Gary Buckenara analyses Hawthorn’s list after the 2018 season
HAWTHORN landed Chad Wingard and Tom Scully during the trade period but lost young star Ryan Burton. List guru Gary Buckenara reveals why they’ve still come out on top as he analyses the Hawks’ list.
I HATE to say I told you so but it came as absolutely no surprise to me to see Hawthorn surge back up the ladder in 2018 and finish top-four after the home-and-away rounds.
This time last year when I analysed the list in my column for the Herald Sun I was convinced Alastair Clarkson would get this team back up and firing and that’s exactly what happened (the keyboard warriors who had a field day saying how biased I am and that the Hawks were gone were wrong. I guess I got this one right and like many others, the Kangaroos wrong).
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While it was disappointing to crash out of the finals without a win, the year featured a number of positives for the Hawks.
Hawthorn had the most experienced team in average age this year and was ranked second for average games played but 2018 was another development season as much as it was a season contending for a premiership.
Over the last 2-3 years, the Hawks have blooded a number of young players, including Daniel Howe, Ryan Burton, James Sicily, Blake Hardwick, James Worpel, Conor Glass, James Cousins, Conor Nash and Harry Morrison who played key roles in the team throughout this season in particular.
Add those young guys to newly-crowned Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara, Ricky Henderson and Jarman Impey who have come in as experienced recruits to help fast-track the regeneration of the list alongside premiership stars Jack Gunston, Luke Breust, Isaac Smith, Ben Stratton, Ben McEvoy (who all got back their best), Jarryd Roughead, Shaun Burgoyne, Liam Shiels and Paul Puopolo.
The development program at Hawthorn is first class and that, along with good coaching, recruiting and list management, is the reason why this club has been able to get back to the top so quickly.
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Yes, the list is ageing with Roughead, Burgoyne and Puopolo nearing the end of their careers but all three are still playing good football and are contributing week in, week out not only on the field but also off it with their leadership, work ethic and training standards.
How that impact the younger guys who have come into the club can be underestimated, and even forgotten at times. Keeping experienced heads that have been there and done that is critical to establishing a hard-working and selfless culture that teaches younger players how much hard work it takes to play, and be successful, at the top level.
Hawthorn missed out on Dylan Shiel but the club wasted no time finding another star to come in and add to the list.
Chad Wingard is exactly the type of player the Hawks are lacking, especially following the shock retirement of Cyril Rioli. Wingard is an All-Australian who has some serious tricks. He’s quick, has x-factor and can also go through the midfield to add some spark, although he has been inconsistent at times.
The addition of an A-grade player in Wingard, a former No.1 pick in Scully and a former No.7 pick in Scrimshaw was a very good trade period. The Hawthorn list has improved, there’s no doubt about it. I do think the club paid overs for Wingard, giving up Burton as well as pick Nos.15 and 35, while getting back a future third-round pick, but that’s what you’ve got to do when a player still has a contract with his club and you’ve committed to getting him.
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Scully, if he can get his body right, will be a super addition. He’s exactly what the Hawks need on the wing with his run and carry and speed, while Wingard has class and x-factor. If the Hawks can get the best out of Scrimshaw then he will be a very handy pick-up as a guy who plays similarly to Burton and to Grant Birchall. He will definitely benefit from being around the likes of Birchall, Jarryd Roughead, Liam Shiels, Ben Stratton and the rest of the experienced players who can show him what it takes to be a good AFL player.
Burton is a very good young player whose loss will be felt, while Duryea leaves for more opportunities.
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HAWTHORN’S LIST NEEDS
There are some list needs that need to be addressed quickly, including in key positions forward and back. The Hawks missed out on free agent Tom Lynch and will be on the hunt for another athletic key forward to eventually take over from Roughead, while they also need another big-bodied key defender to take the pressure off Stratton and James Frawley.
Mitchell is a contested ball beast but often too much is left to him in the midfield because Hawthorn is lacking that big-bodied midfielder who can do a lot of the bullocking work. Worpel had a major impact when he came into the side but he’s still young.
How do you replace Cyril Rioli? The Hawks will also need to add more speed to the front half to maintain that forward pressure. Wingard is an ideal fit to fill that role.
PLAYERS WHO NEED TO STEP UP IN 2019
Grant Birchall has played just five games in the last two years because of various injury problems, including issues with his knees. Will he ever get back? The Hawks have one of the best medical teams in the AFL, so if any club can get him back up and going it’s Hawthorn. The team has lacked that composed creative ball user off halfback and I believe his absence has been underrated. He’s been forgotten a bit. He’s a key player who must get his body right and play next year.
Tim O’Brien was a highly-rated athletic forward when he arrived at the club back in 2012 with pick No.28 in the draft but he has managed just 46 games and seems to have lost his way a little bit. He played 12 senior game this year but was unable to cement his spot in the best 22 despite the fact the Hawks clearly needed to find another tall marking target. O’Brien was then trialled in a defensive role late in the season in the VFL. You get the sense 2019 will be a make-or-break season for him.
What’s happened to Will Langford? He burst onto the scene during the 2015 finals series and looked a star in the making but has looked a shadow of that player ever since. He’s had some injury issues but when he has played he’s struggled with his disposal, particularly by foot. He’s been overtaken by the younger guys now. If he stays on the list the pressure will be on.
Ruckman Marc Pittonet has spent four years developing in the VFL and has had limited opportunities at senior level. Will he make the grade? 2019 must be his year.
CRYSTAL BALL
Hawthorn has enough top-end talent to combine with its improving youngsters to again be a top-four and premiership contender in 2019. There’s no doubt the straight sets finals exit will burn and provide the players and coaches with extra motivation to put in a big summer on the track.
I’m not sure if the additions of Wingard and Scully is enough to make Hawthorn one of the outright favourites for the flag next year but they are two stars who ensure the 2019 list is better than the 2018 version, which finished fourth after the home-and-away rounds this year. Adding Wingard in particular gives Alastair Clarkson a dynamic forward line with Gunston, Roughead, Breust, Impey and Puopolo also there as threats.
Originally published as Gary Buckenara analyses Hawthorn’s list after the 2018 season