Hawthorn began the 2024 season tipped to finish near the bottom of the ladder, but within months they've become the AFL's most unstoppable force. Here's how they've orchestrated the remarkable turnaround.
Hawthorn has shot up the ladder after the bye while playing one of the most attractive brands of football in the AFL .After five losses in five games to start the season, hope may have run low even amongst the most faithful of Hawks fans.
The Hawks' shift from the bottom of the pack to the top has less to do with personnel than it does strategy and execution. That's essentially the same defensive set up that had produced less than stellar results in years past. While the Hawks have regenerated their list via somewhat unconventional means in recent years, the defensive grouping — the key to their current success — has been mostly the same group.The Hawks are one of the most aggressive sides at sending pressure to opposition ball carriers.
The Hawks tend to sit higher towards their own goal than most other sides up the ground in general play, especially in defence. GWS made the conscious decision to play on wherever they could, no matter how risky it seemed, to prevent those powerful Hawthorn pressure waves. The Giants also looked to spread the field to put that strong Hawks positioning under pressure.
Even at the start of the year Mitchell was talking more about building the foundations for the future, rather than that future rapidly emerging on the rest of the league.
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