“Biggest losers": Quartermain concerned by glaring Hawks issue

SEN's Stephen Quartermain has voiced his concerns following Hawthorn’s loss to the Giants by 27 points in Opening Round.

The Hawks couldn’t quite match it with a new-look Giants midfield led by Finn Callaghan, Clayton Oliver and Stephen Coniglio, who won the clearance battle 44-37.

The renowned commentator thinks the Hawks' midfield was outworked by a side that was missing some key talent around the ball.

“I'm going to steal Dwayne Russell's biggest winners and losers of the weekend, because Hawthorn were the biggest losers of the weekend by a country mile,” Quartermain said on SEN Mornings.

“They played a Giants team that were missing what I think was 8 of their best 23, and Hawthorn were just outworked.”

With Will Day injuring his shoulder during the pre-season, setting back his start to the 2026 season until after the mid-season bye, Quartermain has concerns about the star power and depth of Sam Mitchell's midfield brigade.

“I'm stating the obvious, but their midfield is so thin,” Quartermain said.

“That's a real concern going forward, particularly with the big boys like the Suns and the Lions with fantastic midfields, they're just going to be cut to ribbons.”

It was highly publicised that the Hawks were in pursuit of the services of former Essendon Captain Zach Merrett during the 2025 trade period, but were unable to make a deal for the Bombers superstar.

It’s left their midfield looking bare, which has been compounded by Day’s absence.

“The Suns have improved their list, the Lions have improved their list, have Hawthorn improved their list?” Quartermain asked.

“I think there’s some genuine concerns there. The midfield's a worry. The forward line just isn't gelling.

“They’ll obviously make the top 10 and probably make the finals. They're probably right at the moment, you'd have to say a 6 to 8 team, and that's going backwards from what they achieved last year.

“But it is only Round 1 … and they've got a fantastic coach. They're a smart footy club, so we'll see what they can conjure.”

Hawthorn will be looking to bounce back this Friday night as they play Essendon at the MCG.