AFL: Hawthorn and Adelaide young guns set for UTAS Stadium clash

Hawthorn, whose sole win for the year came in Launceston earlier this month, will do battle with Adelaide.

The Crows, who were ranked both the 17^th oldest and 17^th most experienced side in the AFL before round one, have started the year with a bang - sitting in seventh with three wins and two losses.

Their side that defeated the previously-unbeaten Carlton by 52 points on Thursday night had eight players aged 22-or-under - four of whom had played 25 games or less.

That victory provided the Crows with their first Rising Star nomination of the year, with father-son defender Max Michalanney earning the gong.

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Playing every game since debuting in round one, the 19-year-old averages 11.6 disposals, 3.4 tackles and has shut down forwards like Junior Rioli and Michael Walters, keeping both goal-less.

Adelaide also have young guns at the other end, with 20-year-old quintet Luke Pedlar, Josh Rachele, Izak Rankine, Jake Soligo and Riley Thilthorpe all exciting prospects through the midfield and forward line.

Rankine's move from Gold Coast to Adelaide was highly publicised during the off-season and it is paying off, with the small forward averaging 2.4 goals and eight score involvements a game so far.

Rachele has also enjoyed a new-look midfield role, while Thilthorpe has had success at UTAS Stadium in the past - booting five goals on debut in 2021.

There's been no shortage of opinion regarding Hawthorn's list in 2023, which has an average age of 22.9.

In their round-five side, which pushed the GWS Giants to their limit before going down by two points, the Hawks had eight players under 22 and 10 players that had played 25 games or less.

Their team for Sunday looks set to lose 207 games of experience, with Chad Wingard lacerating his tongue in last week's defeat, which could potentially open up the door for another young gun to make their mark.

One of the Hawks' youth that continues to reach new heights at AFL level is Jai Newcombe.

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The 21-year-old, who was recruited from the club's VFL affiliate Box Hill in 2021, equalled his career-high disposals (31) on Sunday.

He has achieved respectable numbers at UTAS Stadium in the past, collecting 22 against North Melbourne, 16 versus the Western Bulldogs and dominated the Gold Coast with 27 in his last three games in Launceston.

The match-up, which is Adelaide's sixth in Launceston, starts at 1.10pm.

The Crows have only won one of those - defeating the Hawks in 2005.

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