With the Hawks ready to take on Western Bulldogs on Sunday, hawthornfc.com.au looks at the five key players who could impact the result.
1. Ben Stratton (Hawthorn)
After missing periods of the season due to a hamstring and then adductor injuries, Stratton has delivered a month of consistent football and is finally enjoying some continuity in his game.
The versatile defender managed just four games in the opening 14 rounds of the season, but appears to have put those concerns behind him judging by his form last week against the Swans.
Stratton spent portions of the crucial contest matched up on key Swan Sam Reid, with the utility being held goalless after booting four majors against Carlton the week before.
Indicative of his fourth-place finish in last year’s Peter Crimmins Medal, Stratton had seven one-percenters, five tackles and five marks – operating at 91 per cent disposal efficiency.
While his ability to zone off his opponent to assist his teammates is invaluable, his ability to play on both talls and smalls makes him a valuable commodity for the Hawks against teams like the Bulldogs whose forward line is quick and athletic.
2. Jake Stringer (Western Bulldogs)
Considering we’ve highlighted Ben Stratton as a key player for the Hawks, it makes sense to supply a write-up on a man he could find his way onto on Sunday.
At 192cm, Stringer is deceptively tall for the type of game he plays – he is an athletic forward who is just as good below his knees as he is in the air. Despite his height, he plays more like a half forward flanker or crumber.
Since returning to the team in Round 15, the young gun has kicked 11 goals in his last four matches including a bag of five against the Bombers in Round 18 and four against the Demons in Round 15.
He and Marcus Bontempelli led the Bulldogs to victory against the Demons and Stringer almost single-handedly dragged his side over the line against the Bombers, such was the damage he was causing up forward.
Stringer is a classy finisher who rarely misses.
He has added another dimension to his side’s forward line and taken much of the attention off Stewart Crameri who, at the moment is the number one target and has kicked 27 goals for the year.
Jake Stringer shows off his athleticism against Essendon.
3. Grant Birchall (Hawthorn)
The Tasmanian rebounding defender has quietly delivered stellar year out of the backline, kick-starting a string of Hawk attacks.
The 26 year-old has played every game this season, ranking in the top-five Hawks for disposals, marks and rebound-50s, while his disposal efficiency of 80.8 per cent has him ranked in the top 10 in the league of those who have played every game this season.
Birchall hasn’t played against the Bulldogs since round 16 of 2012, where he had 28 disposals and four rebound-50s at 83 per cent efficiency.
He will be looking to continue the form he produced last week against Sydney, where he recorded 24 disposals (13 kicks), six marks, two rebound-50s and two goal assists while operating at 77 per cent efficiency.
He is a key player for the Hawks because he sets up numerous attacks and is a player sure to be highlighted by the Bulldogs on Sunday.
4. Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
The raw 18 year old has made a devastating impact in his 11 games of senior footy, with the highlight being his role in his sides victory over Melbourne. In that game he kicked two goals in the dying stages, including the match-winner that is firmly placed in Goal of the Year conversations.
Listed at 192 centimetres, Bontempelli is capable of playing as a forward but is being groomed to play as a tall midfielder, similar to the style of Collingwood Captain Scott Pendlebury.
He’s kicked seven goals in his last four games and hasn’t dropped below 75 per cent disposal efficiency since his second career game.
The Hawks will be wary of the damage Bontempelli can cause and will need to keep the talented youngster in check to limit his creative potential.
Marcus Bontempelli in action.
5. Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
While the classy finishers win most of the plaudits, you’ll find most, if not all successful teams have an unheralded in and under midfielder that is just as valuable.
For the Bulldogs, that man is Liberatore, the son of former club great Tony.
While most see the likes of Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy as the key players for the Bulldogs, those runners and classy ball users aren’t able to ply their trade without the dominance on the inside of Liberatore.
Ranked second in the competition for clearances with an average of 7.2 per game, ‘Libba’ is a midfield dynamo who is rarely shut down by opposition teams despite their greatest efforts.
If his total disposals are down on his usual season average of 24.2, you’ll find his clearance numbers are still up and that is his greatest value.
The Bulldogs are ranked fourth in the league for clearances and that is mainly due to his outstanding ability at the stoppages.
The Hawks will need to limit his impact around the footy if they’re to win the vital clearance battle.
