After a well-earned bye last weekend, the Harden Hawks are refreshed and ready to dive into one of the most anticipated fixtures of their George Tooke Shield campaign, a local derby clash with arch-rivals, the Boorowa Rovers. With both sides sitting near the top of the ladder, Saturday’s showdown in Harden promises to be a fiery contest loaded with passion, pride, and plenty of physicality.
Hawks coach Nick Hall said this week’s training had a distinct edge to it as players began preparing for what he called “The game everyone circles on the calendar.”
“We’ve got Boorowa coming up. It’s going to be a big week,” Hall said. “Anyone who’s not excited for a Boorowa game shouldn’t be here and I reckon they’d say the same about us.”
The rivalry between Harden and Boorowa runs deep. It’s a fixture built not just on competition, but on proximity and history, neighbouring towns with long memories and even longer competitive spirits. “You play your neighbouring town like brothers or like cats and dogs,” Hall said with a laugh. “You fight hard, and you know they’re going to bring it just as much as you are. Even if we were ninth and tenth on the ladder, this game would still mean everything.”
The fact that both clubs are among the form teams in the competition only adds to the excitement. The Hawks, who featured in last year’s grand final, have kept a strong core squad and are quietly confident they can go one better this season.
“We don’t hide from the fact that finals are our goal,” Hall admitted. “We’ve got a similar, if not stronger squad this year. But like anything in the George Tooke competition, it comes down to showing up not just on game day, but at training, in preparation, and in attitude.” He praised both sides for their commitment this season.
“You look at Boorowa’s performances lately, and it’s clear they’ve been working hard together. Same with us. The teams that are doing the work off the field are the ones getting results on it.”
With the halfway point of the season fast approaching, Hall said the focus now shifts to building momentum for the semi-finals.
“We want to be peaking at the right time. If we keep doing the simple things right turning up, staying connected, working together we give ourselves the best shot at playing our best footy when it counts.”
A hallmark of the Hawks’ success this year has been their cohesion and team-first mentality. While some other clubs lean on star players, Harden’s strength lies in its unity.
“I think we’re a proper team,” Hall said. “We work shoulder-to-shoulder. We don’t rely on one or two players we get in there and work for each other. We may not have the most rep players, but we’ve been in the semis and grand finals because we stick together.”
-Liam Stuart
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