Hawthorn’s Focus on Immediate Challenge Against Western Bulldogs
Sam Mitchell, the coach of the Hawthorn Football Club, has emphasized the importance of maintaining a sharp and focused approach for the upcoming match against the Western Bulldogs. With the Hawks set to face off against Marcus Bontempelli and his revitalized team, Mitchell is keenly aware of the challenges that lie ahead.
The Hawks are currently in a strong position, having recently defeated St Kilda and sitting third on the ladder. However, the coach is not looking beyond the immediate game. “What bye? That’s kind-of our attitude. We have to perform well,” Mitchell said before Wednesday morning training.
Mitchell highlighted that discussions about what the team will do during their mid-season break can wait until after the game. “We will talk about what we do after the game, after the game. We have chatted about, let’s put some time aside to figure out what everyone wants to do over their break. But let’s not refresh before. Let’s refresh when it’s time to refresh.”
Over the next 60 hours, the focus remains solely on defeating the Bulldogs. “We have one focus and that’s taking down the Dogs. Then after that, we can do it with a smile on our face if we get a good result,” he added.
Mitchell is particularly concerned about the Bulldogs’ midfield, led by their captain, Marcus Bontempelli. “I think I called (Max) Gawn the player of this generation – Paddy Dangerfield was probably disappointed with me saying that,” Mitchell said.
“Bont is probably in the same (category). Those guys are absolutely first-class.” When asked to rank Bontempelli, Gawn, and Dangerfield, Mitchell responded with a grin: “I will let that go through to the ‘keeper – Bont this week.”
Mitchell also pointed out the strong form of Ed Richards, Ryley Sanders, and Matt Kennedy in the Bulldogs’ midfield. “When we can’t win the contest against a team like the Bulldogs, you’re really going to struggle for territory,” he said. “We’ve seen we don’t play our best footy if we don’t control that part of the game.”
While a coach is never entirely satisfied, Mitchell is fortunate to have a team in good form and a short injury list. Will Day made a successful comeback last week, while Tom Barrass (hamstring) and Conor Nash (neck spasms) are close to returning.
“The best way to be a really good coach is to have really good players … and have them all healthy,” Mitchell said.
Meanwhile, the Hawks coach mentioned that he had “sent a few questions up the flag pole” to the AFL umpiring department after Nick Watson’s halftime goal was disallowed because he ran off the line. “I didn’t think it was an umpiring issue. I thought it was a rule issue … it’s getting closer to a resolution,” Mitchell said.
