Hawks thrashed in final game

by Nicholas Duck
Sometimes it's a sprint to the finish line. Other times it's a limp.
Drouin got a taste of the latter on Saturday, finishing their season in disappointing fashion with a 123-point annihilation at the hands of Leongatha.
Undermanned and underdone, the Hawks had no answers to the finals-bound Parrots as they were blown away 3.5 (23) to 22.14 (146).

Parrot Jenson Garnham in particular dined out on the Drouin defence with 10 goals. Garnham's double digit feast was almost enough to see him snatch the league goalkicking award only to be denied by Bairnsdale's Brayden McCarrey kicking three.
Missing vital components of their side like contested ball beast Mitch Cotter and key pillar Tim Hancock, the pressure was always going to be on the Hawks as they faced one of the toughest road trips in country footy.
While signs were okay early, they couldn't finish their chances. Do that against other teams and you might get away with it. Do it against Leongatha on their home turf and you're in for a world of hurt.
So it came to pass, the Parrots thumping through the first seven goals of the day and 17 of the first 18 to hammer the Hawks in a manner akin to a heavyweight boxer landing blow after blow on a lightweight.
Kye Quirk was the Hawk who could hold his head highest, putting in another solid performance to cap off what has been a high-quality individual season.
Seb Amoroso was similarly admirable, Jordan Kingi was a steady hand across half back while Eddie Morris impressed in his final game for the club before his move to Garfield next year.
Skipper Jarrod Marshall and Jack Fraser rounded out the best for Drouin, who saw solid showings from their top line players but struggled to get much out of their bottom few.
Garnham was a clear best for the Parrots, the high flier enjoying the clean delivery coming his way and, more importantly, making his opportunities count.
The bullocking work of Kim Drew and Tom Marriott was worthy of praise, the pair taking full advantage of Drouin's underdone midfield.
Jay Walker, Jarrod Stewart and Jack Hume were the other green and gold standouts – and there were plenty of options to choose from.
The Hawks ultimately sealed their own fate early with some wasted chances in the opening term.
They set themselves up on more than one occasion for shots at goal only to have them fly wide, a couple of them not even scoring.
Leongatha were more than happy to capitalise, booting five by quarter time.
Kye Quirk was finally able to get the Hawks going in the second term with a strong contested mark and goal, only for Garnham to strike twice in the next few minutes.
From there the game played out predictably, Kaiden Walmsley and Dan Clebney the only Hawks to find the big sticks for the rest of the day.
"We had a crack early, we just weren't clean enough," said senior coach Brent Clinnick of his final game in the role.
"They got to work on us in the second and we just couldn't go with them. The senior guys played well, they just lacked that support."
It's a disheartening way to end what has been a tough year for the Hawks.
They've made strides, no doubt, doubling their win tally from two to four. But with struggles in player availability – the senior side has gone through 48 players throughout the year – continuity and consistency from week to week was a major issue.
On the other hand, it's meant that more than 10 different under 16s and 18s players have seen senior action as the club hopes the next generation can hold them in good stead.
Despite the difficult end to his tenure, Clinnick said he had thoroughly enjoyed his time in the role.
"I want to thank the club for the last two years. They've been a great support for me," he said.
"Thanks to my assistants, Luke Gilbert, Brody Hoult in the development side and Jordy (Kingi) with our 18s boys playing in the finals."