RoastedLinuxThe Hawks to swoop on 2009 AFL flag
March 18th 2009 21:29
Despite making two successive AFL Grand Finals, the Geelong Cats failed to grasp consecutive premierships, beaten in the end by a Hawthorn Hawks team that were simply more hungry and polished, to register their tenth AFL premiership.
Even though Geelong won the 2007 AFL decider against Port Adelaide by a record 119 points, the pressure of winning back to back flags eventually told on the Cats, beaten by 26 points against the Hawks.
Led by the inspirational performance of eventual Norm Smith medalist Luke Hodge, the Hawks outlasted the more favoured Cats in last year’s decider, which was played before more than 100,000 fans at the MCG.
Although the Cats let AFL immortality slip, they will still be favoured to feature heavily in late September in season 2009.
The Hawks, however, now have their own unique opportunity to build an AFL dynasty.
Indeed, Hawthorn’s 2008 premiership success was based on a game founded by intensity, not to mention the goal scoring potency of full forward Lance Franklin.
Hawthorn won their first ten games of the 2008 season thanks generally to a player roster that is one of the most even in the competition.
The Hawks last season played like a team with no apparent weaknesses, and it is this factor that should send shivers done the spines of the fifteen other sides in the AFL heading into 2009.
What set Hawthorn apart from most teams in the AFL last season was their desperation and willingness to get their hands on possession.
Hawks players, Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge, were all integral figures in the Hawthorn midfield, notching up key possessions in crucial moments.
Hawthorn’s consistent pressure was well reflected on the scoreboard, with Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin kicking regular hauls of five or six goals in matches last season.
In the end, Franklin finished with 102 goals in 2008, handing him the Coleman Medal whilst also becoming the first player in over a decade to score over 100 goals in an AFL season.
Even though he did not dominate the 2008 Grand Final, Franklin still kicked true when it counted, registering three goals to help put the Cats to bed.
That performance from Franklin now establishes the fact that he is a big game player, despite going missing on occasions in tough matches last season.
Now with the likes of Franklin, Hodge and Mitchell hitting the prime of their careers, the Hawks now have what it takes to rival the great Hawthorn side of the seventies.
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