Our next opposition, Hawthorn Hawks brought home their second win of the season after holding off the Melbourne Demons to come away with a narrow three-point victory at the MCG on Sunday.
Senior Coach Alastair Clarkson says he was pleased with Hawthorn’s resilience when they were challenged by the Dees during the latter stages of the Round 7 match.
“We were challenged significantly in the third quarter, particularly in the latter stages of the third quarter,” says Clarkson.
“We found a way to regroup and get ourselves a pretty important win for our footy club.”
The Hawks built a 35-point lead early in the third quarter before battling the final term to come away with a 14.10 (94) to 14.7 (91) victory.
The Hawks’ Blake Hardwick will be a player to watch ahead of the Round 8 clash.
Hardwick is showing all the key attributes as an outstanding defender according to Hawthorn Coach, Clarkson.
“He’s a beautiful kick of the ball, he’s got a strong body and he’s capable overhead,” Clarkson said.
Hardwick gathered 18 disposals and seven marks during the Round 7 clash against the Demons and averages on 17 disposals this season.
Over his four games during the 2017 season, Hardwick has averaged 91 per cent disposal efficiency, making him the most efficient Hawk of the 2017 season.
Meanwhile, Tim O’Brien was a monumental contributor to getting the Hawks over the line last Sunday.
O’Brien took a game-high ten marks and collected 13 disposals and two goals, in what was undoubtedly the best performance of the 23-year old’s career to date.
This Saturday, the Hawks will come up against the Brisbane Lions at the University of Tasmania Stadium.
Injury List
Grant Birchall (knee) has suffered a PCL injury after landing heavily on his knee during the Round 7 clash against Melbourne at the MCG. He is expected to remain sidelined for three to four weeks.
Meanwhile, Young Hawk Jonathan O’Rourke received a bitter blow during the Box Hill’s VFL clash against Geelong. O’Rourke re-injured his hamstring in the third quarter of the match and is expected to be sidelined for eight to ten weeks.
Jaeger O’Meara (knee) is expected to miss this week’s match against the Lions as he continues to undergo conditioning on his injury. O’Meara was a late withdrawal ahead of the team’s clash against Melbourne.
Lions Health Centre: Injury List
Teia Miles (knee) continues to recover following his injury during the VFL clash a week earlier. Similar to O’Meara, Miles will continue to undergo conditioning on his injury and is expected to miss another three to four weeks.
