Why Do Hawthorn Want Thornton?
The Hawks were chasing Carlton defender Bret Thornton a year ago when he was out of contract and supposedly the chase is back on.
Hawthorn have Croad, Gilham and Brown, with Dawson and Renouf in the VFL, so there isn't a huge need there for tall defenders.
Statistically, Thornton is one of the biggest losers in the AFL. His winning percentage is very low, and he has also played a huge amount of games without ever playing in a final. It isn’t all Thornton’s fault, as he has been on some very poor teams, but it still wouldn’t be something that Hawthorn would really want to add.
A year ago, it seemed that Hawthorn's final offer to Carlton was to trade picks 24 and 33 for Thornton. The Hawks ended up using those picks on Renouf and J Morton.
The talk now is that Thornton for Boyle could be the offer. Boyle is expendable, as Hawthorn have Thorp, but they can probably trade for a draft pick and find a bigger and more athletic defender than Thornton.
From The Age: Hawks again target Thornton
Hawthorn have Croad, Gilham and Brown, with Dawson and Renouf in the VFL, so there isn't a huge need there for tall defenders.
Statistically, Thornton is one of the biggest losers in the AFL. His winning percentage is very low, and he has also played a huge amount of games without ever playing in a final. It isn’t all Thornton’s fault, as he has been on some very poor teams, but it still wouldn’t be something that Hawthorn would really want to add.
A year ago, it seemed that Hawthorn's final offer to Carlton was to trade picks 24 and 33 for Thornton. The Hawks ended up using those picks on Renouf and J Morton.
The talk now is that Thornton for Boyle could be the offer. Boyle is expendable, as Hawthorn have Thorp, but they can probably trade for a draft pick and find a bigger and more athletic defender than Thornton.
From The Age: Hawks again target Thornton
The Hawks — who convinced Thornton to join them 12 months ago, only for both to be denied at the 11th hour by Carlton's refusal to trade — inquired about the 23-year-old on Monday and are expected to take their interest further once the Blues finalise the Chris Judd deal, which may be tomorrow.
I think it also gives Zac Dawson more time to come on. From what I have heard about him, he was still growing when he came to the club and in a way this slowed his development as the club was frighten that bulking him up while he was growing might cause injury trouble. It seemed like he was close to a return late in the season.
Just some thoughts.
Keep up the great work.
Molly
Renouf was used as a defender in the VFL a few times in 2007, and he may have also played there for a few games in the Queensland league in 2006. Great height, and with a solid running capacity, the Hawks should use him as a defender as their ruck unit doesn't need any immediate help.