AFL finals: Hawks, Bulldogs square off at the MCG

The AFL finals series continues Friday night with the MCG clash between the Bulldogs and the Hawks. Michael Pike and Darcy McCartin rate their finals form in the first of a weekend series.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Michael Pike

Many were calling for Luke Beveridge’s head early in the year, the dissatisfaction of just missing out on finals last year living long in the memory while combining with some less than convincing performances early this year.

However, he has won the Bulldogs faithful back slowly but surely thanks to some genius coaching calls and the redevelopment of a scary midfield to forward connection that has turned the Bulldogs into one of the most dangerous teams to finish outside the top 4 in recent years.

Marcus Bontempelli continues to be potentially the most impactful, important and consistent player for any side in the competition, the 2024 MVP led the league for score involvements with 192, 18 ahead of second place Errol Gulden. The All-Australian captain also ranks inside the top 10 of the competition for clearances, goal assists, contested possessions and inside-50’s – all while kicking 31 goals.

Adam Treloar has also had a career-best season in the Bulldogs engine room, racking up the 4th highest average uncontested possessions in the league, while also achieving an elite average of 9.6 groundball gets per game.

Sam Darcy’s breakthrough has added to an already damaging forward line including Jamarah Ugle-Hagan and Aaron Naughton, with 112 goals being shared between the three.

Rory Lobb’s move to the backline midway through the season revitalised his career, his averaging of the 13th most contested marks per game in the competition providing Liam Jones with much-needed support, with 34 more intercepts to his name than any other Bulldogs player. Bailey Dale has provided a great progressive option from the back-half, ranking 5th among regular defenders for average metres gained and effective disposals.

Damaging all over the pitch, the Western Bulldogs are going to be hard to stop with a team full of stars ready for finals football.

Darcy McCartin

Much like Hinkley at Port, the Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge was put under the spotlight early in the season, for both team form, and player selection.

Their last 11 games have only brought 3 losses. Positional moves of Ed Richards to the midfield and Rory Lobb to an intercept key defender have been masterstrokes by Beveridge as the questions from earlier in the season have been answered.

One of the most talented lists in the league, they are led by superstar Captain Marcus Bontempelli. ‘The Bont’ can almost single handedly take the Dogs to glory. However, he is not alone, with Adam Treloar having a career best season, and a ‘3 headed monster’ of Aaron Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy up forward to cause problems.

With form and quality on their side, if the Dogs can bring everything together, they will be a smoky this finals series.

HAWTHORN 

Michael Pike

The story of the season has been the ‘Hollywood Hawks’, seen as a bottom four team by almost everybody before the campaign started, few were shocked when the Hawks lost their first five games in a row.

Since then, Sam Mitchell’s DNA has started pumping through the veins of the club, with this exciting crop of burgeoning talent lighting up the competition from round 7 onwards. 

The biggest positive for the Hawks this year has been their fluid forward-line, with 7 players scoring 20 goals or more throughout the season. Dylan Moore received his maiden All-Australian blazer in an all-action year which saw him contribute to 450+ disposals, 30+ goals and 30+ goal assists, while youngsters like Connor Macdonald and Jack Ginnivan have thrived with their license to move all around the ground, with both ranked in the top 10 per cent of the competition’s forwards for disposals. 

The hard-working midfield at the Hawks will have a big hole to fill, with Will Day still suffering from a dislocated collarbone that’ll rule him out for week 1 of finals. Jai Newcombe will have to continue his strong efforts, with his 6 clearances per game ranking him within the top 10 of midfielders in the league. Massimo D’Ambrosio will also be relied upon for his efficiency and energy on the wing, ranked elite in the competition for his number of effective kicks per game with 9.1, to go along with 4.5 intercepts.

Hawthorn will rely on their well-oiled machine of a backline, with their movement and accuracy when moving up the field a vital component to how they score.

Captain James Sicily is ranked 6th in the competition among defenders for marks with a 7.5 average, while himself and Karl Amon rank among the top 10 for rebound-50’s; Amon’s 538 metres gained per game marking him as the 3rd best ball-mover in the competition.

However, the Hawks may struggle with the height of the Bulldogs forward line for their week one clash, with only Sam Frost (194cm) the same height as Aaron Naughton, while Ugle-Hagan (196cm) and Darcy (208cm) stand taller than the entire Hawthorn defence.

A hard-working team of young, hungry talents is a scary proposition for any team trying to get their hands on this year’s premiership cup, and Hawks have shown they can beat any team on their day. Watch out for Mitchell’s men this month.

Darcy McCartin

The Hawk’s triumph is one of the more remarkable stories from this season.

Being 0-5 to start the year, it wasn’t looking good for Sam Mitchell’s side. Eventually, things started to click: different game style to learn, and a majority young side. Turns out they just needed time.

When it clicked, it clicked.

The Hawks have won 11 of their last 13 games to clinch their first finals appearance since 2018.

The rise of their once lower ranks, including Lloyd Meek and Massimo D’Ambrosio has led them in fantastic stead. What they have been able to achieve has the whole AFL world in awe of these young Hawks and the way they play.

We don't yet known if they can hold up under the finals pressure. With over 90,000 expected at their game versus the Bulldogs, we will soon find out what they are truly made of.