The Agenda Setters have uncovered the reason behind Sam Mitchell's half-time spray to ruckman Lloyd Meek during Hawthorn's win over Gold Coast on Saturday. The Hawks conceded two late goals in the second quarter, leaving Mitchell fuming at the long break despite holding a healthy 23-point advantage.
Mitchell's frustration directed at Meek
Mitchell could be seen blowing up in the changerooms, with his spray directed at Meek. Channel 7's Kane Cornes revealed that an errant handball from Meek with 15 seconds remaining in the second term was the catalyst for the epic blow-up.
"This has been shown, but tonight I want to give you the reasons as to what led to this spray to Lloyd Meek," Cornes said on The Agenda Setters. "They were in red time here trying to protect the lead just before halftime. They'd conceded three goals in a row, and Lloyd Meek does this."
Cornes explained that during red time, there is an instruction not to handball the ball backwards because it invites pressure from the opposition. "Lloyd Meek grabs it out of the ruck and he handballs it back, the turnover, the goal with four seconds left on the clock. His teammates had all told him, look that's not in line with team instructions before Sam Mitchell had got to him."
Standards and maturity
Cornes also noted that the incident shows a sign of maturity in standards, an improvement on previous years when the team was "over celebrating" goals and wins. "There is a seriousness about this club, and they know they're in the window to win it now," he said. "That is the standards that Hawthorn now live up to, which we weren't seeing two or three years ago."
Hawthorn great Luke Hodge agreed: "That's a team who missed out; they got to the second final last year, then they missed out with the prelim last year. They know a finals game can be a small little turnover like that, whether it's a win or a loss in a big final. So you can tell the standards, the attitude, and the mindset from Mitch; it's filtering through to the players because you're spot on how they celebrated goals last year was about building the vibe, building the energy, now it's about building to win a premiership."
Josh Battle's impact
The Agenda Setters panellist Dale Thomas highlighted the recruitment of Josh Battle as a big reason for Hawthorn's emergence as one of the premiership favourites. Battle joined the Hawks at the end of 2024 and made the All-Australian team last year. He has since elevated his game to another level, ranking first among key defenders for contested possessions and third for disposals and metres gained.
"A big part of what they have done is who they have brought in, and Josh Battle is one of those across that backline. He was outstanding last year, All-Australian, and he has elevated his game again alongside Tom Barrass down back," Thomas said. "They are playing some world-class football; they continue to do this, offence, defence, everything sound around the middle; they are going beautifully."
The Hawks will look to extend their winning streak to seven for the first time in a decade when they take on Collingwood on Thursday night.
