It's a painful task, trying to choose a team to support that doesn't don the brown and gold. 

But, we're trying to make things easier by collating a few reasons why Hawks fans should despise some teams less than others.

You saw Part 1 of 'Who to back in September' ahead of the qualifying finals, now it's time for Part 2.

 

GWS

If you thought the Hawks’ 2011 Preliminary Final loss to Collingwood was hard to swallow (which it was), imagine how Giants coach Leon Cameron would reflect on his luck over the past 27 years he has been involved in the game.

This Saturday will be Cameron’s ninth attempt at preliminary final glory.

Of his previous eight, three as a player, four as an assistant coach and one as a senior coach, only one of them has not resulted in heartbreak, when he was assistant coach at Hawthorn in 2012.

Unfortunately, the despair that year arrived a week later than he is normally accustomed to.

There is good reason for Hawks fans to jump on the GWS bandwagon and cheer home Cameron and his troops.

 

Adelaide

If Adelaide can knock over Geelong this Friday night, Hawthorn fans will forever be appreciative.

You see, Geelong are hunting their fourth premiership in the 2000s.

There is only one other team in the competition that has achieved that feat so far.

We all know who that team is, and we are quite certain that Hawks fans have no interest in sharing this mantle with the Cats.

If Adelaide can finish the Cats’ year this weekend, it will further solidify the argument that the Hawks have been the best team since the turn of the millennium. 

And, well, we wouldn't mind seeing Eddie do his thing on the big stage.

 

Geelong

We are not even going to try and mount a case for why a Hawks supporter should even consider barracking for the Cats this weekend.

Between that 11-game losing streak from 2009 to 2013 and last year’s qualifying final, there is enough justification to suggest that would simply be impossible.

The road trip over to Adelaide is a very tough prospect, with only the very best teams able to come away with a win from the dreaded Adelaide Oval (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Hopefully Adelaide have no issue dealing with the Cats and their former teammate Patrick Dangerfield this Friday night, and Hawks fans will be able to breathe easily come grand final week.

   

Richmond 

Remember the premiership drought Hawthorn endured from their inception into the VFL in 1925 until their first taste of premiership glory in 1961?

Probably not.

But you can imagine the heartache, despair and loneliness Hawthorn fans would have experienced over that 36-year period, the longest drought in the club’s history.

Well, if you don’t remember or can’t imagine, you could ask a Richmond supporter what it is like.

They are currently going through a very similar experience, with it being 37 years since their last flag in 1980, also the longest success-less stretch of their club’s existence.

Maybe Richmond is the team of choice for Hawthorn fans to cheer on and, don’t forget, their coach, Damien Hardwick, spent five important years in the brown and gold under Alastair Clarkson.

Clarko has thrown his support behind the Tigs, so we think Hawks fans would be excused if they did too.