A finals force

When it comes to Tatyoon in Mininera and District Football League, the team just oozes success.

And the Hawks’ results talk for themselves.

In the past 10 years, Tatyoon has been in the finals every year, featuring in eight grand finals and two premierships.

It doesn’t seem to matter where the Hawks finish in the top five – they are always a team to watch.

And although there is some great competition in the fight for the flag this year, you cannot discount Tatyoon as a red-hot premiership chance.

Tatyoon’s start to the season wasn’t a great one, having lost three of its first four games.

However, in dropping only another two games for the rest of the season, the Hawks managed to hold on to their top-four spot.

Last year the Hawks went the long way around in the finals by finishing fifth on the ladder and having to play every week to reach a grand-final berth against WickliffeLake Bolac.

Tatyoon eventually went down to the Magpies, but just being there proved when it comes to finals they are never to be taken lightly.

The team Tatyoon is taking into this year’s finals series is different in comparison with last year’s grand-final team.

The Hawks lost a few players – Joe

Gibson, Tyson Marr, Shaun Orr, Geoffrey Jolly and Rick Hendrickson – as well as two of their top three goal kickers in Steven Butler and Trevor-john Wanganeen.

Although these missing players have not gone unnoticed, the Hawks did not leave the holes unfilled.

Recruiting players and having players return to the club and from injury has given Tatyoon a team worthy of finals competition.

There are the likes of Joshua Brown, who has come on board as a big target up forward and booted 28 goals for the season, Rhys and Harrison Cronin, who have plenty of presence around the ground, and Joe and Sam Thomson, who provide massive amounts of physical presence and pressure in the middle of the ground as well as in attack.

And let’s not forget the return of Mitch Cronin, whose class, work rate and ball skills have seen him in the best most weeks – usually in the top three. He has also kicked 29 goals to be the leading Hawks goal scorer.

Add these players to an already strong core of experienced players such as Sean Mcdougall, Tim Mcdougall, Adrian Pilgrim, Jarrod Blandford, David Brady and Jack Antonio and you can see why they are so consistently a force to be reckoned with.

Tatyoon finished fourth on the ladder and will play Woorndoo-mortlake in the first elimination final at Dunkeld on Sunday.