Contrasting styles make Hawthorn and Sydney the perfect combatants for the 2012 grand final. It will be might against might and promises to provide a classic.
The Hawks play with surgical flair driven by a gifted set of left-foot midfielders. They’re precise when loose and clinical under pressure. They finished on top because they routinely find a teammate. Around the packs, they don’t panic yet stand their ground.
The Swans are gritty and rugged at the man and the ball. They exude pressure and absorb it greedily. They excel at contested possession and relish stoppages. The ball is always in dispute.
Hawthorn won seventeen home and away games to finish on top. That suggests a great season and overall, the suggestion is correct. There were troublesome times though.
No one seems to remember they had won just two games after five rounds and spent rounds four to seven outside the eight. After losing to Richmond by 62-points in round nine Hawthorn was eighth with five wins and four losses.
The season which began with premiership favouritism was calamity…
Back in round ten, Hawthorn turned their season around with a 115-point win over North Melbourne at York Park in Tasmania. Their only loss since then was by two points to Geelong in round nineteen.
In 2012, Hawthorn has had more shots at goal than any other club. They move the ball swiftly by foot and hand. The most skilful club in the competition, they play a high possession game and spread well into space, ensuring loose men everywhere.
The Hawks play a basic form of keepings off. It requires gut running through the midfield to create free space. It’s an exciting, effective game plan executed by adept, hard and seasoned men.
Only pressure beats skill, and that is how Sydney plays. For seven consecutive weeks, rounds fifteen to twenty-one they were on top. That’s a consistent football club eking out an existence without flair.
Sydney plays more like Adelaide than any other club, which must give them a lot of confidence. And it was against Hawthorn, back in round five, that Sydney first showed their quality.
After trailing by 20-points at half time, the Swans held Hawthorn scoreless in the third term and won by 37-points. After five rounds the Swans were undefeated.
Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson was stunned by the turnaround. ‘I’ve come out of this game thinking that Sydney are an outstanding football side,’ he said. ‘We tried different things in the third and fourth quarters but they continued to respond to the challenge amazingly well.’
Clarkson went further, and really touched on how the AFL community rated Sydney at the start of the season.
‘I think no one really knew until today just how good a side they’re gonna be,’ Clarkson said.
Sydney has tough, relentless footballers who don’t allow freedom or flair. They are uncompromising at the stoppages, mauling their opponents on the inside.
‘Sydney has been a good side for a long period of time,’ Clarkson said. ‘But they’ve just added some things this year that have just taken them another step up the ladder.’
Now Sydney is playing in another grand final, their fourth in seventeen years.
Their coach John Longmire maintained the pressure and defence implemented by his predecessor Paul Roos. Unlike Roos though, Longmire likes to score. Sydney, under Longmire, is doing all the defensive stuff that wins premierships. The difference is their ability to score.
The Swans are the fifth best attacking team but importantly, they’re first in defence. It is a neat mix.
There are vulnerabilities. The Swans have a working class midfield. Men like Josh Kennedy, Jude Bolton, Kieran Jack and Ryan O’Keefe get plenty of the ball and they’re talented but they lack the precision of their opponents.
The Swans are capable up forward. Lewis Jetta (45 goals), Adam Goodes (36) and Sam Reid (30) have been good. Unfortunately Ben McGlynn will miss with a hamstring injury, and he kicked 30 goals for the season.
Capable up forward is fine against most clubs, but Hawthorn has class up forward. They are far more potent. Lance Franklin (66 goals), Luke Breust (43), Jarryd Roughead (41), Cyril Rioli (39) and Jack Gunston (37) will provide heart stopping moments for the Swans.
Hawthorn’s only vulnerability is deep in defence. Ryan Shoenmakers is the weakest link, perhaps the only defender capable of being exposed. He can get lost on the lead or lose body contact in the marking contest. So Sydney must expose him.
The Swans must keep Josh Gibson accountable. If Longmire can reduce Gibson’s effectiveness at spoiling, it could help Sydney win the premiership.
Of course, the Swans must kick goals, a lot of them which may not be easy on a day expected to be wet and windy. No matter the conditions, Hawthorn will kick at least thirteen goals. And it must be mentioned that Hawthorn has the third best defence in the competition.
Had Hawthorn been playing Collingwood or Adelaide it’d be a certainty. Sydney is the only team capable of defeating Hawthorn and that is why the 2012 grand final should be compelling.
Hawthorn should win but that’s not to say Sydney should lose.
