How did The Mongrels see this game?
JB Eddy and Jimmy Day have the ratings for every player in the Hawks win over the Lions in the 2025 Semi-Final.
Adelaide (JB Eddy)
What a wound this is. From minor premiers to out in straight sets. There is no sugar-coating the agony that supporters will be feeling, and the players will be experiencing the same, only magnified exponentially.
On the plus side, the squad far exceeded expectations. Just a couple of years ago they were in a rebuild, so to finish as high as they did is a massive overachievement, but , no one has a minor premiership reunion. Players play to win finals, and Adelaide just couldn’t match Hawthorn’s intensity.
For a half it looked like they might ride the wave, but when the screws tightened Hawthorn were the ones who stood taller. The Hawks bullied them at stoppage, kept the scoreboard ticking when it mattered, and ruthlessly sent the crows crowd home dejected.
Some Crows fought like hell – Laird scrapped until the final siren, Worrell intercepted everything in sight, and Thilthorpe made the most of the scraps he got. But too many of the big names ghosted.
Here’s how I rated the Crows on a September night they’ll want to forget.
[24] Josh Worrell – 8.5
Under enormous pressure, Josh had a composed effort. 33 touches, 12 intercepts. He fought like hell to keep Hawthorn from running riot, but you can’t defend for four lines. With his team under siege for most of the match, he did everything in his power to try and stop the scoreboard from ticking over for the Hawks. Without Worrell, this would have been a proper flogging.
[48] Mark Keane – 6
Some will say this is too high for Keana considering the sort of night Gunston had, but if forwards can say they had a good game with two good kicks if the delivery was poor, I think it’s only fair that a backman can get some concessions when delivery is quick, low, and lace-out to a player like Jack.
I’d have rated him even higher, except… Well… he had some shocking disposals that created Hawthorn scoring opportunities.
Kick outs and disposals under pressure went to contests or even directly to the opponent. However, would it be too much to ask for a simple shepherd for the bloke? I put it to any football player to tell me that there is an off-the-ball act as impactful as shepherding a teammate, and Keane had little to no help from his buddies in that regard, and they’d give up the supporting run to go back to their player.
That’s fine if it’s a team rule, but it makes Keane’s job so much harder when he’s already standing an All-Australian forward, taking seven intercepts and trying to generate some rebound running without someone keeping chasers off his back.
Gunston’s night and some turnovers cost him some marks here, but I’ll never ping the guy having a dip when teammates around him couldn’t say they put in as much effort.
[29] Rory Laird – 8.5
If there’s one bloke who can hold his head high, it’s Laird. 30 touches, 7 marks, 5 tackles. He tried to stem the bleeding with composure and was their most reliable link. Problem is, he was too often playing a lone hand.
[30] Wayne Milera – 7.5
23 touches, plenty of run, and tried to break lines when Adelaide were stalling. But the further the game went, the more he became an empty calorie stat padder. He tried, but a switch to the fat side followed by a switch back just doesn’t hurt opponents. Still, he’s at least one of the few to try and create dangerous transitions, and I don’t want to fault him if his teammates further up the ground were stuck in indecision.
[9] Nick Murray – 2
When the scoreline looks like this, and you’re a key back with only six touches with zero tackles… you’ve had a very, very bad night. He’s not alone in having a mare, and something must be said for having to pay the price for a lack of midfield pressure on the ball carrier further up the ground, but that’s what it means to play in defence. You have to be accountable, even when it’s not really your fault.
A stinker of a night.
[20] Mitchell Hinge – 4
An ankle injury cut his night short, which makes him hard to grade. He showed intensity and effort early on, but wasn’t quite in the game in the way he needed to be, though he’s hardly alone in that and at least has a red-vested reason for not being near the ball after half time.
[44] Isaac Cumming – 6
Badger Cumming had an ordinary game last week, and needed a big one to show the club why he’s there. His 16 disposals and 436 metres gained is better than last week’s outing, but not by a lot. The official stats have him at only three clangers, but I saw more than that go straight to opposition hands.
An improved outing, but not the game he’d have hoped to deliver for the side.
[12] Jordan Dawson – 7.5
Had a good night when the Crows needed a dominant one. He had a target on his back right away, but targeting the captain is a common strategy, you either wear it or it wears you down, and in this case Dawson had the latter.
The Hawks mids swarmed him, switching off to keep him always running, and when the ball was near, they’d always put him to ground, sometimes with two or three tacklers. That amount of contact, run and extended hyper-awareness takes a toll, and while his focus is on his own safety and his opponent’s work, it’s not on being the on-field coach that teams need.
He was shut down, but not shut off. He kept clawing and fighting for his side, but looked spent by three quarter time.
I think Dawson is still the right guy to captain the side, but they need a no-nonsense hard man to make sure he’s not being targeted to this level. Every officer needs their chief enlisted man to do the dirty work.
[6] Daniel Curtin – 4
They say big men take a while to come good in AFL, and even more so for backmen. I’m very bullish on what Curtin will become, but tonight was not a good night for him. He looked overawed and timid at times, and to get tothe final quarter without getting near the ball while the opposition is scoring shows that he just wasn’t in the right spots. The stat sheet showed six tackles, but too many were hand tackles that allowed the opponent to get effective disposals away, not the teeth-rattling spear in the gut that a guy his size should be delivering.
A preseason in the weights room and on the protein won’t hurt the 20-year-old, but this is as much about mentality as it is commitment. If Curtin goes into his shell and tries to avoid mistakes, he’ll be hampered. If he uses this to spur him on and punish opposing forwards for daring to step onto his grass, he’ll fulfil his potential.
He’s got some great coaches around him, so if he can learn the lessons from this match, he’ll come back much stronger in 2026.
[2] Ben Keays – 4
At his best, Keays is a damaging player that sits just far enough away from the contest to cause opponents to hesitate to attack the ball or cover him off.
Tonight was different. He was giving way too much width away from the contest and making himself irrelevant. His damaging distance is when the teammate with the ball can punch a low handball in front of him so he can gather, run and snap in one motion. Instead, his teammates would need to sink in a torp to find his zone.
Didn’t tag out an opponent, didn’t cause damage often enough, and didn’t look like he was up to the crash and bash footy that finals can bring. He’s better than this, but as they say, you’re only as good as your last game.
[7] Riley Thilthorpe – 7.5
Three goals from 12 disposals. For a forward, that’s a tick. Looked threatening in patches, took his chances, but didn’t see enough supply to turn the tide. Still, he can’t do much when the ball’s coming in like a frisbee in the wind. Made the most of his chances, even if some of his kicks were from downfield frees.
[28] Alex Neal-Bullen – 5
14 touches, 6 marks, 6 tackles. An honest worker, who tried to bring some spark with pressure acts. He wasn’t wasteful that often, but didn’t exactly shift momentum either. Went missing after half time when he needed to do more than be that outside the contest link possession.
[19] Zac Taylor – 4
15 touches and a couple of nice moments, but like the rest of the young Crows he was overawed by the occasion. Unsighted in the first half, and irrelevant for 90% of the game. His only bright spots were when he was given a chance to run in the midfield, but he showed he’s not quite ready for finals footy yet.
[13] Taylor Walker – 4
This one stings. Tex has been the heart and soul for years, but he looked every bit of 35 tonight. Couldn’t impact the air, couldn’t impact the ground… There is no single player on this list that loves this club and this team more than Tex, and he’ll be absolutely burning with the result and his own impact. I would genuinely be shocked if he and the club let this be his last match.
[32] Darcy Fogarty – 4
Fog is a player that can be anything, but in this match I’m not even sure if he was something.
13 touches and one goal is below par for a player like this. Your spearhead in September can’t be jogging around like a training cone. He snagged one, sure, but he looked flat and nervous at times. The Hawks’ defenders had him constantly looking over his shoulder for most of the match. For a bloke built like Tarzan, he had a little too much of Jane is his body language and physicality. Maybe he’s carrying some niggles, but I’d like to see him be a bit more carnivorous in his approach to the ball.
[43] Reilly O’Brien – 3
If you told me at the start of the season that Meek would pants O’Brien in a final, I’d have called you a madman. I’d have responded that Riley is too strong, too crafty and too experienced to let someone with half his games give him a towelling. Yet, here we are. RO’B will be filthy on himself for this one, as well he should be.
From the opening bounce, Meek monstered O’Brien, pushing him off the tap easily to set the tone for the night. Finals are where a guy like Riley should really stamp their impact, throw their weight around and play the Godzilla in the middle, swatting lesser midfielders away like bothersome flies. Yet, Meek beat him at the stoppages. Meek slipped back along the boundary and took intercepts. Meek fought and clawed and scrapped his way through, utterly unconcerned at the bruises or batterings he gave or received.
O’Brien cannot say the same. It’s the bruises he doesn’t have that will hurt the most.
[25] James Peatling – 6
17 touches, one goal. Had a few moments that teased, but not enough bite across four quarters. He did a little bit of everything, but in a way that made him just handy rather than impactful. They needed a hard-working tradesman effort from him, and instead they got a helpful neighbourhood husband.
[14] Jake Soligo – 3
A junk time goal makes his stat sheet look better than his input. A few neat possessions in the first half, but when the game was won and lost, he vanished. Needed more grunt, delivered more ghosting. He was another example of the difference between regular season and finals football. In a game where Hawthorn were willing to bleed to earn a clearance, he was looking for hand sanitiser after touching the dirt.
[10] Luke Pedlar – 3
Played the full match but contributed less to game or stat sheet than Rachele. Had less impact than a fart in a wind tunnel. Had a good moment when he tackled Jiath to earn a shot that he converted, but may as well have been sitting in the outer with the fans for the rest of the match.
[3] Sam Berry – 2
If you’re playing on an inside mid as dangerous as Jai Newcombe (probably the most in-form player coming into this finals series) and you only register two tackles for the game, you’re not the guy.
Only 65 metres gained from 12 disposals, most of which were at the coal face. If you’re going to go inside to earn the hard ball, you have to be willing to throw your weight around, and Berry wasn’t.
Whether his role was to keep Newcombe out of the match or to earn his own ball to keep Jai accountable, he failed on both counts.
[16] Max Michalanney – 8.5
Hear me out — within the first few minutes of the game, Michaelanny had to deal with three quick inside 50 entries and he was giving second, third and fourth efforts while Hawthorn swarmed around the ball and he was the sole Crow able to cover three or four opponents. That the Hawks got the ball away wasn’t his fault, but the fact he brought so much pressure meant that at least he gave his teammates a moment or two to make it to the hot spot.
He got a fair bit of the ball himself, mostly through intercepts and forcing a turnover.
What I liked most was his hunger. He took his intensity up a notch in a final, and wasn’t afraid to take or give a hit or two.
At just 21, this is the sort of voracious competitor every team wants in their backline, and he’ll only get more valuable as he packs on some muscle and learns the dark arts of how backmen can hurt someone and still look indignant when the umps call a free.
[33] Brodie Smith – 5
Looked older than his 33 years here. Had 15 disposals, 12 of them kicks as he tried to gain ground, but didn’t often do more than kick to a contest that caused a boundary throw in. Was caught too many times struggling to catch opponents when they ran away from the contest. He needed to be quicker or cleaner, and wasn’t much of either.
[8] Josh Rachele [SUB] – 7
8 disposals, 2 goals. Came in as the sub after spending a couple of months on the injury list. It looked like he was up for it early and tried to give his teammates a reason to believe, but it just felt like Hawthorn had already taken the air out of the match.
Still, he converted his chances, and put in some hard-running when he had to.
Will this be a season where the Crows admit they overachieved with their record, and they’re really a 7-10th side? Or will this be the sort of acid in the veins of the squad for them to hit preseason like it owes them a frog cake and take another step forward in 2026?
They have plenty of time to think on it.
Hawthorn (Jimmy Day)
[24] Josh Battle – 8
Battle continues to show why the Hawks brought him in. Intercepts, is clean with the ball on the ground, uses it well, and has become a great link in the Hokball system. Gave Darcy Fogarty a bath and was the best key defender on the park.
[37] Tom Barrass – 4
Was led to the ball by Thilthorpe in most contests. Was serviceable, without being brilliant. Given the static ball movement of the Crows, he didn’t need to dominate, but his positioning was caught out a few times. This didn’t hurt the team, but he needs to be more involved next week.
[15] Blake Hardwick – 8
The ultimate swingman. Spent most of the night behind the ball, and was a defensive wall. He read many transitions from the Crows and was able to intercept, he outbodied his opponents, and got involved in a lot of what the Hawks did. A great night!
[4] Jarman Impey – 3
One of those who didn’t have a great night by his lofty standards, but didn’t have a huge night. Had a couple of good moments defensively with his pressure, but he was largely unsighted for the night. That’s not on him, more that the ball didn’t go where he was for much of the game.
[6] James Sicily – 7
The Hawks skipper threatened to boil over in the first half, and start fights, but he was able to outpoint Tex Walker all night, and his defensive positioning was first rate. It wasn’t a dominant night, but did his job.
[16] Massimo D’Ambrosio – 4
Is one of the key cogs of Hokball but was surprisingly inefficient tonight. He got a bit of the ball, but he wasn’t as lethal as normal. Nothing to worry about for the Hawks, he just had a quiet night. All that said, his left leg only needs one opportunity to create chaos.
[10] Karl Amon – 6
Much like Massimo, Amon had a quietish night. Still got involved off half-back and pushing up the ground, and creating scoring chains. Has probably been marked a little harshly given potential and usual output.
[25] Josh Ward – 8
Ward had more of the ball than I realised, but that doesn’t discount his impact. He was the linkman. He ran hard, was important for the Hawks ball movement, and allowed others to do their thing. For instance, his work at stoppage allowed Newcombe to be the dominant force he was.
[13] Dylan Moore – 7
It was one of those games where Moore just did his thing. He wasn’t the star, and didn’t have ridiculous numbers, but everything he did was done well. Whether it’s his pressure or his forward craft, he was always in the right position.
[31] Connor Macdonald – 5
Not as impactful as his final last week, but still got involved. He hit the scoreboard, and just ran harder than his opponent all night. Often was in space, and while he didn’t always get the ball, it caused confusion within the Crows defense and allowed teammates to get more involved.
[18] Mabior Chol – 6
The Cholnado was hard to give a rating to tonight. 12 touches and four tackles shows he was invested, but he didn’t hit the scoreboard. Played a different role, allowing Gunston to shine and ensuring Worrell and Murray were kept busy and accountable throughout the night.
[34] Nick Watson – 7
The Wizard started on fire and then drifted in and out of the game after quarter time. Kicked an all-time goal from the boundary line, and finished with an inaccurate 2.4. Scores higher if he kicks straighter, but was always exciting, showing moments of brilliance and bringing his teammates into the game. Built for finals.
[19] Jack Gunston – 9
Very close to a 10. Kicked 5.3 and was the dominant forward on the ground. Had he kicked a little straighter – I know, I’m marking him harsh – he’d have got a 10. Gunston is defying the aging process and showed the benefit of nous and experience, as he expertly found space in the leading lanes and when the ball hit the deck.
[2] Mitch Lewis – 2
Was brought in for Calsher Dear, playing his first final, and seemed to find the intensity a step above where he’s at, given the footy he has missed. Fumbled a lot, and was subbed out with little to no impact. It will be interesting to see if he is picked again next week.
[33] Jack Ginnivan – 3
At one point, I forgot he was playing. He didn’t do a lot, and wasn’t the fire starter he often is. But he didn’t need to be. What he did contribute was his pressure and positioning; I say that, and see on the stat sheet that he had no tackles (however was third for the Hawks with pressure acts). I’ve now docked a point from my original mark. He made it difficult for his opponents to move the ball and to use the ball cleanly.
[17] Lloyd Meek – 9
The dominant ruckman on the ground. His midfield benefitted from his ruck work, and he was able to push back and create contests. Where some struggled with their ball handling, he was very clean – emphasised late in the last where he stuck a diving mark to his left. Has had a great year and was great tonight.
[3] Jai Newcombe – 10
Is putting together an all-time finals series, and legacy. It’s not just this year that the boy from Poowong has ripped apart a final. His opening quarter set the tone for the Hawks. He was exceptional at stoppages and around the contest, and put the team on his shoulders.
[11] Conor Nash – 5
Had the equal second most clearances in the game (5) and had four inside 50’s, but only went at 47% with ball in hand, that’s what hurt him. I also typically associate Nash with his physicality and tackle pressure, but that was largely not present tonight. A middle of the road sort of game.
[14] Jack Scrimshaw – 7
Drifted in and out of the game – partly because of Adelaide’s inability to move the ball – but was really good when involved. Took a couple of great contested, intercept marks – particularly one in the third quarter where he took front position on Tex, at a time when the Crows were pushing. Clunked the mark, and sent the ball forward again that resulted in a score.
[5] James Worpel – 6
This is the rating I’m most conflicted on. Gave it to him based on the amount of disposals he had, but he also didn’t do a lot with it. While he dump-kicked it a lot, the chaos ball up forward suited his forwards, so there was benefit. He does a lot of heavy lifting in the midfield, and it’ll be interesting to see how he goes in the Prelim coming up against, if the rumours are true, his future team.
[30] Sam Butler – 7
Was an energiser bunny. Kicked a couple of goals at key moments, and led his team for tackles with nine. Is another of the small forwards who are exceptional with their pressure, but also with their finishing. His pressure game is probably the strongest of the Hawks small forwards.
[23] Josh Weddle – 9
I have probably been swept up in the hype from the commentators, who got excited every time Weddle went near the ball, but boy did he have some impact. He runs well, so playing on the wing enables him to chop out the defence, while also hitting the scoreboard going forward. He could have kicked four or five goals had he clunked a couple of marks and kicked straight.
[Sub – 9] Changkuoth Jiath – NA
Unfair to give CJ a grade. He had six touches, but also three frees against, including getting caught holding the ball in his defensive goal square in the third quarter. You could tell he hasn’t played a lot of footy recently, but is also a great option as a sub.
