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Essendon v Hawthorn, Sunday Afternoon 3:20pm, MCG
Sportsbet Odds:
Essendon $4.15
Hawthorn $1.23
Easter Monday was frightening for a variety of reasons, and it wasn’t even the big picture things that grab the headlines.
Watch some highlights or the replays and you’ll understand what I mean. Hawthorn defenders encroached under heaps of pressure finding targets with looped and perfectly timed kicks. Knock ons and slaps forward that bounce and roll perfectly to the advantage of a teammate. Cyril Rioli setting up a goal by diving on the ball and getting it off to his teammate before he hits the ground.
What make Hawthorn an impressive and terrifying prospect is not the final score or the statistical output, it’s the little moments of perfection and the sense of almost telepathic connection as a group.
That is what makes the best sides in world sport. Barcelona under Pep, LA Lakers (at their relative peaks); teams that, yes are fortunate enough to purchase the best athletes, but create such a bond and understanding they’re near impossible to divide and conquer.
Perhaps crowing about them winning the flag already is largely premature, but it’ll take an outstanding effort from someone to stop them.
Essendon on the other hand, regardless of circumstance, dropped their second game in a row from a largely winnable position. The players are excused, but even the most diehard Bombers supporters knows that this trend has existed at the club even longer than the whole supplements saga.
The ability to take it up to sides above them and capitulate is perhaps their last (and biggest) demon to face before they can be considered top 6.
Does it start on the field or in the coach’s box? Perhaps both. The ailment is a mixture of the psychological and tactical. It’s a puzzle James Hird has to start solving, or this side might not deliver on its investment.
Key Match-Ups
Michael Hibberd v Paul Puopolo
Hibberd could find himself on a variety of Hawk smalls (Bruest, Rioli), but Puopolo was a standout on Easter Monday. Despite the inconsistency of youth, he’s starting to deliver as regularly as Bruest and becoming as dangerous as Rioli. Hibberd has to not only lock him down, but repel and begin Essendon rebounds.
Tom Bellchambers v Ben McEvoy
Huge job for Bellchambers. Not in the sense of rucking around the ground and controlling the contest from stoppages, but the idea of going with McEvoy forward. McEvoy has dropped weight and looks incredible fit. His ability to get forward and hit the scoreboard is improving week by week, and it’s something the Essendon big man has to keep an eye on.
Key stat
Contested marks on Easter Monday: Hawthorn 23 – Geelong 9. Winning one on one contests is important.
Result
Despite Essendon’s knack of pushing the best all the way, stopping the Hawks juggernaut may be beyond them. But it’s not their fault, a lot of sides this year won’t trouble Hawthorn. It’s all about being on the same wavelength, at off pre-season and Round 1, Hawthorn have done it better than everyone else.
Hawks by 28.