Hawthorn came to the MCG needing a scalp to frank their premiership credentials only to be clinically dissected by a black and white scalpel.
In front of a blockbuster crowd of 83,706, the team formerly referred to as the Hollywood Hawks put on a horror show, smashed from quarter time by premiership favourites Collingwood in a 51-point romp – 16.11 (107) to 8.8 (56).
Lloyd Meek of the Hawks is tackled by Ned Long of the Magpies.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
More pain is likely to come on Saturday for the Hawks with ruckman Lloyd Meek in danger of being rubbed out for a late spoil that resulted in Pat Lipinski being subbed out with concussion, while Blake Hardwick and Jack Scrimshaw are under injury clouds to face the Western Bulldogs on Thursday.
It’s time for soul-searching at Waverley. In fact, it’s already begun. Coach Sam Mitchell let his players have the floor in a meeting that went for about 45 minutes, searching for answers as to why the magic has disappeared.
The tackle count would be good place to start. Last year’s glamour boys are not getting their hands dirty.
They won contested possessions by 12, and clearances by 10, but once the Pies had the ball, there was little pushback.
After a week when Mitchell put tackling on the agenda, the Hawks stuck just 38 tackles to the Pies’ 82 in a game when they had less of the ball. The difference of 44 was Collingwood’s highest since the stat was recorded, and a cause for celebration in the Magpies rooms.
Five Hawks did not stick a tackle. Nick Watson and Changkuoth Jiath have now gone two games without one. The message out of the rooms is clear.
“Bring the mouthguards to training, put your head over the footy and have a crack,” Hawks forward Jack Ginnivan told Seven.
“We’ve been losing contested possessions and tackles, and we want to get back to our DNA, putting teams under pressure then we can score from there.
“We’re not putting on enough pressure to turn it over in our front half. It’s making us a bit boring and dry in the front half.”
Mitchell was critical of the Hawks’ lack of pressure last week. This time, he took the heat off his players, saying their appetite to tackle was there but the system let them down.
“Sometimes you look at the tackle count, and you think it’s player effort, but it’s not just that,” Mitchell said.
“It’s how we set the game up as a coaching staff. We’re in it together with them. We need to put ourselves in a position to tackle. We won the clearances, won first possession, won contested possession so when you win those things, invariably, usually, you get out-tackled by a couple, but I think we only laid 38 tackles for the game.”
Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom celebrates with Isaac Quaynor and Dan Houston after kicking a goal.Credit: Getty Images
The Hawks are in a hole. Even during their winning run in March, Mitchell warned that his team’s game was not in good shape. He has been proven right.
Flag favourite after the opening round, the Hawks have lost three in a row. Their only wins since the start of April have come against West Coast, Richmond and Melbourne – the latter coming off a red-hot final quarter against a team that booted 6.13 to three-quarter time.
They have won just once in five games against other teams in the eight. Well beaten by the reigning premiers last week, they were given a “big reality check” by an even better team.
Feted for their flamboyant play last year, the Hawks have become staid. Collingwood players noted the lack of flair in the Hawks’ game.
The Hawks looking dejected after losing the round 12 match against Collingwood.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“You can see when they kick side to side, got nowhere to go,” Magpies iron man Jack Crisp told this masthead of the effect their pressure had on Hawthorn’s ball movement.
“Then they’re forced to one-step kick it long down the line, that falls straight into our hands. This is what we want, we want the long game, back our keys in for the aerial and we’ll turn up at ground level.”
Ginnivan was a clear best for the Hawks with a career-best game of 31 disposals and three goals against his former club, but few others had nights worth remembering, headed by Jai Newcombe, who had a season-low 18 disposals.
Will Day’s value to the team is increasing with every loss, though one player is not the panacea to the brown and gold ills.
Darcy Cameron attempts to mark the ball.Credit: Getty Images
“I asked them actually, just had a bit of discussion, let it all out, what’s going on, where you’re at, where are we at, what do you think?” Mitchell said.
“I think it was pretty clear to everyone and those watching at home that we’re disappointed, miles off it.
“That Collingwood team were super sharp. We played Brisbane last week, and they were very good, but that was another level today.
“That’s what we need to aspire to and above to beat them when it matters. We’ve got plenty of work to do.”
They will likely have to beat the Western Bulldogs without Meek, who is staring at a three-game ban. The ruckman appeared to make no worse than glancing high contact to Lipinski, but the Magpie’s head hit the ground, and the spoil was late enough to warrant a 50-metre penalty.
Ominously for the rest of the competition, the Pies are in arguably even better shape than their premiership year of 2023.
Jamie Elliott is in career-best form, booting five goals to enter the weekend at the top of the Coleman Medal race with Geelong spearhead Jeremy Cameron. The rapid ball movement suited Elliott, who was too quick for Josh Battle.
Dominant on his wing, Steele Sidebottom was the best midfielder on the ground, shading Nick Daicos, who was spared the tag from the sub Finn Maginness, and their defence miserly, holding their opponent to a score of 70 or less for the eighth time this season.
Just as well for the opposition, there’s still three months to go until September.
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