MANY commentators see Jarryd Roughead's ruptured Achilles tendon as the final injury blow that's dashed Hawthorn's 2011 premiership hopes.
With key defenders Stephen Gilham and Ben Stratton ruled out for the rest of the season, the Hawks were already extremely undersized down back and vulnerable against power forwards. Just look at the way Geelong's James Podsiadly monstered Josh Gibson last Saturday night.
And with Roughead ruled out of the remainder of 2011 as of last Saturday night, the Hawks are now suddenly without a player who, as a forward/pinch-hitting ruckman, had become more valuable than ever under the new substitute rule.
But at least two commentators aren't prepared to right the Hawks off just yet.
The name of the first, former Hawthorn great and current club director Jason Dunstall, will hardly come as a surprise.
Speaking on Fox Sports' Insiders, Dunstall said Roughead's contribution to the Hawks this year had been "second to none", suggesting he would currently be in the top three in their best and fairest count.
However, he said Hawthorn now had to deal with the adverse injury hand it had been dealt and not listen to the doomsayers.
"It creates opportunities for some of the young players to come in and fill the void and puts a little bit more responsibility on the players that are already there to find a bit more out of themselves," Dunstall said.
"We're 8-3 at the halfway mark. I think you give yourself a big chance to be part of it. You make your own luck."
Hawks supporters would be disappointed to hear Dunstall say anything else, at least publicly.
The Age's Michael Gleeson also holds out some hope for the Hawks in 2011. But only if coach Alastair Clarkson throws caution to the wind.
Rather than replace Roughead in a predictable straight swap for ruckman/forward David Hale, Gleeson called for Clarkson to swing Lance
Franklin into the support rucking role and to isolate Cyril Rioli in the goalsquare when Franklin's up the ground.
Gleeson argued this would allow the Hawks to exploit Franklin's pace and endurance, while Rioli's nous close to goal would "terrify" opposition defenders and coaches.
Above all, he said, it would be a case of Hawthorn doing "what your opposition least want you to do".
Gleeson acknowledged an extra midfield workload could result in Franklin joining the Hawks' growing injury list. But he said the Hawks had to be bold to have any chance of winning this year's flag.
Pressure on Scully intensifies
After a slow start, some names are finally starting to be pencilled in as 'confirmed' GWS recruits.
Adelaide forward Taylor Walker, who grew up in Broken Hill, is the player most widely tipped to be a signed, sealed and delivered Giant.
And the rumblings about Fremantle's Rhys Palmer get stronger and stronger by the day. Leading player manager Paul Connors predicted last week Palmer would be playing in the Giants' strip from next season.
Then there's the player who looms as potentially the Giants' biggest fish, Melbourne's Tom Scully.
The rumours linking the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft with the Giants have been doing the rounds for some time.
Earlier this year, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said on his Triple M breakfast program that "jungle drums" suggested Scully had committed to the Giants.
Scully addressed the rumours in March, saying he wanted to spend the rest of his career with the Demons.
But short of signing a new contract with Melbourne - and one longer than the one-year deal Scott Pendlebury signed with Collingwood this year - nothing Scully does will stop the Giants talk.
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey has spoken glowingly of Scully's loyalty since former Demon David Schwarz's comments last weekend that he was 98 per cent certain Scully had signed with the Giants.
But Bailey can do this until he's blue in the face and still the rumours will persist.
The longer Scully holds off on signing a new contract, the more credence the rumours get.
People point to the precedent set by the Gold Coast Suns last year. Most of the names raised as Gold Coast targets at this time last year - Gary Ablett, Campbell Brown, Jarrod Harbrow, Michael Rischitelli and Jared Brennan - all ended up Suns.
Certainly, the vast majority of the Herald Sun's footy writers think Scully's second year at the Demons will be his last.
Eight of 11 reporters polled in the tabloid on Wednesday said Scully would join the Giants.
One of those eight, Jon Ralph, said Scully was playing a dangerous game with Melbourne by continually denying he had received a contract offer from GWS.
Writing in his on-line column, The Buzz, Ralph said it was "patently ridiculous" to suggest Scully's management had not been in contract with GWS.
If Scully signed with GWS he would be regarded as a "traitor" for having "deceived" Melbourne about his intentions for a full season, Ralph said.
As such, he said it was time Scully declared his intentions one way or the other.
It's hard to remember a 20-year-old having faced a more pressurised career decision.
Following in 'Buddy's' footsteps
Another member of the 2009 draft class, Sydney Swans key forward Sam Reid, looks set to come under pressure of a different kind - the pressure of expectation.
Following his nomination for the NAB AFL Rising Star award, The Daily Telegraph contends Reid's feats to date are comparable with those of Hawthorn star Lance Franklin at the same stage of his career.
The paper compared both players' statistical outputs as of their second seasons, with Franklin shading Reid for goals (kicking an average 1.52 a game to Reid's 0.75) and disposals (10.8 to 10.4), but Reid outpacing the Hawk in marks (4.25 to 3.7) and tackles (2.3 to 1.8).
As promising as Reid is, such comparisons are dangerous.
How can statistics ever quantify Franklin's unique blend of freakish athleticism, speed and endurance? Or his ability to mesmerise opponents in the air and, even more so, at ground level?
Still the Swans are rightly excited by Reid's imposing physical attributes. His 20m sprint time at the 2009 NAB AFL Draft Combine was faster than that of teammate and renowned speedster Gary Rohan, while his endurance testing was also elite.
Likewise, Reid has shown on the field he has the football nous to capitalise on those physical qualities.
But comparisons with Franklin put huge expectations on Reid. Are those expectations realistic? Are they fair?
Time will tell. In any event, if Reid ends up half the player Franklin is, the Swans will not be disappointed.
In short
Hawthorn will seek advice from international sports competitions, such as English and European soccer and US-based leagues, on the best rehabilitation methods for Jarryd Roughead following surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon, The Age reports.
Hawthorn football manager Mark Evans said: "We need to get a hold of some different case studies from world sport and see if we can learn anything from them."
Port Adelaide is preparing to take four big men into its clash with West Coast this Sunday at Patersons Stadium to combat the Eagles' formidable ruck duo Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui, The Advertiser reports.
The tabloid said Daniel Stewart is set to be recalled to partner the Power's No. 1 ruckman Dean Brogan, while forward Justin Westhoff and defender Jackson Trengove are also likely to spend time in the ruck.
Patrick Dangerfield has put to his hand up to take over as Adelaide's primary target in attack against the Western Bulldogs this Friday night, The Advertiser reports. With key forward Kurt Tippett nursing a left shoulder injury, Dangerfield said he was best used in the forward line rather than the midfield.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
