Hawthorn aims to defeat Gold Coast in Darwin three days ahead of schedule as Sam Mitchell looks to turn around his team’s performance in the Top End.
The Hawks have solidified their position within the top four of the AFL following their third consecutive triumph with a scoreline of 13.13 (91) against 7.14 (56) over Melbourne on Saturday.
However, they are cautious about their upcoming task after suffering a 67-point defeat when they last visited TIO Stadium against the Suns in 2022.
“About a couple of years back, we visited and didn’t manage it as effectively as we would have liked as a club,” Mitchell stated.
We’re heading over a bit early to get some training done and to allocate some time for that.
We’re heading up on Monday, fully prepped and ready. We both have a five-day gap, which works for Gold Coast too.
The situation is similar for both sides, and we’re excited about heading to Darwin to really challenge one of the top-performing teams in the league.
Star defender Tom Barrass will join the expanded Hawks team heading to Darwin, making his comeback after sitting out during round nine.
Calsher Dear gets an opportunity to participate in his inaugural senior game for the season, after making three VFL appearances upon returning from injury; meanwhile, the in-form seasoned player Jack Gunston might get some rest.
Jarman Impey will definitely be absent for the Suns match since he and his wife Annabelle are expecting the birth of their first child.
“He’s getting close to his deadline, and since Darwin is so far out, we can’t afford to take such a risky chance with someone of his caliber,” Mitchell stated.
Family comes first, and with Mother’s Day being on Sunday, we want to ensure this upcoming week is truly special for him.
It has been clear to him for some time now that he wouldn’t be playing in this game.
We will evaluate whether we do this alongside a few others within the next 48 hours.
In the last three weeks, Hawthorn has defeated lower-ranked teams West Coast, Richmond, and Melbourne, improving their seasonal record to 7 wins and 2 losses.
However, they haven’t shown their best form yet and have lost their last two encounters against Gold Coast by an average margin of 10 goals.
“From what we can see so far, we have structured our season rather nicely on the ladder,” Mitchell stated.
Haven’t we had moments of exceptionally brilliant football this year? There were a few stretches in several games where I believe we’ve excelled.
However, we haven’t assembled this impressive and phenomenal team that is dominating opposing sides.
Every coach dreams of achieving this ideal world.
“But we’ve been close to the highest pressure team in the competition, so we are getting down and dirty when we need to, and we’re being able to win in a really tough and physical manner most of the time.”
