philhawk
5 Jun 2007, 12:55
http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4742/Default.aspx?newsId=44544
Tuesdays with Todd: another hurdle cleared
10:39 AM Tue 5 June, 2007 | Back
By Todd Viney
for hawthornfc.com.au
SUNDAY presented another significant challenge for us and fortunately it was another hurdle cleared – defeating Port Adelaide for the first time since the club's semi-final victory in 2001.
The Power has had the wood over us in our previous seven encounters, so it was great to turn the tables this time around.
It was really important for us to tick off some boxes and defeat some quality teams, which we did against West Coast in Launceston, so our next focus was to win on the road.
To achieve that against Port Adelaide was a great effort from the guys, particularly after our slow start, while we also lost Trent Croad and Rick Ladson through injury before the start of the match, which was a blow.
But after 20 minutes into the opening term, we bounced back strongly to record one of our best wins at the club in recent seasons.
Again we had some key contributors. A lot of people are starting to acknowledge the performances of Benny McGlynn, who is gaining some write-ups in the media, but Tim Boyle has been another great story for us this year.
A lot of people realise Tim had to fight back from a badly broken leg – he found it very tough coming back from that injury – but he is now starting to reap the rewards after working his way back from his serious set-back.
He kicked five goals against the Power and has been a consistent performer for us all year, but to achieve a personal best was a great effort. I thought Tim was a great story from the round.
Another player to shine in round 10 was Simon Taylor, who along with Robbie Campbell was able to stifle the influence of Port Adelaide ruckman Brendon Lade, after the All-Australian dominated early in the match, and youngster Fabian Deluca.
We were then able to beat Port Adelaide in the centre-bounce clearances – 15 to eight – so that gave us a great opportunity to score from that set-up and we managed four goals for the match. Both Taylor and Campbell were pivotal in this area.
Since coming into the system, Simon has struggled to be fully fit – he was recovering from a punctured leg when he was initially drafted by the club – so he only completed roughly 50 per cent of the pre-season back then.
The following year, injuries also interrupted his preparation, but entering 2007, he was able to complete a pre-season. Completing a pre-season really is the recipe to success, and because of that he has been a different player for us this year.
He has been one of the really big improvers in 2007.
A special mention must also be made of Jarryd Roughead, who was dropped from the team, but went back to Box Hill and won 34 touches and kicked four goals.
He then had to catch an 8am plane flight to Adelaide on Sunday to fill in, so he really earned his money for the weekend.
It wasn't the ideal preparation, as he found out early Sunday morning, so he would have slept very well later that night.
This Saturday we play Sydney at the MCG. As against Port Adelaide, we will be looking to end a recent losing streak, having dropped our past four matches against Sydney.
The Swans are a team we look up to and we strive for their consistency. Sydney's performances are something we really admire, but in recent times we haven't been able to match the Swans physically or in terms of experience.
Again, it's going to be another challenge to see how far we've developed – they just keep presenting themselves.
Tuesdays with Todd: another hurdle cleared
10:39 AM Tue 5 June, 2007 | Back
By Todd Viney
for hawthornfc.com.au
SUNDAY presented another significant challenge for us and fortunately it was another hurdle cleared – defeating Port Adelaide for the first time since the club's semi-final victory in 2001.
The Power has had the wood over us in our previous seven encounters, so it was great to turn the tables this time around.
It was really important for us to tick off some boxes and defeat some quality teams, which we did against West Coast in Launceston, so our next focus was to win on the road.
To achieve that against Port Adelaide was a great effort from the guys, particularly after our slow start, while we also lost Trent Croad and Rick Ladson through injury before the start of the match, which was a blow.
But after 20 minutes into the opening term, we bounced back strongly to record one of our best wins at the club in recent seasons.
Again we had some key contributors. A lot of people are starting to acknowledge the performances of Benny McGlynn, who is gaining some write-ups in the media, but Tim Boyle has been another great story for us this year.
A lot of people realise Tim had to fight back from a badly broken leg – he found it very tough coming back from that injury – but he is now starting to reap the rewards after working his way back from his serious set-back.
He kicked five goals against the Power and has been a consistent performer for us all year, but to achieve a personal best was a great effort. I thought Tim was a great story from the round.
Another player to shine in round 10 was Simon Taylor, who along with Robbie Campbell was able to stifle the influence of Port Adelaide ruckman Brendon Lade, after the All-Australian dominated early in the match, and youngster Fabian Deluca.
We were then able to beat Port Adelaide in the centre-bounce clearances – 15 to eight – so that gave us a great opportunity to score from that set-up and we managed four goals for the match. Both Taylor and Campbell were pivotal in this area.
Since coming into the system, Simon has struggled to be fully fit – he was recovering from a punctured leg when he was initially drafted by the club – so he only completed roughly 50 per cent of the pre-season back then.
The following year, injuries also interrupted his preparation, but entering 2007, he was able to complete a pre-season. Completing a pre-season really is the recipe to success, and because of that he has been a different player for us this year.
He has been one of the really big improvers in 2007.
A special mention must also be made of Jarryd Roughead, who was dropped from the team, but went back to Box Hill and won 34 touches and kicked four goals.
He then had to catch an 8am plane flight to Adelaide on Sunday to fill in, so he really earned his money for the weekend.
It wasn't the ideal preparation, as he found out early Sunday morning, so he would have slept very well later that night.
This Saturday we play Sydney at the MCG. As against Port Adelaide, we will be looking to end a recent losing streak, having dropped our past four matches against Sydney.
The Swans are a team we look up to and we strive for their consistency. Sydney's performances are something we really admire, but in recent times we haven't been able to match the Swans physically or in terms of experience.
Again, it's going to be another challenge to see how far we've developed – they just keep presenting themselves.