MELBOURNE—Ambition is not a dirty word at Hawthorn.
Where most AFL clubs are reticent to publicly state their targets for fears of breaking the "week at a time" cliche, or even worse, failing to meet them, the Hawks buck the trend.
Club President Jeff Kennett outlined Hawthorn's vision for the next five years in December, and boldly stated the Hawks aimed to win two premierships and get 50,000 members by 2012.
The Five2Fifty plan represents the club's aim to become the next league powerhouse and post results similar to its golden era, when it won five premierships from 1983-91.
Hawthorn's optimism is unashamedly built on its stockpile of young, talented players whom coach Alastair Clarkson aims to mould into a team that wins finals regularly.
With Lance Franklin a superstar forward at 21, Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell elite midfielders, Mark Williams back from a knee injury and Jordan Lewis poised to build on his promising start, the Hawks have their share of match-winners.
But a very solid support crew comprising Brownlow medallist Shane Crawford, seasoned backmen Campbell Brown and Trent Croad, Jarryd Roughead in attack, an ever-improving ruck division and a fleet of midfielders adds substance.
Where former politician Kennett wants his club's plans on the record, Clarkson appears less comfortable with stating the intentions, given the difficulty of winning one flag, let alone two.
"It gives everyone within our football club a clear direction of our expectations and what we hope to be able to achieve," he says.
"'Hope' is probably the operative word. Because it's so difficult, particularly on field.
"Off-field there's not as many hurdles to overcome. Our club is very stable financially and building a strong asset base and that's being supported by our push into Tasmania.
"But there's far more hurdles to overcome in the on-field stuff, whether it's injuries, form, the opposition being good when you play them, an off-field issue which affects your playing fortunes...
"There's always a big bear ready to jump on your back around the corner when you think you're travelling well."
If Clarkson keeps the crux of his team together and it improves at the rate it did in 2007, then the coach who is always keen to rein in any hype about his team might shoo the "big bear" away.
"Over time this period of 2005 to '08 will reveal a pretty exciting group of players who came through for the football club and hopefully they can play a lot of football together and ultimately a lot of successful finals footy together," he says.
It says much of Hawthorn's ambition that Clarkson and his players were disappointed at the end of last season even though it was a landmark of sorts.
The Hawks reached their first finals campaign since 2001 and beat Adelaide in a thrilling elimination final (where Franklin booted seven goals), but were well beaten by the Kangaroos the following week.
So frustrating was that semi-final for Hawthorn that Crawford, Hodge and Lewis must all serve suspensions before playing in 2008.
Clarkson says that painful defeat will help his players' education, as they must develop a lot before classing themselves genuine premiership contenders.
The common theory floated against Hawthorn is that young sides can follow a good season with a slide, when young footballers get ahead of themselves.
Hawthorn hope the signing of former Port Adelaide premiership player Stuart Dew, at 28 and after a season's sabbatical, will provide key leadership following the retirements of veterans Richie Vandenberg, Ben Dixon and Joel Smith.
Clarkson says there is no reason why young players cannot reach the ultimate success, so long as they work hard and aim high.
"We know we performed to a good level last year but we're also realistic to know we have to work harder, mature a lot more and get more game time and exposure to our young players," he says.
"So we've got a lot of development and progress to make as a football club.
"We're excited by what we're capable of doing, we showed that last year.
"But we know we've got so much more hard work to do to become a consistent, winning finals-performer."
Hawthorn Hawks Factbox
Coach: Alastair Clarkson.
Captain: Sam Mitchell
Last five years: 9-15-14-11-6.
Premierships: 9 (1961, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991).
Star five: Lance Franklin, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Trent Croad, Jordan Lewis
One to watch: Stuart Dew - He's done everything right so far, namely shedding most of the many excess kilos he picked up during his year-long retirement. Clarkson will look like a genius if Dew recaptures the best of his Port Adelaide form. It's a pretty big if.
Ins: Stuart Dew (Port Adelaide), Luke McEntee (rookie elevation), Cyril Rioli (Scotch College), Brendan Whitecross (Zillmere)
Outs: Ben Dixon (retired), Matt Little (delisted), Joel Smith (retired), Josh Thurgood (delisted), Richie Vandenberg (retired).
Best line-up:
B: Rick Ladson, Stephen Gilham, Clinton Young
HB: Brad Sewell, Trent Croad, Campbell Brown
C: Shane Crawford, Luke Hodge, Grant Birchall
HF: Brent Guerra, Jarryd Roughead, Xavier Ellis
F: Mark Williams, Lance Franklin, Tim Boyle
R: Robert Campbell, Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell
I: Simon Taylor, Chance Bateman, Stuart Dew, Ben McGlynn
Judgment Day Looming for Tigers
MELBOURNE—Richmond last played an AFL final in 2001.
Their next one comes in round one this year against Carlton, and for coach Terry Wallace, director of football Greg Miller and several players with the jury out on their ability, it looms as a grand final.
In 2007, the club finished rock bottom with just three wins and a draw from 22 matches.
It was Richmond's worst season since 1960, the lowlight a record 157-point thumping by eventual premiers Geelong.
Wallace enters year four of his five-year contract at the Tigers with his and Miller's fingerprints all over the playing list.
Thirty-one of the 40 players have arrived at Tigerland on their watch.
Wallace is on public record saying the time to judge his reign will be during his fourth year.
It's here, and make no mistake, how the Tigers perform against Carlton in their season opener on March 20 will be both club and career-shaping.
The unbridled optimism which greeted the start of Wallace's previous three years in charge has been replaced by an eerie public quiet from Punt Road going into 2008.
So many seasons at Richmond start with expectations that far outweigh reality. This is not one of them.
"It's probably not the right approach to go out and make grand statements when you've finished as we did last year," experienced defender Joel Bowden said.
"Come round one, we want to show we're ready to play, show we've matured a bit over the pre-season and that we're going to be more competitive."
Bowden is cautious yet positive about what the Tigers can do in 2008.
Exactly half Richmond's 18 defeats last season were by four goals or less. Reverse those results, and the Tigers would have made the top eight.
If that sounds like statistical fantasy gone mad, remember that just four wins separated the fifth and 13th-placed sides last year.
It is, as Bowden points out, a competition of fine margins.
"It's a low percentage in difference. Two, three, four, five per cent difference makes the game turn," he said.
"Hopefully we can tip it just a little bit our way and get a couple of those wins.
"It's such a fine line between winning and losing. With the salary cap and draft teams can have meteoric rises - and a little bit of confidence helps."
But questions persist about the players' skill level, and whether the high draft picks of recent years like Richard Tambling, Jay Schulz, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and Danny Meyer will ever provide a decent return on investment.
Bowden - a stellar contributor in defence in recent seasons - is not the problem.
Nor is the gallant Matthew Richardson, who enters his 16th AFL season as the club's reigning best and fairest.
Just as onballer Nathan Foley and key position player Graham Polak emerged from last year's wreckage as stars, more of the Tigers' younger brigade need to do the same for the club to climb off the bottom.
"We know what we'll get from Matthew Richardson and the senior guys. But we do need that core group underneath to take over, to become seven or eight at the top of our best and fairest," Bowden said.
"The improvement will come from within. Last year we got close a lot of times, but not close enough.
"If they see themselves as good AFL players, capable and competent and able to get out and match it with any side, then they'll perform at a consistent level."
Added plusses for Richmond are the return of No.1 ruckman Troy Simmonds after an injury-wrecked 2007 and onballer Mark Coughlan from two knee reconstructions.
Mature-age recruits Jordan McMahon (Western Bulldogs) and Mitch Morton (West Coast) top up the Tigers' list.
The bookmakers aren't buying it though. They have Richmond as wooden spoon favourites and some are offering as much as $101 about the Tigers to win the flag.
But as Collingwood (15th in 2005, seventh in 2006) and North Melbourne (14th in 2006, third last year) have shown, bouncing from the bottom three to the finals can be done.
"If a horse has not finished in the top three for its past five races, the bookmakers aren't going to make it favourite," Bowden said.
"To a certain degree it's (the outsider status is) warranted.
"But hopefully we've developed in some areas, we've matured in body and mind and we can show some of the form we finished the year off in.
"Hopefully we can make the bookmakers change the odds."
Richmond Tigers Factbox
Coach: Terry Wallace.
Captain: Kane Johnson.
Last five years: 13-16-12-9-16.
Premierships: 10 (1920-21, 1932, 1934, 1943, 1967, 1969, 1973-74, 1980.
Star five: Matthew Richardson, Nathan Foley, Nathan Brown, Joel Bowden, Brett Deledio.
One to watch: Mark Coughlan - Tough as teak midfielder returning from two knee reconstructions. If he can get back to anywhere near his best and fairest form of 2003, the Tigers will be rapt.
Ins: Trent Cotchin (Northern U18), David Gourdis (Subiaco), Angus Graham (rookie elevation), Jake King (rookie elevation), Jordan McMahon (Western Bulldogs), Mitch Morton (West Coast), Dean Putt (Calder U18), Alex Rance (Swan Districts).
Outs: Patrick Bowden (delisted), Darren Gaspar (retired), Ray Hall (retired), Brent Hartigan (delisted), Kent Kingsley (retired), Trent Knobel (retired), Andrew Krakouer (delisted), Carl Petersen (delisted).
Best line-up:
B: Chris Newman, Will Thursfield, Luke McGuane
HB: Jake King, Joel Bowden, Jordan McMahon
C: Dean Polo, Shane Tuck, Richard Tambling
HF: Kane Johnson, Graham Polak, Kayne Pettifer
F: Nathan Brown, Matthew Richardson, Jack Riewoldt
R: Troy Simmonds, Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley
I: Adam Pattison, Mark Coughlan, Daniel Connors, Daniel Jackson
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