’s price drifting from $1.01 to $1.05 to beat the Lions.