{"id":113115,"date":"2025-09-02T12:09:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/113115\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T12:09:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:09:22","slug":"new-rule-no-worries-hawks-big-mans-journey-from-15-game-battler-to-crucial-pillar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/113115\/","title":{"rendered":"New rule, no worries: Hawks big man\u2019s journey from 15-game battler to crucial pillar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cLike, there\u2019s so much speculation these days about what the rules are going to be, so I\u2019ll wait until anything official comes out.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, to be honest, I never saw the centre bounce as an area of an issue that I had in the game. Like, I still do feel like my jump and my power and ability to jump through the line, rather than body through the line, is going to hold me in good stead.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I\u2019m not as not going to jump as high as some guys. But then it\u2019s about timing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The broad-shouldered Meek is an imposing specimen, at 203 centimetres and his estimate of 111 to 112 kilograms (slightly more than Adelaide mountain Riley Thilthorpe), which makes him much harder to shift than the sheep at his family\u2019s farm near Mininera, west of Ballarat.<\/p>\n

Meek was recruited by the Hawks in the fruitful post-season of 2022, when Sam Mitchell and his lieutenants took the bold step of off-loading Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O\u2019Meara, while snaring Meek, then 24 and facing an uphill climb to dislodge Sean Darcy from a team that would soon include the super-athletic Luke Jackson.<\/p>\n

Meek is candid about his inability to cement himself as a regular with the Dockers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sort of loved my time in Perth and the club were fantastic and [I] had no issues staying … if I could\u2019ve performed better, probably. Like, at the end of the day, the reality is I just wasn\u2019t good enough to hold that spot down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having acquired Meek as a bargain \u2013 and preferred him over the taller and less physically-forceful Ned Reeves \u2013 the Hawks\u2019 faith in Meek was reflected in the four-year contract extension that he was handed this year, tying him to Hawthorn until the end of 2029.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to have the club back me in to do the job. And I\u2019d like to, yeah, I think even outside of the centre bounce that I\u2019ve shown what I\u2019m capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

One capability that Meek has developed is marking overhead, which he said was \u201cdefinitely not\u201d a strength of his at Fremantle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think especially early days, like my early days of Freo when I couldn\u2019t get a game, two things that were holding me back were consistency of ruck craft and aerial ability. So I spent a lot of time working on it, even the mental side of it. I know how important marking, taking a mark, is for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nick<\/p>\n

Nick Watson, James Worpel, Sam Mitchell, Jack Ginnivan and Lloyd Meek sing the song after a Hawks win.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Among the more articulate Hawks, Meek is well-advanced in completing the bachelor of commerce degree that he started at Curtin University in Perth.<\/p>\n

He was unsure what path he would take once his playing days ceased \u2013 whether that involved returning to the farm or something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cDunno, [I\u2019m] still working it all out… Well, luckily, over the next four years, I don\u2019t have to worry about it. So, yeah, I\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ruckman says he\u2019s open-minded, yet open to the possibility of remaining in footy.<\/p>\n

For now, he\u2019s intent on playing his part in Hawthorn\u2019s finals campaign, starting with Saturday\u2019s challenge against the Giants, which Meek felt would be won above the shoulders. The Hawks have never won at GWS\u2019 home ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so much is just on that mental edge… the mindset to be able to handle big pressure games, big moments like finals footy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meek predicted that it would be the team that \u201ccan handle the pressure and connect with one another, and stick to what they need to be doing, that\u2019s going to come out on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hill ruled out, McCreery to play, says McRae<\/p>\n

Jon Pierik<\/p>\n

Collingwood have ruled out Bobby Hill from Thursday night\u2019s qualifying final against the Crows in Adelaide, but fellow forward Beau McCreery has been passed fit.<\/p>\n

\"Out<\/p>\n

Out of action: Bobby Hill will not face the Crows on Thursday.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Hill did not take part in the Magpies\u2019 main training session on Tuesday because of family reasons, although he could return to the club on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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Coach Craig McRae said Hill, the 2023 Norm Smith Medal winner, would not take part in week one of the finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support him with his family stuff that he is going through. He missed today, but he is training exceptionally well. Ideally, he is here [on Wednesday] or the next day so we can set him up for a tilt later in the campaign,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was never a chance to be available \u2013 it\u2019s just to get some load into him. We are rapt he is back in our program, and it\u2019s good to see him smiling again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hill has had a bumpy two months<\/a> because of personal issues, and has dropped in and out of training.<\/p>\n

He has played just a half of AFL football since round 16, when he was the substitute against the Brisbane Lions in round 22, while he also had one game in the VFL on managed minutes.<\/p>\n

Hill and McRae recently had dinner together, when Hill asked his coach to leave the door ajar for his return this season.<\/p>\n

McCreery has been battling foot bruising but completed run-throughs under McRae\u2019s supervision, and later joined in end-to-end drills and match simulation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeau will play. He has done everything he needed to do to prove his fitness today. We will back him in. We will back our medical department in,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n

Midfielder Jordan De Goey took a knock to his ankle and left the training track but returned later.<\/p>\n

Veteran full-back Jeremy Howe (groin) will miss Thursday\u2019s clash, and did not train with his teammates.<\/p>\n

McRae said Wil Parker, who joined several first-choice teammates in defence for the team wearing black in match simulation, was under serious consideration for a recall.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe played well in Adelaide only a couple of rounds ago. We just love his fight and tenacity around the ball and the man. He is certainly a name [under consideration]. His magnet will be hard to remove from the team,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n

Despite speculation Daniel McStay could be sent to defence to replace Howe, he was used as a forward in match simulation. McRae said it was unlikely McStay would be used as a frontline defender. Fellow tall Mason Cox is also being considered for a return.<\/p>\n

The Magpies will head to Adelaide confident they can win and advance into a preliminary final. They were beaten by only three points by the Crows in Adelaide in round 23<\/a> when they ultimately squandered 71 inside 50s (the Crows had 34). It was the Crows\u2019 first win against the Magpies since 2016.<\/p>\n

The Magpies replicated the dimensions of their training field to those of the Adelaide Oval, allowing players to adjust to the narrow wings. The factor they couldn\u2019t replicate but need to prepare for is the largely hostile crowd waiting for them in Adelaide, even though there will be a fleet of buses from Melbourne helping Magpie members make the interstate trip.<\/p>\n

The Crows will be under a searing spotlight in their first finals campaign since 2017. They will also hope to celebrate Taylor Walker\u2019s 300th game in style.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not naive to think we are playing a team that has won nine games in a row. They finished on top of the ladder,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge build-up in Adelaide for what\u2019s coming, a real excitement around [Crows coach] Matty Nicks\u2019 first finals campaign, [many] of their players playing their first final.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a huge build-up \u2013 we need to embrace and accept that. It\u2019s a hostile crowd, there was a record 54,000 crowd before \u2026 we are going over with a real energy, but we are understanding of what we are getting into.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giants facing \u2018tough\u2019 but enviable selection call<\/p>\n

Vince Rugari<\/p>\n

The Giants are facing an enviable selection crunch \u2013 one that Toby Greene is happy to leave to coach Adam Kingsley to figure out \u2013 as five of their first-choice players near full fitness ahead of Saturday\u2019s AFL elimination final.<\/p>\n

\"Toby<\/p>\n

Toby Greene leads the Giants off Engie Stadium in round 24 after they secured a home final.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Reigning Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan, veteran winger Josh Kelly, small forward Brent Daniels, defender Jack Buckley and livewire Jake Stringer are all in contention to face Hawthorn in front of a near-capacity crowd at Engie Stadium.<\/p>\n

Buckley (calf) is considered the longest shot, but the rest of them are set to give Kingsley an almighty headache at this week\u2019s match committee meeting, including Daniels (adductor), who looked frustrated when he came off the track early on Tuesday but remains a \u201cbig chance\u201d to play, according to Greene, since he logged some important training minutes on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Daniels is historically one of the club\u2019s strongest finals performers but has only played a handful of games this year.<\/p>\n

The challenge for Kingsley will be to balance continuity \u2013 the Giants have won nine of their past 10 games to come into the AFL finals as one of the competition\u2019s form teams \u2013 with the impact those top-liners could bring and the risk of those inclusions backfiring if they aren\u2019t properly match-fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want guys who can play 120 minutes and play well,\u201d Greene said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want guys who know what they\u2019re doing, and we\u2019ve got 30 guys who are available at the moment who can do that.<\/p>\n

\"Adam<\/p>\n

Adam Kingsley is facing some tough decisions in selection this week.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Kingers who has a bit of a tough job Thursday, I\u2019m sure, trying to pick the team, but it\u2019s great to have that sort of problem and those boys have done a mountain of work to get themselves right as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what he\u2019s paid to do, pick the team and coach, so I\u2019ll leave it to him. But whoever he picks I\u2019ll be backing in, and I know we\u2019ll have guys ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greene declared Hogan (foot) was \u201cgood to go\u201d, which is an enormous boon for a Giants\u2019 attack which has kicked more than 100 points in all of those nine recent victories \u2013 a level of production and harmony that, for a lesser player, Kingsley would be reluctant to disrupt.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Hogan] turned it around pretty quickly because we weren\u2019t sure if we were going to get him to the first final,,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have him, and we know what he can bring, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019s going to be hard to play [against] on the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the eighth season in the past 10 in which the Giants have qualified for the finals, and the fifth time they will do so from the bottom half of the top eight.<\/p>\n

For Greene, 31, and his generation of Giants players, opportunities to win a flag before retirement are quickly running out.<\/p>\n

When the club entered the competition in 2012 with a list packed with top-end talent, there were widespread predictions that they and fellow expansion side Gold Coast would eventually dominate the AFL and claim multiple premierships.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

But the Giants have only made one grand final (2019) and had a shattering straight-sets exit last season with disappointing losses to the Swans and eventual premiers Brisbane, while the Suns are playing finals football for the first time this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m under no illusion how hard it is and how you\u2019ve got to deliver when it matters,\u201d Greene said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s all we\u2019re worried about; trying to do that. Start with Hawthorn and then go from there, whoever it is. It would be amazing to do, but it\u2019s the end goal. You\u2019ve got to do all the work to get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s been 24 weeks of the season … you work to put yourself in a spot to play this final series and then sort of reset and go again. It\u2019s not something you think about every day, but it would be nice to have at the end of the career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jasmine<\/p>\n

Jasmine Garner on crutches.Credit: AFL Photos<\/p>\n

North Superstar Garner sidelined after ankle injury<\/p>\n

Hannah Kennelly<\/p>\n

Reigning premiers North Melbourne will be without their captain Jasmine Garner for at least two games while the star player recovers from an ankle injury.<\/p>\n

North Melbourne have won their past three-consecutive games, but the reigning premiers will be without their captain Jasmine Garner for at least two games while the star player recovers from an ankle injury.<\/p>\n

Garner had eight disposals and a goal before sustaining the injury when she landed awkwardly in a second-quarter marking contest during her side\u2019s record-breaking 100-point thumping of Fremantle on Sunday.<\/p>\n

North\u2019s four-time best-and-fairest winner limped off the field clutching her left ankle and did not play for the rest of the game.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

On Tuesday afternoon, North Melbourne confirmed Garner \u201cavoided a serious ankle injury\u201d but would miss at least the next two games.<\/p>\n

\u201cJas rolled her ankle quite badly during the second quarter on Sunday,\u201d the club said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had that scanned yesterday and pleasingly she has avoided any worrying structural injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, as expected with that type of mechanism, there is a high-grade ligament injury to the outside of her ankle. We will monitor her improvement, but we don\u2019t expect it to be a long-term absence from footy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garner was instrumental in North\u2019s first flag last year and last week produced one of the best individual AFLW performances, kicking a career-best six goals from 30 disposals.<\/p>\n

The ladder-leading North, who boast a 3-0 win-loss record, will face Collingwood this Sunday at Arden Street Oval.<\/p>\n

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cLike, there\u2019s so much speculation these days about what the rules are going to be, so I\u2019ll wait…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-113115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}