Sam Mitchell’s honest take after failing to topple Gold Coast Suns in Darwin
A new AFL power is rising and Hawthorn challenged but couldn’t overcome them in Darwin, leaving coach Sam Mitchell with mixed feelings.
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Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell told his players they’re “good but not great” after a Darwin reality check on Thursday night.
The eight-point loss to the Gold Coast Suns was only their third for the year but came after the Hawks found themselves 32-points down.
That his men stormed back to take the lead was a positive for Mitchell, but he said the standard he had to hold his players to was getting “higher and higher” and they had to meet it to ensure they remain one of the AFL’s best sides.
“I’m a bit torn,” Mitchell said.
“There’s part of me at 30-something points down that’s pleased and proud, but there’s also a part that shows we’re not where we want to be just yet.
“We’ve shown we’re making progress in that direction, but we’ve got work to do to beat the best sides.
“The Suns, here, are in that category.
“We’re about where we deserve to be and that standard we hold ourselves to is getting higher and higher.
“This time last year it was easy to improve. Now we’re a good side, but we’re not a great side.
“That’s the challenge now, what we accept of each other, just need to continue to make those gains.”
Things don’t get easier for the Hawks who next take on ladder-leaders and defending premiers Brisbane
“The goal is to compete with the really good sides when it really matters,” Mitchell said.
“Today was an opportunity, and our next game is against Brisbane, so we get another chance.”
Mitchell also gave a slap and a cuddle to young star Nick Watson, who kicked three goals, wanting the small forward to be better for longer.
“When the rest of the game or the rest of your teammates aren’t going well, it’s quite hard to be the one who stands out and does the right thing at the right time,” Mitchell said.
“For someone so young to be the one we needed to rely on is impressive. Without him in the first 40 minutes of the game we were well and truly out of it.
“His challenge is to be able to do it for longer and he’s going to have to work on some things in his game to make sure he can play that style of footy more often.
“That’s not just game to game but also within one game for a longer period of time, but that’s what comes when you’re 20 years old.”
Originally published as Sam Mitchell’s honest take after failing to topple Gold Coast Suns in Darwin
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