Cleaner, faster, and more efficient in front of goal. For all the tactical X’s and O’s we like to throw in, it’s a pretty simple formula for winning a game of footy, and it proved an effective one for the Hawks as they overcame St. Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The Saints were by no means disgraced, but they were certainly outclassed, as Hawthorn made more from fewer opportunities to run the game out 10.14 (74) to 14.10 (94) winners.
Not often does the scoreline accurately reflect what occurred over the course of four quarters, but it did in this one. For both sides to finish the night with the same number of scoring shots seemed fitting for a tight contest, but it was Hawthorn who took their chances when they arose, finishing the night with four more goals.
The first half was a true arm wrestle, with the two teams combining for only three goals up to the 10-minute mark of the second term.
It felt like a proper Ross Lyon game, but don’t mistake stagnant scoring for a lack of pizazz – this was a fairly enthralling contest despite the absence of goals.
That was due mainly to an excellent four-quarter performance from an untagged Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera, a mouth-watering ruck duel between best-on-ground Lloyd Meek and Rowan Marshall, and some swift passages of play from both sides.
Wanganeen-Milera specifically was on one early.
The dashing half back is planting his flag as the best in the business, finishing the night with a whopping 43 disposals, six marks, four clearances, and (although I know it’s not everyone’s favourite stat here at the Mongrel Punt), 1010 metres gained.
Now that’s a bloody good night’s work.
He was up and about early, with special comments man Ben Dixon noticing the Hawks had opted not to tag the smooth-mover, combining with running mate Jack Sinclair to launch the Saints forward on a few occasions.
But, as Saints fans have grown accustomed to this year, the side’s lack of forward firepower came to the fore as they struggled to convert.
The missed opportunities gave the Hawks time to work into the game with Jack Gunston eventually snaring the first goal thanks to a nice contested mark from Max Ramsden to set it up.
Hawthorn headed into the first break one goal in front, and not much changed in the early stages of the second.
It promised to kick off with a bang when Jai Newcombe flattened Jack Higgins twice in the space of a minute, followed by former Saint Josh Battle dangerously dumping his ex-teammate Mason Wood into the turf on the boundary, but still the game struggled to get out of second gear.
Saints favourite Alix Tauru threatened to break it open with a ripping contested mark (his side’s first in the forward 50m arc for the night), but missed the set shot in what would have been a ripping moment for the young fella.
In the end, it was Marcus Windhager breaking the drought with a classy finish having gathered the ball cleanly, but unfortunately for him that seemed to open the floodgates for the Hawks as well.
Hawthorn piled on four goals in a flash, breaking away for a three-goal lead at the long break.
In the end the second half played out much the same as the first. St. Kilda did manage to cut the lead back to 14 points in the late stages of the third term, but that would be as close as they got for the rest of the night.
It was the calibre of forward 50m entries proving the difference between the two sides, as Hawthorn continuously put it to a forward’s advantage while the Saints deployed the less-desirable “bomb and hope” technique.
Honourable losses are becoming a theme for the Saints after competitive showings against Collingwood and Fremantle in the weeks prior to this one, but it was a loss nonetheless.
It was a needed win for the Hawks who remain in the rat race for a top eight spot. They’ve (likely temporarily) lifted into the top four, and will face Fremantle in a huge clash at Optus Stadium next week.
Meanwhile the Saints are languishing in 15th spot, and will remain at Marvel to host the Swans in Round 18.
I left a fair bit out of the above summary, so let’s get to some points I’m keen to hit on.
Meek makes his mark against Marshall
The two solo rucks put up some insane numbers in this one, with their stats reading:
- Meek: 20 disposals, four marks, six tackles, five clearances
- Marshall: 21 disposals, seven marks, eight tackles, four clearances, one goal
But it was the Hawks big man coming away with best afield honours as he got one up on Marshall through some hitout dominance.
As you can see above, both posted similar stats (with Marshall’s probably looking better thanks to a late goal), but Meek won the hitouts 59-29 to take a serious advantage in giving his midfielders a first crack at the pill.
It was a powerful display from two of the better ruckmen in the AFL, but I reckon it will leave Marshall reflecting on what more he can do to curtail the impact of his opponents.
Last week it was Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy eventually working him over in the fourth term, the week before Darcy Cameron had 19 disposals, two goals and six clearances against him.
Before that, Tim English had 18 touches, three clearances and a goal.
Marshall is considered one of the premier rucks in the competition, and he’s earned that. But while his own numbers look great, he is allowing his opponents to put up some big ones themselves. Can he tighten that up?
Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera, we are not worthy (well, the Saints forwards aren’t)
This bloke is a dead set freak.
Strictly speaking football, the way he plays and the way he delivers the footy gets me very, very hot and heavy.
I’ve already glossed over his stats above, so let’s take some time here to talk about Wanganeen-Milera’s impact.
Last night he continuously slashed through Hawthorn’s defensive set up with both his leg speed and precision kicking. His delivery inside 50m was, as usual, first class – but by god it’s hard to watch this stud kicking it to the Saints’ putrid forward line.
Time and again Wanganeen-Milera would put the ball on a silver platter, and time and again the forwards would butcher their opportunities.
I get that Max King being out has basically stunted their structure, but given his long and worrisome injury history now, the Saints need to seriously address their front six in the off-season.
Imagine if Wanganeen-Milera had a lead-up target like Josh Treacy, or a creative forward like Jamie Elliott to kick to. It’d be a whole different ball game.
Last night I found myself asking the same question Saints fans dread to entertain: “What would this team be like without this bloke?”
I think the answer is something along the lines of how Richmond and West Coast are currently turning up. Basically, they’d be shithouse (even moreso).
His future remains a question with the pull of returning to South Australia a serious threat, and I can’t help but feel that of all the big names swirling around in off-season rumours, this would be the heaviest loss for a club.
The potential departures of guys like Tom De Koning, Harley Reid or even Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters would no doubt be huge blows to their clubs, but I feel like Nasaiah is basically the only reason for a neutral fan to even put the Saints on the telly at this point.
Speaking of the Saints forwards…
I’m not done with them just yet.
Isaac Keeler, Mitch Owens and Dan Butler were among this side’s worst performers last night, and in the end they cost their team dearly. Cooper Sharman wasn’t far behind, and Jack Higgins butchered some chances.
Altogether, the five of them combined for four goals, two of which went to Higgins.
Max Hall had a ripper night and led the side in scoring with three goals (to go with 27 disposals, six marks, five clearances and four tackles thank you very much), but when the young fella is your side’s best chance at a major, you’re in trouble.
Again, I understand that losing Max King for the year is going to set you back massively, but surely there is some kind of better cover out there than this?
Good kicking is good footy
The old adage was true last night, as Hawthorn’s kicking both around the ground and in front of goal proved the major difference.
Much has been made of Massimo D’Ambrosio’s impact since he arrived at Hawthorn, and his precision ball use was on show again in this one – to the point where Jonathan Brown nearly had a stroke when D’Ambrosio laced out a Hawks forward in the third term (which kind of stroke? I’ll let you decide).
Stats will tell you the Hawks had a slight edge in disposal efficiency (74.5% compared with St. Kilda’s 70%), but it felt larger than that.
The likes of Jarman Impey, Karl Amon, and Jai Newcombe consistently picked holes in the Saints’ defence, allowing forwards like Nick Watson (two goals), Gunston (three) and Mabior Chol (two) to get on the end of their good work.
Alixzander Tauru is something
He’s been in the headlines since his breakout aerial game against Fremantle, and this was just another positive step forward for the first-year sensation.
Whenever I land a neutral game to report on for my Mongrel brethren, I always look for a reason to watch, what’s going to get me excited?
I went in with high hopes for Tauru in this one, and he didn’t disappoint.
I love this kid. He flies at everything, he’s got nuts the size of watermelons and his hands are bloody clean.
Now three games into his career, he shows us something new from his kit bag every week. On Saturday it was those clean hands and an ability to hit the loose ball at pace that was something new to the aerial prowess he is making a name for himself with.
I can’t wait to continue watching him grow. Saints fans, you have one here.
Another Saints youngster who caught my eye
Angus Hastie was having the night from hell at half time.
He had three horrendous turnovers in the first term alone, and he looked well and truly rattled when he let Nick Watson run into an open goal just before half time.
I was worried for the young bloke. His confidence looked shot and I thought the Hawks might make mince meat of him in the second half.
But then I was pleasantly surprised.
Hastie not only found a way to make a positive impact in the second half, he did so with some flair.
The 19-year-old looked a new man in the second half, taking the game on with his legs and even reeling in a spectacular hanger in defence at one point.
It was a nice little subplot to a pretty tedious second half. A great example of how a bad start doesn’t mean you have to have a bad game.
Admittedly, I know little and less about this kid, but he responded to adversity well and I’ll be watching him with a keener eye from now on.
And some quick ones to finish off
- The Saints have way too many passengers. Hunter Clark got caught holding the ball in the defensive 50m twice, and Liam Henry might be among the worst players in the AFL.
- I thought James Sicily looked pretty good in his return – at least compared to his pre-injury form.
- Josh Battle had a good night against his old mob, with 23 disposals and seven marks.
- The Saints are building a nice young core with guys like Hall, Tauru, Windhager, Garcia. I like that they’re all tough buggers willing to put their bodies on the line.
- Massive game for the Hawks next week – a trip to Perth beckons.
