Hawthorn midfielder Liam Shiels has identified the battle in the middle of ground as decisive in who will claim a spot in this year’s Grand Final.
Tackling Fremantle in Friday night’s Preliminary Final, the strength of Freo's personnel through the midfield means that its there that the match will be won or lost, according to Shiels.
“I think Freo’s key strength is probably in the midfield, they’ve got the best ruckman in the competition in Sandilands and then the blokes beneath him,” Shiels told ABC Radio’s Saturday Agenda.
“(Nat) Fyfe, Lachie Neale’s had a great year, (Michael) Barlow, then you’ve got (Stephen) Hill out on the wing so I think most of their drive comes through the midfield, so no doubt this week that’ll probably be one of the key areas that we need to focus on is winning that key midfield battle.”
