Sam Mitchell, senior coach of Hawthorn, has addressed the media in advance of the Hawks’ matchup with GWS at Manuka Oval on Sunday afternoon.
At the press conference on Friday, Mitchell discussed the Giants, a few contract extensions within the team, and an outstanding forward.
Below is a summary of the main ideas.
On the Giants
They’re in excellent shape. They are a difficult team to scout because they have some amazing individual talent but they also play a really clear system and are a really well-organised team, so we’re going to have our work cut out for us. They have won their last four games, and they were all victories in all different ways as well.
On how important the match-up is
“We’ve been in a stretch where each game has tremendous significance. When you have a young side, you try to impart various experiences and absorb as much information as you can in a short amount of time. Our team values important games greatly because they keep our season going, and every game matters. We remain outside the eight because some of the other games have gone our way or not. We understand that in order to advance, we will need to maintain our winning streak against the team ahead of us in the ladder.
On Conor Nash’s contract extension
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or those who saw the social media posts this week showcasing his progress, know that ten years ago he had never kicked a football, so seeing how far he’s come in such a short amount of time only goes to demonstrate the kind of work ethic required at this level. Knowing that the majority of us grow up with a football in our hands before we can run too far, his ability to change codes and do it in such a way is great leadership for all the other guys. He’s a fantastic leader for our group, and I’m so happy that he supports our direction and path and is a major contributor to it. I’m overjoyed that
On Sam Frost’s contract extension
“I believe that Frosty’s problem is that, as he’s grown older and realised what’s important, he’s been a great person to be around while also playing his role and getting the job done. He has very high expectations for everyone else. Even though he may not be present at every event or celebration, he has truly embraced the youthful, vivacious group while also raising the bar for our behind-the-scenes work.
I think that when we see Scott Pendlebury playing his 400th at the age he is, there are some great leaders in the entire competition who can be learnt from, and I think Frosty’s our version of that who’s continuing to play at a really high standard once he gets what’s meant to be later in his career. I’m really glad that he’ll be with us for at least next year because he’s probably putting together his most consistent season of his whole career and at his age, that’s a credit to the work that he’s done and trying to continue to improve no matter what
On Connor Macdonald’s recent form
“Connor was more of a midfielder when he was draughted, but we moved him to half-forward late in his first preseason after evaluating his running profile. He needed some time to fully commit to the role, but now that he has, I believe he is only becoming better. What I find most pleasing, in my opinion, is his degree of consistency. Having played more than 50 games, he has witnessed most things. He has witnessed both wet and dry conditions, close and somewhat loose matches,
He has engaged in one-on-one play against zones. Even in his worst performances these days, Connor is still a valuable member of the team, and I believe that’s what we want for the entire group as we develop together: for our bad performances to be relatively good. Once we achieve that, we’ll be able to compete with the better teams more frequently than we have in the past.
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