The Alastair Clarkson Hawks are the Patriots and the Spurs – brilliant and boring, wonderful and plain.
Sometimes the plainness and the ‘boring’ is beautiful but the familiarity of excellence wears on us all.
Clarkson, in his way, in the box is just as terrifying as Lance Franklin on the left half-forward flank. Because he can’t be tackled or have his kicks smothered, the coach has an ethereal, untouchable magic that feels like it can take any form and tighten its grip around the neck of his opponent on any given afternoon.
It was because of Clarkson, and Clarkson alone, that people toyed with the idea of talking themselves into Hawthorn in the qualifying final last year. On one hand there was ‘the Tigers are better than the Hawks in every conceivable aspect’, but on the other hand there was ‘well, Clarkson has two weeks to prepare’.
Alastair Clarkson has rebuilt his Hawthorn Hawks outfit in 12 months. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
We’re in a similar place again this year. The Hawks’ list is wholly uninspiring, but just good enough that if you stare at the rows of line-up for long enough you can awkwardly contort yourself into thinking they almost might be a fringe contender if weaponised to the 100th percentile of their potential.
Whatever Hawthorn can achieve this year, they will achieve. Last week that looked like something potentially significant. A highly touted Crows outfit, more or less the same squad that dominated the competition when last healthy in 2017, was made to look clueless.
The Hawks were beaten at stoppages and lost contested ball – par for the course in recent years – but it didn’t matter. They used the ball cleanly and with sharp purpose and set up defensively with such positioning and economy of movement that all Adelaide’s clearances did was build kinetic energy for their opponents’ counter-attacks.
The Crows were off, and the Hawks punished them.
The Bulldogs too were off on Sunday, until they weren’t. After three quarters of fumbling around in the dark, the lights suddenly came on in the last and the Hawks were left in a daze, as the Dogs kept winning clearance after clearance, belting the ball into an appetisingly open forward line.
Hawthorn were left helpless and tired, two men down, unable to summon a response.
It all happened so quickly. Five-goal leads shouldn’t disappear in 15 minutes, even with just two on the bench. The Adelaide game was a testament to everything Hawthorn can do, and the Bulldogs’ final quarter reinforced what they cannot.
More than any other team, perhaps, it feels like Hawthorn have exceedingly little to do with the outcomes of their matches. They will structure themselves perfectly, use the ball crisply, and they will – for the most part – take advantage of their chances.
If the other team is off, they will win. But if the other team is on, they will lose. In finals, opponents, as they were last year against the Hawks, tend to be on.
The Hawks. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Hawthorn have a tremendously high floor and probably the lowest ceiling of any finals contender. There’s just not enough raging talent or powerful infliction of will. With Tom Mitchell down, outside of James Sicily, it doesn’t feel like any Hawk can truly physically impose themselves on the game and forcefully redirect its journey.
Hawthorn are a slick, immaculately oiled machine that could use some more maniacs. They have superstar role players like Luke Breust and Jack Gunston, the perfect complements to round out the edges of what was an all-time great team. Now the Hawks are all rounded edges but not enough in the middle.
They will be fine this year and to bet against them making finals would be dangerous. Chad Wingard will come back, to give them some needed spark and ambiguity, and Tom Scully should only get better, adding further dynamism.
The forward line is filled with class, the defence with intelligence, and the midfield, while deficient, will work ceaselessly. Jaeger O’Meara may emerge as a star, and James Worpel will continue to be a cult hero.
But this year it will all likely add up to not much, and as the older guard phases out, you wonder when the next time will be that Clarkson’s genius will rise to the most meaningful stage again, where it lived for so long.
Spur
Guest
“A highly touted Crows outfit, more or less the same squad that dominated the competition when last healthy in 2017, was made to look clueless.” Really? It’s a Crows squad now without Jake Lever, Charlie Cameron, Daniel and Mitch McGovern. That’s a fair chunk of talent. Throw in an ordinary 2018 and an aging Eddie Betts, and I’m unsure how the 2019 version is compared to the 2017 version.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
The best 8 so far Geelong Brisbane Eagles Port Bulldogs St Kilda GWS Collingwood
Nineteen
Guest
2014 was the year you were the thinking about @Peter the Scribe. https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/video/2014-10-14/season-2014-injury-recap
Bruce
Guest
This is an excellent article.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
Who would you go for? Teams have been known to forego some salary to fit new players in. I still remember Coniglio kicking four goals as a 16 year old for Swan Districts to help win the 2010 WAFL GF.
Dean
Guest
You obviously mean since t the 3pt.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
You won't fit Coniglio and Kelly both in with your salary cap.
Powa
Roar Rookie
the 6-6-6 change has really stuffed up teams that like to force turnovers with players thrown back in defence, teams like port and melbourne with poor kicking efficiency, but good ball winners should do better this year than last
Powa
Roar Rookie
to be fair I think Clarkson does a lot with a rather middling amount of talent, but in the finals their lack of cattle is often shown up
Powa
Roar Rookie
there is a kind of arrogance in adelaide with the crows, even when they do worse than port they are still more highly rated
Birdman
Roar Rookie
Could be GOAT (with Lethal?) but he was an almighty challenge this year in adapting to 6-6-6 starting positions with a B grade midfield which is missing Tom Mitchell. But in Clarko we trust.
Penster
Roar Guru
HFM, Clarko was appointed in 2005. If we go back to 1995 and look at the 10 previous seasons ladder positions from 1995 – 2004 inc, it looks like this: 15,8,15,13,9,8,6,10,9,15. From 2005 – 2018 inc, it looks like this: 14,11,5,2*,9,7,3,1*,1*,2*,3*,3,12,4. If that’s not genius coaching, I don’t know what is ???? *grand finalists.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
That's a rose-coloured wrong-way round telescope that you're using on the Suns and Clarkson, Pete. Remember last season, Eagles v Hawks at the MCG where West Coast had a lousy record. 12 years without a win.No chance to beat a Clarkson-coached team,etc.etc. Simpson did something Clarko couldn't do on the day. He kept his small players accountable,Gaff outstanding,Redden excellent, LeCras and Sheppard also good. Clarkson can always get a four quarter effort, or can he any more? By the way, I hear Coniglio is a chance for the Eagles post-contract. That would be mouth-watering.
Penster
Roar Guru
If you look at the number of perennial cellar dwellar teams who've received more early draft picks than others and also noticed how many of these wood ducks have squandered the talent and remain premiershipless ........... it debunks your theory that Hawthorn will have to cone out before coming good again. If your theory was correct, Carlton, Saint Kilda, Melbourne should have a couple of recent flags in the bag. To be fair, Hawthorn's coach and recruitment team is uncommonly good at it's job - success breeds success.
Raimond
Roar Guru
Clarkson has a great record, and built a great team, but I can’t recall him being in a really adverse position.
AJ
Roar Rookie
I agree HFM. A side coached by supposedly the worst coach in the league in 2017 (Nathan Buckley - Collingwood) came back from around 40 or 50 points to beat a Clarkson-coached team. That was about Round 7 or 8 from 2017. Clarkson hasn't won a final for 3 years, which includes 2 straight-sets knockouts from the finals. This doesn't happen to someone who could be regarded as the 'best' coach in the business.
Professor X
Guest
Hawthorn have a great club culture, but do they have genuine depth? James Cousins has been very impressive
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
What was that year where everything went wrong for the Hawks including Clarko getting sick, yet they still found a way to the flag? That year probably proved he has something special and now lots of players want to play under him, making the Hawks a destination club. Interesting though that Lynch rejected them (and the Pies). I hate playing the Hawks mostly because they usually beat us but also because of Clarko. He now has an aura where it feels he could coach the Suns to beat the Eagles in Perth.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Yep Clarko is totes amazeballs. Meanwhile North need to kick them before they can get up.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I'm all about weird angles. Just seemed odd you'd claim something to be a myth based on nothing more than your own opinion. Happy to agree Adelaide is massively overrated though. Also re: alternative jobs for Clarko, settle down, he's not the messiah. And not even the actual messiah could coach Carlton or the Suns into the 8, Jesus would finish 11th at best I reckon. Even he'd struggle to get the Hovercraft floating.