Can Hawthorn cover the tall Kangaroos?

When big-money key defender James Frawley went down with a pectoral injury in the second round, Hawthorn thought they'd manage. After all, he wasn't at the club last year and they didn't ship Ryan Schoenmakers out during the 2014 trade period, instead sending fringe player Kyle Cheney to Adelaide.
But Matt Spangher has struggled with injuries – first a calf, now a hamstring. Add to that Kaiden Brand, who was drafted by the Hawks in 2012 and would have been in the mix to make his debut this year, suffering a long-term shoulder injury in the NAB Challenge, and their depth was already looking somewhat tested.
A four-week injury to Brian Lake, then, was the last thing Hawthorn needed.
It's true that they were without the 2013 Norm Smith Medallist for what ended up being a majority of 2014; he missed five consecutive weeks at the beginning, another five in a row between rounds eight and 13 and a further four – rounds 17, 18, 19 and 20 – through suspension. It's also true that Josh Gibson missed rounds 10-17 with a shoulder problem.
But we also know that the Hawks were torched by North Melbourne in round 16 of the premiership-winning campaign. That 16.12 (108) to 13.10 (88) loss to the Kangaroos last July came without Gibson – Hawthorn lined up Lake, Spangher, Schoenmakers, Angus Litherland, Grant Birchall and Ben Stratton, and they conceded 13 marks inside 50, 13 contested marks and the aforementioned 108 points, the second-most they gave up all season.
In that game, Drew Petrie kicked 5.2 from 14 touches, Aaron Black kicked 3.2 off 14 and Ben Brown kicked 2.1 off 13. The trio took a combined nine marks inside 50, with ruckman Todd Goldstein also grabbing one.
Though we don't want to call it a must-win at this stage of the season, Saturday night's clash between the Kangaroos and Hawks at Etihad Stadium could shape the coming weeks for both teams.
Both sitting on two wins and two losses after four rounds, Hawthorn appear a respectable seventh thanks to that percentage-boosting win over the Western Bulldogs while North Melbourne sit 10th, in the middle of the 2-2 sides, after clawing its percentage back in the black with its wins over Brisbane and Geelong. 
There is barely a let-up for the Kangaroos before their bye in round 13, with Richmond, Essendon, Fremantle, Collingwood, West Coast, Sydney and GWS to come. The Hawks, meanwhile, have it relatively easy through to their week off in round 11 – they have the lively Giants next weekend, then Melbourne, Sydney (at the MCG), Gold Coast and St Kilda. 
But both teams need this win for different reasons. You can't rule anyone out of the top-four race this early, and we know North Melbourne harbour ambitions of reaching that level. To do so, they'll need their forward line to take advantage of its match-ups against the Hawks. 
Veteran recruit Jarrad Waite has supplanted Black in Brad Scott's best 22, and so far his inclusion alongside Brown and Petrie is paying dividends for the Kangaroos. Brown didn't play in week one, only returning to the side for the second-round win over Brisbane, but in the three games they've played together this season, the trio has combined for 23 goals and 19 marks inside 50.
Hawthorn might still have premiership defenders in its line-up, including the impressive Gibson, but North Melbourne will punish them for any lack of concentration – doubly so in transition. 
Only Schoenmakers comes near the three Kangaroos in height, and having not played at this level so far this season it remains to be seen if he has improved against good, strong forwards. The hope for the Hawks is that he is supported by Gibson, Birchall and Stratton as often as possible, but nothing is a given at North's favoured Etihad Stadium.