Preview Grand Final Mighty Hawks vs Fremantle - 28 September 2013

[Glasgow Hawk]

Match Review Panel Findings:
Roughy - Reprimand (Free to play)
Birchall - No case to answer, legitimate bump.

Glad they are both free to play, but seriously a reprimand for Roughy.. That's crap.
(I know, there is just no pleasing some of us)

 

[Moo]

Glad they are both free to play, but seriously a reprimand for Roughy.. That's crap.
(I know, there is just no pleasing some of us)

A reprimand for standing your ground?

Isn't it the GD's responsibility to avoid contact?

 

[barmy44]

all the best next weekend, guys and girls.

glad to see birchall and roughead are available (reprimand for what exactly? playing footy?).

devastating for whitecross.

enjoy the week.

 

[HR Roughnstuf]

all the best next weekend, guys and girls.

glad to see birchall and roughead are available (reprimand for what exactly? playing footy?).

devastating for whitecross.

enjoy the week.

Why the fack am I finding myself liking Geelong fans this week?

They have had a lot of class this week

 

[I Lost My Keays]

Good Luck on Saturday against Freo , I hope you guys come home with the win! All the best

 

[BuddyCyrilCyborg]

I think you can also add that the statistics are skewed by the Hawks getting into a number of shootouts throughout the season. And this is the reason that the Hawks enter September with a much healthier list.

I like our chances of trying to make it a shootout on Saturday too. Been reading a lot of posts about "what will/can Freo do if they need to chase a lead", but I think we could create this scenario straight off the bat.

Plenty of pressure on first time grand finalists could have us with an early lead (with fingers crossed our set shots are better than Friday night.) This way the Dockers don't have the chance to start the strangle. Geelong did get a jump on them in the Qualifying final, which the Dockers pulled back, but I also think the dimensions of the MCG won't allow a full ground press as much as Subi and Skilled do.

 

[I Lost My Keays]

I'm predicting Burgyone and Cyril to have a ripper of a game!

 

[cryptor]

1. Win the ball
2. Spread the ball wide quickly
3. Hit up forward 50 targets before they have a chance to flood back.
4. KICK ACCURATELY

 

[11sjw]

Here's mine from the rumour mill....

Goo to retire afterwards, Crowley won't last the first quarter and Ballantyne won't last the match. An Alistair Lynch type fairwell if you will.

 

[Spursfan]

Au contraire - he is the one who needs to be in there. Crowley will go to either Mitch or Birch, and Taz is the one I'd be lining up on Crowley from the start. Show em who's boss.

Oh I want him in there, I just don't want him caught retaliating to niggle from them (like he was in the first qtr friday night)

 

[MoscowHawk]

Betting odds are probably the best guide to who will win. I definitely don't think they should be taken lightly. It is very difficult to gauge the form of freo in the second half of the season due to the easy run they had. The way I see it is:

1. They beat Geelong in Geelong. That's impressive. Looking closer though Subiaco and Kardinia Park are practically the same sized ground and added to that is Geelong kicked 9.18. That's terrible.

2. We beat Geelong (only just) when they were deadly accurate 15.7 and we were inaccurate 14.18.

3. Freo beat Sydney at home when they were without Tippett and had several of their midfielders playing with injuries.

4. Freo can't keep up that pressure for 4 quarters.

5. Being such a defensive team and low scoring they very rarely do enough to put the other side away. We are always going to be in with a chance until the final siren.

6. We are playing on the MCG.

Again, not saying we will smash them or anything like that. Just confident we can get the job done. Have to kick straight.

This has pretty much been my take on it after giving it considerable thought.

The best way to beat Freo is applying scoreboard pressure early in the game - getting out to a commanding lead in the 1st and 2nd quarters. It forces them to play more attacking, which isn't their style.

Unfortunately, having seen how they played on Saturday, we might not be able to achieve this. They'll be manic in the first half.

What I believe will work in our favour is that this manic style of play is unlikely sustainable for 4 quarters, while our style is sustainable.

Add to that a measure of finals inexperience on Freo's part, and I think we can get over the line.

In any case, our players should be hungrier - firstly to atone for last year. Secondly, no-one wants to be first team to lose a grannie to bloody Fremantle!

 

[Rushed_Behind]

Swans went about it the wrong way. They tried handballing through the press which quickens the game. Rookie mistake 1

Too many unforced errors/clangers from half backs. Rookie mistake 2

Swans were cooked went in with too many underdone players. Rookie mistake 3

Forwards (if you can call them that) got sucked too far up the ground. Rookie mistake 4

We must control the tempo of the game like we have been doing.

 

[free at last]

G'day folks and good luck for Saturday,hoping for an absolute classic contest.

The forecast of rain should make this game a real arm wrestle.

 

[Zoo Hawk]

Anderson for sub, impact player required, his pace, tackling and goal sense make him the perfect fit.

Struggling listening to all the media pundits this week fawning over Freo, sure they are the underdogs and will be a great story but hawthorn deserve a little respect too and are a really good chance of tasting premiership glory.

 

[Halcon]

all the best next weekend, guys and girls.

glad to see birchall and roughead are available (reprimand for what exactly? playing footy?).

devastating for whitecross.

enjoy the week.

Thanks, appreciated

 

[Halcon]

G'day folks and good luck for Saturday,hoping for an absolute classic contest.

The forecast of rain should make this game a real arm wrestle.

I appreciate your sportsmanship but I don't know if my heart can handle another classic!!

 

[Stranglers]

Interesting that a team that was widely tipped to get smashed by Geelong in the Qualifying Final is now suddenly the best team in the league. Crowley has gone from a good but annoying tagger to the best stopper in the history of the game. And Fremantle have the best defensive game ever seen.

Yet somehow with all this going on, if we lose we're chokers.

Hopefully the boys respond with the straightest kicking display ever witnessed and we win by over 120, just to shut up the critics once and for all.

 

[QuietB]

There is something that has been overlooked from Saturday night in my opinion and that is both Fremantle and Sydney entered that game hoping to make it a mauling scrap and both got exactly what they wanted. Freo were much better at it on the night. I am not sure why everyone is assuming that the Hawks will give them the same game style? I cannot see it happening. The Swans are happy to try and out-maul anyone - they invented that shit. The Hawks will not get sucked into this for 4 quarters. Freo knew the Swans would be up for it and got exactly what they wanted.

On another note does Freo play an extra man in defence? I have not watched in enough detail to notice. I seem to recall that Lyon does/did/seems like he would?

 

[Gene Simmons]

Hodge, Roughy, Buddy, Rioli are 4 players who we will need a much greater influence on the game than last week.. On a comforting note, I don't think neither of them will play stinkers 2 weeks in a row!

 

[JustKickIt]

We have to win so we can afford to fix up our Gym equipment:

 

[JustKickIt]

Anderson for sub, impact player required, his pace, tackling and goal sense make him the perfect fit.

Struggling listening to all the media pundits this week fawning over Freo, sure they are the underdogs and will be a great story but hawthorn deserve a little respect too and are a really good chance of tasting premiership glory.

They are supposed to be underdogs but most 'experts' expect them to win. Not sure how that works? Who is it they are underdogs with exactly, just the bookies?

 

[Willie_Rioli]

I'm predicting Burgyone and Cyril to have a ripper of a game!

am expecting very big things from Cyril. he'll been be pumped to make amends after a dirty GF last year. am tempted to put money on him for the Norm Smith

 

[Hawkk]

They are supposed to be underdogs but most 'experts' expect them to win. Not sure how that works? Who is it they are underdogs with exactly, just the bookies?

Hawthorn has firmed to 1.60 and Fremantle is out to 2.40 in the betting world

Evidently Hawthorn started at 1.65 and Fremantle 2.30

That is despite a probable surge of money towards Fremantle as punters hedge their Hawthorn flag bets...

You wouldn't pick it though

 

[I Lost My Keays]

am expecting very big things from Cyril. he'll been be pumped to make amends after a dirty GF last year. am tempted to put money on him for the Norm Smith

I have no idea why but i'm thinking to put either Issac Smith or Shaun Burgyone to win the Norm Smith

 

[Off The Couch]

I am so sick and tired of hearing about freo


I hope the hawks blow them out of the water early