Jeff Kennett tells members Hawthorn will begin playing youth in preparation for season 2021
The door has officially closed on Hawthorn’s golden era, with club president Jeff Kennett emailing members to tell them the Hawks will make big decisions at the selection table to play the kids and prepare for next season.
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Hawthorn will introduce a youth policy over the remaining rounds to help prepare for next season.
After more than a decade at the top, the Hawks will change direction over the final six games of the season in an attempt to blood more young talent into one of the league’s oldest sides.
The 15th-placed Hawks need a miracle to play finals as they prepare to take on premiership heavyweights West Coast and Port Adelaide over the next fortnight.
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Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said the club was disappointed with its on-field performance this season after starting the campaign with a promising opening round win over Brisbane at the MCG.
The Hawks have stood by their premiership veterans so far this season, but in a strategic shift, will look to promote their youngsters in the back half of the season.
It will mean captain Ben Stratton and fellow defender James Frawley could come under selection pressure, while veterans Shaun Burgoyne, Ricky Henderson and Paul Puopolo could also be overlooked in favour of fresh faces.
In a letter to members, Kennett said the club had one eye on 2021 already.
“We need to give some of our younger players some match experience,” Kennett said.
“We expect to see a continuation of the introduction of these younger players into the team over the rest of the season.
“So, while disappointed, I am excited about the challenge ahead. We have been in this position before and can again become very competitive.
“Do not get me wrong, we at Hawthorn never give up, and will fight out every game.
“But that said, without knowing what season 2021 is going to look like, we need to start preparing for next year.”
Kennett called on the Hawthorn fans to remain “passionate about the club” after an extraordinary run of success during their premiership reign between 2008 and 2015.
Since their fourth flag in that span, the Hawks have resisted the temptation to rebuild through the draft, instead topping up with free agency and trade moves.
But Alastair Clarkson’s men appear set to finally invest more heavily in the draft this year after striking gold taking Will Day with its first pick last year.
Based on current ladder positions the Hawks have pick No.4, but that could slide if Adelaide is rewarded with a first-round compensation pick for the departure of free agent Brad Crouch.
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The Herald Sun revealed Geelong was considering adding the gun midfielder in the exchange period.
Hawthorn could also be hit with trade offers for gun premiership heroes Luke Breust, Jack Gunston, Liam Shiels and Isaac Smith in a bid to prise out some brown and gold experience.
The Hawks parted ways with club greats Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell and Grant Birchall in recent years.
STUBBORN CLARKO MAY NEED TO CHANGE: HODGE
Former Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge believes hub life has not suited the Hawks and coach Alastair Clarkson needs to quickly re-think his philosophy of not rebuilding.
Hodge said he struggled to stay awake for Monday night’s snore-fest against Fremantle, in which the Hawks kicked just four goals in a 16-point loss.
Hawthorn has won just one of its past six games and Hodge said there were few excuses for the “disappointing” demise.
“You look through a lot of clubs and you say, ‘Injuries are a big part’,” Hodge said.
“That’s not Hawthorn’s issue. They’ve only got probably Burgoyne, Henderson and Patton (sidelined) and, yes, Isaac Smith hurt his shoulder in the second quarter last night.
“This is a funny year. You look at West Coast in the hub, it didn’t suit them. Is that because they’re an older team with families?
“Hawthorn were playing really good football before they went to go in the hub and this is not an excuse for them because every team has to go through it, but just I guess the hub would suit other clubs with younger teams and clearly it’s not suiting Hawthorn and the way they’re playing and their mix.
“A lot of those blokes like to get their head out of football and hub life, you can’t really. But unfortunately for them, every other club has to go through it and a lot of other clubs are doing it quite well at the moment.”
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Hodge said the unattractive and low-scoring game style meant any chance of playing finals this year now looked dashed, meaning a different path may need to be considered.
The average age of the Hawthorn team on Monday night was 26 years and 8 months, compared to just 25 years for the Dockers.
“It’s not a pretty game style and you don’t have to play pretty to win a game of football, but it’s not attractive, they’re not scoring, teams are finding it easy to get the ball off them and score the other way,” Hodge said on SEN radio.
“There is a big decision that needs to be made. You look at North Melbourne and after they’ve committed last year to not rebuilding, they’re making the call the other way now.
“It’s going to be tough for a coach because I did say last week that Clarko is a man of his word and he’s brought so many players to that football club that he’s saying, ‘We’re not rebuilding, we’ve got a good young crew’.
“That might have to be re-thought by the end of the year if they’re not going to start bringing younger blokes in now.”
‘I WON’T CHANGE’: CLARKO
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson is confident the Hawks have a new wave of players ready to emerge as he prepares for the club’s philosophy of not blooding young talent all at once to be challenged.
The Hawks slid to 15th on the ladder on Monday night with a 17-point loss to Fremantle that flattered Clarkson’s men, who were comprehensively outplayed from start to finish.
They were beaten in the midfield and lost the possession count by 99 as the Dockers hit them with a wave of pressure, out-tackling the Hawks 55-40.
Clarkson said the 4-6 Hawks would need to give opportunities to their young players as they prepare to face West Coast on Sunday.
“We’ve got some lads who have been playing well at the level below and we need to give those guys an opportunity in the next week or two and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Clarkson said.
“But we don’t want to make wholesale change to our side.
“Our philosophy has been that they need to play with experienced and mature bodies to help them grow and learn the craft of the game.
“There will be some that say that’s not the right philosophy. It’s been ours for a long time and it’s worked OK for us.
“But while things aren’t going so well with the win-loss, the philosophy can be challenged.
“That’s OK, we’ll work our way through it.”
Clarkson would not highlight individuals but said there was a “new wave of players ready to come through for our footy club”.
Midfielder Finn Maginness, defender Jacob Koschitzke, forward Mathew Walker and midfielder Jackson Ross are all waiting to debut after being recruited in the past three national drafts.
“Some of them have been ready and on our list for two, three or four years,” Clarkson said.
“They’ve built up their bodies and they’re getting good exposure at reserve level, albeit a lot of scrimmage games at the moment.
“We’re confident we’ve got a good group of lads who will get an opportunity pretty soon.
“I don’t want to individualise … we’ll work our way through that in the weeks to come.”
Clarkson said the Hawks had been “spanked” in the midfield on Monday night and were unable to win enough possession back off the Dockers, who used the ball cleanly and prevented the Hawks from getting a foothold in the match.
“The reason we lost the game I felt is that Fremantle were able to control the ball a little bit better than we did, which then forced us to elevate the risk we needed to take to get a scoring chance. In doing so we made errors,” he said.
Wingman Isaac Smith will require scans for a shoulder injury. The triple-premiership Hawk tried to return to the field in the second quarter but ultimately sat out the second half.
Clarkson said champion Shaun Burgoyne would be available to return against the Eagles after missing with a hamstring complaint.
DOCKERS SHOW HAWKS JUST HOW VALUABLE TOP DRAFT PICKS ARE
It’s a game style that would have looked familiar to Alastair Clarkson. Unfortunately for the master coach it was Fremantle hitting its targets, controlling possession, and ultimately cruising to a 17-point win against the Hawks on Monday night.
Out-played from start to finish and ultimately flattered by the 7.6 (48) to 4.7 (31) score, Clarkson’s men slipped out of touch with the top eight and looked a spent force in their fifth loss in six matches.
The young and hungry Dockers were terrific, dominating possession and hunting the Hawks with relentless pressure on the occasions they didn’t have the ball.
The combination of third-year midfielders Adam Cerra and Andrew Brayshaw showed the value in rebuilding with prime draft picks, with the team on track under new coach Justin Longmuir, who has transformed the Dockers’ game style in his first season.
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Longmuir praised the Dockers’ pressure but said his team failed to capitalise on the scoreboard, kicking seven goals in a game they dominated for long periods.
He said the outstanding performances of Cerra (26 possessions and eight marks) and Brayshaw (33 and three clearances) were reward for effort.
“They’ve worked their backsides off to improve their game and they’re bearing the fruit of that,” Longmuir said.
“You’re starting to see Cerra’s composure and his ability to hit targets that others probably can’t hit.
“And Andy’s just playing to his strengths, with his in and under, inside out.”
The Dockers expect star Michael Walters to return from a hamstring injury for Saturday night’s clash against Carlton.
Speedster Travis Colyer will undergo scans following a hamstring injury and is likely to miss a couple of weeks.
DOCKERS HIT TARGETS EARLY
The focus on skills is paying off at Fremantle, with a dominant first half the result of neat ball-use that denied Hawthorn any chance to get a foothold in the game.
The Dockers used the ball at 79 per cent efficiency, compared to their season average of 71 per cent, with Cerra a standout.
The young Victorian is one of the Dockers’ best kicks going inside 50 and he was on top of his game on Monday night, with a game-high four score involvements from his 14 possessions in the first half.
With clean ball users like Cerra, Caleb Serong, James Aish and evergreen David Mundy winning plenty of the ball, the Dockers had 75 more possessions than the Hawks in the first half, but didn’t take full toll on the scoreboard, leading by 12 points at the main break.
Hawks have kicked 53 points or less in six of ten games. Only kicked 11 goals more than twice. Smacked in the midfield tonight but not an attractive team to watch this season apart from wins over Blues/Lions.
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) August 10, 2020
NIGHT AND DAY
The positive in what shapes as a forgettable season for Hawthorn is the form of first-year defender Will Day, who again stood tall when teammates were well beaten.
The club’s highest draft pick since Cyril Rioli in 2007, Day had 18 possessions, was clean with his disposal and looked to create at every opportunity.
While Day impressed, it was a dark night for the Hawks’ midfielders. Tom Mitchell won his share of the ball but was not damaging, while James Worpel and Jaeger O’Meara were beaten early and couldn’t lift with their team on the ropes.
The Hawks lost Isaac Smith to a shoulder injury in the second quarter, with the veteran returned to the field for a period before sitting out the second half.
SICILY THE SPARK
There’s a reason Clarkson sends star defender James Sicily forward when he is desperate for a spark.
With his team going scoreless in the third quarter and kicking just two goals up to three-quarter time, Sicily was sent into attack and had an instant impact.
He flew over Cerra to take a wonderful, high-flying mark and converted his set shot.
The Hawks need Sicily in defence, where his creativity and dash are one of the team’s weapons.
But when the team is blunted as it was on Monday night, he is one of the few players who can provide a spark forward of the ball. It is a shame for Hawthorn they don’t have two of him.
HOGAN THE DEFENDER?
Fremantle forward Jesse Hogan will return to the team as a defender in the coming weeks, with the Dockers making the shock move as a “short-term fix” to plug holes in their backline.
Hogan, who was an emergency for the win against Hawthorn, has recovered from a calf strain and was trialled in the backline during a scratch match on Monday.
Longmuir said Hogan was committed to making the move as the Dockers cover long-term injuries to tall defenders Alex Pearce (ankle), Joel Hamling (ankle) and Griffin Logue (toe).
“He wants to do it, he’s put his hand up to do it,” Longmuir said.
“How long that takes to upskill him to play in our backline, we’ll have to wait and see.
“He’s had some minutes in the reserves today and executed some stuff pretty well, so we’ll look at that.
“His footy smarts are first class, he’s got a high footy IQ, he’s got some height, which is a bonus, and he’s got a good ability to read the play.
“Given our situation with our backline and the players we’ve got out, it’s worth giving it a crack.”
Longmuir said the decision to switch Hogan to defence was a short-term fix and he still viewed the 25-year-old as a “really valuable commodity” in attack.
Hogan shone at both ends of the ground as a junior but has not played as a defender in his 86-game AFL career with Melbourne and Fremantle.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a risk because we’re not going to get a lot of opportunity to play against another opposition in an 18-on-18 format,” Longmuir said.
“We have to be creative with the way we educate him and the way we give him opportunities to train as a back. At some stage we’re just going to have to throw him in.”
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SCOREBOARD
FREMANTLE 3.1 4.4 7.4 7.6 (48)
def
HAWTHORN 1.1 2.4 2.6 4.8 (32)
GOALS
Fremantle: Taberner 2, Bewley, Colyer, Darcy, Fyfe, Schultz
Hawthorn: Breust 2, Gunston, Sicily
NATHAN SCHMOOK’S BEST
Fremantle: Cerra, Brayshaw, Fyfe, Serong, Darcy, Ryan, Mundy
Hawthorn: Day, Mitchell, Sicily, Worpel
NATHAN SCHMOOK’S VOTES
3 — A Cerra (Fremantle)
2 — A Brayshaw (Fremantle)
1 — N Fyfe (Fremantle)
INJURIES
Fremantle: Colyer (hamstring)
Hawthorn: Smith (shoulder)
VENUE: Optus Stadium
Originally published as Jeff Kennett tells members Hawthorn will begin playing youth in preparation for season 2021