Ben McEvoy finally eyeing finals again after cheekbone recovery

WHEN Ben McEvoy broke his cheekbone six weeks ago, he was left simply hoping that Hawthorn might be able to sneak into the finals. Now they’re eyeing a prized top four spot and an assault on the premiership.

Ben McEvoy duels with Melbourne's Max Gawn in Round 4. Picture: Michael Klein

WHEN Ben McEvoy broke his cheekbone six weeks ago, he was left simply hoping that Hawthorn might be able to sneak into the finals.

Now they’re eyeing a prized top four spot and an assault on the premiership.

The ruckman made his return on Saturday night with a 32-hitout, two-goal showing with coach Alastair Clarkson “rapt” to have the tall back on deck.

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But McEvoy said he feared as he embarked on his recovery that there may not be many games left to return for.

“I’m rapt with that result (to be playing Sydney for a top-four position), because I remember when I did get injured I was thinking ‘hopefully the boys can play well and win some games so we can play finals’,” he said.

“I wanted something to come back for. So credit to them that the guys have played some really good footy over the last six weeks but unfortunately we didn’t see much of that on Saturday (against St Kilda).”

Ben McEvoy said he was pleased with his performance in his return to football after six weeks out. Picture: Getty Images

McEvoy, 29, conceded he was “a bit dubious” about the serious cheekbone injury that required plates to be inserted into his eye socket — his first injury of that kind he had experienced.

“There are some cheekbones you can come back in one or two weeks, which is fortunate for some, but that wasn’t Ben’s case — his was a pretty serious knock,” Clarkson said after the four-point win over St Kilda.

“He’s taken the full six weeks to recover from that, which is the normal time for a skeletal injury to recover and we’re rapt.

“It’s right at the pointy end of the season and he’s played some terrific footy for us the last four or five years he’s been at the club, and he’s a welcome return to our side.”

The Hawks’ return to the top-four is a far cry from what McEvoy described as a “deplorable” start to last season, which saw dominant outfit 1-6 before missing the finals.

And he said the taste of disappointment had only fuelled the group’s hunger for what it could achieve over the next month.

Ben McEvoy broke his cheekbone in the Hawks’ Round 16 clash with the Western Bulldogs, and later needed surgery. Picture: Getty Images

“I’m really grateful for that because we learned some hard lessons in a short space of time and didn’t have to have a drop-off for a long period of time,” he said.

“We were able to get things together and play some really good footy at the end of last year. It sounds funny because you’re having six months off, but you do take that momentum through a little bit.”

He often forces himself to recall that period as motivation.

“It always helps to remember what it can be like to be at the other end of the ladder,” McEvoy said.

“I do (remember it), but more to actually experience it, which we did last year. It’s such a close competition nowadays that it’s such a small margin if you drop off a couple of per cent, you find yourself heading south pretty quickly.

“If you’re not hungry and willing to work hard, then you’ll find yourself down. I’m grateful for where we are at the minute, but we have plenty of work to do.

“(To have returned to the mix) just shows the drive in the group from the older guys still there and the young guys pushing through. You do need things to click for you a little bit and always need a little bit of luck along the way, but you make some of that luck, too.”

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Originally published as Ben McEvoy finally eyeing finals again after cheekbone recovery