James Colorado
Norm Smith Medallist
- Aug 25, 2014
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Hello Swans fans,
I've been asked by robbieando to put together a preview for the Hawks v Swans game, as a view from the other side. It came out a little longer than I planned, for which I do apologise, but I have tried to be as impartial as possible. Anyway, here goes:
Few matches are more anticipated during the Home & Away season than the Grand Final rematch. The two best sides of the previous season are always eager to reacquaint themselves with each other, but this game has more riding on it than the result of the Grand Final, or even the margin; this game is important for the mere matter of the relative positions of the sides at this stage of the season.
Hawthorn have spluttered through the season so far, with massive wins against Melbourne, North Melbourne and former arch-rivals Geelong being punctuated by narrow losses to Greater Western Sydney, Port Adelaide and, to our lasting shame, Essendon. Forget that this is a Grand Final rematch; this is simply a game of football that Hawthorn must win. A loss puts us four games behind Fremantle, two games behind Sydney, and makes finishing top two all the more difficult, let alone top four. In a season where the top teams look to be coming from Perth, Adelaide and Sydney, having to travel in week one of the finals can be the difference between a three-peat or a preliminary final loss. Having said that, Hawthorn need to win just to put together two wins in a row.
Notorious for their slow starts to the season, Sydney have barely got out of their comfort zone in most of their games, losing only to Fremantle in Perth and being ambushed at home by the Bulldogs. Victory in a rematch always means more to the runner-up than it does to the premier, but as a game of football within a long season, this game is just as vital to the Swans as it is to the Hawks. Win here, and you put two games between us without allowing Fremantle to get any further ahead, not to mention how important it is to prove to yourselves that you can win at the venue where the most important game of the year is played.
Hawthorn will seek to use the wide open spaces of the MCG to the advantage of an elite kicking game that shortens the ground and allows us to score quickly, pulverising the opposition in bursts of play that result in quick goals. Sydney are used to playing a hard, contested style, perfectly suited to the smaller SCG, yet due to the quality of its personnel, applicable anywhere. The key to victory for each team is being able to play its own game. If Hawthorn finds space, the Swans will be cut up by precision kicking, however if Sydney can keep the ball in close, its midfielders moving it forward through quick handballs through the congestion to runners, on the ouside then the Hawks will get frustrated at their inability to play the game on their own terms. Compare the kicking accuracy, both in the field and on the scoreboard, between Hawthorn's wins and losses. There tends to be a noticeable difference.
The players holding the key to a Hawthorn victory:
Sam Mitchell: A player that is within the top ten of our club's history. As a contested ball-winner he doesn't need space to hurt the opposition, but if he finds it he will do a lot more than hurt; his disposal on both sides is elite, and his decision-making is almost the equal of anyone to play the game.
Grant Birchall: The prototypical footballer of the Clarkson era, a long and accurate left-foot kick who is trusted with starting the run off of half-back. During a very successful era for Hawthorn, in the games we've lost it's often because he's either been out injured or kept quiet.
Josh Gibson: Our best and most versatile defender. His athleticism, leap and pace make him the most equipped to deal with Franklin, and his disposal sets up so many of our counter attacks out of defence.
David Hale: Hardly one of our bigger names, but our forward line looks so much more functional with him in it. An underrated contested mark, solid set shot, and capable ruckman who has been one of the corner stones of the last two flags. We are a better team with him in it.
Matt Suckling: This will raise some eyebrows amongst my fellow Hawks. He is often viewed as a soft, one-trick pony, and there is a very firm view emerging on our board that he provides the cream, rather than the cake. I have a soft spot for Suckling, as I remember him destroying Essendon when their drug-induced fairy tale was beginning to unravel in the back half of 2012, but one thing I have noticed is that when he is allowed the time and space to use that left-foot, Hawthorn's forward thrusts are at their most devastating. When he is denied that time and space, he is forced to kick sideways or handball to a player in a poor position. Essentially his entire reason for being in the side is rendered moot if he's not allowed that space on his left-side.
The players holding the key to a Swans victory:
Lance Franklin: In my opinion, he's still the best player in the game. I've seen him do things that no one else has done, and the best part of it all is the grin he wears while he's doing it. Buddy loves to destroy opponents, and not many players have been able to do it as easily as he can.
Luke Parker: It won't be long until the man I just called the best player in the game won't even be the best player in his own side. Parker has blossomed into one of the competition's elite midfielders, and after his performance against Geelong, has shown himself to be a genuine goal-kicker too.
Josh Kennedy: Still the Swan's best midfielder, although Parker is breathing down his neck. His strength, speed and ball-winning ability are his best attributes, and while his kicking is not elite, his workrate certainly is. Goes all right off the field too.
Jarrad McVeigh: One of the Swan's best users of the footy, and someone who can have an impact out of the centre or off halfback. More than that, he is a heartbeat for the club. He has a good game in the 2012 Grand Final and Sydney win; he has a poor game in the 2014 decider and Sydney lose.
Tom Mitchell: There's been big wraps on him, and now that he's got his opportunity, he's not letting it slip. He's been in excellent form lately, getting a lot of the ball and using it well, his football brain more than making up for the lack of leg speed. It's not just his surname that's familiar.
Good luck, and thank you for your hospitality!
I've been asked by robbieando to put together a preview for the Hawks v Swans game, as a view from the other side. It came out a little longer than I planned, for which I do apologise, but I have tried to be as impartial as possible. Anyway, here goes:
Few matches are more anticipated during the Home & Away season than the Grand Final rematch. The two best sides of the previous season are always eager to reacquaint themselves with each other, but this game has more riding on it than the result of the Grand Final, or even the margin; this game is important for the mere matter of the relative positions of the sides at this stage of the season.
Hawthorn have spluttered through the season so far, with massive wins against Melbourne, North Melbourne and former arch-rivals Geelong being punctuated by narrow losses to Greater Western Sydney, Port Adelaide and, to our lasting shame, Essendon. Forget that this is a Grand Final rematch; this is simply a game of football that Hawthorn must win. A loss puts us four games behind Fremantle, two games behind Sydney, and makes finishing top two all the more difficult, let alone top four. In a season where the top teams look to be coming from Perth, Adelaide and Sydney, having to travel in week one of the finals can be the difference between a three-peat or a preliminary final loss. Having said that, Hawthorn need to win just to put together two wins in a row.
Notorious for their slow starts to the season, Sydney have barely got out of their comfort zone in most of their games, losing only to Fremantle in Perth and being ambushed at home by the Bulldogs. Victory in a rematch always means more to the runner-up than it does to the premier, but as a game of football within a long season, this game is just as vital to the Swans as it is to the Hawks. Win here, and you put two games between us without allowing Fremantle to get any further ahead, not to mention how important it is to prove to yourselves that you can win at the venue where the most important game of the year is played.
Hawthorn will seek to use the wide open spaces of the MCG to the advantage of an elite kicking game that shortens the ground and allows us to score quickly, pulverising the opposition in bursts of play that result in quick goals. Sydney are used to playing a hard, contested style, perfectly suited to the smaller SCG, yet due to the quality of its personnel, applicable anywhere. The key to victory for each team is being able to play its own game. If Hawthorn finds space, the Swans will be cut up by precision kicking, however if Sydney can keep the ball in close, its midfielders moving it forward through quick handballs through the congestion to runners, on the ouside then the Hawks will get frustrated at their inability to play the game on their own terms. Compare the kicking accuracy, both in the field and on the scoreboard, between Hawthorn's wins and losses. There tends to be a noticeable difference.
The players holding the key to a Hawthorn victory:
Sam Mitchell: A player that is within the top ten of our club's history. As a contested ball-winner he doesn't need space to hurt the opposition, but if he finds it he will do a lot more than hurt; his disposal on both sides is elite, and his decision-making is almost the equal of anyone to play the game.
Grant Birchall: The prototypical footballer of the Clarkson era, a long and accurate left-foot kick who is trusted with starting the run off of half-back. During a very successful era for Hawthorn, in the games we've lost it's often because he's either been out injured or kept quiet.
Josh Gibson: Our best and most versatile defender. His athleticism, leap and pace make him the most equipped to deal with Franklin, and his disposal sets up so many of our counter attacks out of defence.
David Hale: Hardly one of our bigger names, but our forward line looks so much more functional with him in it. An underrated contested mark, solid set shot, and capable ruckman who has been one of the corner stones of the last two flags. We are a better team with him in it.
Matt Suckling: This will raise some eyebrows amongst my fellow Hawks. He is often viewed as a soft, one-trick pony, and there is a very firm view emerging on our board that he provides the cream, rather than the cake. I have a soft spot for Suckling, as I remember him destroying Essendon when their drug-induced fairy tale was beginning to unravel in the back half of 2012, but one thing I have noticed is that when he is allowed the time and space to use that left-foot, Hawthorn's forward thrusts are at their most devastating. When he is denied that time and space, he is forced to kick sideways or handball to a player in a poor position. Essentially his entire reason for being in the side is rendered moot if he's not allowed that space on his left-side.
The players holding the key to a Swans victory:
Lance Franklin: In my opinion, he's still the best player in the game. I've seen him do things that no one else has done, and the best part of it all is the grin he wears while he's doing it. Buddy loves to destroy opponents, and not many players have been able to do it as easily as he can.
Luke Parker: It won't be long until the man I just called the best player in the game won't even be the best player in his own side. Parker has blossomed into one of the competition's elite midfielders, and after his performance against Geelong, has shown himself to be a genuine goal-kicker too.
Josh Kennedy: Still the Swan's best midfielder, although Parker is breathing down his neck. His strength, speed and ball-winning ability are his best attributes, and while his kicking is not elite, his workrate certainly is. Goes all right off the field too.
Jarrad McVeigh: One of the Swan's best users of the footy, and someone who can have an impact out of the centre or off halfback. More than that, he is a heartbeat for the club. He has a good game in the 2012 Grand Final and Sydney win; he has a poor game in the 2014 decider and Sydney lose.
Tom Mitchell: There's been big wraps on him, and now that he's got his opportunity, he's not letting it slip. He's been in excellent form lately, getting a lot of the ball and using it well, his football brain more than making up for the lack of leg speed. It's not just his surname that's familiar.
Good luck, and thank you for your hospitality!
