Hawthorn forward Jonathon Patton’s bizarre injury revealed as GWS downs Hawks
The Hawks were crying out for a big forward in their fight against GWS. So where was off-season recruit Jon Patton? Add this one to the very top of the weird injury file.
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Hawthorn forward Jon Patton is set to return from one of the most bizarre injuries in the history of the AFL this Friday night after scalding one of his feet cooking fish at home.
News Corp understands Patton suffered a nasty infection following a serious burn which occurred when he spilt oil out of a fry pan as he was cooking up some salmon at his home.
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The luckless 27-year-old who left GWS because of his cursed run with injury, underestimated the amount of oil he was pouring and not even the socks he was wearing at the time could mitigate the damage.
Patton was forced to sit out two matches as a result of the infected wound, including the chance to play against his old teammates at GWS, but will come straight back in for Friday night’s blockbuster against Collingwood, with the Hawks desperate for another chef up front following a worrying injury to young gun Mitchell Lewis in the thumping 34-point to the Giants.
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Lewis hurt his hamstring in a collision with Giant Nick Haynes, while the Hawks are also resigned to losing half-back Jack Scrimshaw for the Pies’ clash after he also failed to return after suffering an ankle injury in what was a damaging third quarter for Hawthorn at Giants Stadium.
Hawthorn have remained tight-lipped about why Patton missed last week’s match against North Melbourne, not elaborating any further than confirming a foot injury.
However, it’s understood Patton’s absence – at least for the first week – was the result of a kitchen mishap.
“He hurt a foot. So he was out for last week’s game. He was available for selection this week but he’s just been so interrupted with his preparation,” said Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson.
“He’s trained throughout the course of this week and he’ll give himself a chance to play next week.”
When asked if the foot injury was the result of fish-gate, Clarkson said: “Not that I’m aware of.”
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Clarkson says Hawthorn have brought a big squad to their new home at Coogee beach in Sydney for the next four weeks and will be prepared for a showdown against Collingwood in just five days’ time, despite losing Lewis and Scrimshaw against the Giants.
“I know they were unable to come back onto the ground. One with a hamstring the other an ankle,” he said.
“We’ve got a five day break I’d say they’d both be doubtful for this week. We know coming up here we’ve brought our whole squad, we’re going to need to use the whole squad and especially off a five day break.
“It was always going to be some change from one week to the next. And that’s a good thing for our squad and good thing for our younger players with opportunities.
“We just have to determine how long we’re going to miss those guys.”
SLICK GIANTS’ SCARY CONVERSION RATE LEAVES HAWKS HELPLESS
Alastair Clarkson’s famed defensive structure was shredded to pieces by a supercharged GWS forward line on Sunday night, as the Giants showed they are heavyweights again.
In his 356 games in charge, the Hawthorn coaching master has never seen anything like it.
Greater Western Sydney slotted 13 goals from only 26 entries at Giants Stadium, with Harry Himmelberg surging back into form with a four-goal haul to lead the way.
As Jeremy Cameron lined up for the second of his two goals in the last quarter, the Giants had scored 17 times from just 21 entries, for a stunning efficiency rate of 81 per cent.
Every time GWS moved the ball forward it looked threatening, with Jeremy Finlayson also kicking four goals in a 34-point triumph that made it back-to-back wins for a Giants side that has well-and-truly bounced back from its post-COVID funk.
GWS coach Leon Cameron was more than impressed with their stunning efficiency, particularly as only two weeks ago his forward trio managed just 21 disposals between them.
“Those three are finding their feet again, and we haven’t hidden away from the fact that they probably started a little bit slow when we first started the season back up again,” Cameron said.
“Week by week, the three are working better and connecting better, to have ten goals out of the three of them is really, really great.
“He’s been hitting the scoreboard most weeks, Jeremy Finlayson, but it’s just in the manner he did it tonight (Sunday), I thought was really pleasing, he pressured up really well, he clearly took some important marks.”
Back-to-back wins against Hawthorn and Collingwood have helped the Giants get their season back on track.
But plenty of work lies ahead.
This week, GWS must travel to Queensland to take on premiership fancy Port Adelaide in Queensland.
And after that, they face Brisbane – the side that thumped said premiership favourites by 37 points.
“Momentum is huge … we’ve only won the two, two against really good teams, and two at home,” Cameron said.
“We’ve got a huge challenge next week against Port, clearly they’re a really good team, we play them up at Metricon, so that’s a really big challenge in seven days time.”
Meanwhile, Hawks captain Ben Stratton and his backline won’t enjoy the review of Sunday night’s loss – as they settle into life in Coogee for the next month.
It was very unlike Hawthorn and unlike Clarkson, and will trigger alarm bells for one of the AFL’s new-found nomads.
Hawthorn would have taken only conceding 26 inside 50s pre-game and would have been confident that would translate to a comfortable victory.
The Giants’ 68 per cent efficiency was more than triple the AFL average of 22 – and was the worst of Clarkson’s coaching days.
Himmelberg barely got his hands on the ball two weeks ago in a shocking loss to the Western Bulldogs and was dropped back into defence.
But he started on a roll against the Hawks, ironically picking up his first goal from a holding the ball free kick – the week after Clarkson launched a crusade against the state of umpiring in the game.
The Giants got out to a storming 23-point lead at quarter time with the Hawks scoreless, and at one stage led by 39 points before the Hawks kept themselves alive to be only 21 down at the final break.
MUMMY MAGIC
Himmelberg and Finlayson might have kicked a bag each for the Giants last night, but the biggest reaction of all came when big ruckman Shane Mumford broke a goalkicking drought that has spanned 1051 days.
Mumford outmuscled Hawthorn opposite Ben McEvoy about 35 metres out to grab the ball, before turning and snapping a shot, which bounced through for a crucial third quarter goal that put Hawthorn out of the contest.
The beloved GWS big man missed a golden chance to get himself on the scoreboard last week against Collingwood, but wasn’t going to miss out again – kicking his first goal since coming back from retirement two years ago.
Mumford was swarmed by teammates, and has made a big impact since coming back into the side for Sam Jacobs.
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McEVOY BACK IN RUCK
Hawthorn was forced to revert back to using Ben McEvoy in the ruck during the second quarter on Sunday night, and it coincided, at least at first, with the Hawks getting themselves back into the game after they were blown off the park in the opening term.
McEvoy was, of course, a star ruckman his whole career until Alastair Clarkson suddenly decided to switch him to centre-half-back last season and start using Jon Ceglar full time in the ruck.
It was the first time this year the Hawks have gone away from that model.
By halftime, GWS had kicked 5.2 from just 10 inside 50s – almost unheard of in the modern game.
In the Saturday night game, North Melbourne had 22 entries for two goals.
GWS had just four inside 50s in the second quarter, and coach Leon Cameron said his side had been “outhunted”.
The numbers gave a tick to the Giants’ efficiency, but they were losing territory battle at an alarming rate.
In the end though, Mumford got on top of McEvoy in some key moments.
WOUNDED HAWKS
Hawthorn had two of its stars go down in the third quarter, as the Giants seized upon the opportunity and at one point rushed out to a 39-point lead.
Jack Scrimshaw was the first to go down, suffering an ankle injury, before young star Mitch Lewis appeared to come out of a heavy contact with Giants’ star Nick Haynes.
Fox Footy reported during the coverage that forward Jon Patton – who was due to play for the first time against his former GWS side – was sidelined after a cooking incident where he injured his foot.
