With the Hawks ready to take on Geelong on Easter Monday, hawthornfc.com.au looks at the five key players who could impact the result.

1. Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)
Geelong has two of the best one-on-one defenders in the competition in Tom Lonergan and Harry Taylor, so Roughead’s ability to get a break between he and his opponent will be important in providing a target for his midfielders to kick to.

By Roughead making himself a dangerous target forward of centre will force the Geelong defence to become more focused on the big Hawk, leaving the likes of Jack Gunston, David Hale, Luke Breust and Cyril Rioli available to hurt the Cats defence who are focused on spoiling Roughead.

With a dour affair expected at the MCG, the ability to capitalise on forward 50 entries will be critical and if Roughead can kick his three or four goals, it will go a long way to Hawthorn securing victory.

In three games against the Cats last year, however, Roughead has kicked three goals – one in Round 1, two in Round 15 but was held goalless in the Preliminary Final.
 

2. Joel Selwood (Geelong)
He’s the obvious choice at Geelong because the skipper picks up his side and carries them on his back at times. He’s hard and tough, wins the contested ball and now also hurts his opposition on the outside with his finishing.

He was dominant last week against the Eagles with 35 disposals and three goals, so he enters the Easter Monday clash with brilliant form behind him.

His record against the Hawks is outstanding, averaging 28 disposals and five clearances in 14 games against them but it is his leadership and tackling combined with his courage that spurs on his teammates to work harder around the ground.

In his first four games this season, Selwood is averaging 29 disposals (third at his club), 15 contested possessions (ranked number one at his club), 8.5 clearances (ranked number one), 3.2 centre clearances (number one), 6.5 tackles (ranked second), 4.5 inside 50s (ranked third) and 1.5 goals.
 

3. Will Langford (Hawthorn)
Langford has slotted into the senior team seamlessly this season after playing just one game last year and now looms as an important player for the Hawks on Easter Monday. He limited Gary Ablett’s influence last week despite the Suns champion winning 35 disposals, because every one of those was under intense pressure.

He will no doubt be given a role on Selwood or Steve Johnson on Monday, the two key play makers in Geelong’s midfield. Both Selwood and Johnson have been match winners against the Hawks before, so stopping them will be crucial in Hawthorn’s ability to secure its fifth win of the season.

But Langford’s value isn’t just in his attack on the ball and the man but he’s also more than capable of pushing forward and making his opponent accountable. He gathered 19 disposals of his own last week and had 14 and kicked a goal against his Round 3 scalp, David Mundy.
 

4. Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
With both sides evenly matched in the midfield, it makes sense to identify each side’s key forward as one of the clear match winners on the ground. Hawkins has already proved himself to be the difference for the Cats this season, when he kicked three final quarter goals against the Pies to lead Geelong to victory.

The Hawthorn forward line is still undersized despite the inclusion of Ben Stratton, with one of Josh Gibson or Kyle Cheney to get the match-up on the big Cat.

He is averaging 2.5 goals per game, kicking 10 in the opening four rounds but interestingly, has taken only four contested marks in the opening four rounds.

That means, that if the Hawks can get numbers back and plug the hole in front of Hawkins, he could struggle to make an impact. Of course, that is reliant upon the midfielders stopping Geelong’s run through Matthew Stokes, Travis Varcoe and Mitch Duncan, who often break the lines and deliver to Hawkins on the lead.

Hawkins has actually taken more contested marks against the Hawks than any other team in his career, with an average of 2.6 in his 10 matches against them. He has also kicked 17 goals in those 10 games.
 

5. Isaac Smith/Bradley Hill (Hawthorn)
The maturing of Smith and Hill on the wings has enabled Hawthorn to inject much needed pace and line-breaking ability into their side. The Hawk duo have already proved their worth and importance to the Hawks in the opening four rounds, with many commentators naming them amongst their most important players.

The Hawks have often struggled against the Cats because they’ve been bogged down in the contest, unable to break the game apart like the Cats could with guys like Travis Varcoe, Paul Chapman, Steve Johnson and Matthew Stokes. But now the Hawks have their own speedy, attacking weapons who are in outstanding form to start the year.

The Hawk duo take the game on whenever given the opportunity and their ability to be brave on Monday will be critical in Hawthorn’s chances of winning because their run catches the opposition’s defence off guard.

Hill is ranked third at the club for average disposals with 25.2 and Smith sixth, with 24.2. Hill is also ranked third for uncontested possessions (19) and Smith fifth (16.2) and Hill is ranked equal second for inside 50s, with an average of four per game (Smith ranked sixth with 3.2 per game). Smith bounces the ball more than any other Hawk, on average 3.7 times per game, so if he can get to that average on Monday, it means the Hawks are getting the footy in space.

Smith is also pushing forward and hurting his opposition on the scoreboard, having kicked six goals in the first four games and Hill has chipped in with three.