Dermott Brereton believes the DNA of the Hawthorn Football Club can’t be underrated, assuring fans the Hawks will reach finals before last year’s wooden spooners North Melbourne.
Hawthorn are hot favourites to finish on the bottom of this year’s ladder after a list cull in the off-season and a start to 2023 that has seen them lose both games by a combined 140 points.
On the other hand, Alastair Clarkson’s Roos are 2-0 and have shown plenty of fight in a quick start to the season.
But Hawks great Brereton is certain Hawthorn’s rebound to the finals will come quicker.
“We’ll get there first,” he told SEN’s Dwayne’s World when asked about Hawthorn and North’s finals chances in the future.
When questioned why, the five-time premiership player pointed to Hawthorn’s proud history as the driving factor.
The club has claimed 13 VFL/AFL premierships since joining the league in 1925 and is also the most successful team of the 21st century with four flags.
Despite a lack of stars on Hawthorn’s list, Brereton is confident in the direction of the club under Sam Mitchell.
“It’s really interesting to hear some of the vernacular going on around the place at the moment,” Brereton added.
“I’m pretty confident. You have a look back at every era of Hawthorn… and there’s a down time after their halcyon eras, because there’s been a few of them, and they never fail to come back.
“There’s DNA in clubs… I just don’t want to see where we turn on our own.
“If you’re wanting to know when you’re going in the future, you do look at your history. Apart from some rumblings at the merger time and we had a few rumblings last year with a challenge to the board which Andy Gowers got up on, we know where we’ve come from, we know what we stand for, and everybody, once they're in the seat, wants the same thing.
“So don’t pull the place down off the back of two games.”
Earlier this week, former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna spoke proudly and emotionally about his time as a Saint ahead of the club’s 150th year celebrations against Essendon.
The Saints have their 150th year celebration match this weekend. Leigh Montagna shares the emotional connection he feels to the Saints.
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) March 29, 2023
📺WATCH #AFL360 on Ch. 504 or stream via @kayosports: https://t.co/7kvglvquIa pic.twitter.com/gQaZPtkE6t
But Brereton says that highlights the difference between Hawthorn and St Kilda.
“It’s wonderful to be a St Kilda past player and engulf yourself in their history. But St Kilda, because of that (lack of success), celebrate players,” Brereton explained.
“Hawthorn, as much as we love our players, we celebrate success of premierships, and there’s a big difference in the psyche of where you walk into somewhere, you can feel it.
“The thing about Hawthorn, it’s always been bigger than the players… it is about team success.
“So I just hope people will say let Hawthorn be the way they are, they’re making mistakes so far and there’s been dialogue around the way they’ve moved the ball… sometimes kids get it wrong.
“I think we need a bigger sample size.”
Hawthorn beat expectations in 2022, winning eight games in Mitchell’s first season in charge.
However, the club traded away experienced midfielders Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara while Jack Gunston also departed in free agency.