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Hawthorn Hawks vs West Coast Eagles: AFL Grand Final preview and prediction

1st October, 2015
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1st October, 2015
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The Hawthorn Hawks will be looking to etch their era in the history books with a third consecutive AFL Premiership when they face the West Coast Eagles at the MCG in the 2015 AFL Grand Final on Saturday afternoon.

It has been a remarkable run in recent seasons for the Hawthorn Football Club; since 2008 they have notched up three premierships and played in four Grand Finals.

Victory today and they would undoubtably earn themselves a unique place in history alongside the best sides to ever lift the cup – the Lions of the noughties, the Hawks of the eighties, it’s some serious company to consider peers.

Standing in their way is the Eagles, a side that has risen from ninth to a potential flag in two seasons under Hawthorn Coaching Academy-disciple, Adam Simpson.

The apprentice has proven recently he can out-fox the master, but can he do it when the stakes are at their highest?

Match information:
Time: 2:30pm (AEST)
Venue: MCG
TV: Seven Network (LIVE)
Betting: Hawks $1.60, Eagles $2.40

In the first week of finals, West Coast dealt the Hawks their biggest loss of the season when they ran out by 32 points at Subiaco Oval. The Hawks entered the match as favourites, but were completely out-pressured by the Eagles, who lead by as much as 50 points at the final change.

The pressure was simply overwhelming for the usually calm and collected Hawks as they were unable to find the time and space they so consistently conjure. Their lack of freedom was clearly shown in their dismal disposal efficiency (67.8 per cent – down from their league-leading 76 per cent average) and in the number of marks they managed, holding onto just 64 for the night, well below their 103.5 per game average.

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The Eagles will need to repeat this feat on Saturday, because as we have seen in the Hawks’ two performances since, they are untouchable when they control the tempo.

Against the Crows (131 marks with a disposal efficiency of 78.7 per cent) they appeared to be fielding two extra men; against the Dockers (147 marks with a disposal efficiency of 79.6 per cent) they never really looked out of control once the scores levelled in the first quarter.

Last five meetings:

Date Venue Home vs Away Result
Qualifying Final, 2015 Domain Stadium West Coast defeats Hawthorn 96-64
Round 19, 2015 Domain Stadium West Coast defeated by Hawthorn 74-88
Round 12, 2014 Aurora Stadium Hawthorn defeats West Coast 123-79
Round 13, 2013 Etihad Stadium Hawthorn defeats West Coast 123-103
Round 2, 2013 Domain Stadium West Coast defeated by Hawthorn 98-148

This match has the potential to be one of the most high-scoring and exciting games of football we’ve seen in a Grand Final in recent years – the Hawks and Eagles are the league’s two highest scoring teams after all, and also share the lead for marks inside 50.

When it comes to scoring however, one area that may prove costly for the Eagles is in their goal-kicking accuracy. Hawthorn have led the league by several percentage points this season (55.9 per cent accuracy) while the Eagles sit down in tenth at just over 50 per cent.

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Where this statistic becomes telling is if we look at the efforts of each side in front of goal so far in the finals. In their two games to reach the first weekend in October the Eagles kicked 24 goals and 32 points. So from 56 scoring shots, 42.8 per cent have been converted into six-pointers.

In the three finals the Hawks have played they’ve totalled 45 goals and 23 points, meaning they’ve converted 66.1 per cent of their chances. In the two most recent games they’ve been even more potent, totalling 36 goals and just 13 points, giving them a staggering conversion rate of 69.2 per cent.

The Eagles on the other hand have been incredibly wasteful in front of goal during the finals; they’ll be punished on Saturday if they convert anywhere south of 50 per cent of their chances.

Josh Kennedy of the West Coast Eagles celebrates Kennedy’s accuracy could make or break the Eagles. (Photo: Daniel Carson/AFL Media)

The disposal machine
In their two recent meetings Sam Mitchell has picked up 35 and 36 disposals. The 32-year-old has wound back the clock in 2015, which he was recognised for on Brownlow Medal night equalling his second best season tally of 26 votes – two more than he polled in 2013 and 2014 combined.

As a noted finals specialist, Mitchell is sure to be in the thick of it again on Saturday. With disposal totals of 35, 33 and 35 so far this finals series, who could doubt it? The numbers are just ridiculous.

To put them in perspective, no other Hawk has managed 30 disposals in a game this finals series, and no player opposing the Hawks has managed it either.

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The goal-kicking machine
Josh Kennedy has proved a headache for Alistair Clarkson in the past couple of month, kicking three and four goals against his side. The Hawks don’t seem to have an answer for Kennedy – not that many teams have had one this season – sending both Ben Stratton and James Frawley to him with underwhelming results.

It is inevitable that Kennedy will take marks inside 50 and have his shots on goal – he’s had ten shots so far during the finals for five goals and five behinds. As the Coleman Medalist and the number one target on the field, he simply must kick straight on Saturday, and for much more than just the points or to help improve the Eagles’ accuracy – Kennedy has the power to ignite his side with goals, while a poor miss (or misses) could deflate them at a crucial moment.

Prediction:
Two weeks ago when the Crows faced the Hawks at the ‘G I chose to ignore the numbers and instead spun a hopeful yarn about why Adelaide were a chance.

Believing in the underdog is beautifully inherent in Australia, but make no mistake, the Hawks are favourites for a reason.

With an extra ten metres on each wing to play with, they’ll find the space they couldn’t in Perth three weeks ago and complete the three-peat.

Hawthorn by 23 points.

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