David King has made the bold prediction that Hawthorn will finish on the bottom of the AFL ladder in 2021.
The former North Melbourne star feels Alastair Clarkson’s Hawks are undergoing an “unconventional” rebuild and with some key players sidelined, could struggle to string wins together this season.
King is also adamant that the Kangaroos and Adelaide, two clubs tipped by many to finish at the bottom, will not sit below the Hawks.
“I’m going to give you my starting point, the Kangaroos aren’t winning the wooden spoon, and I think the Crows are going to get significantly better,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.
“The Hawks have lost (Jack) Gunston for the bulk of the pre-season period. (James) Sicily is out for a fair chunk of the season.
“Have they got significantly better with their recruits?
“I’m not seeing them spike as much as some of the others around them. In the end you’ve got to write a name down and I wrote down the Hawks.
“I think it’s going to be a challenging season for them. We’ve said that Alastair Clarkson is unconventional in the way he’s rebuilding this Hawthorn team.
“I need to see it first before I believe it.”
The Hawks finished 15th last year, winning five of 17 games, while enduring seven straight defeats late in the season.
Hawthorn has claimed the wooden spoon on 11 occasions with the last piece of unwanted ‘silverware’ coming way back in 1965.