A few weeks ago, I said that Hawthorn may be better than what many were giving them credit for. This was based on the Hawks having more contested possessions and similar inside 50s to their opponents but falling down in converting forward opportunities to goals. Since then, the Hawks have won six out of seven matches, and only lost their other match in the final seconds. They are fourth for ranking points over their past seven matches, behind only the three current top-ranked sides Sydney, Brisbane, and the Bulldogs, two of whom the Hawks have beaten over that period.
What the Hawks have done better over the past seven weeks is indeed better convert forward entries into goals. Their average inside 50s per game have actually fallen slightly, but they are averaging about four more scoring shots and four more goals (see table above). They are also allowing a few less inside 50s by their opponents per game. With their better conversion rate, the Hawks are now more the standard of side that could play finals, although they still face an uphill battle to make it after their slow start – even if we did rank them more in line with their recent form.
Heave-hoed
Man, did I put the mozz on Fremantle after spotlighting them last week. Their uncontested ‘keepings off’ game style got dismantled by the other team that really likes to handle the ball – the Western Bulldogs – as they were beaten by 67 points, conceded 23 goals, had 69 less uncontested possessions, and 42 less marks. They did still win the clearances though, so there’s that. I’ll take this as a delayed response to spotlighting how good the Western Bulldogs are the week before.
No comments:
Post a Comment