Alastair Clarkson says Hawthorn-Essendon clash crucial for both team’s finals prospects

In the past 24 years, only three teams have made finals after being two games out of the eight after 13 rounds. It’s a dilemma Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson is desperate to avoid.

Chad Wingard will miss again for Hawthorn through injury. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has declared Friday’s clash against old rivals Essendon “cutthroat” for his team’s season if it is to stay in touch with the top eight.

The four-time premiership coach suggested the loser of the battle at Marvel Stadium risked falling away from the finals race.

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Coming off the mid-season bye, the Hawks sit in 11th place on the ladder with a 5-6 record — the same record as the Bombers — and are a game plus percentage outside the top eight.

“Every game is important. Probably given that we're behind the ledger in terms of being five and six, if we lose this week, same as Essendon, it's a pretty cutthroat game,'' Clarkson said.

“You start to feel like you lose contact with a group of eight or 10 sides that are sitting above you on the ladder.

“It's an important game in that respect.”

Ruckmen Tom Bellchambers and Jon Ceglar battle for front position. Picture: Michael Klein.

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History says Clarkson is right.

Since 1994, only three teams have made finals after being two games out of the eight after Round 13 — Brisbane in 1995, West Coast in 2004 and Richmond in 2014.

Herald Sun football analyst Mick McGuane said the loser of the clash would battle to make finals.

“History would be against the loser of this game making the finals," McGuane said.

“Both teams have got really hard draws after this.

“Clearly there would be disastrous consequences for the loser tonight in terms of their hopes of playing finals this year.”

The Hawks have failed to string two wins together this season and Clarkson said finding consistency in their game was crucial if they wanted to be a finals challenger.

“Our footy this year has been inconsistent from week to week, we haven't won two games in a row, and we need to get that consistency from game to game or even quarter to quarter,” Clarkson said.

“When we start seeing that we'll be a in a much better position to say whether or not we can give it a tilt.”

Chad Wingard (left) will miss again with injury for Hawthorn. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images.

Clarkson said injuries had not helped on that front, the latest being another setback for recruit Chad Wingard, who will miss with a hamstring injury.

“We just need to get his body right, he has had three or four of these tiny little episodes that have just caused him to miss a few here or there,” Clarkson said.

"The concern with that is that over time you just don't get any continuity with your footy.”

Clarkson said he had been happy with the role dropped veteran forward Jarryd Roughead had been playing in the VFL, but injuries had meant he had been taking on different jobs than usual.

“Given the stocks that we have had with a bit of injury … he had to play as a second ruck and midfielder for us at different stages in last week's game,” Clarkson said.

“He hasn't been playing the role at Box Hill necessarily that he (normally) would. In the first week he went back and he did against the Western Bulldogs when they had that draw at the MCG and he kicked five goals and played his role particularly well that day.

"But the last couple of weeks he has played a different sort of role. But he has acquitted himself really well, like we'd expect from him, he's really helped the younger players there and embraced the role that he can play in helping those guys."

Originally published as Alastair Clarkson says Hawthorn-Essendon clash crucial for both team’s finals prospects