Don’t get me wrong, winning anywhere is a fantastic feeling but when you travel together to the other side of the country as we did last week, there is a real sense that you are on a mission together and the satisfaction you get from completing that mission is one of the real joys of team sport.
That said, our game against Fremantle was a pretty tough encounter. We had to be pretty determined to overcome them and they played good footy and fought hard for the whole night. We had a good 10 minute patch in the second quarter that was probably the difference in the end.
There is no doubt that when you play away at a ground like Subiaco, it is always a hard game to win whether it is Fremantle or West Coast.
One of our more inspirational players last week was Chance Bateman who only played half a game the week before against Essendon but came out as one of our best on ground.
‘Changa’ is a durable guy and he worked his extremely hard for the whole game, especially in the first half when the whips were cracking. He rolled the sleeves up and he and Brad Sewell led the way with their work rate.
Another to impress me was Ben McGlynn. ‘Hoopy’ had the task of running with Paul Hasleby who has been in brilliant form and got the job done.
It has added another string to his bow and I’ve spoken a bit in this column about our young guys getting their chances this year. They are getting a number of games under their belt which bodes well for their experience.
This week we’ve got the Demons and they are playing some really good football and it will be a significant challenge for us.
They have taken it right up to some really good teams this season. They have been working the ball out of their back half really well. They have a lot of run and a lot of young guys keen to win. We have to make sure we are on our mettle.
This week is also special for the fact it is AFL Indigenous Round. At Hawthorn we have an exciting group of indigenous players and I know this week means a lot to them.
I spoke before about Changa’s work ethic, but we’ve also got some fine young men at our club such as Cyril Rioli, Mark Williams, Lance Franklin, Cameron Stokes and Carl Peterson who are all so proud that the indigenous contribution to the game is officially recognised each year.
