HAWK HOPES ALIVE
Clarko says it all might go down to percentage
HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson says percentage will play a critical role in his club’s finals fortunes after leapfrogging Geelong into seventh spot yesterday.
The Hawks kicked seven final-term goals to gain five percentage points in a 72point win over Carlton, going from 114 to 119.04.
Tagger Daniel Howe will likely miss two weeks for an off-the-ball punch on Carlton star Patrick Cripps, the strike hitting him in the neck and bottom of his jaw.
But the Hawks will regain Shaun Burgoyne for the trip to Perth to take on Fremantle this week after a sparkling Saturday morning training session.
Clarkson was visibly frustrated coaching from the bench in the third term as the Blues poured on four straight goals to dent the Hawks’ percentage. But he was eventually content with a big win.
“It was important for us today. We were average last week and we needed to bounce back and play a better brand of footy,” Clarkson said. “It’s so tight, so [percentage] is important. In terms of what we wanted to get out of the game, we were pleased we got the win.
“Games like that are important to get the four points and a bit of percentage, so we are still trying to find that group of players who can get us back up the ladder and try to challenge.”
Clarkson said he hadn’t seen the incident involving Howe and Cripps, so hadn’t felt the need to counsel him.
“I didn’t see it and I didn’t speak to him about it either. I thought it was another one of those belly punches, but the league will look at it and what will be, will be. So we will see how that unfolds.”
Jaeger O’Meara was a late out with hip soreness yesterday and is set to return to a side that showed it bats deeper than many believed.
REPORTS, STATS,
THIS is a celebration of Jarryd Roughead.
Look away now if you think it contains a strong opinion on his future or kicks him to death in search of a headline.
The scrutiny over ageing players and the will-he, won’the about their futures is a legitimate part of the AFL industry.
Somehow it feels different with four-time premiership star Roughead. Instead it feels like every chance he has to get out on to an AFL field is a gift.
A chance to further his Hall of Fame claims rather than stave off retirement for one more year.
Roughead has nothing to prove, but then again he did just that yesterday, his 38th straight game since returning from four cancerous spots on his lungs. It wasn’t quite the eye-catching Roughead who kicked five goals and crunched Dan Hannebery in the 2015 Grand Final. Or slotted that game-winning goal against Sydney at the SCG last year.
Instead it was the wily, whip-smart Roughead who found a way to inspire his side’s win over a Carlton so bad early it barely deserves mention.
The Roughead who started forward yet worked up the ground to get involved in a trio of handball interchanges in the opening minutes.
Then pushed into the ruck, instantly won the ball in a flash and hit up Luke Breust for the easiest of goals.
Eleven minutes into this game, Roughead had five possessions and the Hawks were humming. He might not be able to jump over a jam tin, but when has that ever been his strength? What he can do is use that nous and football IQ to school players such as No.1 pick Jacob Weitering, 10 years his junior and supposedly an athletic freak.
As halftime approached, Roughead pushed close to goal, sensed his moment and darted away from Weitering with a perfectly timed lead.
Teia Miles delivered the pass, Roughead hit it at full velocity, marked at 50m and went back and slotted his 555th AFL goal.
Don’t look now, but over at St Kilda Alan Richardson is looking for more senior leadership after the club nudged Nick Riewoldt out of the door. The rest of the game? Hand Tom Mitchell a certain three Brownlow votes after 46 possessions, nine tackles, nine marks and two goals.