In stark contrast to the two previous teams in this series, the Hawks posed a unique problem.
They have pillars everywhere! But they are not the established, dependable pillars both Brisbane and Carlton had in their columns.
Anyway, as I sifted through lists and who is and isn’t likely to be available for each club, I started to look a little closer at the make up of the lists and which players stood out as the genuine barometers for their respective clubs.
With all due respect to Rhys Mathieson, I found that clubs, for the most part, have four players they can build, and have built around. For some, it was quite apparent who those players are, but for others, it is a bit of a mystery, as they retain the ability for someone to jump out of the box and unexpectedly crush the hopes and dreams of their opponents.
Is this a good thing, this unpredictability? Or is it something that will see the clubs without their four pillars start to wobble and tilt under the intense heat of September action?
It is an intriguing proposition, because if we look at the three or four previous premiers, their four pillars are easily identifiable.
Collingwood in 2023 had Darcy Moore, Nick Daicos, Scott Pendlebury, and Jordan de Goey.
In 2022, it was the Jeremy Cameron, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Hawkins, and Tom Stewart.
In 2021, we had the Dees with Christian Petracca, Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, and Steven May.
And back in 2020, it was the Tigers with Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, and Dylan Grimes.
Yeah, you could swap one player out for another on each list, perhaps, but to have that type of quality at the top of the order meant that each club had superstars to stand up when required.
And they did.
So, turning our attention to the clubs in contention right now, who are the pillars that will hold firm when the pressure is on over the coming four weeks? Who are the players that will stand up and allow their teammates to lean on them when the going gets tough?
This is where having that core group – that experienced, hard, battle-tested group comes to the fore. But it is also the point of difference between those teams and the ones who are a little more of a mix.
Next up are the Hawks.
Let’s look at their Four Pillars.
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