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Healthy signs for Hawks

Healthy signs for Hawks

07/30/2010 03:08:52 AM

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson regards the healthy state of the Hawks' list as an extremely positive portent heading towards September.

With the finals just a month away, the club's official injury list consists of just one player, Max Bailey, who has a TBC beside his name after undergoing a third knee reconstruction last year.

The last time the Hawks had so many players fit and available was two years ago in the lead-up to an upset grand final win over Geelong.

"In 2008 we had a real good run towards the end of the year and didn't have many injuries and were able to pick pretty much our best side available to us in the lead-in to the 2008 finals series," said Clarkson.

"Hopefully that's a good omen because right at this time we haven't been this well positioned either."

"The difference with 2008, perhaps, was that it was four or five weeks later and we went into the actual start of the finals in really good nick."

"We've still got four or five home and away games to go so, whether we're well-positioned like this come Round 21 or 22 ... the injury list will just unfold as it unfolds."

Clarkson said the sixth-placed Hawks still harbour top-four ambitions despite trailing the fourth-placed Western Bulldogs by six premiership points and a heap of percentage.

"If we can control our side of things and keep winning then it's mathematically still possible," Clarkson said.

"But we need teams above us obviously to tip over at some point in time in the last five rounds and that's going to make it tough."

"We haven't even secured a top-eight berth at this point in time, so that's what we're focusing on, just trying to win enough games to give ourselves a chance to qualify for the finals."

Clarkson said he was extremely impressed by the performance of Saturday's opponents, Port Adelaide, in last week's Showdown victory over the Crows.

He said the Power players are clearly keen to impress caretaker coach Matthew Primus.

"Port Adelaide has always been difficult to plan for, even when (Mark) 'Choco' (Williams) was coach," said Clarkson.

"But they were so fierce at the contest and that's probably a pretty accurate reflection of the way Matty went about his footy."

"He was a genuine competitor, one of the best in the comp in that regard, and that was certainly reflected in the way that they went about their work last week against Adelaide."

Asked whether he expects Shaun Burgoyne to get a hot reception in his first match at AAMI Stadium against his former club, Clarkson said: "It'll be a little unusual, he won't have the support of the Port crowd behind him this time."

"There'll be 30,000 there and most of them will be Port Adelaide fans."

"But if you've got a good enough system in place and your players play well enough, it doesn't matter so much about the crowd."

 

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