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KEEP it together. Keep it together. Keep it together.
Under Eddie Murphy's spoof religious group Mindhead it was a mantra to impose calm and find purpose.
For Hawthorn it's the reality forced upon it by a confluence of extraordinary events that have imposed a state of unnatural disruption.
With its coach out of the picture and a debilitating injury list, the grind of winter has a more pointed edge for the Hawks.
The understudies are left to keep the campaign afloat until reinforcements arrive.
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Given the compaction at the top of the ladder, any misstep could prompt a snakes-and-ladders effect. Had they fallen to the Giants last Sunday, the Hawks would be sixth rather than second and the prophets of doom circling.
The shock of Alastair Clarkson's illness has given way to the certainty of his prolonged absence.
While he's a believer that there's a degree of theatre in the importance associated with the role of senior coach, the presence and influence of a figurehead is vital and reassuring in virtually every walk of life.
In the practicalities of the football preparation, the messages and practices were immediately maintained but the sense of strangeness was undeniable.
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That will likely dissipate but in a matter of weeks Hawthorn has moved from the model premiership defence to a study of where the tipping point lies.
Interruption is now guaranteed to be a constant companion immeasurably increasing the degree of difficulty in what's being attempted.
A month ago Hawthorn seemed again destined to march through the season occupying the mantle of the best team in the competition.
The Hawks had refined ball movement to a near art form under the edict, not of defending the title, but the more tangible aspiration of mastering their craft.
The combination of sophistication and elegance pulverised Gold Coast, garotted Fremantle and surgically dissected St Kilda in inclement conditions.
Sam Mitchell will be missed for several more weeks through injury. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia
The Hawks had it all. Style and substance complemented by an insatiable appetite for repeat success. Motivation to forge a place alongside the great Hawthorn teams of the past.
The terms have inexorably altered.
Last week the Hawks were only vaguely recognisable. Some examined the team sheet and saw the reigning VFL premier rather than the AFL version.
The coach was a rookie. Only two members of the leadership group were on the field. And they were under relentless siege from the despised Giants.
As the Hawks casualties had been mounting the willingness held firm. Shaun Burgoyne stirred a ravaged line-up to meritorious defeat against the Swans in Sydney.
Jordan Lewis was epic as he channelled the warrior spirit to nag and trouble Port Adelaide.
Young gun Billy Hartung talks to interim coach Brendan Bolton at training. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia
But there's a point when the absence of a critical mass of first choice players finally undermines method, predictability and trust.
On a grubby day at the MCG the slog was grim. Perhaps they weren't adequately switched on. Or maybe it was all they were capable of but Hawthorn spent the afternoon a whisker from disaster.
It's a view it might be forced to endure regardless of perceptions about the opposition.
Hawthorn's predicament is double edged. There's the imperative of winning to hold and fortify a position from which to launch.
Then there are the potential gains and fillips.
The Hawks couldn't have emerged with the points last week without the intervention of fourth gamer Angus Litherland.
Billy Hartung is forging a path. Jonathon Ceglar is learning his craft. The ever-popular Matt Spangher will get a sustained crack.
And Luke Lowden's phone call to his mum telling her of his long-awaited debut might have prompted smiles from the outside world, but imagine the joy felt by his teammates.
There isn't a guide to navigate such trying times even for the most accomplished team. How do you find sustainable normality in a most irregular scenario?
Such moments might lighten the burden and lift the spirit in what has become the most formidable challenge for a defending premier in decades.
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