Kuwarna fell short in its Sir Doug Nicholls Round match against Hawthorn in Launceston on Thursday night, despite a strong first quarter and a late surge.

Three quick, unanswered goals in the final term put Kuwarna within striking distance but the Hawks swung the momentum back to prevail 10.15 (75) to 9.12 (66).

Senior Coach Matthew Nicks spoke to the media post-game and delivered five key takeaways.

Searching for consistency

Kuwarna flew out of the blocks, kicking four first-quarter goals in a dominant showing to lead by 12 points at the first change.

But Hawthorn stole the momentum through the middle two quarters, kicking seven unanswered goals in the process, before Kuwarna wrestled it back to produce a final-quarter fightback.

Although Kuwarna cut the margin to a point with four minutes remaining, the Hawks charged back and ultimately proved too good.

Nicks said the team’s inconsistency was frustrating and would be working hard to rectify it.

“We just weren’t able to play our best for long enough again,” Nicks said.

“This week we come out and play the footy we want to play and put a first quarter out there that we’re pretty proud of, then we, for whatever reason, drop off. 

“You’d probably give us two quarters out of the four. We need to put a performance out there over a full, four-quarter game.

“We’ll have a look at that - what is it that frees us up to finish so strong, yet we looked like we were a little locked up through that second and third and unable to break the game back open for ourselves.”

Rankine and Ah Chee’s injuries to be assessed

Forward/midfielder Izak Rankine shone against the Hawks with his ability to create opportunities ahead of the ball, until he sustained a calf injury in the third quarter.

Rankine pulled up sore from a contest, which forced him to come off the ground, unable to return.

Nicks said the extent of Rankine’s injury would be known in the coming days.

“(It’s a) suspected calf, unfortunately,” Nicks said.

“The fact that he wasn’t able to come back out means there will be something there.

“He’ll have a scan and we’ll just have to have a look at that.

“We go into a longer break, now, a bye, so it takes a week off, but hopefully it’s nothing major.”

Nicks also confirmed recruit Callum Ah Chee suffered a thumb injury that would require further assessment, but he managed to play out the game with a protective guard on.

“We don’t know yet, but I assume there will be an x-ray. It’s concerning for us, concerning for Cal, but he just can’t take a trick at the moment,” Nicks said.

“He was able to play it out, but he had a guard on there at the end and couldn’t feel it, so it made it tough to execute.”

Nicks on Walker returning from injury through the SANFL

Kuwarna all-time leading goalkicker Taylor Walker did not feature against the Hawks, with the coaching cohort opting to have him return from injury through the SANFL.

Having missed the past two AFL games with a hamstring strain, Nicks said the decision would ultimately be best for both the team and Walker heading into the second half of the season.

“We know we are always going to miss Taylor’s leadership in crucial moments,” Nicks said.

“We’re not going to be able to keep looking at that every week, there are other players who didn’t play as well, but I do understand the question.

“Taylor is such an experienced player, he’s a finisher. I think there are other areas in the game tonight that we didn’t get right that aren’t necessarily those two spaces.

“We think it’s going to be what’s best for the team and Tex going forward into the second half of the year.”

Midfielder Sam Berry’s growth

Kuwarna on-baller Sam Berry has enjoyed arguably his most consistent season thus far and against Hawthorn was one of the team’s solid performers.

Berry was influential at the contests, finishing with 27 disposals, 10 tackles, five clearances and 471 metres gained.

Nicks said he had been impressed with Berry’s growth and determination to continue to get better.

“He’s had his best year, to this point,” Nicks said.

“He fights in and around stoppage, (is) really aggressive, a first-possession player, we’ve been really pleased with how Bez has developed over the years.

“I reckon he’s just taken his game to another level.”

Mid-season reflection

Kuwarna will now head into its mid-season bye with a 6-5 win-loss ledger, before returning home to host Geelong in a Thursday night clash.

Nicks said the 14-day break was coming at a good time, with the team keen to work on its deficiencies.

“We’ll take this opportunity to freshen up and have a little bit of a look at the first half of the season,” Nicks said.

“We finish ahead of the ledger, (but it’s) a disappointing way to go into the break, though, it’s a long break before we play again.

“We are not blind to the fact that there’s still some improvement still to come and it’s probably where there’s some frustration from those who watch us closely.

“We’ll look at why we can’t string four quarters together.”

Despite heading into the break with a loss, Nicks said there were also positives to take out of the first half of the season.

“We won the inside-50 count, we won the ground ball battle, we won a lot of different areas, just not the game, so credit to them (Hawthorn),” Nicks said.

“The start was important. We knew what was going to be important and was probably why the game was there for us in the last.

“We’ve got some improving to do, but in saying that, to be here at the halfway point, there’s still a lot of positives in what we’re doing without us being at our best.

“We haven’t hit our straps yet, we are not at our best but to be where we are and know we’ve still got so much upside to come, that gives optimism.”

Kuwarna will return to action after the bye for a clash against Geelong under lights at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, June 4.

Tickets available here.