Richmond must go back to basics if they want to beat Hawthorn
Wayne Carey
The Age
July 31, 2015If Richmond want to be considered any chance of beating Hawthorn tonight they could do a lot worse than channel a simple message that was immortalised by one of the Hawks' most revered coaches.
"Don't think, don't hope, do!" were the words that John Kennedy boomed out during the 1975 grand final. Four decades later, the sentiments of his famous speech hold the key to dismantling his beloved club.
For as much as teams try to prepare for the reigning premiers, the Hawks of today really just demand that football is played on the basics – effort and instinct. You have to be tough, relentless and brave, but above anything else, you just need to back yourself.
It's what sets the Hawks apart.
Yes, they have great depth and ability but it's their speed of mind that makes them the best in the competition. They simply have the best decision-makers in footy and right now, Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis and Shaun Burgoyne are the very best of the best.
Each of those players gets plenty of the leather and whenever the ball is in their hands, you know the right decision is going to be made. Whether that's playing on, going long or merely chipping the ball around before pulling the trigger. Hawks fans would attest to the level of comfort they feel when those champions are involved, particularly when the game is there to be won. There's a knowing. A belief that the right thing will happen because it's been proven time and time again.
While the Hawks' intent, aggression and will to win is plain to see, one of footy's more random statistics – hits to advantage – also helps to illustrate just how good the Hawks are above the shoulders.
Hits to advantage aren't hitouts in the ruck, but rather hits in general play. The Hawks lead the competition in this statistic. It proves that while they are clearly potent with the ball in hand, they also have the presence of mind to know when not to take possession. Instead, they use deft touch and vision to open up play and benefit teammates in better positions. Cyril Rioli and Jarryd Roughead are masters at it.
The flexibility that the Hawks' best players boast also makes it almost impossible to tag them. You might prepare for them to line-up in one position only for them to play a different role.
Which is why, once again, the basics of footy are paramount when playing the Hawks and there's no better ingredient for success than team work.
I'm not the first to have stated it this year and I won't be the last, but beating the Hawks requires every single player on the ground to be near their very best. You can't afford to have a single passenger, for a single minute. That's the way the Hawks play and emulating that combined effort – as well as their speed of mind – is the only way the Tigers will stand a chance.
It's also why Alex Rance and Troy Chaplin face one of the most daunting matches of their year.
We all know how good Rance is at reading the play, peeling off his opponents and supporting his fellow defenders, but you do that at your peril against the Hawks because they only need their forwards to have half a metre on their opponents. They don't just go to their big targets. They pick the best option. It's why their average number of individual goalkickers is also the highest in the league and why you need to kick 100 points to beat them.
Again, this dictates old-school footy. Fierce one-on-one contests. You need to be super-defensive, but also super-aggressive, positive and daring when the time is right. And just as Richmond's backmen face an acid test, the challenge to defend stretches to the other end of the ground, where the Hawks' own defenders love to work, support and combine with their skill and poise to counter-attack.
So if ever Jack Riewoldt's new and improved engine was needed, it's now. His gut-running must extend in both directions to help apply the kind of pressure that's needed to create turnovers and also demand that the Hawks are simply concentrating on defending. You can't allow the Hawks to play-off and run.
They have to be made accountable. While it's a huge task, you get the impression that the Tigers are ready for the fight. They showed against Fremantle last week just how far they've come and even though they suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Dockers, a top four place remains a possibility.
The Tigers are acutely aware of the opportunity that two bites of the cherry can offer in September. Tonight offers them another chance to achieve that double dream. They'll just need to throw caution to the wind and pressure like they have never before. As Kennedy said, "Don't think, do".
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