THE SIZE of Alastair Clarkson's challenge to transform Ty Vickery into a David Hale clone is laid bare in a series of revealing statistics from the opening three rounds.

Champion Data rates the ex-Tiger tall as "poor" or "below average" in several key statistical areas as both a ruckman and forward in his underwhelming three games as a Hawk.

Vickery, 26, arrived at Waverley Park on a two-year deal reportedly worth $500,000 a season. He is not the first footballer to battle early in a fresh environment.

Leigh Brown, who performed a similar role, took time to adjust after crossing from Fremantle to North Melbourne before eventually becoming a premiership player with Collingwood.

Vickery's 2017 percentages for hit-out winning (37.7) and hit-outs to advantage (24.1) narrowly fail to match Hale's (39.7, 25.6) and new ruck partner Ben McEvoy's (38.7, 25.4) in their time at Hawthorn.

The respective competition averages this year are 45.6 and 29.5.

Ty Vickery as a ruckman in 2017

Where Vickery comes up well short of Hale and McEvoy is in score involvements and launches – rating "poor" in each category.

He is so below par in score involvements that he ranks among the Hawks' defenders with just 2.7 per contest, the same number as Ben Stratton.

Twenty-one teammates average at least three.

Hale, like Vickery, was a top-10 draft pick, stands above 200cm and changed clubs – from North Melbourne – to become an integral part of Hawthorn's flag three-peat between 2013 and 2015.

Hale even spent considerable time as the Hawks' No.1 ruckman when Max Bailey was injured, averaging 17.3 hit-outs and almost a goal per match across his 108 games for the club.

But he was seen at VFL level in his first season with Hawthorn.

Vickery and McEvoy struggled as a combination against Essendon, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. The Hawks are ranked 17th in clearances and 10th in total hit-outs this year. 

Crow Sam Jacobs enjoyed what his coach Don Pyke described as a career-best game at their expense in round two.

Jonathon Ceglar is possibly Hawthorn's best ruck option, but he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in round 22 last year and is set to miss most of this season.

Behind them is 20-year-old three-gamer Marc Pittonet, Melbourne discard Jack Fitzpatrick and 2016 draftee Mitchell Lewis.

Compounding their problems is the banning of the 'third man up', a tactic in which ex-club star and new Demon Jordan Lewis was a specialist.

Richmond coaches appear to have given up on Vickery as a serious ruck option at the end of his second year in 2010, when he spent 69 per cent of game time in that role.

That percentage dwindled to just 15 per cent last year, but is back up to 46 per cent with the Hawks.

Former Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams, who spent four years with Vickery as a Tigers assistant, told SEN in January the ruckman-forward would bring some strong attributes.

"His marking ability inside 50 is outstanding and he's an excellent shot for goal, and if you compare this with resting ruckmen up the ground, he's better than them," Williams said.

Vickery is yet to display those traits, given he has not taken a contested mark this season, has just one mark inside 50 and has kicked 1.3.

Ty Vickery as a forward in 2017

"At the end of the day, you walk into any new environment and they're only going to judge you off what they see from that time forward," Vickery told AFL.com.au in the pre-season.

"I've made sure I've really put in a good pre-season. I've done everything I can in my power so far to set myself up for good performances to fit into the team."