It seems as though teams will need to get through Richmond to win the flag and Hawthorn may be the biggest threat to the Tigers at the MCG.
AFL Hall of Famer Terry Wallace believes the Hawks have what it takes defensively to stop the Tigers.
“I sit there and go, well if Champion Data suggest that this is the best defensive unit that’s been assembled, and they then position themselves where they’re a chance to finish top four,” Wallace told the AFL Nation pregame show.
“So if they position themselves and it’s the best defensive unit that’s gone around since Champion Data’s been doing there work in this area, why not?
“Of the sides banged up (with injuries), they’re going to be less banged up than the others.”
Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney is worried about the other side of things with the Hawks however.
“A lot falls on the shoulders of Jarryd Roughead. With Ryan Schoenmakers, you can’t really trust him to get the job done as a big key forward, Jack Gunston we know how consistent he is, I’m just not too sure if (Hawthorn) can kick the goals against a really good defence,” Cooney said.
“I’m just worried about their forward line coming up against a side like Richmond with their many defenders who can shut down forwards.”
SEN Chief Broadcaster Gerard Whateley is very curious to see how the Hawks would fare against Richmond in a final.
“They’ll play Richmond in a distinct way if they get to them in a big final. We got an early-season taster in a strange sort of game,” Whateley said.
“Richmond wanted to play fast and Hawthorn wanted to play slow and it didn’t marry up very well, but it was something different.
“I’m looking at the season and going who can play Richmond in a way that takes them off their game. West Coast has shown it in Perth, Geelong did it to a degree last week, Hawthorn did it in a way where it was really hard to know what to take from that game.”
Wallace added a very interesting little stat to add to the narrative.
“Quirky little point. Richmond and Hawthorn have never, ever in their history played against each other in a final,” he said.