With the first month of the AFL season drawing to a close, narratives for all of the competition's 18 teams have begun to arise.
Whilst some are struggling and others are thriving, you can bet your bottom dollar that each of the league's list of polo shirt wearing pedagogues will still be desperate for improvement this weekend.
With this in mind, here are the key quandaries facing every AFL club ahead of Round 4.
Hawthorn
Will effort turn into reward this Saturday?
Despite a pair of back-to-back losses against last year's Grand Finalists in consecutive weeks, Hawthorn have produced some handy patches of football.
Although currently sitting 14th on the ladder with a percentage of just 86.1, Alastair Clarkson's kids -and Shaun Burgoyne โ have managed to accumulate the 2nd most handballs and disposals in the competition and the 3rd highest aggregate of marks and rebound 50s.
On the other hand, the mustard pots are ranked in the bottom five teams in the league for kicks, goals, points, inside 50s, goal assists and clearances per game.
"We're not here to just be close to an opposition, we're here to win."
There's no such thing as an honourable loss for Chad. ๐ pic.twitter.com/TVd9aHsj73
— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) April 6, 2021
Should you combine these weighted statistics, two facts become abundantly clear.
The first is that Hawthorn have no trouble finding the football, however, it is clear, for the most part, that they tend to win the ball via turnovers in their defensive arc.
Secondly, when streaming forward, they perennially hit roadblocks before being able to hit the scoreboard.
With an average total of just 68-points per game over the season's first three weeks, the Hawks may have strung some eye-catching football together, but unless you are the Bombers in the second half of Round 1, then it is unlikely that you are too worried about them maintaining it.
The Mayblooms next month of football is relatively friendly, as they are set to face only one team that made the eight-last year โ the struggling Saints.
Still, if their current trend of moving the ball by hand and shooting themselves in the feet is to continue, then it may be another month of learning rather than winning for the Waverley Park club.
