Latest news with #GoodFriday
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How a small Ohio town became the 'center of gravity' in the GOP's realignment
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Republicans came on Good Friday, condemning corporate America and rallying locals to have faith that their city's paper mill could somehow be saved. One by one, in the shadow of Pixelle Specialty Works' towering red- and white-striped smokestack, they unloaded on the Miami-based private equity firm that plans to close it this summer. H.I.G. Capital, said Sen. Jon Husted, was ignoring the personal toll on more than 800 employees here. 'If the private equity firms who do this to communities had to go walk through and look at every one of you in the eye and hear your stories and see the devastation that they cause when they make selfish decisions,' Husted said, 'they would never do what they do.' Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost aimed his iPhone at the crowd and snapped a picture, which he declared 'Exhibit A' in any potential courtroom fight. 'You just heard from the good cops,' Yost said of the politicians who had spoken before him. 'Meet the bad cop.' And Sen. Bernie Moreno, who organized the April event after writing a letter that blasted ownership as 'Wall Street elites' possessed by 'corporate greed,' shared details from his phone conversation that morning with an H.I.G. official. The mill, Moreno said, had survived the Civil War, two World Wars and the Great Depression. 'It has to be able,' Moreno added, 'to survive a private equity company.' A decade ago, such public shaming of the private sector by GOP officeholders would have been unthinkable. But the uproar around Chillicothe reflects a continuing political realignment under President Donald Trump, whose economic populism has shaken Republicans' pro-business coalition. Moreno, a multimillionaire who made his money selling luxury cars, is emblematic of the shift. He won his seat last year with Trump's endorsement, defeating Sen. Sherrod Brown, a three-term Democrat known for his populist, pro-labor views. Republicans painted Brown and other Democrats as elitists out of touch with places like Chillicothe and surrounding Ross County, where Trump and Moreno both won in 2024. 'It's the most interesting political shift that I've ever seen,' Moreno said in an interview. 'The center of gravity for the Democratic Party is Martha's Vineyard. The center of gravity for the Republican Party is Chillicothe, Ohio.' Pixelle announced plans to shutter the Chillicothe mill in April, triggering the Moreno-led stampede to town days later. The company has seen a decreased demand for the carbonless paper made there as the use of digital receipts and invoices becomes more common. 'We are committed to working closely with local, state, and federal officials to explore future opportunities for the site, including the potential for a new owner and/or eventual redevelopment,' Pixelle wrote in an statement provided to NBC News. The effort to save the mill, or to at least ensure a new employer can take it over as quickly as possible, hit a snag this month. H.I.G. and Pixelle reneged on an agreement to pause the shutdown timeline and keep the factory open through the end of the year — a reprieve that would have bought time to identify a new tenant or use for the property. It had been the one shred of good news Moreno delivered at his April rally. 'Bernie has been the face of this,' said Jai Chabria, a longtime Republican strategist in Ohio. 'Whether he's successful or not is not the measure of where we are. If you look back at the Republican Party of 20 years ago, this is certainly not where a wealthy Republican senator would be expected to lead. Bernie has really embraced where the party has gone.' Even so, Katie Seewer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party, faulted Republicans for 'the latest in a long streak of bad economic news' in the state, noting that Moreno had raised hopes that the mill's closure wouldn't happen this year. 'Republicans own these failures and many others that have created an economy that isn't working for Ohio,' Seewer added. Pixelle is scheduled to end all Chillicothe operations by Aug. 10. The workers there — many of them second- and third-generation paper mill employees — are now waiting to see how much of the tough talk from Moreno and his colleagues leads to action. 'Bernie's railing against private equity,' said Scott Wiesman, who has worked at the mill for 30 years. 'But if you Google it, he's invested in private equity. So how evil is it, Bernie?' Mayor Luke Feeney, a Democrat, gives Moreno more credit. 'My hope and belief is that his efforts have been genuine and sincere,' Feeney said. 'All of those guys that got up there and on that stage said, 'We will sue them if they do this to you' — I hope they stick to it, and until they don't, I'm good with it.' But, Feeney added, 'if it turns out that it was just a dog-and-pony show, then I'll be pretty frustrated, because we're left with the aftermath here.' Chillicothe, about an hour's drive south of Columbus, has a proud history as Ohio's first state capital. Today, it has a population of roughly 22,000, a promising tourist economy boosted by the nearby Hopewell earthworks and mounds, and a redeveloped downtown that Feeney holds up as a small-town success story. Less than a mile from Pixelle, bustling Paint Street features two craft breweries, a boba house and other trendy businesses tucked into tidily restored storefronts. The name of a hip cafe, Paper City Coffee, pays tribute to one of the town's top employers. (Countywide, the mill is the third-largest source of jobs, behind the regional hospital system and a Kenworth Trucks plant.) The mill is 'as much a part of the scenery as the hills and everything else around here,' said Michael Throne, the head of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce, who recalled his first glimpse of the smokestack when driving to town for a job interview years ago. 'I'd seen smokestacks before,' Throne said. 'But nothing that towered over the landscape of the city.' Chillicothe's papermaking days date to 1812. For more than 100 years, the city was a hub for Mead, a company that would become a household name in school and office supplies. 'The paper mill really supported southeast Ohio,' said Jeff Allen, president of the United Steelworkers Local 731, which represents Pixelle workers. 'They used to tell us that for every job in the mill, there were three outside the mill.' Over time, Mead's name slowly disappeared. Market forces — a world less reliant on paper, a tangle of mergers and acquisitions — kept bouncing the old mill into new investment portfolios. In 2022, H.I.G. purchased what four years earlier had been rebranded as Pixelle. 'We were Mead kids. Our kids were Mead kids,' said Tim Jenkins, a mill employee for 38 years. 'With the strike in '75, you walked through the lunch line, you could get a free lunch when you said, 'I'm a Mead kid.'' 'Little things like that you never forget.' Feeney, who grew up in Seattle and moved to Chillicothe after graduating from law school in Cleveland, was elected mayor in 2015. National Democrats, eager to project strength in conservative-leaning parts of the Midwest, gave him a speaking slot at their convention the following year. Back then, Feeney estimated, the paper mill accounted for about 13% of the city's income tax receipts. The number has dropped to about 8%, reflecting a more diverse local economy, but also a shrinking workforce. Feeney could never shake the thought that the mill's narrow focus wouldn't age well. 'In the back of my mind, I figured that there was some chance that the paper mill won't be around forever,' he said. 'Paper might not be used in a hundred years.' Despite obvious signs of decline, Pixelle's announcement that it would close the mill came as a shock. No one wanted to believe the worst. 'We saw changes in how they were running the business, and you could tell that wasn't sustainable,' said Allen, who has worked at the mill for 37 years. 'But I don't think anybody thought it was going to truly close. We just thought we would recover — they would make changes, and it would straighten itself out.' While the Pixelle news was gutting, if not entirely unexpected, Moreno's interest in taking on its owners came as a much bigger surprise. Once a swing state, Ohio has heavily favored Republicans in recent elections. But in 2012, voters in the state backed President Barack Obama after being inundated with ads and messaging that characterized his GOP rival, Mitt Romney, as a soulless businessman. Specifically, the ads tied Romney's work in private equity to job losses in Ohio and across the industrial heartland. Republicans at the time dismissed such tactics as attacks on capitalism. 'My political thinking certainly evolved from the Mitt Romney time to today,' Moreno said. 'While Mitt Romney and the people at Bain Capital made a lot of money doing that, they also caused a lot of damage. Fundamentally, that's wrong, and that's not the way Republicans saw things back then.' Moreno said he first learned of plans to close the mill from a car dealer in Chillicothe and described his reaction as 'quite frankly, just pissed off.' He directed his staff to make the issue a priority. His deputy state director, a Chillicothe native, recently moved back to the city. 'I was bowling, my phone rings,' Allen recalled. 'This guy says he's from Bernie Moreno's office, that Bernie's going to come to town. I said, 'Listen, I'm in a bowling league, can I call you back?' I thought, 'You know what? I better listen to this.' But I was suspect of it.' Feeney recalled reading Moreno's strongly worded letter that demanded answers from the owners: 'I don't think I disagreed with anything in it.' But the reprieve that Moreno's saber-rattling helped win was even more short-lived than expected. Less than two months after the Good Friday rally, Pixelle issued an updated notice that the mill would close within 60 days — not, as owners had pledged, at the end of the year. 'I would prefer not to shut down at all, but, remember, I have no leverage,' Moreno said. 'There's no tool in my toolbox where they had to listen to me.' Moreno said H.I.G. instead 'offered up an alternative that was workable' and that could involve transferring the land to a community organization free of environmental concerns. Such an arrangement could make it easier to reuse or redevelop the site. Feeney described such a situation as ideal. But the mayor worries about the site becoming home to a low-staffed data center. 'I don't want to see hundreds of acres and 20 employees,' Feeney said. State and local officials also remain engaged, prepared to assist in talks to sell or redevelop the site and to help match displaced workers with new jobs. Many note an anticipated surge in other skilled manufacturing jobs in the wider region. There are plans for new semiconductor, drone and electric vehicle battery plants all within about a 45-minute drive from Chillicothe. There also remains hope, especially among Pixelle workers, that the site can continue as a paper mill, with corrugated cardboard and other packaging materials mentioned as a possibility if carbonless is no longer an option. Representatives from three large paper companies have toured the mill but found it unsuitable for their needs, Moreno said. 'They all kind of told me the same thing,' he added. 'The patient's too far gone' because of lack of proper investments. The experience has been instructive, Moreno said. He has ordered his staff to conduct 'a full audit of Ohio companies' that in the coming years might find themselves in a situation similar to Pixelle's and identify ways to intervene before it's too late. 'I don't want to play Whac-A-Mole,' Moreno said. 'I want to be proactive and avoid the next 20 Chillicothes.' This article was originally published on
The Citizen
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
R10 000 Youth Day tourney
LIMPOPO – Youth Day was celebrated in style on Monday at N'wamankena village with a vibrant sports tournament that brought the community together and showcased local talent across various sporting codes. The event, held to commemorate June 16 Youth Day, featured competitive matches in male and female soccer, as well as netball, drawing crowds from surrounding villages and other areas across the Greater Giyani municipality who came to support and cheer on their favourite teams. The highlight of the day was the thrilling male soccer final between N'wamankena FC and Shimawusa Homeboys FC. Favoured by homeground advantage, the home team, N'wamankena FC, triumphed with a 2-1 victory, securing the tournament's top prize of R10,000 to the delight of local supporters. In addition to soccer, netball and female soccer matches were played throughout the day, contributing to an atmosphere of excitement, unity, and youth empowerment. According to the tournament organiser Jay-jay Rikhotso, the tournament aimed to not only honour the legacy of the 1976 generation but also to encourage the youth to stay active by engaging in sports and avoid substance abuse. 'This was more than just a tournament; it was a celebration of our young people and their potential. The tournament aimed to take the youth off the streets and re-focus their attention on sports,' explained Rikhotso, one of the organisers of the event. 'With the increasing challenges faced by youth today, including substance abuse and lack of recreational activities, we felt it was important to give them a platform to express themselves positively through sport.' He added that the turnout and enthusiastic participation from teams and spectators alike were encouraging signs that the initiative had a real impact. 'And so far, it looks like we've managed to do just that. We're truly grateful to all who supported this initiative; from the players who gave their all on the field to the community members who came out in numbers to cheer, and of course, to our sponsors whose contributions made the tournament possible.' Rikhotso also used the opportunity to remind the community that plans are already underway for the next tournament. 'We hope that you will be able to join us again when we host our Good Friday tournament next year. With your continued support, we believe these events will keep growing and make a lasting difference in the lives of our youth,' he said. The tournament was a winner-takes-all event, which concluded with a prize-giving ceremony that included a R10 000 cash prize, trophies, and medals. 'We would like to thank everyone for ensuring that the event ended peacefully and without any incidents of violence,' he added. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Kangas keen to see how far they've come against Hawks
North Melbourne's defence appears to have had its own version of a resurrection at Easter. When Carlton kicked 24 goals on Good Friday earlier this season and thrashed the Kangaroos by 82 points, Alastair Clarkson and his coaching staff decided enough was enough. Improving North's defensive work had rightly been a focus in the pre-season. Clearly, a lot more work had to be done. So they re-doubled efforts after the Easter debacle and the upset win over Carlton last weekend showed the fruits of those labours. The Blues were restricted to 73 points and Toby Pink kept Charlie Curnow goalless. North have conceded more than 100 points only once in their last nine games. While always wary of false prophets, Clarkson is upbeat about what might be possible when they face an even bigger test - Saturday's match against Hawthorn in Launceston. "In the last seven or eight games we have been a lot stronger in that space and it's had us in games," he said. "The real test for us will be against a really, really good opponent this week, whether we can hold up defensively again." Hawthorn, like Carlton, will be a litmus test of how far the young Kangaroos have come. North fell away badly at the end of last season, losing to the Western Bulldogs by 96 points and then to the Hawks by 124, also in Launceston. It was their biggest losing margin since early in the 2021 season. This will be the first time they play Hawthorn since that debacle. It's also worth noting that Clarkson, arguably the most competitive beast in the AFL, is yet to coach a win against the club where he masterminded four premierships. "It's very, very similar - the last time we played Hawthorn, we got absolutely walloped. We didn't have much to play for, they had everything to play for," Clarkson said. "We just fell away really badly, but we're really keen, just like we were last week against Carlton, to see how far we've progressed. "We know we had to do a lot of work on stiffening up our defence. We were just leaking far too many goals in the early part of this season and indeed the last two games last year. "We just got belted in that space." North Melbourne's defence appears to have had its own version of a resurrection at Easter. When Carlton kicked 24 goals on Good Friday earlier this season and thrashed the Kangaroos by 82 points, Alastair Clarkson and his coaching staff decided enough was enough. Improving North's defensive work had rightly been a focus in the pre-season. Clearly, a lot more work had to be done. So they re-doubled efforts after the Easter debacle and the upset win over Carlton last weekend showed the fruits of those labours. The Blues were restricted to 73 points and Toby Pink kept Charlie Curnow goalless. North have conceded more than 100 points only once in their last nine games. While always wary of false prophets, Clarkson is upbeat about what might be possible when they face an even bigger test - Saturday's match against Hawthorn in Launceston. "In the last seven or eight games we have been a lot stronger in that space and it's had us in games," he said. "The real test for us will be against a really, really good opponent this week, whether we can hold up defensively again." Hawthorn, like Carlton, will be a litmus test of how far the young Kangaroos have come. North fell away badly at the end of last season, losing to the Western Bulldogs by 96 points and then to the Hawks by 124, also in Launceston. It was their biggest losing margin since early in the 2021 season. This will be the first time they play Hawthorn since that debacle. It's also worth noting that Clarkson, arguably the most competitive beast in the AFL, is yet to coach a win against the club where he masterminded four premierships. "It's very, very similar - the last time we played Hawthorn, we got absolutely walloped. We didn't have much to play for, they had everything to play for," Clarkson said. "We just fell away really badly, but we're really keen, just like we were last week against Carlton, to see how far we've progressed. "We know we had to do a lot of work on stiffening up our defence. We were just leaking far too many goals in the early part of this season and indeed the last two games last year. "We just got belted in that space." North Melbourne's defence appears to have had its own version of a resurrection at Easter. When Carlton kicked 24 goals on Good Friday earlier this season and thrashed the Kangaroos by 82 points, Alastair Clarkson and his coaching staff decided enough was enough. Improving North's defensive work had rightly been a focus in the pre-season. Clearly, a lot more work had to be done. So they re-doubled efforts after the Easter debacle and the upset win over Carlton last weekend showed the fruits of those labours. The Blues were restricted to 73 points and Toby Pink kept Charlie Curnow goalless. North have conceded more than 100 points only once in their last nine games. While always wary of false prophets, Clarkson is upbeat about what might be possible when they face an even bigger test - Saturday's match against Hawthorn in Launceston. "In the last seven or eight games we have been a lot stronger in that space and it's had us in games," he said. "The real test for us will be against a really, really good opponent this week, whether we can hold up defensively again." Hawthorn, like Carlton, will be a litmus test of how far the young Kangaroos have come. North fell away badly at the end of last season, losing to the Western Bulldogs by 96 points and then to the Hawks by 124, also in Launceston. It was their biggest losing margin since early in the 2021 season. This will be the first time they play Hawthorn since that debacle. It's also worth noting that Clarkson, arguably the most competitive beast in the AFL, is yet to coach a win against the club where he masterminded four premierships. "It's very, very similar - the last time we played Hawthorn, we got absolutely walloped. We didn't have much to play for, they had everything to play for," Clarkson said. "We just fell away really badly, but we're really keen, just like we were last week against Carlton, to see how far we've progressed. "We know we had to do a lot of work on stiffening up our defence. We were just leaking far too many goals in the early part of this season and indeed the last two games last year. "We just got belted in that space."
Herald Malaysia
a day ago
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Stan Swamy's death questions India's humanity today
It prompts us all to ask: What kind of society do we want to become? Jun 27, 2025 Candles flicker outside a church holding a memorial Mass for Indian rights activist and Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy in Mumbai on July 6, 2021. (Photo: AFP) By Dr. John Singarayar Fr Stan Swamy's death in custody raises profound questions about India's commitment to humanity under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 84-year-old Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist died on July 5, 2021, while imprisoned under harsh anti-terror laws, triggering outrage and sorrow across the passing resonates with the crucifixion narrative of Good Friday — both represent sacrifices made by those who challenged power structures and defended the in Tamil Nadu, Swamy dedicated over two decades of his life to the indigenous Adivasi communities of Jharkhand. He consistently opposed corporate interests that threatened tribal lands for mining and industrial advocacy for young Adivasis unjustly imprisoned and labeled as Maoists made him a target. Despite his commitment to peaceful activism, the government perceived him as a threat to the established order. In October 2020, the National Investigative Agency arrested Swamy, linking him to the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence in Maharashtra. Charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the elderly priest with Parkinson's disease faced deteriorating health in prison. His trembling hands made basic tasks like eating and bathing impossible without assistance. The courts repeatedly denied him bail, even after he contracted COVID-19. Transferred to a Mumbai hospital in May 2021, he suffered a cardiac arrest and died weeks later — a death many believe could have been prevented with proper care or release. Swamy's case exemplifies a troubling pattern in contemporary India. Numerous activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens have been detained under draconian laws like the UAPA, which makes obtaining bail exceptionally difficult. Human rights organizations report a significant increase in such arrests since Modi's government assumed power in 2014. While authorities claim these measures combat terrorism, critics see them as tools to silence dissenting voices. That an elderly, ailing man died in custody for his advocacy work indicates the extreme lengths to which this silencing extends. The plight of minorities in India has intensified in recent years. Muslims face mob violence over alleged cow slaughter, while legislative measures like the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens create obstacles for Muslims establishing their Indian identity. Christians encounter harassment under anti-conversion laws that require governmental permission for religious conversion — statutes ostensibly designed to prevent forced conversions but frequently weaponized against minority faiths. Violence against women has taken disturbing religious dimensions. The 2018 Kathua case, involving the rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Jammu, was allegedly aimed to intimidate the local Muslim community. Political leaders' support for the accused revealed how religious hatred can shield perpetrators. Such incidents, occurring with alarming frequency, represent a fundamental betrayal of India's professed values. Modi's administration stands accused of advancing Hindu nationalism at the expense of inclusivity. Policy decisions like revoking Kashmir's special status under Article 370 and constructing the Ram Temple in Ayodhya have galvanized Hindu supporters while alienating religious minorities. Though the government portrays these actions as unifying the nation, many perceive them as exacerbating religious divisions and targeting non-Hindu communities. Anti-conversion legislation has proliferated across states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. These laws, requiring official approval for religious conversion, have resulted in the arrests of individuals sharing their faith. Critics argue that such measures violate the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and contribute to the ongoing harassment of minorities, reflecting governmental attempts to control personal beliefs. While the government maintains it safeguards national security, its actions suggest alternative priorities. Laws like the UAPA and sedition statutes effectively suppress criticism, with dissenters branded as "anti-national" or "urban Naxals." The National Investigation Agency's insistence on keeping Swamy imprisoned despite his suffering, coupled with policies like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and prominent Hindu temple projects, indicates a preference for power consolidation over human welfare. Swamy's death garnered international attention. The United Nations expressed concern for human rights defenders and urged India to release unjustly detained individuals. The United States and European Union highlighted religious freedom issues, suggesting India's democratic foundations were eroding. The government defended its actions as legally sound, but global reaction demonstrated that Swamy's fate resonated beyond India's borders. Three years after Swamy's death, the Indian Church has responded with varying degrees of engagement. Catholic leaders initially expressed grief, with Cardinal Oswald Gracias calling for justice. The Jesuits committed to continuing Swamy's mission and clearing his name through legal petitions, including one filed with the Bombay High Court in 2021. Annual memorial services on July 5 in Mumbai, Delhi, and Ranchi bring together religious and lay communities to honor Swamy and raise awareness about tribal rights and unjust legislation. Through the Bagaicha center in Jharkhand, Jesuits train young activists to advocate for Adivasi communities, preserving Swamy's legacy. However, some criticize the Church for insufficient opposition to governmental policies. While Catholics protested against Swamy's arrest, the institutional Church — including the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India — remained relatively quiet. This restraint extends to confronting anti-conversion laws and religious persecution. Some clergy and activists demand more assertive action reflective of Swamy's courage, while others cite political tensions as justification for caution. In 2023, certain bishops addressed human rights at conferences and supported tribal communities through education and legal assistance. The Jesuits' back campaigns against UAPA, and Swamy's example inspires younger priests to serve marginalized populations. The Church navigates between institutional self-preservation and fidelity to Swamy's bold witness. Swamy's narrative serves as a cautionary tale for contemporary India. His death — sick, imprisoned, and neglected despite a lifetime aiding the vulnerable — connects to broader issues of persecution, religiously motivated violence, and anti-minority legislation. Like Jesus on Good Friday, Swamy's fate demonstrates how power structures can crush those dedicated to justice and compassion. Though the government claims legal justification, laws should never compromise fundamental rights and human dignity. India's Constitution guarantees equality and freedom, yet many citizens experience neither. Swamy's death mirrors India's current condition, as does the crucifixion narrative. Arbitrary arrests, religious hatred, and institutional silence reflect a nation losing its moral compass. When citizens sent sippers to Swamy in prison because he couldn't drink independently, they expressed a fundamental concern for humanity that demands broader application. India must confront whether it values every life equally or allows fear and division to prevail. The path forward requires governmental restraint in silencing critics, genuine protection for minorities, expedited judicial processes, a more vocal Church, and citizens demanding humane treatment for all. Without such changes, more will suffer Swamy's fate, and India's commitment to humanity will continue to diminish. Swamy's death prompts us all to ask: What kind of society do we want to become? Will we honor the sacrifices of those who stand for justice, or will we remain complicit in systems that punish compassion? The answer lies not merely in memorializing Swamy, but in transforming the conditions that led to his tragic
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Kangas keen to see how far they've come against Hawks
North Melbourne's defence appears to have had its own version of a resurrection at Easter. When Carlton kicked 24 goals on Good Friday earlier this season and thrashed the Kangaroos by 82 points, Alastair Clarkson and his coaching staff decided enough was enough. Improving North's defensive work had rightly been a focus in the pre-season. Clearly, a lot more work had to be done. So they re-doubled efforts after the Easter debacle and the upset win over Carlton last weekend showed the fruits of those labours. The Blues were restricted to 73 points and Toby Pink kept Charlie Curnow goalless. North have conceded more than 100 points only once in their last nine games. While always wary of false prophets, Clarkson is upbeat about what might be possible when they face an even bigger test - Saturday's match against Hawthorn in Launceston. "In the last seven or eight games we have been a lot stronger in that space and it's had us in games," he said. "The real test for us will be against a really, really good opponent this week, whether we can hold up defensively again." Hawthorn, like Carlton, will be a litmus test of how far the young Kangaroos have come. North fell away badly at the end of last season, losing to the Western Bulldogs by 96 points and then to the Hawks by 124, also in Launceston. It was their biggest losing margin since early in the 2021 season. This will be the first time they play Hawthorn since that debacle. It's also worth noting that Clarkson, arguably the most competitive beast in the AFL, is yet to coach a win against the club where he masterminded four premierships. "It's very, very similar - the last time we played Hawthorn, we got absolutely walloped. We didn't have much to play for, they had everything to play for," Clarkson said. "We just fell away really badly, but we're really keen, just like we were last week against Carlton, to see how far we've progressed. "We know we had to do a lot of work on stiffening up our defence. We were just leaking far too many goals in the early part of this season and indeed the last two games last year. "We just got belted in that space."
