SPORT Hawks chase consistency

HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson has demanded a repeat performance from his onball brigade when the Hawks take on North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium today.

The master coach branded his midfield “third or fourthrate” following a heavy loss to Geelong in Round 2 of the AFL season.

But the return of classy onballer Jaeger O’Meara against Richmond last week led to a much-improved display at the stoppages that was the key to a convincing win.

Clarkson knows replicating that performance is easier said than done, with most teams enduring wild fluctuations in form since the season restart.

“The peaks and troughs and swings and roundabouts of the game are probably a little bit of a reflection of the times we’re in,” Clarkson said. “But the loaded question is ‘How can we make sure our performance is consistent with what we were able to produce last week?’

“The Geelong game we thought we had prepared really well (but) our performance was well below par.”

North are smarting after suffering their first loss of the season, an 11-point defeat by Sydney at Marvel Stadium.

But they have received a considerable boost in the form of midfield bull Ben Cunnington, who has recovered from the back injury that sidelined him against the Swans.

Rhyce Shaw made four unforced changes following the defeat, Marley Williams recalled along with Cunnington, while Jack Mahony and Tristan Xerri will make their AFL debuts. Clarkson stuck with the same 22 that defeated the Tigers, despite lively forward Paul Puopolo’s recovery from a calf injury that kept him out of the team in Round 3.