Triple All-Australian Nick Dal Santo has major concerns with Hawthorn’s list profile, questioning why so many older players continue be selected and whether the club has the young talent to drive its next premiership push.
The Hawks slumped to 3-3 on Friday night after a dismal 32-point loss to Collingwood, booting just 3.9 (27) for the game – their lowest score under coach Alastair Clarkson and worst, overall as a club, since Round 9, 1964.
Their three losses to Geelong, the Giants and Magpies have all seen Clarkson’s men smashed around the ball, losing the contested possession counts by -31, -21 and -17 in the respective games.
Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Watch every match of every round Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Over the past four seasons, the Hawks’ list has been among the top three oldest in the competition. This year they have seven players aged over 30 – Shaun Burgoyne, Paul Puopolo, Ricky Henderson, James Frawley, Isaac Smith, Ben Stratton and Ben McEvoy – of which five have played every game so far in 2020.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s The First Crack, Dal Santo said the Hawks have looked “slow” and lacked intent around the footy in recent losses.
Isaac Smith is Hawthorn’s most valuable veteran, according to Nick Dal Santo. Picture: Ryan PierseSource: Getty Images
The former Saint and Kangaroo said a team with an age demographic like Hawthorn “need to be playing better football consistently than what they are at the moment.”.
And knowing how Clarkson has brutally treated club champions like Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis and Jarryd Roughead in recent years, Dal Santo said several veterans should be nervy.
“There’s a handful of players that if they put up too many more of these performances … they can’t have these guys in the team,” Dal Santo told The First Crack.
Dal clips old Hawks
3:45
“Their age just gives you an idea of where they’re at in their career and, ultimately, probably their best football is behind them. So the follow up question is: Who’s the next group coming through and who’s going to be their nucleus for the next charge to play finals and to ultimately win a premiership? Because I don’t see it happening right now with this particular team.
“Frawley is 32, Paul Puopolo is 32, Smith 32, Stratton 31, ‘Big Boy’ McEvoy 31, Burgoyne who was rested but late 30s and Henderson’s 31. So when you look at that and you put in that performance (on Friday night) and go back a few weeks with the performance they put in against the Cats, if you’re one those individuals, you don’t want to do that too often, because changes have to be made – and Alastair Clarkson has been known for making these really hard calls.”
Hawthorn’s Ben McEvoy has been trialled in defence this year but was moved forward at times on Friday. Picture: Phil HillyardSource: News Corp Australia
Dal Santo said Smith was the only Hawks veteran that arguably had a guaranteed spot in the senior team in the short-term.
“You can’t keep doing that and be slow, use the ball sideways, really conservative, not be aggressive, not take on the game – and then not defend and then not score. When you put that all together, you go through those names, you can’t keep picking that same team time and time again and expect to get a different result,” he said.
Dal Santo urged Clarkson to not just blood younger players, but expose them by playing them in key spots on the field.
“If you’re ever going to give a young guy an opportunity – so you get shortened games so therefore they’re not exposed to the longevity of the old formats – I’d love to see some of these younger players playing more prominent positions,” he said.
Hawks ‘out of whack’
1:44
“I know it’s really hard to push out a (Tom) Mitchell out of the middle, because clearly you need these mature bodies and these experienced heads around. But just to start adding a different player, like a Harry Morrison, chime in a different position every now and then give him a little bit more time on ball.”
Western Bulldogs great Bob Murphy added: “There’s certainly a couple in there who seemed to be coming towards the end.
“I think Hawthorn have been hurt by the shortened quarters as much as any side. They’re probably the side that would like to grind it out more than any other side.”
