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Worth persisting?: King and Cornes debate the Hawks' four-tall gamble
Jaiden Sciberras • August 4th, 2025 8:00 pm
Hawthorn’s decision to play all four key forwards didn’t quite go to plan, but it may be a setup worthy of persistence.
The Hawks fell agonisingly short of a major top four shaping win, losing by 14 points in a wild Friday night battle with the Crows, but how much of that result falls on the shoulders of the four talls?
Their counting stats don’t paint the prettiest picture, with Calsher Dear substituted out of the contest with just three disposals and zero marks in over a half, while Mabior Chol and Mitch Lewis combined for 16 disposals, five marks and two goals.
Jack Gunston certainly proved his importance, booting four majors from his 10 touches, however the Hawks could only amount 87 points against a rock solid Adelaide defence.
The Hawks laid 10 forward 50 tackles, just one short of their season average, while also only taking 10 marks inside 50, over three short of their average. Mabior Chol, introduced primarily to operate as a secondary ruckman, managed just four hit outs and six turnovers, while also delivering three clearances and a goal.
Hawthorn also played out a scoreless quarter for the first time since 2023, and their first scoreless second term since 2004.
It was a gamble that didn’t quite pay off, however it was far from a calamity, and having come so close to victory against such strong opposition, is it a gamble worth doubling down on?
Discussing their forward half operation, SEN’s Kane Cornes believes that while it was a risk worth taking, it may not be one worth persisting with given the importance of their remaining fixtures.
“I didn’t think it was a wise thing to do,” Cornes told SEN Fireball.
“I got the reasoning behind it, and why that decision was made. It certainly made sense, but when you actually try to put that into action, there’s just always one of the four that is going to be starving, and that’s what happened.
“It was probably more than one of the four that was going to be starving. In the end, they opted to sub Dear out and bring (James) Worpel on, they were getting smacked up around the footy so you can understand why they made that decision.
“Where to now? It’s not an easy fix for them. They won’t play four, I don’t think they can afford to play four, but which one misses out?”
Fireball co-host David King disagreed with Cornes, stating that although the Hawks couldn’t muster a win, the set-up wasn’t as disastrous as it was made it out be.
King: “I didn’t think they were too bad. I thought they played a pretty good game of footy; they just ran into a pretty hot team.”
Cornes: “Holistically, it was a strong impressive performance away from home against a very, very good side, with Will Day banged up.
“With all of that going on, they were pretty impressive, but the four talls, which three do you think they’ll land on, or will they go for four again”
King: “It was far from disastrous.
“They played a pretty good game of footy. It wouldn’t surprise me if they went with the same thing again. Day goes out, will they bring in (Luke) Breust? He was taken out of the VFL on the weekend.”
Cornes: “He’s probably the ideal sub. I think Worpel is going to have to play. (Cam) Mackenzie maybe.”
King: “I wouldn’t play Worpel. I’m getting aggressive with what you’ve already got with your half forwards.
“I think (Dylan) Moore needs to spend a bit of time in the middle, I think they’ve got to get more out of ‘the Wizard’ (Nick Watson), you’ve got to get more ball in his hands, get him around the action a bit more.
“That’s where I’d be going.”
With three games remaining, the Hawks remain incredibly vulnerable of falling out of the eight, just a game ahead of the ninth placed Bulldogs with Collingwood awaiting this Thursday night.
