The Tackle: Mark Robinson says elite Jordan Lewis looms as the Hawks’ next captain
COLLINGWOOD had periods of momentum at the MCG, but in the end weren’t good enough. CHAT WITH ROBBO AT 11.30am
Mark Robinson
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COLLINGWOOD had periods of momentum yesterday, but in the end weren’t good enough.
It’s the tale of their season.
They have been competitive, but can’t punish the opposition nearly enough when they are in control
While Hawthorn has a six-pronged attack, it feels like it’s Travis Cloke and Jamie Elliott or bust.
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Recruit Jesse White hasn’t cut it, Ben Reid played his first game of the season and Jarryd Blair is a forward of centre footballer who kicked only 14 goals from 22 games last year and has nine from 16 games this year.
Dayne Beams has kicked 21 goals and he’s their third highest goalkicker this year, which is a terrific return for a player who spends most of his time in the midfield.
The forward group, however, is only one issue for the Pies.
They are young, have structural problems, although Frost and Keeffe were pretty solid yesterday on Tex Walker and Josh Jenkins, and depth in the midfield is not what it used to be. No Swan and no Ball has hurt them, Grudny can’t get a game, and players like Clinton Young and Tyson Goldsack have games of consequence and then games of limited output.
At least there was effort yesterday following the capitulation to Essendon.
The spotlight, of course, has turned to coach Nathan Buckley.
It always was going to when the team stumbled and losing three in a row has put Collingwood out of the top eight.
Is it Buckley’s fault or is it, as most pundits predicted at the start of the season, that the Pies were going backwards before they moved forward?
Am in the latter, although the Pies hierarchy wasn’t, and their expectations have contributed to the criticism.
The fact the Pies are not good enough, don’t have enough match-winners, are understandably predictable by going to Cloke a lot of the time.
It’s believed Buckley is in the mix for James Frawley, and that would mean Reid would be a permanent forward.
Reid missing this year has been a huge blow and while he’s critical in making the Pies less predictable, the Pies have failed to find a consistent tall forward to support Cloke in Reid’s absence.
Colleague Jon Anderson asked yesterday if Buckley is a good coach?
It’s difficult to answer. Of course he knows footy, and he’s trying to build their next premiership team. In doing so, he’s playing kids who need experience and who lack the elite work ethic, he’s lost Maxwell and Swan who was hurt for a month and a half, and the recruits haven’t helped him yet.
This is not making excuses for Buckley, but the club did need an overhaul, and when that is undertaken, there will be growing pains.
It’s not Buckley’s fault the club dumped Malthouse for him, but with it came expectations. Certainly, president Eddie McGuire didn’t envisage this.
In a nutshell, the Pies lacked leaders yesterday when they needed them most.
The Crows got away late in the first quarter and late in the final quarter and in that period it was probably seven goals to two. The Pies couldn’t match it, not least stop it.
The Crows’ leaders were enormous when it counted.
Richard Douglas in the middle, Dangerfield, Sloane, Walker and Sam Jacobs in the final quarter lifted the Crows to victory.
They are in the top eight for the first time this season and are a team playing solid footy.
Put it this way, they are going about it better than Port Adelaide at the moment.
LEWIS IS NEXT TOP HAWK
CAPTAINS are not picked, they emerge.
It’s not a popularity contest, either. They are motivated and selfless and competitive and their actions on the field are far more important than their words off it.
At Hawthorn, Luke Hodge assumed the captaincy from Sam Mitchell. Not because Mitchell was disrespecting the role, but because Hodge simply was the natural selection.
A natural order at the Hawks has emerged again.
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Jordan Lewis is the next captain of Hawthorn. It might be next year or the year after, but in Lewis, the Hawks have a player totally dedicated to the team performance.
The transformation in Lewis this season has been stunning.
As a youngster he was a little loose. He played hard on and off the field, and when Hawthorn played its “unsociable football”, Lewis was at the forefront.
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He was good player, a touch heavy, a touch slow, but you could never deny his competitiveness.
Every season since his debut in 2005, he has improved his footy, which tell us he has a thirst to learn and improve, and even though he has had more than 490 disposals a season for his past seven seasons, he has taken his footy to another level in 2014.
Simply, Lewis is an elite footballer without getting the elite accolades. He reminds me of a Joel Corey or a Nigel Lappin, players who are well regarded by others, but absolutely loved by the inner sanctum.
Among the many storylines on Saturday night, Lewis was outstanding. He had 35 possessions, a game-high 15 contested possessions, five clearances and seven inside 50s.
In the pulsating final quarter, he had 12 touches and time and again thwarted Sydney opportunities.
Coaches talk about leaders and none were finer than Lewis against the Hawks.
As usual, he had wide-ranging role on Saturday night.
Champion Data stats had him opposed to Josh Kennedy (27 minutes), Kieren Jack (23), Luke Parker (12) and Jarrad McVeigh (11). All up, he had 35 touches and all his direct opponents just 22.
Lewis is not a tackling beast, but his defensive actions are critical. Again, he plays defence like Brendon Goddard plays defence, or like a Hodge, or a McVeigh. They defend ground and space, and marshall their teammates, which then forces the opposition to change instincts and their ball movement.
Lewis is selfless. He leads the competition in being the third-man up at stoppages, which means he sacrifices the opportunity to win the ball for a teammate on the burst 10m off the ball.
He was third-man up five times on Saturday night and leads the competition with 47 for the season. Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines is next with 36.
At the same time, his disposal average for the season is a career-high 26.6, his clearances are a career-high 5.5, and for the first time in his career he is averaging double-digit contested ball numbers (10.4).
The numbers tell us he is elite, yet Lewis is more than a numbers player. He wouldn’t be in the AFL’s top 100 for talent, but as a competitive, savvy, team player, Lewis is priceless.
Originally published as The Tackle: Mark Robinson says elite Jordan Lewis looms as the Hawks’ next captain
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