Hawks full of heart in close defeat
Drouin's competitive start to the season continued over the weekend as they were downed in a thriller against Morwell.
Coming up against a side that defeated them by more than 50 points twice last year, the Hawks were up for the fight on this occasion before just falling short 14.7 (91) to 14.15 (99).
Kye Quirk put on a masterclass for Drouin, showing plenty of class around the ground while booting four goals. Recruit Hugo Birks, whose work rate has been a standout in his first two matches for the club, was also sublime as he got on the end of three majors himself.
Birks wasn't the only recruit getting busy, as Will Papley put in a body of work through the middle that showed exactly why the Hawks went out to get him. He gelled well with captain Jarrod Marshall, forming the nucleus of a midfield the club hopes to build on.
But while there was plenty to like about Drouin's game, costly turnovers and some lapses at stoppages proved a killer for their game.
The main orchestrator of Drouin's defeat was Morwell spearhead Brandon McDonald, who booted seven goals. Too often Morwell were able to get out the front of the stoppages, giving them ample time and space to deliver to the Tigers' goalkicker.
But for every mistake they made, Drouin simply refused to give in, constantly coming at a Morwell side that, it must be remembered, were a finalist last season.
And while they may have lost the game, they certainly didn't lose any admirers through their effort.
The first quarter saw the Hawks on the backfoot early, conceding the first two goals of the game in rapid time. They steadied though, winning the ball around the contest and using their natural leg speed to kick seven of the next 10 to lead at quarter time.
The Hawks were simply blistering at times, putting the Tigers on the back foot and giving their forwards good looks at the goals.
After the free-flowing 12-goal first term, however, both teams put the clamps on in the second, where there were just three goals kicked between them. The Tigers would have lamented their inaccuracy though, as they kicked 2.6 to trail by two at half time.
With momentum clearly against them, the half time break provided a chance for the Hawks to reset. They burst out the blocks in the third term, kicking the first three goals of the quarter to suddenly look like they were about to tear the game open.
But as good sides tend to do, Morwell were able to steady, kicking five of the last six goals in the third, including one just before the siren, to take a five-point advantage into the final term.
The extended it soon after the resumption of play with a set shot goal, but Drouin fired back when youngster Benjamin Braiser nailed a long-range shot from 50m.
With both teams throwing themselves at the ball, it was Kye Quirk who got on the end of some good play and, after slotting his fourth goal, suddenly the margin was under a goal and it was game on.
As Drouin desperately tried to find the lead, an illplaced kick from full back fell into Morwell arms. As the following kick found a target inside 50, the resulting goal broke maroon and gold hearts, with the siren sounding soon after.
Despite the loss, the Hawks look a much more hardened outfit than they did at this time last year. While the 2022 edition of the Hawks also started with two losses, they lost both of their first two matches by sizeable margins.
This version of Drouin, though still a very young and raw team, has so far proven to be extremely competitive and full of endeavour, which will no doubt leave coach Brent Clinnick pleased.
They may be 0-2, but it says something that their percentage of 94 per cent is better than four other sides.
While they're in the early days of their rebuild, there's enough reason so far to think there might be a lot going right at Drouin.