Having reached the end of a difficult opening seven-game stretch with six wins in the bank, the Hawks now face the developing Greater Western Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne in successive weeks. Three big wins are almost assured, but the focus within the Hawthorn camp will be on continuing to follow game plans and disciplines. The Giants will look to compete for as long as possible, and should at least better their 162-point loss to Alastair Clarkson's men last year.
WHERE AND WHEN: Aurora Stadium, Saturday May 18, 2.10pm
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide
LAST TIME
R15, 2012, Hawthorn 28.25 (193) d Greater Western Sydney 4.7 (31) at the MCG
THE SIX POINTS
1. In the round 15 thrashing of the Giants last season, Jarryd Roughead booted six goals and Lance Franklin four, before tearing his hamstring – an injury that saw the star spend six weeks on the sidelines. Matt Suckling, out of this season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, was the leading ball winner with 35 disposals.
2. Hawthorn has won 11 of its past 13 games at Aurora Stadium, and is 1-0 there this season, having accounted for Fremantle in round four. The Giants will be playing in Launceston for the first time, taking their tally of venues played at to 13 in less than two years of existence. It will also become the 25th different ground that veteran GWS coach Kevin Sheedy has coached at.
3. Hawthorn is the second-ranked team offensively this season, kicking an average of 115 points per game. GWS is ranked 15th, averaging only 80 points per game. At the other end, the Giants have the bottom-ranked defence, conceding an average of 140 points per game. The Hawks are ranked seventh.
4. No team has tackled less this season than the Giants, who have laid 341 at an average of 48.7 per game. Hawthorn ranks ninth in the AFL, having laid an average of 60.4 tackles per game.
5. Hawthorn has 10 players ranked in the top 80 of the newly-created Official AFL Player Ratings, more than any other club. They are: Cyril Rioli (ranked six), Lance Franklin (10), Sam Mitchell (12), Jarryd Roughead (28), Luke Breust (40), Luke Hodge (53), Shaun Burgoyne (59), Brad Sewell (75), Grant Birchall (76) and Jordan Lewis (80). The young Giants have only Callan Ward (22) in the top 200.
6. In Suckling's absence, Clarkson has used Sam Mitchell in a playmaking role at half-back, and he and Grant Birchall have formed a lethal combination. The pair rank second and third in the league for uncontested possessions, behind only Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes. Between them, they average 39.9 uncontested possessions per game, setting the Hawks up with their damaging foot skills.
