Hawthorn is currently ranked the number one side in the competition for contested marks.

For all of the highs that the Hawks have reached in recent years, this is one mountain that the club has not climbed in over a decade.

The last time that Alastair Clarkson led the best contested marking side in the game was in 2008, when Lance Franklin (second league-wide for total contested marks) and Jarryd Roughead (sixth) spearheaded the Hawks offence.

In 2019, that spearhead has been Ben McEvoy.

In career-best form, McEvoy ranks third across the competition in this area, averaging just shy of three per game.

The ruckman has taken multiple contested marks in each of his eight outings so far this year, including a haul of five against Adelaide in Round 1.

Read: The Hawthorn way

But Big Boy hasn’t been without company in this area with many Hawks in serious contested marking form:

James Sicily is the next Hawk in line with 10 grabs across the season.

Mitch Lewis ranks 13th league-wide for his average of two contested grabs per game among those to have played at least four games in 2019.

Luke Breust is averaging one contested mark per game for the first time in his career. His previous best average was 0.58 in 2018.

  

Year

League-wide ranking for contested marks

2018

13th

2017

13

2016

13

2015

5

2014

8

2013

4

2012

15