Timing is everything in life. I’ve been blessed to follow the Hawks over the last 38 years as they have enjoyed two, once-in-a-lifetime dynasties.
But dawdling towards the MCG with my four-year-old, Max, I started to worry that he might have some hard years ahead of him as a newly minted Hawks obsessive.As has been widely discussed – and rather enthusiastically in many quarters - the Hawks are undergoing a renovation and those in charge have decided to whip out a few load-bearing walls early on. They were coming up against a red-hot Adelaide team today and a loss would see many ruling a line through the Hawks for 2017 and beyond. I couldn’t help but feel I was bringing Max to one of the great parties just as everyone was packing up and going home.
We wandered past the statue of KB, admiring the sense of movement that the sculptor had captured. Max was genuinely interested to hear he had played the most games ever on the `G. He was also taken with Shane Warne. How do you explain Shane Warne to a four-year-old? “He could bowl a bit,” I mumbled as we kept moving. Hopefully Max could find a less complex role model inside the stadium.
Max insisted on sitting as close to the banner and the mascot as possible, so we wandered down to the left forward pocket. While difficult to see the far side of the ground, we were suddenly treated to a Hawks onslaught right in front of us as our boys skipped out to a four-goal lead.
Adelaide looked a bit fumbly, and the effort and skill of the Hawks made me realise that great players like Breust, Roughy, Cyril and Isaac Smith still combine to make a seriously good side. The key additions of Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara were adding grunt and presence around the ball-ups that we lacked last year. Perhaps the best coach of the last decade did know what he was doing after all.
Max was doing extremely well concentrating on the game, working through the nuts and bolts of where the score was on the scoreboard, where the interchange was and how to get a bottle of drink back that has rolled into the row in front. The genuine excitement when Poppy took a massive hanger to our left was a lovely moment. He’s hooked.
A couple of positional shifts and some hot chips got us through the rest of a game that panned out as expected. The sides were evenly matched through the second and third quarters, but the highlights were all Adelaide’s. Eddie Betts really is worth going to watch, while Sam Jacobs looked the difference. Once the Hawks lost a few runners to injury we were in strife and the Crows eased out to a comfortable victory.
Doughnut in hand, Max and I trudged away, kicking a mini ball towards the station. “It was a bad game,” he said frowning.
He was quite indifferent as the Hawks crashed out to the Dogs last year on the telly, but now the losses have started to sting. In a way this made me happy, and I for one had enjoyed our afternoon together, introducing him to old traditions while watching two great sides.
While the great party of ’08 to ’16 is probably over, Max still has many great days in front of him watching the Hawks at the `G. It will be a privilege to take him on part of his football watching journey. Particularly if he learns to sit on his own seat.
Ned Wilson has led a charmed life of Hawthorn bliss. He loves taking his tribe – all three of them – to the footy, even if it means he’s their living bean bag.
HAWTHORN 6.2 8.3 11.10 13.11 (89)
ADELAIDE 2.2 5.8 11.14 16.17 (113)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Breust 4, Puopolo 3, Roughead 2, Mitchell, Shiels, Vickery, Rioli
Adelaide: Betts 3, Mackay 3, Walker 2, Lynch, Jacobs, Cameron, Atkins, McGovern, Otten, Sloane, Brown
BEST
Hawthorn: Mitchell, O'Meara, Puopolo, Gunston, Burgoyne
Adelaide: Jacobs, Sloane, Smith, Mackay, Crouch, Betts, Talia
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Shiels (left leg), Smith (leg), Birchall (jaw)
Adelaide: Jenkins (ribs)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Nicholls, Mitchell
Official crowd: 37,420 at the MCG