Preview 2024 Preseason: Hawks v Dogs in Tassie

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I think we've put our finger on the issue..
Yeah, Centre Clearances win games in the 6-6-6 reality.

We were -9. Dogs walked it out of there most of the night despite our tap dominance in there.

Interestingly, we did quite well at stoppages, which was something we were quite poor at last year. Only -2 for stoppage clearances.
 
Some people are selling Western Bulldogs short. They have an elite midfield, a seriously talented forwardline, and should be pushing for a top 4 spot this year. We are at a completely different stage of development to them.

There's plenty of upside in our team, it just requires patience.
From what I've seen, I'd put them top 4. That forward line is really potent, so long as the midfield holds up, they'll score heavily.
 
I think we've put our finger on the issue..

And what’s that issue?

I don’t see why we should be considering the backline getting shelled like the sorry saps at Verdun as being at all relevant to the insightful narrative of the match.

I am very interested to see how we structure up when Essendon get a run going in two weeks, though. Regaining control was the big inconsistency from last season, particularly against the seasoned sides who had a few tricks up their sleeves. S Mitchell has said that working on killing momentum was one of our big focus areas for this season as the side matures into a team wiht a style that stands up in finals. Essendon are a side that runs on burst of momentum and do some real damage when their tails are up. They are a good match-up for our first game of the year.
 
Both have runs on the board. And have delivered in big games.

Not scapegoating off one practice game. A top 10 pick in his 3rd senior season should be shining. Not ‘still finding his way’. Hence my concern.
Until he gets to 50 games- he’s still finding his way IMO- we need to have some patience…
 
Looked a typical practice match to me. Bloody hard to analyse.
Players missing - players in positions they won't be in come round 1 - and senior players turning it on in spurts because they don't want to go full rat power ... from both teams.
I wasn't expecting to see a cohesive game-plan in a practice match - just hoping to see the odd player show signs of improvement.

To that end ...

I liked what I saw of MacKenzie - looks increasingly confident (and moves uncannily like a skinny Sam Mitchell). I'm hoping he pushes one of Worpel / Nash down the pecking order by mid-season. We'll be a better balanced team if he does.

We looked more dangerous at ground level in our forward line (second quarter mostly, of course).

Chol had a poor day aerially but looked like an improved second ruck option at times. I'm sure he'll prove his worth across the year.

Hustwaite shows a bit every time you watch him - interesting to see if Sam can settle him into a particular role.

Can't wait for the real stuff!
 
Some people are selling Western Bulldogs short. They have an elite midfield, a seriously talented forwardline, and should be pushing for a top 4 spot this year. We are at a completely different stage of development to them.

There's plenty of upside in our team, it just requires patience.
Yep, this. They have a list that should have been playing finals from top 4 pretty much every year since 2016.
 
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. It's a pre season game where we tried a few different things at times. Look at the positives from the game.
  • Jai continues to shine brightly
  • Mass' kick to Croc was delightful
  • Second quarter we flicked the switch, moved the ball quickly and took the game on - we piled on points quickly
  • Ginni's work rate - his work ethic had been questioned by many but loved his endeavour
  • Frenchie starting to believe in himself and his kicking will be something we love seeing over time
  • Ethan Phillips had a good shot last night and I thought he showed enough promise. He'll be better for the run.
  • Chol's kick to Croc on the run in the 3rd quarter. Chol will be a good acquisition - don't write him off based on a pre season match.
  • Croc kicks two as a half forward and continues to develop as a player to watch.

Sure, there were some negatives from the match, but wait until after the first few rounds to see what we can do before writing the season off and microwaving your memberships. Ride the bumps with a grin.
My thoughts were that midway through the 3rd quarter the cue was most certainly put in the rack whereas the Dogs who obviously had all the momentum just put their foot down. If that was a regular season game then I reckon the boys would’ve at least tried to stem the bleeding with a lot more effort than they did.

The problem with where the game was placed was I think in the back of everyone’s mind was just turn the legs over and not get hurt. Reckon we’ll see a different full 4 quarter effort in a fortnight.
 
Some people are selling Western Bulldogs short. They have an elite midfield, a seriously talented forwardline, and should be pushing for a top 4 spot this year. We are at a completely different stage of development to them.

There's plenty of upside in our team, it just requires patience.
They’re also under a huge amount of pressure to deliver this year with a coach most likely gone if they don’t make finals. They have a point to prove.
 

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Apologies folks. I turned off the game at half time to watch a movie with the family. No doubt, this had a large impact on our intensity and ball movement. I’ll work on my commitment ahead of round one 😉

On the plus side, when our midfield did win the ball, we our forward line, with croc, breust, watson and ginny at ground level looked potent.
 
They had double.

68-34

We can't turn up for a quarter of footy and expect to win.

Midfield need to switch on next week.

To be fair I think the Bulldogs are a bit of a nightmare match up for us. They have an elite midfield that we will have to play at a A game to get on top of and three mobile big talls that we lack both quantity and quality to contain. Most sides have one quality KPF which will give us trouble. They have three. Thankfully Bevo is incompetent as a coach which gives us a chance.
 
Also, why are we playing Finn in the back pocket? The last thing we want is the ball in his or Frost's hands back there.
Was mentioned after game (by Mitchell I believe) they found themselves in a predicament last year that he was either tagging or not in the team so needed to get some positional variety in his game
 
Yeah, Centre Clearances win games in the 6-6-6 reality.

We were -9. Dogs walked it out of there most of the night despite our tap dominance in there.

Interestingly, we did quite well at stoppages, which was something we were quite poor at last year. Only -2 for stoppage clearances.

Is there any stats available for CBA per player? or breakdown with the combinations used.
 
Some of Mackenzie's kicks inside 50...

mood missile GIF
 
Some of Mackenzie's kicks inside 50...

mood missile GIF

Need to find a way to get it in his hands and Frenchy needs to find a way to get on the end of more cheap outside ball.

Few more preseasons in the legs and he's going be our playmaker.
 
Some people are selling Western Bulldogs short. They have an elite midfield, a seriously talented forwardline, and should be pushing for a top 4 spot this year. We are at a completely different stage of development to them.

There's plenty of upside in our team, it just requires patience.
They looked dangerous some flog on Sen was saying he still rates dogs at 12 after yesterday's game lol
 

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Preview 2024 Preseason: Hawks v Dogs in Tassie

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