The man with the lethal left foot proved a key figure in Hawthorn’s 2012 side, providing great attack off the half backline.

If it’s possible, Matt Suckling’s left foot developed an even more ruthless killer instinct this season and proved a headache for opposition sides who already had difficulty shutting down Hawthorn’s run from defence.

With fellow defender Grant Birchall usually the focus of Hawthorn’s opposition, Suckling took advantage and hurt teams both in setting up teammates and hitting the scoreboard himself.

He finished the season with 16 goals and, as a defender who plays predominantly across Hawthorn’s half backline, it’s an impressive figure.

With 54 matches to his name now, Suckling is shaping as one of the biggest steals of the 2007 draft, when he was selected by the Hawks as a rookie with pick 22. He was cut by the Hawks after two season on the rookie list but was re-rookied the same year with selection 79 in the 2009 rookie draft before winning a spot on the senior list at the end of the 2009 season.

He emerged last season as a player to watch and after playing 25 games with an average of 20 disposals at 78 per cent efficiency makes him now one of the most damaging players in the competition with ball in hand.

He started the season strongly with an impressive performance against Collingwood in Round 1 when he gathered 26 disposals, took seven marks and laid five tackles to be one of Hawthorn’s most damaging in that game.

In the loss to Sydney in Round 5 too, Suckling was one Hawk who could hold his head on a disappointing day for the Club. He gathered 27 disposals in that game.

Two weeks later, he had arguably his best game for the year to date, in the Round 7 clash with Melbourne. 29 disposals, 13 marks and a goal put an exclamation mark on his impressive opening two months to 2012.

His biggest disposals tally came against Greater Western Sydney in Round 15 when he gathered 35 against the competition’s newest side.

Three weeks later, he had arguably his best game for the year against Essendon in Round 18. 22 disposals, eight marks and four goals was his return in Hawthorn’s big win over the arch rivals.

That performance best illustrated Suckling’s ability to hurt his opposition on the scoreboard, with thumping left-foot goals beyond the arc.

His ability to find a teammate and set them up in space (he had 91 per cent efficiency in that game) was telling and was easily one of Hawthorn’s best players in the win.

While he returned modest numbers of 18, 13 and 16 disposals in Hawthorn’s three finals matches, the 24 year old made use of his possessions with his vision and silky skills able to set the Hawks up.

He kicked a telling goal in the Preliminary Final against Adelaide and used his left boot to great effect in the Grand Final despite Sydney’s ability to shut down Hawthorn’s run from defence for most of the game.

With Suckling’s continued improvement in 2012, Hawthorn fans can again expect him to develop further as he begins preparation for the 2013 in late November.

With his left foot easily his biggest weapon, the challenge could be to find a way to impact a game in other ways. But, with a left foot like that and the ability to impact a game in a short period of time, honing those skills might be best.

We’ll have to wait and see what lies ahead for Matt Suckling in 2013.


GAKHDDE%CPUPMCLTI50GPCM
2012 averages
2513.3
6.6
20784.914.45.61.21.63.4
0.693
*PCM denotes votes awarded for the Peter Crimmins Medal.


A familiar sight: Matt Suckling celebrates another left-foot goal from 55m.

Suckling in the news in 2012
  Suckling the survivor

Videos featuring Suckling in 2012
Suckling's roost
Suckling's long bomb

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2012 Player Review