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GETTING its start right will be paramount for Eaglehawk as it sets about pursuing back-to-back BFNL premierships against Strathfieldsaye in Saturday's grand final.
In all three games against Strathfieldsaye the Hawks have found themselves behind the eight-ball early.
The Hawks have been outscored 94-19 in first quarters against the Storm this season, including 39-1 in their most recent outing, the one-sided second semi-final a fortnight ago.
"It's certainly something we've looked at after each game... if you go in against Strath at quarter-time four or five goals down then it's a long road home from there," Eaglehawk coach Travis Matheson said this week.
"What's the reason for it - I wish I knew the answer, but it's certainly something we'll be focused on and I would hope that given the occasion of it being a grand final there won't be too many dramas with our start this week."
It's not just the Strathfieldsaye encounters where the Hawks have had scoreboard heat applied to them early.
The Hawks were also under pressure early in their two finals wins over Gisborne, trailing at quarter-time by 12 points in the qualifying final and 15 points in last week's preliminary final.
For the Hawks to win the flag again on Saturday, they need to orchestrate a 12-goal turnaround from the second semi-final.
The Hawks were never in the hunt against the Storm two weeks ago and wore the brunt of a 72-point belting after they could muster a score of just 3.10 (28).
"The biggest thing we took out of that game is you just can't afford to be off your game at all against a side like Strath or they will cut you up," Matheson said.
"We're confident that our good is good enough, but if we're a little bit off that then we're probably going to be in a bit of trouble.
"We won't make too many drastic changes... our style of footy has held us in pretty good stead throughout the year, so we'll look to do the things we do well that bit better than the other week."
We're confident that our good is good enough, but if we're a little bit off that then we're probably going to be in a bit of trouble
- Travis Matheson - Eaglehawk coach
The second semi-final hiding the Hawks copped off the Storm sits as somewhat of an outliar over the past three months given it's Eaglehawk's only loss in their past 14 games.
The Hawks were able to bounce back from their lacklustre second semi-final to beat Gisborne in last week's preliminary final - but not before surviving a massive scare from the Bulldogs.
The Hawks looked to have the game well in hand when they led by four goals during the last quarter, only for the gallant Bulldogs to launch a furious late surge to hit the front.
Enter Riley Saunders - the crafty forward won a free kick on the time keeper's flank and backed himself, launching a memorable long-range goal that ultimately delivered the Hawks their third-consecutive grand final berth with a four-point win.
Eaglehawk's fadeout late last week bucked the season trend for the Hawks, who are the competition's No.1 ranked fourth quarter team.
"It was a really tough slog in hot conditions last week. Looking at a few of the boys after the game they were fairly run down, but we had a recovery session on Sunday and the feeling among the group is really good," said Matheson, whose rival coach on Saturday, Troy Coates, was his Kerang premiership co-coach in 2015 and 2016.
The Hawks hadn't settled on a final team of 22 at selection on Thursday night, with a squad of 23 submitted.
Sam Harper (arm) and Trent Bacon (hamstring) were both named as inclusions in the squad, with neither having played since the qualifying final win over Gisborne three weeks ago.
Half-back Bacon missed last year's grand final win with a season-ending knee injury suffered in round one.
Justin Bateson was the sole omission from last week's team on Thursday night, while a quad injury sustained in the second semi-final will cost former captain Tim Hill the chance of chasing his third flag with the Hawks.
Eaglehawk is the only team to have beaten Strathfieldsaye this season when it prevailed 14.14 (98) to 11.14 (80) in round 10.
The Hawks had trailed by as many as 28 points during the second quarter that day after conceding five of the first six goals of the game, but then booted 13 of the last 19.
It was a win full of grit and determination by the Hawks kickstarted in the ruck by the bullocking Clayton Holmes, while full-back Oscar Madden did a superb job in limiting Storm forward Lachlan Sharp to just two goals.
"We'll take a few things from the day we beat them, but also take a few things as well from the times they beat us. Hopefully, we can replicate the areas that were a strength of ours that day we beat them," Matheson said.
Just like at the Storm, who have 13 premiership players in their side on Saturday, the Eaglehawk team is stacked with players who have won a BFNL flag.
Captain Brodie Collins, Ben McPhee, Brenton Conforti, Cam McGlashan, Gedd Hommelhoff, Jack Fallon, Jesse Collins, Joel Mullen, Lachlan Atherton, Madden, Riley McIvor, Saunders, Harper, Sam Thompson, Sean Williams, Shaun Knott and Tyler Miles are all in the squad of 23 who played in last year's 49-point grand final win over the Storm.
Although he didn't play last year, mid-season boom recruit Brodie Filo is also an Eaglehawk premiership player having played in the drought-breaking 2007 flag.
And then there's the Hawks' 23rd man - the passionate Borough faithful who will no doubt be out in full force and full voice at the QEO on Saturday.
"There will certainly be a massive army on Saturday and hopefully, it's like a 23rd player for us. The whole community always gets behind us and, hopefully, we can give them something to cheer about," Hawks assistant coach Linton Jacobs said.
The Hawks have won 27 premierships in their history - the first back in 1882.
Should they win again on Saturday they will draw level with Sandhurst on 28 for the most BFNL flags.
EAGLEHAWK GRAND FINAL TEAM:
BACKS:
20 - LACHLAN
ATHERTON
Games: 13 Goals: 1
15 - CLAYTON HOLMES
Games: 17 Goals: 1
40 - SAM THOMPSON
Games: 21 Goals: 5
............................................
HALF-BACKS:
19 - TRENT BACON
Games: 12 Goals: 1
18 - BRENTON CONFORTI
Games: 15 Goals: 3
31 - JOEL MULLEN
Games: 21 Goals: 4
............................................
CENTRES:
4 - JACK FALLON
Games: 15 Goals: 4
14 - BRODIE COLLINS (C)
Games: 20 Goals: 8
5 - RILEY McIVOR
Games: 15 Goals: 12
............................................
HALF-FORWARDS:
26 - GEDD
HOMMELHOFF
Games: 21 Goals: 27
16 - SHAUN KNOTT
Games: 16 Goals: 23
17 - RILEY SAUNDERS
Games: 21 Goals: 45
............................................
FORWARDS:
12 - CAM McGLASHAN
Games: 21 Goals: 14
2 - BEN McPHEE
Games: 21 Goals: 31
44 - BEN THOMPSON
Games: 10 Goals: 5
............................................
FOLLOWERS:
13 - RICHARD TIBBETT
Games: 14 Goals: 7
23 - BRODIE FILO
Games: 10 Goals: 17
10 - JESSE COLLINS
Games: 21 Goals: 8
............................................
INTERCHANGE FROM:
3 - RYAN GILLINGHAM
Games: 19 Goals: 8
32 - SAM HARPER
Games: 19 Goals: 30
27 - OSCAR MADDEN
Games: 19 Goals: 1
8 - TYLER MILES
Games: 15 Goals: 0
1 - SEAN WILLIAMS
Games: 20 Goals: 49
............................................
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