The Preview | Round 10 v Hawthorn

Written by Helena Petrou

The Blues are gearing up to face the Hawthorn Hawks in round 10 at the home of football this Saturday the 22nd of May at 1:45pm. A fortnight of disappointing performances has the pressure mounting on the Blues, with their season slowly slipping away as they sit 3-6 on the ladder following a confidence crushing loss to the undefeated Demons in round 9. Hawthorn have had a difficult season to date with their only two wins coming by under 4 points against Essendon and the Crows, while also being on the receiving end of multiple 30+ point thrashings. Round 9 saw the Hawks give up a 32-point lead to see North Melbourne record their first win of the season, their first since round 9 2020. Things can’t seem to get any worse from here for the Hawks, whilst Carlton has also been facing its fair share of troubles on the field. If the Baggers are to make anything of the 2021 season, they cannot afford a loss this weekend against the struggling Hawks. 

Turning back the clock 

From when Brendan Fevola lost the shoot out to 100 goals for the season against Buddy Franklin when we faced the Hawks in round 22 2008, to our most recent meeting where the Blues were handed a 31-point loss to the Brown and Gold in round 9 of 2020, the Carlton V Hawthorn fixture brings up some memories Blues fans would rather forget. Hawthorn have well and truly had the wood over Carlton for the past 20 seasons, having won 22 out of the last 25 games against the Blues. Another displeasing statistic shows that the Hawks have had nine straight wins against the Baggers at the MCG. Having won only 2 games against the Hawks since 2005, both coming by less than 10 points, Carlton can’t afford to take the currently battling Hawks lightly this Saturday afternoon. 

Key Opposition Players

Chad Wingard:

Wingard produced a near best on ground performance in the Hawks’ loss the Kangaroos last week, he gathered 21 disposals, 13 score involvements and 2 goals. Wingard was at the centre of Hawthorn’s attack last week and poses himself as a threat to the Carlton defence. 

Changkuoth Jiath:

The speedy half back flanker has exploded onto the AFL scene in recent months and has made a name for himself as one of the Hawks’ young stars of the future. Jiath is an electric intercept defender with the ability to break lines coming off 17 disposals and 7 intercept possessions against North.

Possible Carlton Ins and Outs:

With David Cunningham unfortunately going down with an ACL injury in last week’s match and with senior players underperforming, spots have become available in Carlton’s forward line. After being declared fit to play following a concussion against the Bulldogs, Jack Silvagni looks likely to replace Cunningham on the half forward line. Silvagni’s importance to Carlton’s forward structure is shown through Carlton’s point differential when he is in the side. When Jack is playing, Carlton has beaten teams by an average of 45 points, though when he isn’t that average slides to -63. 

Tom De Koning has produced 2 great games in the VFL following his return from injury and could potentially replace the underperforming Levi Casboult in the forward line after being named as an emergency for the AFL side last week. De Koning has produced 30+ hit outs two weeks in a row in the VFL whilst splitting his playing time between forward and the ruck. His contested work and aerial ability have shone, making him a likely entry into the side. Josh Honey has also made a case for selection coming off 2 goals and 11 disposals in the VFL whilst providing an abundance of speed and pressure. 

With the Carlton Football Club and its supporters labelling finals as the expectation for season 2021, there’s absolutely no excuse for losing to the 17th placed Hawks.