AFL Sydney v Hawthorn: Hawks’ versatility deserves to be feared after Opening Round win
Hawthorn nabbed two key defenders during the off-season. How much that improves their defence remains to be seen, but it has possibly unlocked the AFL’s most versatile squad.
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Hawthorn’s new “Killer Bs” – Tom Barrass and Josh Battle – have made an instant impact, but the real sting in the brown and gold tail comes from the man set to benefit from their presence as much as anyone.
James Sicily is an All-Australian defender (2023), but he might also be the game’s best “break glass in case of emergency” swingman forward.
And while rash predictions after one game of a six-month season are about as useless as tipping solely off match simulation form, it’s hard not to argue that the HokBall Hawks might have the most versatile squad in the AFL.
It doesn’t mean they are going to win the flag. But it does mean that this blend of Hawks who can play multiple roles coupled with the nous of Sam Mitchell – one of the most fertile minds in modern coaching – will make this outfit an extremely tough side to combat.
Anything can, and possibly will, happen!
That much was franked by Sicily’s game-winning switch from defence to attack in the last term of Friday night’s season-opening 20-point victory over Sydney at the SCG.
He kicked the sealing goal and provided a physical presence in attack that the Hawks required to stand firm against last year’s runners-up in challenging conditions.
Yes, we’ve always known Sicily has been capable of playing that swingman role, and he’s done it successfully before.
But now the Hawks have the defensive arsenal to allow for more of those ‘breaking of glass’ moments.
The recruitment of Barrass and Battle, and the retention of Sam Frost (who started as the sub) after a concerted Swans attempt to coax him north has given the Hawks even greater flexibility in being able to use their captain to advantage.
But it’s not just Sicily who can play a variety of roles.
How’s this for a versatile side who can hit the scoreboard from multiple sources?
The Hawks used to wish they had two Blake Hardwicks but now they can use him in attack when needed with the boost the backline has had; Battle has shown previously at St Kilda that he can go forward on occasions; look up Josh Weddle in the dictionary and you might find ‘utility who can play anywhere’, midfielders Will Day, Jai Newcombe and Conor Nash showed again on Friday night that they not only can play in the engine room but also drift forward and kick goals.
Then, there is ruckman Lloyd Meek, who is surely in line for a big contract boost when he signs a new deal later in the year. The bargain big man not only took and beat Sydney’s $1m per season ruckman Brodie Grundy – who admittedly was underdone leading into this game – but he hurt him going back the other way, kicking two goals.
SIMMO: ‘HAWKS HAVE CHANGED RECRUITING GOAL POSTS’
Former West Coast coach Adam Simpson is convinced the Hawks are selling the recruiting dream better than any of their rivals at the moment.
The former Eagles coach, who himself coaxed Mitchell west at the back end of his career, says the Hawks coach and the club’s talent acquisition manager (free agency and trade) Jarryd Roughead – have done a power of work on potential recruits but also their families.
Ten of the 23 Hawks who took the field on Friday night started their careers at a rival AFL club; and Simpson is convinced there will be more to come.
A report from the West Australian newspaper this week suggested Eagles co-captain Oscar Allen is one of the Hawks’ current big targets.
“He (Allen) wants to stay,” Simpson said on SEN. “I am just hoping they work it out. There are some things I can’t talk about because it is not the right thing to do as I am still close to my exit (as coach).”
But Simpson said the Hawks had become game-changers in the recruiting space.
“I can tell you what though, the Hawks have gone to another level in recruiting,” he said. “(They look) at the whole package.
“I think through Sam and others at Hawthorn, they have gone to the levels where it is about the ‘sell’, but it is also (about) the wives, the kids, the players, it is about the facilities that are going to be there. It is the whole ‘sell’. You have to put the work in … and they do.”
MOSQUITOS NEED TO KEEP BUZZING
It wasn’t a vintage night for Hawthorn’s ‘mosquito’ small forwards on Friday night, especially for Nick Watson.
Watson was kept to only four disposals and no scores from Sam Wicks’ clampdown.
The Wizard was electrifying in the second half of last season, including the finals, but will cop much closer attention this year.
His coach loves him – you only had to catch a brief glimpse of the Channel 7 Hawks’ pre-season documentary Full Sweat to understand that – and will back him in to break the close tags he will cop this year.
Jack Ginnivan had 16 disposals and went goalless but he will be better for the run after a nagging adductor hindered part of his pre-season.
Dylan Moore was good as always with two goals, while Connor Macdonald made the most of some errant Sydney cross-ground kicking to score a major.
Look out against the Bombers next week … the Hawks’ mosquitoes will be itching to get up and going again.
HAWKS SWEAT ON WORPEL SCANS – BUT REPLACEMENT IS WAITING
– Jon Ralph
Hawthorn top ten pick Cam Mackenzie says he will use the motivation of finals heartbreak to spur him this year as the Hawks await a diagnosis on James Worpel’s injured ankle.
The Hawks will be desperate to avoid the dreaded syndesmosis injury which would put Worpel out for six weeks or more as he awaits scans in coming days.
Worpel is a free agent who is out to maximise his contract value, with emergency Josh Ward a likely replacement against Essendon on Friday night.
Inside mid Mackenzie has been forced out of the midfield onto the wing because of an already-elite on-ball mix, but won seven last-quarter touches (six contested) after replacing Worpel.
After a season-high 23 possessions in round 24, the No. 7 pick from the 2022 draft tweaked his hamstring and missed both finals – the rousing win over the Bulldog and nailbiting semi-final loss to Port Adelaide.
FRIDAY NIGHT RECAP: ALL THE ACTION AS IT HAPPENED
He told the Herald Sun in the rooms post-match that desolation had been turned into powerful fuel as he attempted to feature in his first final for the club.
“It was disappointing for me to miss the final last year but prior to that I felt really good going in and missing those two finals has definitely motivated me to keep getting better and make sure I am there when I get our chance again,” he said.
“It was more of a little tweak towards the end of the session on the Wednesday prior to the (Bulldogs) game. I accelerated and felt something that wasn’t right. It was very minor but I guess unfortunate. It is definitely motivating but I feel strong and hopefully I can keep getting better each week.
“I think Worps going down unfortunately helped me to get a bit more time inside. (It’s) obviously disappointing to see him injured and we all hope he’s fine but it was nice to get a bit more of a look inside. It is sort of where I have been playing in the pre-season so it was good to get a bit more time there.”
Coach Sam Mitchell paid credit to midfield coach David Hale for shifting the magnets as first-half star Will Day was blanketed by James Jordon in the third term.
“Worps has been our best performer of the pre-season, then he goes down and Cam Mackenzie went into the midfield and the mix held,” Mitchell said.
“I thought assistant coach David Hale did a really good job making sure the midfielders could keep performing well.
“I asked (Worpel) if it was going to be one of those ‘OK in a couple of days’ ones, or one of those six-weekers, and he said he would be OK tomorrow, but he was always going to say that.
“He could play next week or be out for a fair while, I just don’t know yet. I hope it is not a syndesmosis.”
The Hawks famously made the finals from 0-5 last season but were also 1-8 in 2023, 3-6 in 2022 and 1-4 in 2021, making for a series of stumbling starts to their most recent seasons.
For Mackenzie, Friday night was a win of real grit and desire.
“It was awesome to get the win, to come up here in a hostile environment. It’s fantastic. We had to fight hard and as you can see (in the rooms) the boys are pretty pumped.
“I think in the past we haven’t started as well as we would like and to get off to a 1-0 start in opening round is pretty cool.”
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