THE Hawks, resolute in making their first AFL finalsappearance in six years, have stuck with a proven formula for this Saturday’s bigmatch against St Kilda at Telstra Dome.
The Hawthorn match committee has made no change to the 22that thrashed Richmondby 53 points last round.
Trent Croad has been selected at centre-half back and ismost likely to get the role on dangerous St Kilda forward Nick Riewoldt.
Inexperienced defender Stephen Gilham will have the tough jobof curbing irritable Saint Fraser Gehrig.
St Kilda has made just one change for the round 16 match,recalling Max Hudghton, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, at theexpense of veteran Andrew Thompson.
Lively forward Matthew Little, key-position player BrentRenouf and running player Travis Tuck are the only additions to the Hawks’ extendedsquad, and have been named as emergencies.
It’s the first time this season Little, 21, and Renouf, 19, havebeen included on the senior team selection sheet.
Little was recruited from the Calder Under-18s and was theHawks’ second-round selection - 26thoverall – in the 2004 NAB AFL National Draft.
Renouf, an athletic ruckman, hails from Queenslandand is a graduate of the AIS-AFLAcademy.
With good endurance and an exceptional vertical leap, Renoufrepresented Queenslandin the NAB AFL Under-18s National Championships in 2005 and last year.
A member of Southport’sAFLQ premiership side in 2006, he was selected at No.24 overall in last year’snational draft.
Hawthornteam
B: Brent Guerra, Stephan Gilham, Rick Ladson
HB: Grant Birchall, Trent Croad, Campbell Brown
C: Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis, Joel Smith
HF: Sam Mitchell, Mitchell Thorp, Shane Crawford
F: Ben Dixon, Jarryd Roughead, Lance Franklin
FOLL: Robert Campbell, Brad Sewell, Chance Bateman
I/C:Xavier Ellis, BenMcGlynn, Simon Taylor, ClintonYoung
EMG: Matt Little, Brent Renouf, Travis Tuck
No change
