HAWTHORN Assistant Coach Brendon Bolton says taking on a red-hot Port Adelaide without a number of stars is an opportunity for its emerging leaders to step up.
The Hawks will be without Sam Mitchell, Josh Gibson, Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead and Brian Lake for Saturday night’s blockbuster at Adelaide Oval but that doesn’t phase the Hawks.
Captain Luke Hodge has recovered from a sore hamstring that kept him out of the loss to Sydney and will play against the Power, while Liam Shiels will return following a shoulder injury and Brad Sewell will play his first game of 2014.
The trio will add 509 games of experience to a side that will feature seven players that have played less than 40 games, including four players with less than 10 games of experience.
Rather than see the inexperience as a downfall, Bolton says the Hawks are viewing it as an opportunity to fast-track the development of its youngsters under finals-like intensity.
“We’re really excited about the challenge against a very in-form team,” Bolton told hawthornfc.com.au
“We know it’s going to be a huge challenge but one we’re really excited about because we’ve got so many young guys in, it’s an exciting opportunity
“What it does is test our system – we often say we lose a solder and replace him with another one - we think we’ve got good depth and a very strong system.
“Those two things combined say we’re ready and excited about the challenge.”
Bolton says though, the opportunity doesn’t present just for youngsters like Billy Hartung, Will Langford, Mitch Hallahan and Jonathon Ceglar but also for the Club’s emerging leaders.
The Hawks assistant named defenders Ben Stratton and Grant Birchall as two players who will step up and provide leadership to their younger teammates along with club leaders Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis.
He said the opportunity to finally atone for the performance against Sydney, particularly in conceding four goals from 12 scoring shots in the opening quarter will also add motivation after the week’s break.
“I think you’ll see a really determined Hawthorn Footy Club,” he said.
“Those emerging leaders like Birchall, Stratton and those types of guys, it’s an opportunity for them to fill the void in terms of leadership.
“This game couldn’t come quick enough - we lose a game against Sydney and have a bye the following week, it’s not the best time to have a bye.
“There are a lot of guys who want to step up in terms of their own leadership but also amend for our effort against the Swans, particularly in the first quarter.
“We gave them a good spell early in the week after the game, so mentally they came back refreshed and trained with determination.
“If the preparation is anything to look at, I’d say we go in as well prepared as any game.”
The Hawks won’t only need to overcome a red-hot Port Adelaide on Saturday night but also a fired up Power crowd and what has already been branded the ‘Portress’ at Adelaide Oval.
That means, Bolton says, that the Hawks will need to learn from the slow start against Sydney and use that to start the opening quarter focused on the task at hand.
“All we need to do is make sure our focus is there – each player locks into their role individually and is determined to be more combative than we were last week,” he said.
