When people speak about eight-point games, this is the precise type of game they mean.
The Hawks were coming off three-straight losses, including having their pants pulled down by the Magpies last week, whilst the Dogs have had another one of those neither here, not there type of years. Their fans want to believe in them, but every time they start, they get betrayed. It’s been that way for a few years, now.
And whilst the Bulldogs didn’t betray their supporters in this one, they didn’t exactly give them a reason to believe, either. The Dogs were too easily shut down by the Hawks. Their high-octane offence was unable to get going, as the midfield pressure, and a tightened Hawthorn defence thwarted their efforts.
The story of this game was told in the first quarter. It was there that the malaise that had enveloped the Hawks over the last little while evaporated. Their attack on the contest and the man with the footy left no doubt as to their energy levels, and the scoreboard reflected that intensity. As the sides headed to their respective huddles, the Hawks enjoyed a four-goal lead, and it was fitting that the final margin sat around the same mark.
It was won and lost in the first quarter – that was the difference in the game.
The Hawks were without James Sicily, and also suffered the loss of Nick Watson, due to excessive shortness, but with more asked of those remaining, they had players stand up.
Mabior Chol looked dangerous every time he went near the footy. Blake Hardwick closed down on the dangerous Rhylee West. And Josh Weddle owned the contest from half-back, quickly establishing himself as a Nick Blakey-like player, only with a more controlled run, and also, a chin.
Okay, enough joking around – time to get into the serious stuff. Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Good, Bad, and Ugly of a much-needed win for the Hawks.
The remainder of this article is for our members. Option to join below.
Feel free to stick to your 500 word copy and paste jobs on other sites, or… or, you could jump on board now and grab a mongrel membership, and start reading game reviews with bite. We don’t cut corners – 3k words in this one. Your membership will support the site, and grant access the content that makes people happy to be Mongrel Members.
