Clarko warns Crows: Beware the wounded Hawks
History suggests defending AFL champions Hawthorn will rebound in tomorrow night’s do-or-die semi-final against Adelaide, coach Alastair Clarkson warns.
The Hawks were disappointing in a 32-point qualifying final loss to West Coast last weekend but the three-time premiership coach today predicted his team would deliver a much-improved performance on home turf at the MCG.
Clarkson said history gives them confidence they will get the job done.
“We’ve played some good footy over a long, long period of time,” he told reporters in Melbourne today.
“We put in a bad one every now and then like everyone does, but I reckon we’ve done it less than most so it gives us a fair amount of trust and faith that we will get a response this week.”
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Clarkson bristles at suggestions his team was battle-weary and their era of success could be over. They have five premiership players, including skipper Luke Hodge, aged over 30.
“We gave the whole footy world a fair amount of ammo last week to have a crack at us and rightly so, we performed well below our expectations,” he said.
“But we’d won six finals prior to that and there was no mention of us not being a proud group or talented group after any of those victories.
“It was only six weeks ago everyone was saying we were unbeatable and now everyone’s fallen off, it doesn’t worry us…if any group’s entitled to have an off day it’s probably this group, but we can’t afford to be in that sort of form Friday night otherwise we’ll get `pantsed’.”
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Both last year’s grand finalists, Hawthorn and Sydney, face important selection headaches as they try to rebound from qualifying final losses. The Hawks have to find a replacement for leading goalkicker – and former Crow – Jack Gunston, who injured his ankle in last Friday night’s loss to West Coast, while Sydney’s injury woes worsened when key forward Sam Reid suffered a hamstring injury against Fremantle, ending his season.
Swans coach John Longmire has also confirmed troubled marquee forward Lance Franklin’s health problems meant he also would not play again this year.
In better news for Sydney, Nick Smith is set to return and co-captain Kieren Jack might also be a surprise recall for Saturday night’s match at ANZ Stadium.
North emerged from last Sunday’s elimination final win over Richmond with no major injury problems
Adelaide defender Brodie Smith missed training on Wednesday as he continues to manage an ankle injury, but the Crows are also confident he will play in Friday night’s semi-final against the Hawks at the MCG.
Meanwhile, one of the architects of Hawthorn’s current golden era admits to concerns about what they can achieve this season.
Hawks goalkicking great Jason Dunstall made an invaluable contribution to the club off the field as well, serving as the football director on the board until the end of the 2013 season.
Dunstall yesterday noted that Hawthorn, like Geelong in its era of three premierships between 2007-11, had enjoyed a long spell of supremacy.
“They’ve been there a while, three grand finals in a row, they’ve won a couple,” Dunstall told Fox Sports.
“It’s hard to be there every season…people call it hunger – there are a lot of little things that need to go right to have the success.
“They’re thereabouts. Whether they can find their best on the weekend and maybe in a couple of weeks to come, remains to be seen.”
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