Round 11 – Hawthorn v Kuwarna: Hawks roar to life to down the Crows in emotionally charged Tasmanian victory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round 11
Hawthorn v Kuwarna
Thursday 21 May
UTAS Stadium, Launceston, Tas

 

Led by defender-turned-forward Blake Hardwick, the Hawks have snapped their month-long winless streak, roaring to life after a flat first quarter to beat Kuwarna in what we now know will be one of their final home games in Tasmania.

 

The decision to bar the Hawks from hosting games in Tasmania after 2027 was handed down on Tuesday, allowing the Tassie Devils to be the state’s sole focus when they enter the league in 2028. 

 

Though not entirely unexpected, the decision was met with ‘extreme disappointment’ by the club and left many on the island, from Tasmanian Hawks fans to the Launceston City Council, furious. 

 

Cold, scrappy wins in Launceston have become a staple of the Hawks’ brand over the last twenty-six years. They’ve dominated the north of the Apple Isle, winning sixty-seven of the eighty-eight games they’ve played at The University of Tasmania Stadium since they became part-time tenants in 2001. This record includes a nearly three-season-long undefeated run, which the Hawks added to last night, making it twelve-straight wins at York Park. 

 

That winning streak looked in serious danger early, however, as the Crows flew out of the blocks. Kuwarna won the opening clearance and, with just two touches, returning forward Callum Ah Chee found himself with the time and space to put the opening goal through with barely fifteen seconds played. 

 

Clearance dominance would be the difference in the first quarter, with Lachlan McAndrew continuing his stellar start to the season and getting on top of Lloyd Meek and Ned Reeves early. Captain Jordan Dawson was everywhere, racking up ten first-quarter disposals and joining electric smalls Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele amongst the goals with a long bomb from outside 50. 

 

Kuwarna picked up exactly where they left off in the second, with McAndrew turning rover and snapping true to give his side a three-goal lead. From there, the game opened up a little. The Hawks were able to get their ball movement flowing, and with a little bit of Wizard magic, the goals started to come. 

 

Meek and Mitchell Lewis restored parity on the scoreboard, making no mistakes from range on a night where goalkicking was certainly not the highlight.  

 

On his return from injury, Mabior Chol reminded everyone just how important he is to this Hawks side. Pressure was up inside forward fifty, and Chol’s athleticism gave Sam Mitchell another option in the ruck, which helped the Hawks get the stoppage game back on their terms. 

 

That pressure led to one of the more bizarre moments of the season as Crows defender Josh Worrell was penalised for a deliberate rushed behind late in the first half. Nick Watson immediately tried to play on, kicking a goal that was recalled because he didn’t start from behind the mark. This happened again, with the Wizard letting the ball fly before the umpire had given him the all-clear, before, on his third attempt, he finally put it through the big sticks legally.  

 

He’d be forced off a few minutes later after copping a big head knock in a marking contest. Despite some initial concern, he passed the head injury assessment, lining up for the third quarter with his side two goals to the good. 

 

An arm-wrestling of a term ensued, with neither side making the most of their opportunities. Hardwick was the first to strike, snatching a wobbly Reeves snap out of the air on the goal line and sneaking through his third for the match before Chol brought the house down, snapping a goal on his return. 

 

Jarman Impey once again commanded the backline, with Josh Battle, Karl Amon, and Josh Weddle all having strong showings. The latter had arguably the best game of his season, saving three goals and showing some impressive athleticism. 

 

The term was soured by an injury to star Crow Rankine, who hobbled off midway through the quarter with a suspected calf injury. Despite his loss, Adelaide was still up for the fight, with Zac Taylor kicking his side’s first goal in almost an hour, reducing the margin to under four goals going into the last. 

 

Kuwarna looked as though they’d run the Hawks down, kicking two goals in a matter of minutes to start the quarter. The Crows just kept coming with Ah Chee, battling an injury, making it a two-point game with plenty of time left on the clock. 

 

The away side got within a point before a Massimo D’Ambrosio kick found the undersized Hardwick, who outworked Worrell to take a strong grab thirty out. The makeshift forward went back and slotted his fourth, sending York Park crazy as his side went seven points clear. 

 

The Hawks would hold on, finishing up nine-point winners and returning, although only temporarily, to third on the ladder. 

 

They return to the mainland, where they’ll face the Saints under the roof at Marvel in a week. Assuming Watson doesn’t develop concussion symptoms during the week, the Hawks have made it through the game with a clear bill of health, and any changes will be tactical rather than forced. 

 

Jack Gunston, if he’s able to overcome the foot complaint that’s kept him out since the Freo game, will come back in, with Jack Scrimshaw also a chance depending on the severity of his knee injury. 

 

The big story will be Will Day, with the key Hawk set to return on managed minutes in the VFL this week against Williamstown. Will the Hawks risk him? Or will he get another run in the VFL? Given his injury history, it looks as though it’ll be the latter, but a week is a long time in football, and anything’s possible. 

 

Who makes way for Gunston is hard to predict. No one really had an overly poor performance against the Crows, with everyone playing their role well. As we saw with McCabe, the debutant may be the one to make way, but given Cameron Nairn’s solid first outing, it’d be a very harsh omission.

 

The pressure on the Hawks and Mitchell is certainly not gone, but after finally getting back on the winner’s list, a weight has undoubtedly been lifted. The Saints will have something to prove after their big spending has so far produced underwhelming results, and this game, like many of Hawthorn’s recent ones, presents itself as a genuine banana peel. It’ll be a big test for the Hawks, and in front of a packed-out Marvel Stadium, it has the potential to be an awesome Thursday night of football.

 

HAWTHORN       2.2    7.5    9.9   10.15 (75)
KUWARNA          4.2    5.4    6.7   9.12 (66)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Hardwick 4, Watson 2, Meek, Lewis, Moore, Chol
Kuwarna: Ah Chee 2, Rankine, Dawson, Rachele, McAndrew, Taylor, Fogarty, Soligo

BEST
Hawthorn: Impey, Hardwick, Watson, Weddle, Mackenzie
Kuwarna: Dawson, Milera, Berry, Worrell, Rankine

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Kuwarna: Rankine (right calf), Ah Chee (right thumb), Peatling (face/head)

Crowd: 8312 at UTAS Stadium

Read more from Louie Cina HERE

 

To read other Round 11 match reports click HERE

 

 

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