Sunday saw the Hawks head to Crookwell for their match against the Green Devils, which resulted in a 48-6 win, placing them one step closer to a possible Grand Final win.
Nick Hall, coach, said it was a good day for the hungry Hawks.
“When you’re at risk of being finished, being knocked out in semi-finals for two weeks, it’s precious stuff, it’s stressful stuff, and it’s not always easy to perform at their best in those times, so they did well.
“Definitely, there’s a hunger for the premiership. It’s a combination of a few things. The boys are very motivated. They’ve been working hard all year. From day one this year, we said that was our goal after being grand finalists last year. Some years, you don’t think your side’s up to it, but definitely, we knew we had a side that could do it, so we had to focus, and so that’s been a goal from day one.
“Now that we are getting close to that, that was definitely a motivating factor. The journey they had through the year also brought the boys close together. There’s a lot of camaraderie, and they end up just doing it for the guy next to them. At some point in the game, things are tough, and they just do it out of habit, and they do it for the guy next door.
“We are up against Boorowa next, a local derby. It’s a pretty exciting week locally for footy. “We are probably dialling back the intensity a little bit this week. I think everyone’s a little bit broken and battered. Everyone’s got some sore bodies. I think all teams, not just us, I think everyone’s just worrying about the details right now, so it’s more of a recovery and rehab and a little bit of the details work and then line us up and we go and get into the game.
“The game kicks off at 2.30 pm on Saturday at Boorowa.“It’s only 20 minutes of travel, so it’s not too bad. We travelled to Bungendore, and we’ve been travelling to Crookwell, so we are looking forward to going over to Boorowa, and then the winner on the weekend goes to Bungendore and plays them in the Grand Finals.
“Bungendore beat us in the grand finals last year, so we want another shot at Bungendore and see if we can right that wrong as far as we are concerned. Boorowa is the same; they got beaten by Bungendore last weekend, and they wanted another shot at Bungendore to right that wrong. It’s a very interesting matchup, and Boorowa and Harden have been fighting each other in football games for a long time.
“So it’s a traditional old rivalry, and it’s pretty exciting, so I reckon half of the town of Boorowa will be there at the ground, and it’s not too far to travel. Hopefully, half the Harden people travel over there, too. It will be a good game and good rivalry, and hopefully everyone gets over there and supports it in the right spirit.
“Boorowa is a good team, and it’s a 50-50 shot right now. That’s on everyone’s lips right now, everyone’s talking about the Boorowa/Harden game this week, and I’m sure whichever the result is, everyone will be talking about it next week. They will think their team was robbed or their team was great or whatever, but I’m sure it’s going to be a conversation all this week and all next week.”
Come down to Boorowa to support the Hawks in their make-or-break game on Saturday.
– Jack Murray
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