Hawks’ bright start gets Tigers roaring
A bright start wasn’t enough to save Drouin as they went down to Morwell over the weekend.
The Hawks kicked six goals in the first quarter, but could manage just two more for the game in the 8.8 (56) to 16.17 (113) loss.
Clayton Kingi kicked three goals for Drouin, while Kye Quirk booted two and consistently looked like the Hawks’ most threatening target up forward.
These efforts paled in comparison, however, to the efforts of Morwell gun forward Brandon McDonald, who kicked nine goals for the day to outdo the entire Drouin team.
Things were always going to be tough for the Hawks after loding a number of their star players from the week before, including Tom Barr and Tom Johnstone as well as Gippsland Power young guns Sebastiano Amoroso and Jacob Konstanty.
Despite this, the game certainly started the way the visitors would have hoped as Drouin found the efficiency in the forward 50 they’ve been lacking in some of their losses.
In fact, the Hawks had five goals on the board in quick fashion before Morwell could even find their first, and even then Drouin added one more before the quarter time siren.
This wasn’t for a lack of shots for the Tigers though, as they missed some incredibly gettable shots, including some right in front of goal that were inexplicably sprayed.
It meant that despite the fact that Morwell found themselves down by 25 points at the first change of ends, they would not have been deterred, considering the game would have been much more even had they taken their opportunities.
Drouin, meanwhile, would have been feeling extremely confident after another fast start to a game, something that has become somewhat of a habit for the young Hawks.
Unfortunately though, fading out after said bright starts has also become habitual for the Hawks, and this was on display in the second quarter where Morwell took the game over completely.
The Tigers roared to life, blanketing their opponents with immense tackling pressure and a great aerial presence. This denied Drouin any easy outlet kicks that would have relieved the pressure, keeping the ball locked in their forward half.
Unlike in the first quarter, they were able to capitalise on their chances in the second term, kicking 8.4 to Drouin’s 1.0.
McDonald was causing all sorts of headaches for Drouin, kicking six for the half as the Hawks’ shorter backline was once again exploited by another team’s ability to target a bigger body and take marks inside 50.
By half time, the Drouin lead had been completely eviscerated and replaced by a 21-point lead for the home team, who had now settled into the match and looked primed to run away with it.
The third quarter saw a better effort from the visitors, as players like Ryan Maric, Rhys Salter and Jarrod Marshall began to get things going through the middle.
However, it was now Drouin’s turn to waste their opportunities, as they kicked 0.5 to Morwell’s 3.1 for the term.
It meant that despite the much better effort, the lead had ballooned out to an imposing 35 points going into the fourth quarter, and a comeback appeared unlikely.
A further four Morwell goals to just the one more from Drouin ensured that any fight was snuffed out quickly, the game coming to a disappointing conclusion for the Hawks after such a strong start.
The efforts of the Tigers’ backline is to be commended as they tightened up defensively following the first term, conceding just two goals across three quarters.
This also points to one of the Hawks’ ongoing issues, that being their relatively lack of key position height in their forward and back lines.
That’s not to say they are bereft of talent at both ends. They boast strong players such as Jordan Kingi and Timothy Hancock in their back line, and extremely talented youngsters like Kye Quirk in their forward half.
But without the bigger bodies other teams boast, they struggle to both take marks in their forward line and prevent them at the defensive end. Instead they rely on high precision kicking to move the ball effectively, which can sometimes come unstuck if their disposal is less than perfect.
The loss means Drouin remains in ninth spot, while Morwell is just two points behind fifth placed Wonthaggi and remain in the hunt for a finals position.
Best on ground for Drouin were Kye Quirk, Ryan Maric, Rhys Salter, Timothy Hancock, Joseph Collins and Jarrod Marshall.
Morwell’s strongest players were Brandon McDonald, Boyd Bailey, Dan Musil, Tristen Waack and Nathan Noblett.