Hawks rebuild is quick to rise

AFL: A 12-game rebuild? Carlton, St Kilda and Melbourne fans must be sick with jealousy.

But that’s exactly what master coach Alastair Clarkson has achieved at Hawthorn.

Just 30 games ago the Hawks played a semi-final and were chasing a historic premiership four-peat with a vastly different team.

Fast forward to the halfway point of 2017 and the Hawks were 4-8.

But that was as low as the bottom-out would sink.

After Round 7 the Hawks are 5-2 and in the top four.

Over the past 17 home-andaway rounds only Richmond and Sydney have won more games than Hawthorn.

That stretch started with a win against the Crows at Adelaide Oval and includes victories against the Swans and Cats.

The bookies have taken notice. Before Round 1 the Hawks were $26 for what would be their fourth flag in six seasons, and now they are $13.

The Hawks sacrificed 1000 games’ experience from their last finals team. Think Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis, Josh Gibson ... the list goes on.

The improving 2018 Hawks might even be better than the 2016 version, which finished in steep decline.

The Hawks’ pressure is underrated. They rank No.3 for full-ground pressure and No.1 in the forward half, and that is with Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo injured.

The Hawks are ranked No.1

for points scored from for wardhalf turnovers, averaging 40 points each game – more than 40 per cent of their total score.

Since last year’s bye they’ve become a stronger stoppage team and ranked second for clearance differential in the first month this season.

Tonight, the Hawks host the Swans at the MCG.

Single-digit temperatures and rain is likely to make the round eight opener the season’s first true winter rumble.

Clarkson said those showing up to the MCG could witness an epic.

The Swans have defied ordinary home form to be 4-3.

“They’re travelling pretty well interstate at three and zip. We don’t want to make that four and zip,” Clarkson said.

“So many of the games are really hard-fought encounters and pretty evenly spread in terms of win and loss and never much more than two or three goals separating the sides.”

Remarkably the Hawks could go 6-2.

As an added bonus they won’t have to worry about former favourite son and now Swans superstar Lance Franklin. Coach John Longmire confirmed yesterday the forward would miss another week with heel soreness.