The Hawks are the mystery team of the competition. Most commentators pick them as the only team capable of upsetting the pies, though when pushed to name a ladder, most have them outside the top 4. Mysterious, no?The Hawks are messing with their minds. Luckily all right thinking people don't need to make such decisions, to weigh up pros and cons, we simply know Hawthorn will upset more than just the pies in 2011. We know it in our hearts, in our minds, and in that mysterious soul-spirit in...

Extra time? How about best of three with the first two games played at the spiritual homes of the teams on the same day. The hordes have to get from one suburb, state to the next in the same day. A wave of supporters makes its way across Australia. Sort of like the Warriors – look it up – a classic. It was a wonderful see-sawing game though I never got over thinking the pies were going to go away with it – well halfway through the last quarter. But a pies win still seemed likely. In my...

The Hawks are the mystery team of the competition. Most commentators pick them as the only team capable of upsetting the pies, though when pushed to name a ladder, most have them outside the top 4. Mysterious, no?The Hawks are messing with their minds. Luckily all right thinking people don't need to make such decisions, to weigh up pros and cons, we simply know Hawthorn will upset more than just the pies in 2011. We know it in our hearts, in our minds, and in that mysterious soul-spirit in...

Rioli was just one more disappointment to Hawthorn coming out of the loss last week.   Even the umpires were unimpressed charging him for attempting to strike. They got him for striking too, but so earnest and ineffectual were his other attempts they chose to highlight his efforts. After they took his number they did this kind of fake melee of fresh air shots. Oh, how they laughed. Mitchell and Hodge offered him commiserations showing the boy how to shape up like a man. But Brownie,...