The Hawks head down to their second home in Tasmania where they\u2019ve built a dominant record over recent years, but they\u2019ll get a genuine test from an in-form Adelaide side.<\/p>\n
Hawthorn have been slightly off their best over the past few weeks, recording one draw and two losses from their last three games.<\/p>\n
Now they return to UTAS Stadium, where they last tasted victory back in Round 7.<\/p>\n
Adelaide arrive in strong form, winning five of their last six matches, and they pushed Hawthorn all the way at this venue last season.<\/p>\n
UTAS Stadium continues to be one of the strongest home-ground advantages in football for Hawthorn.<\/p>\n
The Hawks have won their last 11 matches at the venue and have covered the line in 12 of their last 13 games there.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the one game they failed to cover was against Adelaide last season when the Crows lost by just three points.<\/p>\n
Hawthorn have also won four of their last five meetings against Adelaide overall.<\/p>\n
Still, the Crows have been competitive as underdogs throughout 2026, covering the line in three of five games in that role, with the Brisbane loss the clear outlier.<\/p>\n
Expect Hawthorn to get the job done at home, but this shapes as another tight contest rather than a blowout.<\/p>\n
Jai Newcombe wasn\u2019t quite at his dominant best against Melbourne last week, but this matchup sets up perfectly for a bounce-back performance.<\/p>\n
Adelaide are conceding the second most clearances per game in the AFL this season, while Newcombe ranks among the league\u2019s elite clearance players at 7.5 per game.<\/p>\n
When Hawthorn faced Gold Coast earlier this season \u2014 the AFL\u2019s worst clearance defence statistically \u2014 Newcombe exploded for 30 disposals.<\/p>\n
This matchup profiles similarly for the Hawks midfielder.<\/p>\n
James Sicily continues to be one of the most reliable disposal accumulators in the competition from defence.<\/p>\n
The Hawthorn skipper is averaging 22.2 disposals per game in 2026 and has recorded 20+ disposals in eight of his nine matches this season.<\/p>\n
His role within Hawthorn\u2019s ball movement remains critical, particularly at UTAS where the Hawks love controlling possession across half-back.<\/p>\n
Josh Rachele\u2019s brief midfield experiment appears to be over for now, with Matthew Nicks increasingly deploying him as a permanent small forward.<\/p>\n
Against North Melbourne last week, Rachele attended a season-low 9% of centre bounces and responded by kicking three goals.<\/p>\n
Across the last three weeks, he has attended fewer than 20% of centre bounces in each game while kicking seven goals in total.<\/p>\n
He has also kicked at least two goals in all three of those matches.<\/p>\n
With his forward role now firmly established again, Rachele should continue finding scoreboard opportunities.<\/p>\n