Humbled Hawks vow to rebound against Dons

After Augusta-Margaret River’s sub-par showing against Bunbury at Payne Park, Hawks coach Matt Jamieson made it clear his men needed to fine-tune a few things. Three days on from the loss, Jamieson said he was happy with how his players had addressed concerns from the 70-point defeat, as the Hawks aim to go 3-1 with a home victory over Donnybrook on Sunday at Gloucester Park. But it was not all doom and gloom for Augusta-Margaret River, with key defender Jackson Lavell-Lee putting in a solid four-quarter effort. Lavell-Lee, who relocated to Perth full-time from Dunsborough over the off-season, appeared to play with a degree of free abandon, almost like there was no pressure on him at all. Aside from being pleased with his defender’s mindset, Jamieson also loved his ability to dominate one-on-one marking contests. The Dons were made to pay for a slow start against Busselton last week — and although they gradually began to win more of the ball — they never seriously challenged for victory. Jamieson’s Hawks are under no illusions in terms of what the Dons can produce at Gloucester Park, with their impressive elimination final win in 2019 propelling them deep into the finals series. The home side was bogged down by the Dons on that day and were unable to run and generate scoreboard pressure. But with several fresh faces, Jamieson is confident the Hawks can take care of business.