The Hawks were very lucky to get the premiership monkey off their backs so early in their premiership window. Most teams play 2,3-4 years of finals to win a premiership, the Hawks did it in the first year of a premiership window.
And what was the Hawks list made up of?
We know:
1. Two excellent goalkicking spearheads, Franklin & Roughead, with a third leading option in Williams.
2. They had at least 8-12 inside midfielders - Hodge, Sewell, Mitchell, Lewis, Ladson, Bateman, Osborne, McGlynn, Tuck, Guerra & the old warhorse Crawford, now retired. Not all got a game on GF day.
3. At least 3 ruckman - Campbell, Taylor, Renouf & Bailey whom they are giving another year to.
4. Two speedy small goalsneaks in Rioli & Stokes, and finally,
5. Half a dozen good quality defenders in Croad, Ellis, Brown, Gilham, Murphy & Birchall.
Add a couple of outside players in Young & Dew, and BANG! you have a premiership team.
Seems simple doesn't it?
Their positional strength for 2009 is as follows:
As you can see, they merely play their excess inside midfielders in outside positions and rotate them constantly.
Not an overly tall list.
Good height, strength & depth in their rucks & key positions, and a couple of tall wingers.
The rest? All very speedy, hard edged, runners who love to kick goals.
Doesn't it remind you of the Tommy Hafey teams of his great era?
Where to for the Hawks in 2009?
Gutfeel tells us, like Richmond in 1967 then 1968, that an early premiership to a team not seasoned by constant finals usually means a hangover season.
Whether this happens or not, the ages of their players clearly indicate that there are more than enough years in their legs to build another great era.
And what was the Hawks list made up of?
We know:
1. Two excellent goalkicking spearheads, Franklin & Roughead, with a third leading option in Williams.
2. They had at least 8-12 inside midfielders - Hodge, Sewell, Mitchell, Lewis, Ladson, Bateman, Osborne, McGlynn, Tuck, Guerra & the old warhorse Crawford, now retired. Not all got a game on GF day.
3. At least 3 ruckman - Campbell, Taylor, Renouf & Bailey whom they are giving another year to.
4. Two speedy small goalsneaks in Rioli & Stokes, and finally,
5. Half a dozen good quality defenders in Croad, Ellis, Brown, Gilham, Murphy & Birchall.
Add a couple of outside players in Young & Dew, and BANG! you have a premiership team.
Seems simple doesn't it?
Their positional strength for 2009 is as follows:
| B | Brown (25,177,121,52) | Gilham (24,192,53,2) | Morton (20,191,8,0) |
| Guerra (26,182,156,89) | |||
| Osborne (26,178,99,52) | |||
| HB | Ellis (21,187,36,6) | Croad (29,190,222,189) | Whitecross (19,183,0,0) |
| Murphy (23,189,30,3) | Birchall (21,193,65,7) | Kiel# (21,180,0,0) | |
| Sierakowski# (18,187,0,0) | Milne# (18,193,0,0) | Suckling# (20,183,0,0) | |
| C | Young (23,189,64,27) | Hodge (24,184,132,91) | Savage (18,185,0,0) |
| Tuck (21,188,9,1) | Sewell (25,181,85,12) | Shiels (17,183,0,0) | |
| Schoenmakers (18,193,0,0) | |||
| HF | Roughead (22,193,83,133) | Dew (29,183,195,252) | |
| Boyle (25,194,31,39) | Williams (25,180,98,226) | ||
| Lisle (18,196,0,0) | Breust# (18,181,0,0) | ||
| Thorp (20,194,1,1) | Peterson# (21,183,0,0) | ||
| F | Walsh# (19,198,0,0) | Franklin (22,196,81,238) | Rioli (19,177,25,24) |
| Dowler (21,196,3,2) | Stokes# (19,174,9,6) | ||
| R | Campbell (26,199,102,24) | Lewis (22,186,83,27) | Mitchell (179,84,133,22) |
| Taylor (26,200,66,15) | Muston (22,189,0,0) | Ladson (25,179,99,37) | |
| Renouf (20,200,8,0) | Kennedy (20,189,3,0) | Bateman (27,175,117,39) | |
| Bailey (22,206,4,0) | McGlynn (23,174,28,19) | ||
| Lowden (18,204,0,0) | Moss# (20,181,1,0) |
Not an overly tall list.
Good height, strength & depth in their rucks & key positions, and a couple of tall wingers.
The rest? All very speedy, hard edged, runners who love to kick goals.
Doesn't it remind you of the Tommy Hafey teams of his great era?
Where to for the Hawks in 2009?
Gutfeel tells us, like Richmond in 1967 then 1968, that an early premiership to a team not seasoned by constant finals usually means a hangover season.
Whether this happens or not, the ages of their players clearly indicate that there are more than enough years in their legs to build another great era.
