Sam Mitchell hopes his growing Hawthorn aspect will see some reward for effort with an AFL win quickly.
But the second-year Hawks coach does not see the scoreboard as the one measure of development.
And whereas a 54-point defeat to Melbourne on Saturday confirmed a gulf in school between the 2 sides, Mitchell noticed sufficient trigger for optimism going ahead.
“We know when we’ve made significant strides,” he stated.
“Even though today we lost to a very good side, we still made some progress towards the direction we want to go.
“Last week towards Freo we could not actually have stated that. I might’ve stated that was a backwards step.
“Today, it’s not a giant step forward by any stretch, but there were some parts of the game that looked promising.”
Mitchell took coronary heart from the person performances of Seamus Mitchell, Josh Weddle and Lloyd Meek.
He additionally famous a midfield led by Will Day, Jai Newcombe and James Worpel constructed extra consistency, although Melbourne’s seasoned on-ball brigade in the end proved too robust.
The Demons are working on a unique degree; one which Hawthorn are in the end making an attempt to achieve.
“They’re a finished product of a group and they’re just trying to sustain that for as long as they can,” Mitchell stated.
“You talk to our group about how it took them a long time to get there and we’re at the early phase of that.
“When you play towards Hawthorn in years to return you need to be understanding that you just’re developing towards a aspect that has all elements of the sport lined as a result of they have been doing it for a very long time collectively.”
Round 10 presents a far greater chance for Hawthorn (1-8) to post a second win of the season when they meet fellow cellar dwellers West Coast (1-8) in Launceston.
Hawks ruck Ned Reeves (ankle) is a chance to return after he was a late withdrawal on Saturday, while James Blanck will need to overcome a corked leg.
Key ahead Mitch Lewis performed out Saturday’s sport regardless of pulling up sore from a heavy fall in a marking contest through the last time period.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
