HAWTHORN has only lost five games since last May. Three of them – in round 10 and the semi-final last year and Gather Round last weekend – have been against Port Adelaide. So what does Port Adelaide keep doing to stop the Hawks and how will Chris Scott be using the Power plan to halt Hawthorn in this week's Eastern Monday meeting?
Port was emotionally charged in the return bout on Sunday night, but it was also prepared and planned. A new rivalry rev-up can make the Xs and Os of a structure sing, but the method still has to be up to scratch.
Champion Data's numbers show how the Power beat the Hawks and stopped them from doing what they have built their premiership push around.
Hawthorn's kicking sliced through Essendon in round one this year and was also crucial in the Opening Round win over Sydney, but Port restricted Sam Mitchell's side from switching and finding short targets like it has become accustomed to, forcing it into a long down the line and contest game, which suited Port Adelaide more than a Will Day-less Hawthorn.
Champion Data highlights how the Hawks' game has changed in their three meetings against Port Adelaide in comparison to the rest of their games since the start of 2024.
In that time, they average 84 uncontested marks a game but have averaged just 56 against Port Adelaide in the three outings. They play on from 25 per cent of marks generally, but that drops considerably to 18 per cent against the Power.
They kick forward 87 per cent of the time against other opposition, but that increases to 90 per cent across the three games against the Power, while their long kicking figure jumps from 46 per cent of kicks to 48 per cent against Port Adelaide.
Most notably, their contested possession rate spikes from 37 per cent average against all other teams since the start of 2024, up to 42 per cent facing Port Adelaide.
Although these look like marginal differences – and two of the three games have been single-digit wins for Port – Champion Data highlights how there is only an eight per cent difference between all clubs this year for kick forward percentage and only 12 per cent for long kick percentage, so a difference of two to three per cent against specific opposition reveal a change.
The numbers basically say Port has forced the Hawks into a more congested slog than they are used to and, perhaps more importantly, has taken away their short-kicking plan. That puts pressure on their key forwards to be threats in the air.
Match-ups, such as Sam Powell-Pepper being sent to James Sicily, and Connor Rozee continuing to play at half-back after some time there two weeks earlier against Essendon, also delivered for Port.
After last year's rapid ascent from 0-5 into the finals, Hawthorn started this year aware it would have more attention from rivals into the intricacies of its game style. Mitchell has already this week openly discussed the ways his side was cut up in Port's scintillating first half and it will be fascinating if Scott's Cats look to pierce the same points on Monday.
