News Hawthorn in the media 2023

[Strapping Young Lad]

Please don’t bring Barrett’s sliding doors rubbish here. That’s not the Hawthorn footy club in the media.

That’s a desperate article, trying to get clicks every week.

 

[cs61]

I am very impressed with how measured and considered Sic is there.

Was also showing confidence and was quite direct, even though softly understated, when he said "we are going to exceed Hodgie's expectations, which will be good".

 

[xmarksthespot]

Was also showing confidence and was quite direct, even though softly understated, when he said "we are going to exceed Hodgie's expectations, which will be good".

Every time I see him talk since he was appointed captain, he seems more and more comfortable (to my untrained eye!). I'm really enjoying seeing him in the role.

 

[TylerDurden]

 

[hawkman]

 

[KermitJagger]

I don't think I could ever get sick of hearing Sam talk footy tbh

 

[hawkman]

I don't think I could ever get sick of hearing Sam talk footy tbh

Even though King and Cornes can act like heading grabbing fools, I think their chats with Sam over the last year have been great

 

[KermitJagger]

Even though King and Cornes can act like heading grabbing fools, I think their chats with Sam over the last year have been great

He puts them in their place pretty effectively

 

[Judd2Sewell]

I don't mind the media "experts" tipping us to finish anywhere, even 18th. But I do have a problem with their reasoning for it.

If it's just because we lost Gunston, Mitchell, O'Meara, then that's not good enough. The same "experts" were writing all year how ineffective these players were (except Gunston), but now all of a sudden we're going to go from 13th to 18th? Give me another reason.

And have the 5 sides that finished below us much improved from last year?

Leaving aside player development - because it's really impossible to tell how well the youngsters from each team will develop - and looking simply at the ins and outs it's clear that we have taken the biggest hit.

Hawks have lost Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and Big Boy (and Shiels), but added Amon and Meek. We don't have the experienced midfielders to cover for our losses, unlike GWS.

North have added Logue (solid player), have Cunnington back (great player) but lost JHF. IMO Sheezel will have an impact straight away, and may account for some/most of JHF's absence.

Adelaide have added Rankine (good player who took that step forward in the second half of 2022) and lost no one.

GWS have lost Taranto and Hopper, though Hopper didn't play much last season. IMO they have a few players that can cover for the losses - eg. a lot more mid time for Kelly, Coniglio and Ward. But on paper they are key outs.

Essendon have added Tippa and lost no one. Who knows how long it will take for Tippa to readjust though.

WCE may have all their old boys fit and ready to play the majority of the season again - Shuey (17 games in '22), Ryan (17 games), Gaff (16 games), McGovern (10 games), Nic Nat (8 games), Yeo (5 games) and Sheed (1 game).

They've lost Kennedy and Rioli though, but Allen (0 games) looks like he's on his way back and will play KPF. IMO they have the biggest potential variation in finishing places.

The media narrative can be true both ways. Though I don't remember them specifically saying that we are going nowhere with Mitchell, JOM, etc, more than it was the media questioning our (Clarko's) list strategy.

Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and maybe Big Boy would all make our current team much better, especially if they were played to their strengths. There's simply no denying that. But Mitchell has a plan on how he wants us to play and he's made some hard calls in order to accelerate this process.

 

[hawkman]

Leaving aside player development - because it's really impossible to tell how well the youngsters from each team will develop - and looking simply at the ins and outs it's clear that we have taken the biggest hit.

Hawks have lost Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and Big Boy, but added Amon and Meek.

North have added Logue (solid player), have Cunnington back (great player) but lost JHF. IMO Sheezel will have an impact straight away, and may account for some/most of JHF's absence.

Adelaide have added Rankine (good player who took that step forward in the second half of 2022) and lost no one.

GWS have lost Taranto and Hopper, though Hopper didn't play much last season. IMO they have a few players that can cover for the losses - eg. a lot more mid time for Kelly, Coniglio and Ward. But on paper they are key outs.

Essendon have added Tippa and lost no one. Who knows how long it will take for Tippa to readjust though.

WCE may have all their old boys fit and ready to play the majority of the season again - Shuey (17 games in '22), Ryan (17 games), Gaff (16 games), McGovern (10 games), Nic Nat (8 games), Yeo (5 games) and Sheed (1 game).

They've lost Kennedy and Rioli though, but Allen (0 games) looks like he's on his way back and will play KPF. IMO they have the biggest potential variation in finishing places.

The media narrative can be true both ways. Though I don't remember them specifically saying that we are going nowhere with Mitchell, JOM, etc, more than it was the media questioning our (Clarko's) list strategy.

Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and maybe Big Boy would all make our current team much better, especially if they were played to their strengths. There's simply no denying that. But Mitchell has a plan on how he wants us to play and he's made some hard calls in order to accelerate this process.

If you are adding Sheezel for North you have to add Mackenzie for us

 

[Mercy Seat]

Leaving aside player development - because it's really impossible to tell how well the youngsters from each team will develop - and looking simply at the ins and outs it's clear that we have taken the biggest hit.

Hawks have lost Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and Big Boy (and Shiels), but added Amon and Meek. We don't have the experienced midfielders to cover for our losses, unlike GWS.

North have added Logue (solid player), have Cunnington back (great player) but lost JHF. IMO Sheezel will have an impact straight away, and may account for some/most of JHF's absence.

Adelaide have added Rankine (good player who took that step forward in the second half of 2022) and lost no one.

GWS have lost Taranto and Hopper, though Hopper didn't play much last season. IMO they have a few players that can cover for the losses - eg. a lot more mid time for Kelly, Coniglio and Ward. But on paper they are key outs.

Essendon have added Tippa and lost no one. Who knows how long it will take for Tippa to readjust though.

WCE may have all their old boys fit and ready to play the majority of the season again - Shuey (17 games in '22), Ryan (17 games), Gaff (16 games), McGovern (10 games), Nic Nat (8 games), Yeo (5 games) and Sheed (1 game).

They've lost Kennedy and Rioli though, but Allen (0 games) looks like he's on his way back and will play KPF. IMO they have the biggest potential variation in finishing places.

The media narrative can be true both ways. Though I don't remember them specifically saying that we are going nowhere with Mitchell, JOM, etc, more than it was the media questioning our (Clarko's) list strategy.

Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and maybe Big Boy would all make our current team much better, especially if they were played to their strengths. There's simply no denying that. But Mitchell has a plan on how he wants us to play and he's made some hard calls in order to accelerate this process.

The biggest challenge we face this year is experience in the midfield.

Even though we moved away from JOM and Tom last year, we still rolled them in when we needed to, and they still dominated a lot of our midfield statistics. We just don’t have that this year.

When things aren’t working and the season drags on and bodies break down, we are essentially relying on Worpel as our most experienced mid, and a bunch of sub 20 gamers, plus Nash. It’s why it’s so important that we’ve got Amon and Morrison rolling through the wings.

It’s not unreasonable for people to look at these midfields and even compare it to North who are a couple of steps ahead here and see that we’ll struggle.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

If you are adding Sheezel for North you have to add Mackenzie for us

True. But my point is that JHF won't be a big loss based on his performances last season.

 

[KermitJagger]

Leaving aside player development - because it's really impossible to tell how well the youngsters from each team will develop - and looking simply at the ins and outs it's clear that we have taken the biggest hit.

Hawks have lost Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and Big Boy (and Shiels), but added Amon and Meek. We don't have the experienced midfielders to cover for our losses, unlike GWS.

North have added Logue (solid player), have Cunnington back (great player) but lost JHF. IMO Sheezel will have an impact straight away, and may account for some/most of JHF's absence.

Adelaide have added Rankine (good player who took that step forward in the second half of 2022) and lost no one.

GWS have lost Taranto and Hopper, though Hopper didn't play much last season. IMO they have a few players that can cover for the losses - eg. a lot more mid time for Kelly, Coniglio and Ward. But on paper they are key outs.

Essendon have added Tippa and lost no one. Who knows how long it will take for Tippa to readjust though.

WCE may have all their old boys fit and ready to play the majority of the season again - Shuey (17 games in '22), Ryan (17 games), Gaff (16 games), McGovern (10 games), Nic Nat (8 games), Yeo (5 games) and Sheed (1 game).

They've lost Kennedy and Rioli though, but Allen (0 games) looks like he's on his way back and will play KPF. IMO they have the biggest potential variation in finishing places.

The media narrative can be true both ways. Though I don't remember them specifically saying that we are going nowhere with Mitchell, JOM, etc, more than it was the media questioning our (Clarko's) list strategy.

Mitchell, JOM, Gunston and maybe Big Boy would all make our current team much better, especially if they were played to their strengths. There's simply no denying that. But Mitchell has a plan on how he wants us to play and he's made some hard calls in order to accelerate this process.

You can't predict how player performance will progress or regress, but despite that, player development is a far bigger contributor to performance than ins / outs are. That's what makes the predictions a bit pointless, not sure why anyone is too fussed with them.

Personally I don't think we'll finish last because I have a lot of faith in Sam Mitchell's footy acumen and coaching ability. If we had pretty much any other coach I might think differently. I just don't see him as the type of coach who would lead a team to a finish that poor.

 

[Dewnior]

Because we have one of the biggest scandals in the last 20 years hanging over the club. Plus have changed president and footy director, a completely different direction that had been planned by the incumbents.

Completely different?

 

[Dewnior]

I’ve always held the belief that consequences should be brought in for media experts who fail to get their illogical predictions accurate.

Hawthorn are going to finish wooden spooners, you say?

Hawthorn finish 10th on the ladder

Cough up that left testicle Kane, you nonsy flog.

He can't, he wasn't born with any

 

[Mercy Seat]

Completely different?

Well yes. Hawks for change candidate over Jeff’s.

 

[peetoo]

Have a look at the crows midfield experience levels in 1997. It’s not impossible

 

[Dewnior]

Well yes. Hawks for change candidate over Jeff’s.

Ok, so a change in President means the club is now going in a completely different direction. Right, I get it

 

[Lawsy]

Have a look at the crows midfield experience levels in 1997. It’s not impossible

A huge difference in experience - Bickley & Jarman had +100 games experience, easily. Jars was 2 x AA for us before going there. Edwards, Koster, James would have all had ~50 games. Johnson and Goodwin were the only inexperienced players. Throw in McLeod to the rotation and we are nowhere near that level.

 

[Mercy Seat]

Ok, so a change in President means the club is now going in a completely different direction. Right, I get it

Did I say that? I said the choice of president and football director was a completely different direction.

 

[Dewnior]

Did I say that? I said the choice of president and football director was a completely different direction.

You said

"Plus have changed president and footy director, a completely different direction that had been planned by the incumbents."

Richie resigned.

From everything I've heard and seen so far, the current board is aligned with the direction that the previous board had taken.

 

[Mercy Seat]

You said

"Plus have changed president and footy director, a completely different direction that had been planned by the incumbents."

Richie resigned.

From everything I've heard and seen so far, the current board is aligned with the direction that the previous board had taken.

Figure of speech. I only meant different direction in that the choice was a different direction, in the context of how the media has perceived our off season. Whether they’re aligned or not is a separate conversation.

 

[Blackhawk42]

Match Preview: Eyeing our first game for 2023

All the information you need to know ahead of Hawthorn's season opener on Sunday.

www.hawthornfc.com.au

This is a bit embarrassing.

Says we played Essendon at the MCG last year which we didn't.

And has the completely wrong score from our practice match against Collingwood.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Haven’t played a game yet, and there’s stuff like this being published on the HUN site.
Typical trash.

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

Haven’t played a game yet, and there’s stuff like this being published on the HUN site.
Typical trash.

View attachment 1633351

An its a statement, not even a question. Oh well being the under (Dog) Hawk has its advantages

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/hawthorn/afl-2023-hawthorn-coach-sam-mitchell-opens-up-on-tough-rebuild-confidence-in-youngest-list/news-story/b1d8ce10c985b01bff722217bf296554

Mitchell is excited by the challenges ahead, but mindful it won’t all linear in terms of improvements.
“There are going to be some really good days this year and there are going to be some days that aren’t so great,” the Hawks coach said. “The road in front of us is going to have some fantastic parts but there will also be some bumps in it as well.”
“As players and as a coaching staff and a football department, and as a large organisation, we get to work and try to improve as quickly as we can. We don’t know how far or how fast that will get us.
“We have 80,000 members and for the most part, I think they are on-board with where we are doing and what we are trying to achieve. They are going to be as impatient as our players in trying to make sure we are getting better as quickly as we can.”

MITCH’S PITCH ON THE HAWKS’ YOUNG TALENT TIME​

WILL DAY’S ROLE
“The thing about Will is that we haven’t seen the best of him yet. Consistency and continuity with the makeup of his body has been tough for him. But that will come. He will get a good run at it at some stage. Most of his career he has trained as a defender, but he has trained midfield for the majority of this (preseason). We know he can play as a solid defender and he can also play on a wing. That versatility is important. Hopefully he will be able to show his best football if he can play consistent games in a row and we hope that will be this year.”

JAI NEWCOMBE AND THE HAWKS’ NEW-LOOK MIDFIELD
“Jai is a level headed kind of lad, From a (young) leadership point of view it is quite an even (midfield group), and Jai will play an important part in all that. We have James Worpel

5

James Worpel

Age

25

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.5

5star

K

12.2

5star

HB

11.3

5star

M

2.9

3star

T

4.5

5star

CL

5.1

5star

No current season stats available

D

15.6

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

9.4

5star

M

1.0

1star

T

3.2

5star

CL

1.8

4star

, who has had a strong preseason, we have Karl (Amon) on the wing and Harry Morrison

1

Harry Morrison

Age

25

Ht

184cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

8.5

3star

HB

5.6

4star

M

4.3

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

0.9

3star

D

13.4

3star

K

9.8

4star

HB

3.6

2star

M

4.2

4star

T

1.6

3star

CL

0.8

3star

D

18.4

5star

K

11.4

4star

HB

7.0

5star

M

5.4

5star

T

2.2

4star

CL

2.0

4star

had a fantastic year last season. Harry unfortunately hurt himself and has had a bit of an interrupted period, but he isn’t too far away. Their level of driving consistency of performance will be important. There are some young and talented players coming through and the rucks are now all 24, so they are getting to an age where you would expect them to take the next step, not just with their football but with their desire to push the standards.”

CAM MACKENZIE, JOSH WEDDLE AND THE DRAFTEES
“They are all loving it. They are now full-time professional sportsmen with access to the coaches, the physios, the doctors and the nutritionists, with people there to help them. They have actually been amazingly thankful and show a great level of gratitude for the people trying to make them the best possible players they can be. They are holding up their end of the bargain so far, working enormously hard and leaving no stone unturned. Having players who are coached is good, but having players who coach themselves is even better. And both of those guys (Cam Mackenzie and Josh Weddle), along with the other draftees, have had really strong preseasons. Only four players played every game this season, so you would expect there to be some real opportunities this year.”

TYLER BROCKMAN, THE ONLY HAWKS DAD
“Brocky had a later start to the preseason with the arrival of his beautiful little twins. He came back after Christmas and has had a seamless progression. He has produced some really strong footy on limited minutes up until this week. He is not far away. I think the thing about Brocky is that he is loving being a dad and he is loving his footy. He has a smile on his face and he has one of those smiles that is so contagious in a footy club.

RUCK ‘N ROLES
“We were a bit limited last year, obviously with big Benny McEvoy hurting himself and missing the majority of the season. Now we have three 24-year-old ruckmen (former Docker Lloyd Meek, Ned Reeves and Max Lynch) - I think they were all born in the same year (1998) - then Max Ramsden (almost 20) is developing along nicely. We have a fair bit of competition for spots, which is a good thing.”