If they accept the suspension, the Bulldogs will be without Darcy for their matches against Brisbane and Fremantle.

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Melbourne skipper Max Gawn expressed disappointment in the two stars not being up for the esteemed award.

“The Brownlow in brackets says best-and-fairest… the NAB Rising Star doesn’t say youngest-and-fairest,” Gawn told Triple M.

“It would have been cool to have seen who they would pick out of [Harley] Reid and [Sam] Darcy at the end of the year… we’re not going to get that now.”

Reid also received two fines totalling $3125, which come down to $1875 with early guilty pleas, for making careless contact with an umpire for incidents in the second and final quarters.

‘Loyal man’: Breust expects Hardwick to remain with Hawks

Jon Pierik
Hawthorn great Luke Breust says Blake Hardwick is a “loyal man” and expects his fellow forward to sign a contract extension with the club.

Hardwick, 27, is one of eight restricted free agents across the league yet to re-sign, but has opened contract discussions with the Hawks.

Hawks football boss Rob McCartney says he is confident of retaining Hardwick, as is Breust, the three-time premiership sharpshooter who helps to mentor the club’s emerging talent.

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“I don’t think there is any doubt that he [Hardwick] is a pretty loyal man. He has been able to build such a good career here so far. I don’t think he will be going too far,” Breust said.

Hardwick, a 159-game veteran after being pick No.44 in the 2015 national draft, made his name as a resolute half-back, having been a standout junior forward, where he delivered bags of 10 goals.

This season, the Hawks have largely shifted him forward, Hardwick keen to spend time in attack before deciding his future. He has rewarded the surging Hawks with 12 goals, including four in a five-point loss to Collingwood and five in the heartbreaker against Port Adelaide.

“He knows how to get shots on goal. That’s one of the biggest things I try to teach to any forward is to be able to re-engage with the footy, and know when to run away from the footy,” Breust said.

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“It’s a hard skill to teach, but because he did so much of it as a junior, it’s so easy for him, so instinctive. No wonder he gets good looks in front of the footy, and shots on goal.”

Life as a small forward can be difficult, particularly if the supply from the midfield slows to a trickle. But Breust, seventh on the Hawks’ all-time leading goal-kicking list, said Hardwick knew how to make the most of any opportunity.

“I feel like he is a great example of that. You look at the patches of goals he has kicked, they have sort of been in bunches. You look at the Collingwood game, four in a quarter, he goes to Port Adelaide, and kicks four in a quarter as well. That’s just the nuances of being a forward, I guess. So, he is doing a great job for us,” Breust said.

“His defensive pressure is really strong, he is strong in the contest. He is a pretty reliable set shot as well.”

The Hawks have also become reliable as a group, winning five of their past seven games after dropping their opening five to start the season.

They booted 16 goals against Adelaide on Saturday to reach three figures for the third time this season, their attack from half-back pivotal in Dylan Moore, another small forward, enjoying a career-high five goals.

The Hawks now face a significant challenge when they host Greater Western Sydney in Launceston on Saturday. Victory, however, would have them firmly in finals contention.

“At the moment, there is a genuine belief and confidence in the group that if we play our way, we can certainly challenge any side,” Breust said.

“So, it’s small steps. These young guys are still so young. You fast-forward to another 20-odd games, unfortunately, another 20 games takes another whole season, but if you get another whole season under their belt again, we should be starting to really challenge.

“It’s hard not to look back at Collingwood and Port Adelaide and wish those results were different. We know where we are at, we know what kind of footy we want to play – looking forward to the back end of the year.”

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