by Nicholas Duck
A better effort from Drouin this week wasn't enough to save them from a 48-point defeat against Bairnsdale.
The Hawks fought the good fight against the Redlegs but were ultimately made to pay for a slow start where they gave away five of the first six goals of the day.
While the effort and intensity were there, for the most part after that point the scoreboard proved to be a hill too big to climb, the Hawks eventually downed 12.6 (78) to 19.12 (126) by a much more experienced side.
The match was the first of many the Hawks will be playing as the nominal home side as they made the Morwell Recreation Reserve their own for the day.
Drouin's best once again had a quirky flavour to it this week as both Kye and Aden Quirk (36 disposals each) were the team's top performers through the middle and up forward.
Forward recruit Tomas Unferdorben booted three goals to lead the Hawks' forward line - much to the delight of the radio commentary team who found his last name a joy to say.
Zayne Atkins did a solid job running with Bairnsdale ball winner Will Mitchell while winning 28 touches of his own, debutant Darcy Britt gave his first match in the seniors plenty and young Max Williames was again encouraging.
Bairnsdale's experience won out for the Redlegs as they employed an ultra-aggressive game style that worked nicely against their much younger opponents.
Leading the charge was Tyran Rees (four goals), who combined with the ever-dangerous Brayden McCarrey (four goals) to do the damage up forward.
Cooper Harvey (38 disposals) showed plenty of class along with Mitchell, Lachlan Cloak, Tom Blenheim and Byron Vickery.
While the effort was better from Drouin this week, their execution still lacked in a few areas, particularly in their ball use up forward.
They didn't give up as many easy goals from turnovers as they did against the Tigers but still couldn't quite hit their targets when it was their turn to attack.
A good start can do wonders for teams like Drouin who are still figuring out how to win, but it wasn't to be this time around.
Bairnsdale were on the board within minutes, Will East running in a simple shot after the Redlegs worked their way through Drouin's defensive structure. They weren't done there either, putting through the next three in a flash to have the game teetering at just 10 minutes in.
Needing an experienced head to stand up, reigning best and fairest Kye Quirk did the job, winning a holding the ball free kick and slotting the shot to get the Hawks going.
Another Redlegs major from McCarrey - courtesy of an absolute leg breaker of a bounce - was soon answered by Atkins and Williams to restore some confidence, the teams trading blows until quarter time.
The second term played out in much the same way with Bairnsdale popping through five straight goals early in the term before Drouin had their own run to claw the margin back to some respectability at the major break.
A much more dour defensive affair in the third saw just three goals kicked – all Bairnsdale's way, the Redlegs truly breaking clear to lead by 46 heading into three quarter time.
With a team as young and experienced as the one Drouin put out, attitude is everything sometimes.
Last week against Morwell, the Hawks dropped their heads, giving up a whopping 11 goals in the final quarter to go down with a whimper.
This week they cracked in, the scores in the last standing at 4.1 to 4.3 Bairnsdale's way.
Finally looking to control the ball, it wouldn't be hard to argue they had the better of the quarter if not for some shots at goal that failed to register.
Things are all relative for the Hawks as things stand. Given their exodus of senior talent and the overwhelming number of kids they're fielding, little improvements are what they're after.
Losing by 48 points is disappointing no matter who you are, but for Drouin there were enough little wins to say it was a better effort than they got in round one.
Drouin coach Leigh Horsburgh said as much post-game.
"I was pretty happy with the pressure, we see that there's genuine improvement there from week one," he said.
"Our group was pretty buoyant after the game that we are improving and we're not going backwards."
While he lamented their execution at times, Horsburgh was happy with the way his side didn't give up.
"It feels like the group is all on board and it feels like we're going in the right direction."