The final analysis
“That’s what you want for your leaders is for them to stand up” says Brian Lake of his skipper Luke Hodge, who got the ball rolling tonight with the team-lifting opener and ended up kicking 4 majors among 24 touches. “We’ve been playing some good football together.” He looked like he was settling in to do a stand-up set, Lake. Odd cat.
Anyway, the Hawks put their foot on the gas tonight and rarely withdrew. They ended up +70 for disposals, denying Adelaide any fluency, +17 for inside-50s and +8 for tackles. Adelaide won the clearances by 12 and contested possession by the same margin but it was to no avail. They couldn’t hit targets and bar Josh Jenkins’ late splurge, their forwards never made inroads.
Early on it looked as though Adelaide could go with the Hawks but after their opening two goals they were blasted away as Hawthorn flexed its muscles. If Luke Breust (6 goals) didn’t scorethen Luke Hodge did. The first half was like circle work for the Hawks – at least in the eyes of Dockers coach Ross Lyon, who gave an interview in the break – and that’s a situation they can’t expect next week against Fremantle’s zone-breakers.
Best of the rest for the Hawks were Jordan Lewis with 23 touches and 2 goals in a much-improved showing on last week, Sam Mitchell with 33 and Grant Birchall with 25 sweeping up across half back. There’s actually plenty of scope for improvement.
This was the end of a spirited late-season run for Adelaide and you’d think they’ll now bid farewell to midfield star Patrick Dangerfield too. If this is his finals Crows performance it was a good one - 29 possessions and a goal. Scott Thompson (28), Rory Laird (30) and Rory Sloane (24) also put in a shift.
But the Hawks were too good. The question now is how well they cope with the physicality and tactical nous of Fremantle. It promises to be a fascinating Preliminary Final.
Thanks for joining us tonight and make sure you stop by next week for more finals action.
They sure are a happy team at @HawthornFC tonight! #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/7Zrbf5huU0
— #AFLFinals (@AFL) September 18, 2015
It's all over - the Hawks win by 74 points to book a Preliminary Final clash with Fremantle
Hawthorn 21.9 (135) defeated Adelaide 8.13 (61)
It’s all over and quite fittingly, the final passage of play involves Hodge tackling Patrick Dangerfield to the Alastair Clarkson has his heftiest win in a final and the Hawks are off to Perth for a Preliminary Final date with Fremantle. Brave and beautiful for a couple of months, the Crows were outclassed and outdone tonight. No shame in that. They’ve had a super year.
Updated
Hawks goal! 4th quarter (2:30 remaining) Hawthorn 21.9 (135) vs Adelaide 8.11 (59)
This match has become a bit like listening to a Brian Eno album when you’re not in the mood to listen to a Brian Eno album. You know, stuff is happening and you know it’s music but you’re just not really interested. So you switch it off and watch Storage Wars or the last 10 minutes of a Grand Designs episode you’ve already seen. These people are philistines. Not like me. I listen to Brian Eno albums. Why don’t these mugs let me build a tasteful house with their boat loads of cash? How good can a 15 thousand pound bath really be? It looks stupid. Surely that’s a bad start.
Anyway, Kevin McLeod would sneer at this football spectacle and I wouldn’t blame him. It’s turned to pot. After a dismal patch of nothing particularly productive, Taylor Walker kicks a point. 70,879 fans are wondering whether it’s bad form to get up and head for their trains. It’s really not. Finally Breust snaps a goal to break the monotony. He’s got 6 now.
Updated
Crows goal! 4th quarter (11:46 remaining) Hawthorn 20.8 (128) vs Adelaide 8.7 (55)
Jenkins gets another junk time goal - his fourth for the night - and it’s no less than he deserves after a break-out year. He’s also giving the faithful a reason to pull the pom poms out, which is nice.
Hawks goal! 4th quarter (11:46 remaining) Hawthorn 20.8 (128) vs Adelaide 7.7 (49)
Jordan Lewis snaps his second now as Hawthorn continue to take the mickey. If this was a junior lightning premiership there’d be a parent saying it was cruel and calling for an early siren.
Hawks goal! 4th quarter (13:30 remaining) Hawthorn 19.8 (122) vs Adelaide 7.7 (49)
Anything Jenkins can do, Roughead can do a hell of a lot better. He kicks another big bomb that skates through on the bounce but after a dirty day against West Coast last week, he’s hardly set the world alight tonight either. Could he finally burst out of the blocks against Freo? Look out if so.
Updated
Crows goal! 4th quarter (13:56 remaining) Hawthorn 18.8 (116) vs Adelaide 7.7 (49)
Now Rioli marks and hits the post, a real soft contest where he just shoved Smith aside to grab it. With hawthorn so far ahead Wayne Carey has set his sights on knocking them for having the temerity to play against a side who engage in Ross Lyon’s aforementioned circle work. Bit rude of Freo not to show up a week early, wasn’t it?
Ian Swan is the opposite of rude. He’s helpful, explaining jokes that I’m too stupid to grasp. He speaks fluent Adelaidian. “Well, it’s taken me too long, but if a Crows supporter is holding that Kenny Logins sign then it is surely a reference to the Danger Zone. Sadly for the Crows, the 7 commentators have Danger on a different highway completely.”
Jenkins waltzes in to an open goal now. Bit late Josh but thanks for your efforts regardless. Wayne Carey calls him “serviceable” because he’s not allowed to openly mock him.
Updated
Hawks goal! 4th quarter (17:56 remaining) Hawthorn 18.7 (115) vs Adelaide 6.7 (43)
Shiels wheels around on his left and from 60 metres out hits rakish Isaac Smith on the chest. Smith pops it through, the show-off. The only thing left to debate is who’ll miss out next week if Gunston comes back.
Updated
Hawks goal! 4th quarter (19:39 remaining) Hawthorn 17.7 (109) vs Adelaide 6.7 (43)
The final term starts much like the others with Hawthorn burgling a goal 21 minutes from the start when Puopolo runs into a paddock of space and slams through an open goal on the run. His little mate Billy Hartung is on now too, emerging from the sub vest to replace big David Hale.
Brodie Smith has to play as a permanent wingman next year. Has been found out defensively tonight. #AFLHawksCrows
— Andrew Capel (@andrewcapel) September 18, 2015
The Hawks lead by ten goals at the final break
Hawthorn 16.7 (103) vs Adelaide 6.7 (43)
That’s it for an underwhelming third term. Richard Douglas has a 60-metre shot at goal after the siren but his attempted torpedo is a decent metphor for Adelaide’s night; it’s mis-hit and falls comically short. Douglas slumps. He looks stuffed. So does his team.
Jeez they're a beautiful football team. They just keep backing each other. And Hodge is the parklands footballer's footballer. #hawks
— Andrew Faulkner (@AndrewFaulkner9) September 18, 2015
Hawks goal! 3rd quarter (1:57 remaining) Hawthorn 16.7 (103) vs Adelaide 6.7 (43)
Has Sam Mitchell bombed through a goal from outside 50? Or has it hit the post? Whatever the case, it’s great brand exposure for McDonalds, that plucky upstart burger joint whose logo is on the post padding. It’s a behind say the umps and I feel like a quarter pounder. Seen those $9.95 for 24 nuggets signs they’ve got plastered everywhere at the moment? Filth. Kid’s food.
Now Brad Hill has joined the list of goal scorers, shimmying his way towards the sticks and snapping one through on the run after a string of handballs from teammates. The Hawks have slowed a little but they’re 10 goals clear.
Crows goal! 3rd quarter (3:17 remaining) Hawthorn 15.6 (96) vs Adelaide 6.7 (43)
Walker marks 35 metres from goal on the lead but his set shot sprays off the side of the boot and right for a point. “Keep calm and call Kenny Loggins” says a banner in the crowd. It’s held by an Adelaide supporter. They’re a different breed over there. At least they can do some cheering now. Maybe? No, Charlie Cameron misses with a 40-metre set shot. So do others. It’s pretty dire stuff.
Ooh, here’s Josh Jenkins with a sneaky Jarrad Waite style studs in the air as he marks at the top of the goal square type deal. He holds it and then kicks his second. Relatively speaking, the Crows are on a roll here. Start the bus though I reckon.
Crows goal! 3rd quarter (11:13 remaining) Hawthorn 15.6 (96) vs Adelaide 5.3 (33)
Phwoar! Tex Walker’s had a dirty day so far but he kicks a gem here, marking 90 metres out, setting off on a run and then unleashing a huge running goal that bounces through from about 75 metres out. No joke. The camera pans to Tony Modra and the old stager gives a nod of a approval. They should ask him to lace up the boots.
Hawks goal! 3rd quarter (12:21 remaining) Hawthorn 15.6 (96) vs Adelaide 4.3 (27)
Now Hodge gets his fourth, slamming the ball down onto his boot in the goal square when he’d sharked it off the back of the pack. They’re just lining up to score them at this point.
Hawks goal! 3rd quarter (13:14 remaining) Hawthorn 14.6 (90) vs Adelaide 4.3 (27)
We’re deep into rout territory now. Breust was on track to hit Fred Fanning territory earlier but slowed a little. Now he has his fifth after marking 20 metres from goal on a 45 degree angle and just gently guiding it through. It’s about damage limitation for the Crows now. They’ve been flattened tonight.
Hawks goal! 3rd quarter (15:32 remaining) Hawthorn 13.6 (84) vs Adelaide 4.3 (27)
You get the sense that Alastair Clarkson’s half-time address at least brushed on the need to maintain the rage against this skillful Adelaide side because there’s no let-up from the Hawks. Now Hale chips inside for Rioli to take an uncontested mark 25 metres from goal and he makes no mistake with what’s been a rare chance for him. There’s another for the list of Hawk players who’ve been quiet even as the dominance has continued.
The Hawks have scored 69 points from turnovers tonight. They’ve made Adelaide pay.
Hawks goal! 3rd quarter (19:17 remaining) Hawthorn 12.6 (78) vs Adelaide 4.3 (27)
Hawthorn get a dream start to the second half when Jarryd Roughead bursts through the middle and unleashes an almighty punt into the open forward line. It bounces true and straigh through the middle so the Hawks are away. Roughead has barely been a factor yet. It could actually have been worse for the Crows.
The half time stats
There’s no huge surprises here. The Hawks are +52 for disposals, +15 for inside-50s and +6 for tackles. They’ve been calm. They’ve kept the ball off the Crows once they’ve got it and they’ve used it with real intent. The only positives for Adelaide are that they’ve won the clearances +9 and the contested possession +3. It’s what they’ve done with it that’s hurt.
Hawthorn’s best have been Luke Breust (10 touches and 4 goals), Luke Hodge (15 and 3 goals), and Isaac Smith (11 and 1). Sam Mitchell has been everywhere with 16 possessions. Dangerfield has been collossal in what might prove his final performance in Adelaide colours, racking up 21 touches s far to go with his goal. Rory Laird and Scott Thompson have mucked in too but the big issue has been the total non-performance of the Crows’ forwards. They haven’t gotten near it.
Err, thanks Shano.
Check it out !!!! 10 hours ago..... pic.twitter.com/urJx0rt4MO
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) September 18, 2015
Half time - Hawthorn leads by 45 points
Hawthorn 11.6 (72) vs Adelaide 4.3 (27)
“Tonight the role of Carlton will be played by Adelaide” says Ian Swan. Were the Blues the worst Friday night side in living memory this year? They would have to have been close. Anyway, things have improved a little for the Crows but only in the sense that the Hawks go five minutes without a goal as this first half draws to a close. Hawthorn are in the box seat to say the least.
I’ll be back shortly with some stats.
Birchall 17, Hill 13, Smith 13, Burgoyne 14. There you have it. Big 4. #AFLHawksCrows
— Robert Shaw (@shawry_analyst) September 18, 2015
Crows goal! 2nd quarter (7:36 remaining) Hawthorn 11.6 (72) vs Adelaide 4.2 (26)
Interesting. Hodge might be under scrutiny for late contact on Brodie Smith but you heard it here first: he shouldn’t be. Not much he could have done to avoid contact there. The Jackson Review Panel is dismissing that one immediately. No case to answer. The Hodgemeister walks free. He lives to receive another nickname. Hedgehodge. There you go. Awful but it’ll do.
What else is going on? Wayne Carey is getting stuck into Adelaide’s leaders or lack thereof, after early in the night potting, in no particular order, The Herald Sun and Mark Neeld’s playing ability. Anyway, there’s a score review here when Breust engages in a bit of premature jubilation at the line and appears to take a fresh-air shot at a simple put-away in the goalsquare. Replays don’t tell us much, as usual, but they err on the side of caution and call it a point.
“Duryea really must be the worst surname” says Will Macpherson. He’s right I guess. It sounds a bit like something you do in the bathroom, doesn’t it? Speaking of which, Tom Lynch has just flushed another goal for the Crows but they’re still in the poo here.
Maybe if the game improves this blog will as well. It’s a struggle right now.
This was a tight call! It was judged a rushed behind by the man upstairs. http://t.co/35dNSP2dnT
— #AFLFinals (@AFL) September 18, 2015
Updated
Hawks goal! 2nd quarter (11:25 remaining) Hawthorn 11.4 (70) vs Adelaide 3.2 (20)
Hodgey! Hodger! Hodge-dog! Hodge-os! At least one of those is a real nickname. The Hawks skipper has three goals now thanks to a pass from Taylor Duryea, which allows him to spear through a set shot from 25 metres out on a slight angle. He might end up with a bag tonight.
Crows goal! 2nd quarter (14:32 remaining) Hawthorn 10.4 (64) vs Adelaide 3.2 (20)
After conceding the last seven consecutive goals of the game the Crows can’t be fussy about the way they get there own and Tom Lynch’s scrubber here is nothing other than functional. Did it scrape the post? Apparently not. It’s in the book and on the board.
Hawks goal! 2nd quarter (14:56 remaining) Hawthorn 10.4 (64) vs Adelaide 2.2 (14)
Walker thinks he’s marked 40 metres from goal but the short pass hadn’t traveled far enough before he marked it. Worse, his handball to Betts has a comical ending when his pint-sized teammate is gang-tackled to the ground and pinged holding the ball. He couldn’t get a kick in a stampede at the moment, poor Betts. The Hawks are letting him know it too.
Kim from Darwin doesn’t want the pace to let up. “I don’t care who wins as long as they are tired (& if it’s the Hawks, injured) cos next week the “winner” meets Freo,” she says. “I’m looking at cannon fodder tonight.” As she does so Breust goes back and kicks his fourth. This could be a hefty thrashing for the Crows on current trends.
Hawks goal! 2nd quarter (18:02 remaining) Hawthorn 9.4 (58) vs Adelaide 2.2 (14)
Hawthorn continue to dominate possession in the early stages of the term and after an endless ping-pong of handballs and foot passes down the wing and through half-forward, Schoenmakers wins the Rioli lottery and marks 20 metres from goal, directly in front. That’s a piece of cake for him so the Hawks get another. They’ll post a cricket score at this rate.
Meanwhile, I have some fans. I think. Hey, you take what you can get okay?
@rustyjacko when the choice is Alvin and the chipmunks or AFL live blog... Good evening Russell!
— phil withall (@phil_withall) September 18, 2015
A few quick stats from the opening term
The Hawks are +37 for disposals, +10 for I50s, and lead the marks inside 50 by a damning margin of 9-0. How do the Crows claw back? They’re being hammered right now. They engaged in a shoot-out and it’s not working for them.
Individual stars are Birchall (13 touches, not 14 as I’d said earlier), Hodge (10 and 2 goals) and Luke Breust (3 goals). Dangerfield’s 11 possessions and goal make him Adelaide’s best but he’s had precious few helpers.
Quarter time - the Hawks are smashing Adelaide early
Hawks goal on the siren! - Hawthorn 8.4 (52) vs Adelaide 2.2 (14)
This has been a nightmare opening term for Adelaide after such a promising start. I feel a bit foolish for talking up the contest. Grant Birchall is sweeping up anything the Crow forwards are offered right now. He’s got 14 touches and plenty of mates. Worse, Jordan Lewis marks 35 metres out - after the siren if you ask me - and nails the resultant set shot. That’s Hawthorn’s equal best opening quarter in a final. Ever. This game could be over already.
Hawks goal! 1st quarter (3:22 remaining) Hawthorn 7.2 (44) vs Adelaide 2.2 (14)
Oh no. Breust has another now after Roughead crashes over a big pack and the ball spills over the top to the unmarked goalsneak. He’s having a field day in this first quarter - three goals already from four shots. At the other end Eddie Betts hasn’t had a touch. This is slipping away quickly for Adelaide.
Back to Midsomer, then. #AFLHawksCrows
— Tony Tea (@AfterGrogBlog) September 18, 2015
Hawks goal! 1st quarter (6:02 remaining) Hawthorn 6.2 (38) vs Adelaide 2.2 (14)
Walker crashes a pack to create a crumb for Thompson but the Crows midfielder misses with the snap at goal that follows. Reader Ian Swan isn’t happy about that Jenkins goal before and I don’t blame him. “If Gil is busy looking at the centre bounce, could he look at deliberate out of bounds whist he’s at it?” he asks.
Meanwhile, Adelaide appear to have thrown a spare man into defence for the time being, which is sound logic given the momentum of the game. Oh dear, it’s ended up being a lot better in theory than practice. There’s a ruck contest 2o metres from Hawthorn’s goal. Hale taps is down towards Luke Hodge and without so much as a hand on him Hodge snaps his second goal. He’s been everywhere, Hodge. At present the Crows are heading nowhere.
I know it's the way Adelaide play but it's madness to try and outscore Hawthorn in a shootout. Absolute madness.
— Andrew (@andrew_54) September 18, 2015
Updated
Hawks goal! 1st quarter (8:22 remaining) Hawthorn 5.2 (32) vs Adelaide 2.1 (13)
Adelaide have to watch this. They’re fighting fire with fire but they’re also playing incredibly loose defensive footy and with a line of Hawks to pick from, Jordan Lewis chips a pass into the open Breust and he marks 20 metres from goal and then puts through his second in a minute. The Crows need to tighten this up and quick.
Hawks goal! 1st quarter (9:22 remaining) Hawthorn 4.2 (26) vs Adelaide 2.1 (13)
Oof, Suckling hits the post with a left foot snap after the re-start as both sides continue to surge. I was joking about the 90s before but it feels like we’re back there. Where’s my Stussy hat? Whack some Happy Mondays on the stereo. Luke Breust is happy. He marks 26 metres from goal and strokes it through with the easiest kicking motion in footy. The Hawks are two goals clear. This is Keating era footy.
Crows goal! 1st quarter (11:08 remaining) Hawthorn 3.1 (19) vs Adelaide 2.1 (13)
DANGER!!! HIGH VOLTAGE!!! Patrick Dangerfield has had 7 touches so far and he produces a finals gem here, gathering Sam Mitchell’s smothered kick right near the boundary 25 metres out and then puts a gap on his opponent before threading the perfect checkside over the umpire’s hat from the impossible angle. That was an absolute belter. So is this game.
Hawks goal! 1st quarter (12:39 remaining) Hawthorn 3.1 (19) vs Adelaide 1.1 (7)
Now Adelaide pump it forward again through Richard Douglas and Riley Knight has a genuine chance to volley another goal through from 15 metres out but he shanks it right. The Hawks clear and then attack themselves but Rory Laird is superb in both holding off livewire Cyril Rioli and also reeling in a one-handed mark with the pressure coming. Great stuff.
If you wondered whether Adelaide would try and replicate West Coast’s pressure acts from last week there’s an emphatic answer when Charlie Cameron tackles Josh Gibson ferociously, riding him into the ground like a rodeo clown. Not much he can do about Isaac Smith’s goal 20 seconds later though. Smith burns off all comers and smashes it through from 40 metres out on the run. This game is frenetic - everything we hoped for and more.
Hawks goal! 1st quarter (16:15 remaining) Hawthorn 2.1 (13) vs Adelaide 1.0 (6)
Hawthorn strike back straight away thanks to the trusty left boot of Matt Suckling, whose raking drop punt from 65 metres out flies over the head of Brad Hill into the open forward 50 and bounces through for a goal. There’s a review because it might have been touched but the umps say it’s all good. A shoot-out then? You betcha.
Crows goal! 1st quarter (17:14 remaining) Hawthorn 1.1 (7) vs Adelaide 1.0 (6)
Ooh, Adelaide go forward and under severe pressure from Jenkins running towards his own defensive goal, Birchall scrubs a kick that goes over the line and quite outrageously - and I can’t stress that enough - he’s pinged for a deliberate out of bounds. Absurd. Nonsense. Awful stuff. Jenkins grabs the ball, runs around the mark and dobs it on his left. The Crows are away and the umps have given them a real lift there.
Hawks goal! 1st quarter (18:16 remaining) Hawthorn 1.1 (7) vs Adelaide 0.0 (0)
Aaand we’re off. Dangerfield wins the first clear possession of the night but Hawthorn swing it forward immediately and Breust marks 30 metres from goal by the boundary and his shot floats across the face for a minor score. But there’s a huge clanger for the Crows when Hodge intercepts Brodie Smith’s errant kick-in and from 40 metres, threads a team-lifting goal.
The Hawks players are rapt with that and swarm their skipper like seagulls around a hot chip. Hawthorn get first blood. Or the chip. Whatever metaphor you prefer really.
The toss
After a rousing national anthem, Luke Hodge and Tex Walker meet in the middle of the ground for the toss and after winning it, Hodge elects to kick towards the city end. I think. It’s a bit hard to tell these days. Anyway, we’re under way in a matter of minutes.
Got something controversial to say?
Whack the official finals hashtag on a tweet and go for your life. We’re five minutes from the opening bounce now. I’ll be honest, there’s only so much more Cameron Ling I can handle. Let’s get this thing started.
Great work @TheHeraldSun! Fan Tweets and calls to action on pre-game LEDs #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/1dtXEpKZYH
— Jonno Simpson (@JonnoSimpson) September 18, 2015
With 10 minutes until the opening bounce both teams are now out on the ground
And in a psychological hammer blow, Adelaide have taken the soft option and pre-cut their banner to avoid any crepe-paper-inflicted injuries. The Hawks? They take their time emerging from the sheds and then...even worse, their banner isn’t pre-cut but they just lift it up and duck under. Disgraceful. What is happening to footballers? They’re going soft, that’s what.
Remember the days when banners were only one gust of wind from being destroyed completely and players hammered through them like Japanese game show contestants? Now that was football. Now, to find my slippers...
#PlayYourRole pic.twitter.com/uflbZoPp3V
— #AFLFinals (@AFL) September 18, 2015
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Another sweater update
And this wouldn’t even rank in the Top 100 tasteless garments that Derm has worn, you’d have to say. Good on him for having a go anyway.
Derm loves the AFL's new ugly sweaters! What do we think? #AFLfinals @afl @HawthornFC pic.twitter.com/UVrBfL0J33
— 1116 SEN Footy (@SENfooty) September 18, 2015
Our first reader email
And it’s live blog regular Brendan Brown, who I can inform you is indeed a real person and not a character I’ve made up to make it look like I have mates. I really don’t have mates. Brendan is just a nice guy. And real. Totally real.
Anyway, Melbourne’s east isn’t Crow-friendly territory according to Brendan. “I hope the score tonight is closer than that at Vermont Primary’s Footy Finals Fever day today. Hawthorn (supporters) 79. Adelaide 0.” They were all on buses coming down the Western Highway, I guess.
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson has stopped briefly for an interview with Seven, meanwhile. He says the key tonight is limiting the supply of ball into Adelaide’s forward half, which is hardly a revelation for the ages but I suppose we can’t expect him to give away any real tactical insights on national TV. “If they get supply and open supply...they’ll really hurt ya,” he concludes. He also said something about moth balls, which has reminded me that I forgot to pick up the dry cleaning. More insights like that as they’re at hand.
In truth, this isn’t even as bad as Hawthorn’s clash strip
Surely not @SpudSays @jamesfrawley8 @HawthornFC pic.twitter.com/E7zMdaSyyk
— Triple M Footy (@triplemfooty) September 18, 2015
Some coaching scuttlebutt
Hearing this talk of a Worsfold-McKenna coaching dream team at Essendon? That’d be something, wouldn’t it? Maybe they could bring Don Pyke along. The last time he went down to Windy Hill he ended up in a headlock thanks to a Bombers fan.
Skip to the 9 min 40 sec mark here for some early 90s footy lunacy.
Tonight’s teams
There’s no late changes for either side but I like the look of Hawthorn’s inclusions; hard-running Bill Hartung and the severely underrated Ryan Schoenmakers, a versatile swingman who could have a real impact tonight, perhaps putting the clamp down on Josh Jenkins.
Hawthorn
Ben Stratton, Brian Lake, James Frawley, Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Shaun Burgoyne, Bradley Hill, Sam Mitchell, Liam Shiels, Cyril Rioli, Ryan Schoenmakers, Isaac Smith, Luke Breust, Jarryd Roughead, Paul Puopolo, David Hale, Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis, Matthew Suckling, Ben McEvoy, Taylor Duryea. SUB: Billy Hartung
Adelaide
Kyle Hartigan, Daniel Talia, Rory Laird, David Mackay, Kyle Cheney, Luke Brown, Ricky Henderson, Scott Thompson, Brodie Smith, Eddie Betts, Taylor Walker, Charlie Cameron, Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Richard Douglas, Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Patrick Dangerfield, Nathan Van Berlo, Riley Knight, Matt Crouch. SUB: Jarryd Lyons
Heading out for the warm-up. Only 40 minutes to go! #weflyasone #AFLfinals pic.twitter.com/rmFaK8nkG6
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) September 18, 2015
Premable
Hello all and welcome to week two of the AFL finals. I’m not sure how much poetic wisdom I’ll manage but it is indeed Russell Jackson here, joining you for this knock-out clash between Hawthorn and Adelaide. Will it be a shoot-out or a shut-down? Can the Crows’ admirable charge continue? Are the Hawks out of gas in their search for a three-peat or was last week just an aberration? Those questions and more will be answered tonight; questions like “who is playing in the Preliminary final?”
Right, down to business first. Got a joke or a tip or just want to vent your spleen? Hit me via email on russell.jackson@theguardian or Twitter ( @rustyjacko ) with an update of how you’re getting in the mood.
The highlight of the contest so far for me was the Perth-based Adelaide supporter who has flown down to Melbourne for the game and just appeared on Nine news. “I’m unemployed now,” he said with a slightly confusing smile. “Just lost my job so I thought I’d follow the Crows around.” Next to him, his partner just clenched her teeth and grinned awkwardly. Gold.
Anyway, Hodgey and the Hawks boys are on the box now. They’re sitting in three neat rows listening to their coach. All look rapt. Not really, but at least they’re not listening to Wayne Carey. Or reading this.
I’ll be back soon with tonight’s teams.
Russell will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what he wrote earlier today on tonight’s big game:
Outgunned by the Eagles last weekend, Hawthorn now face the very real prospect of joining the exclusive and unwanted group of reigning Premiers who’ve failed to win a final. They barely turned up against West Coast and with key forward Jack Gunston now missing, they have to win one game more than they’d hoped to reach the summit again.
You can read more of Russell’s poetic wisdom about tonight’s game, and the Sydney-North Melbourne clash, here.
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