Jack Scrimshaw playing game 100 as Hawks look to continue strong defensive form

Hawthorn are on the rise and a big reason why is their back six. GLENN McFARLANE chats with one of their guns, and JAY CLARK looks at the numbers behind their miserly defence.

It was the Sam Mitchell quarter-time spray that laid stark the frustrations surrounding Hawthorn’s early season malaise.

But the defender on the end of Mitchell’s angry burst at the first break in play in the round 7 clash with Sydney has barely given it another second’s thought.

Jack Scrimshaw, who will play his 100th game on Saturday against Collingwood, told the Herald Sun this week that he craves direct, forceful feedback.

The reason for Mitchell’s anger had been that Scrimshaw’s normally piercing left foot had gone through the middle of the ground instead of down the line, leading to a Swans goal.

There were only two things he would change about the moment back in late April.

The first was how public it was.

Jack Scrimshaw was okay with Sam Mitchell’s spray in Round 7. Picture: Getty Images

That concerned the coach more than his player, with Scrimshaw revealing this week that Mitchell called him that night once the vision had been replayed over and over again.

“Sam gave me a call after the game,” Scrimshaw recalled. “He saw it had some coverage and wanted to clear the air. I didn’t take it personally, but he wanted to talk to me about it.

“I knew where it (the spray) was coming from. We had a good chat about it afterwards.”

The second thing concerned teammate Jack Ginnivan’s dropped mark which followed his kick inboard.

“It would’ve been good if ‘Ginni’ had marked it (his kick),” Scrimshaw said with a laugh. “I was a bit flat with that.”

Scrimshaw said of the Mitchell spray: “I was absolutely fine with it.”

“Maybe when I was a bit younger, I probably would have dwelled on it a bit. But I feel like I’ve got a great relationship with Sam and he just wants what is the best for me, and the team. It was coming from a good place.

“I like being tested and challenged. I like Sam saying it how it is, but if it had been a little bit more private it might have been better.

“(Direct feedback) is something I need. To get that sort of care and investment from the coach made me think I really belong at Hawthorn. It’s an important part of (growth), being able to pay back the faith he has in you.”

The Hawks are surging in season 2024, with Jack Scrimshaw playing great footy. Picture: Getty Images

HAWKS TURNAROUND

So much has changed for the Hawks since that moment.

The club has only lost two games since that Mitchell spray, while 25-year-old Scrimshaw is reaping the benefits of a strong pre-season, including an overseas training camp trying to keep up with a few elite running teammates.

He is in career-best form, playing 16 games this year, settling into a more key defensive role, with his contested possession (+33 per cent), intercept mark (+80 per cent) and intercept possession (+47 per cent) counts all massive improvements on his 2023 numbers.

Those figures haven’t come just since the Mitchell spray.

“Everyone was using it as (a reason) why I started to play a bit better, but I thought I was doing OK before that,” he said.

“But I do think it helped me (in that game), though. I felt like I needed a bit of a kick up the backside (against the Swans).

“We love playing for him. He understands his players, he knows exactly how different players like to be coached. He can be hard when you need him to be.

“For players like Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson who like to express themselves, he has been able to let them be who they are and celebrate their cheeky selves.

Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson don’t mind a celebration. Picture: Getty Images

“It really adds to the dynamic of the group.”

He said Mitchell pushed him hard during a difficult 2023 season, where he was in and out of the team early in the season, before he reclaimed his spot with a strong finish.

“I had a few things going on last year which I didn’t really deal with as well as I could have, which affected my performance,” he said.

“My intensity and effort was a bit down. Mitch was riding me through that stage but we had a clear focus on what to work on over the summer. He has always shown a lot of faith in me, which gave me a lot of confidence to go out there and do better for him, for myself and for my family.”

Scrimshaw’s form this season was rewarded with a new three-year deal which locks him in until the end of 2027.

“It was good to get it sorted nice and early, it just gives me the confidence to go out there and just get better for this club,” he said. “It makes me feel a real part of this club’s future.”

Changkuoth Jiath and Scrimshaw went to America to improve their fitness in the off-season. Picture: Getty Images

TEAM USA

Scrimshaw made a commitment to work on his running capacity last pre-season, which included testing himself against teammates Will Day, Dylan Moore and Changkuoth Jiath.

“The last few years I’ve been trying to put on a bit of size,” he said. “But (last pre-season) I realised I needed to improve my running.

“I went to America with ‘Moorey’, CJ and Will Day, who are all really good runners, and I really wanted to push myself and see if I could keep up with them.

“I didn’t quite do that, but I gave it a shot and got a little bit closer than I have in the past.

“We used a few different gyms and we had a mate who plays college football in Tennessee. We were just able to keep each other accountable. It wasn’t just that trip. It was the whole pre-season. I didn’t miss a session and just that continuity of training has really helped me.”

Scrimshaw trained most of the pre-season to play in a key defensive role this season. He has done it superbly so far, allowing greater flexibility with James Sicily freed up more – even moved forward at times like he was last week against Fremantle – and with Josh Weddle capable of playing in a variety of roles.

THE BACKBONE OF HAWTHORN’S CHARGE

- Jay Clark

Hawthorn has taken an extraordinary leap in its back half this season to become the most miserly defensive unit in the league over the past eight weeks.

Despite a poor 0-5 start to the season, the Hawks have conceded the least points in the competition over their past eight outings leading into Saturday’s blockbuster against Collingwood at the MCG.

Sam Mitchell’s men have conceded an average 72.5 points a game since Round 11 and have only allowed the opposition to score more than 80 once (against Geelong) over that stretch.

The Hawks have put up a brick wall up the field to re-ignite their September dreams, registering the least number of inside 50s against (46 per game) to help limit rivals’ scoring.

And that is despite a serious shoulder injury to superstar captain James Sicily who missed the club’s only two losses in that time (Port Adelaide and Geelong) and was sent forward last week against Fremantle.

James Sicily has had an interrupted couple of months. Picture: Getty Images

It is a remarkable transformation for the club which gave up the third-most points in the league last year and are targeting St Kilda’s Josh Battle to help beef-up the back line.

But the Hawks may have to hand over as much as $900,000 over at least six years to secure Battle from the Saints who stand to net a top-five pick in free agency compensation.

The Hawks this week confirmed they are chasing a key forward and a key defender to round out their list rebuild which began in 2021 in Alastair Clarkson’s last season in charge.

The Hawks have tightened the noose on their opposition in the second half of this season with a bunch of mid-sized hybrid defenders without boasting the same height as other sides down back.

According to Champion Data, James Sicily, Josh Weddle, Jack Scrimshaw and Jarman Impey all rate in the top 65 defenders in the game based on AFL Player Ratings over the past two months.

While Scrimshaw and Jack Frost are both 194cm, the Hawks have a mobile edge down back which allows them to morph quickly from defence to attack mode.

Scrimshaw is Hawthorn’s equal tallest defender. Picture: Getty Images

And impressively, the Hawks have shaded some of the best defensive units in the competition recently, conceding less points than premiership favourite Sydney Swans (77.3 points per game), Adelaide (78.1), St Kilda (78.6) and Fremantle (79).

Hawthorn’s 72.5 points per game since Round 11 is a 19-point improvement on last year’s average.

Another win over Collingwood at the MCG today could not only hammer a nail in the Magpies’ finals hopes, it would elevate the Hawks to the cusp of the eight.

“If you look at the ladder and look at how close it is, we know this is a massive game,” Mitchell said.

“You have got to future plan about what you want players to be and big games is a part of it. You need to be able to perform in big games.

“Not every game is built the same so we know this one is worth more than one (match).

“It is an important game for our season so we know this is a great development chance for us but also a chance to see if we can perform against a team of mostly premiership players on a huge stage.”

The Magpies have considerable defensive headaches at the moment with captain Darcy Moore one of the Collingwood backmen currently struggling for form.

The Magpies have conceded on average 88 points per game over the same time.

Originally published as Jack Scrimshaw playing game 100 as Hawks look to continue strong defensive form