Toast How can this Hawthorn side be stopped?

[Dewyyyyy]

Chol is an ok role player but that's all he is, a role player. Had a good first year for Gold Coast too, except the consistency wasn't there.

Dear is 18 years old and not making an impact in finals.

Gunston is a class below all of the Bulldogs and Carlton's forwards.

Key forwards isn’t the strength. But it isn’t a weakness, ball movement, stoppage work, and small forwards are all quality.

Chol is a good forward, Dear is a good young up and coming forward and youth doesn’t mean they won’t make an impact, Gunston has more class and smarts than most but he will play here and there.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

There isn’t a world where realistically 14 wins doesn’t make it. It will. We can talk theories all we want.

The closer the season is the more wins that can be needed and raises the bar for missing out.
1993 in a 20 game season 12 wins missed finals. 13.5 finished top.

2024 is also very tight.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

The closer the season is the more wins that can be needed and raises the bar for missing out.
1993 in a 20 game season 12 wins missed finals. 13.5 finished top.

2024 is also very tight.

There is no realistic world where 14 misses finals. 13 sure but 14 no.

 

[HawkAbroad]

There is no realistic world where 14 misses finals. 13 sure but 14 no.

It would be unfortunate as hell, but there are multiple realistic scenarios where 14 wins doesn't make finals.
In my ladder predictor we made 8th by 0.5% over Port, both with 14 wins. If Richmond or North put up a better fight, that could be reversed and it'd be us missing out.

 

[cama30]

One of the few finals aspirants I'd be supremely confident against.

Play you at G its a different story.....

 

[Dewyyyyy]

It would be unfortunate as hell, but there are multiple realistic scenarios where 14 wins doesn't make finals.
In my ladder predictor we made 8th by 0.5% over Port, both with 14 wins. If Richmond or North put up a better fight, that could be reversed and it'd be us missing out.

Upsets, percentage, 8 point games. It is extremely unlikely and not realistically plausible for it to occour, especially with the inconsistent teams. Theoretically of course, but it isn’t even worth considering, if you get 14 wins you make finals 9.9/10

 

[Hannebrake]

Been up for a while now, thinking that their form run will just continue automatically is an assumption in itself.

Thinking that it’ll automatically end is one as well.

They’re good now and we have to deal with it.

They now play with great pressure, have plenty of good ball users and they’re also well balanced in the midfield and forward line. On paper it’s not much but their half forward mix has become an absolute nightmare - you need to find a way to contain 4 smalls (Watson, Moore, MacDonald and Ginnivan) all who have ridiculous gut running capacity, defensive work rate and goal sense.

If they had another tall key back and tall they’d be insanely hard to match up against imo

 

[JPetro83]

i still think in a final the likes of Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane and Freo away would stop them.. even Port would

 

[SSSSSS]

Has any team ever missed the finals off the back of 13 wins? Apart from Essendon when they got done for doping?

I'm pretty confident no team has missed off the back of 14 wins.

 

[threesixpio]

We might not even make the 8 so this thread is a little premature.

This is one of the wackiest seasons for years. It’s all over the place. Sooo many teams are having a tale of two season halves.

Yeah I’d love to play finals but improvement is what I’m after. Hawthorn might do well over the off season with opposition players wanting to come over is my prediction. We weren’t the cool club for a long time - now we are.

 

[threesixpio]

i still think in a final the likes of Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane and Freo away would stop them.. even Port would

Who knows. Is there another gear for Hawthorn? Probably not at the moment but you never know

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

i still think in a final the likes of Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane and Freo away would stop them.. even Port would

Probably tbh. But even playing finals this year would be incredible.

Sicily aside, the players who are driving this resurgence are all pups, getting some premature finals experience would be massive for this group. They have been playing must win games for a couple of months now and have stepped up every time with 1 slip up. Their % has gone up 9 points in 2 weeks. They're on.

But yeah, even the most optimistic Hawks fan would probably say this feels more like 2007 than 2008.

 

[JPetro83]

Probably tbh. But even playing finals this year would be incredible.

Sicily aside, the players who are driving this resurgence are all pups, getting some premature finals experience would be massive for this group. They have been playing must win games for a couple of months now and have stepped up every time with 1 slip up. Their % has gone up 9 points in 2 weeks. They're on.

But yeah, even the most optimistic Hawks fan would probably say this feels more like 2007 than 2008.

only thing is you dont have a freak of nature in your squad like you did in 07/08 (Buddy) but yes, making the 8 would be huge for the Hawks.. 2 or 3 years ahead of schedule.

 

[JPetro83]

Has any team ever missed the finals off the back of 13 wins? Apart from Essendon when they got done for doping?

I'm pretty confident no team has missed off the back of 14 wins.

Dont forget, there has been an extra game the past 2 years so 13 win is prob the normal now but missing with 14 would be unlucky

 

[hk89]

I quite literally described why. You’re disagreeing with nothing, Lions especially.

You described Lions as flying when we beat them. I disagree. Smashing the side that is currently in spoon position (who at the time were completely injury riddled) does not erase their poor record up to that point, they were not flying, they were flopping. I don't even see how the point is arguable.

In any case, as I said, we'll have a much better idea where we sit in terms of competitiveness with the top 8 after the next two weeks. Geelong was our biggest challenge in the last few months, and it didn't go well.

 

[OhhhhhCyril]

This is right up there as one of the most premature threads in history.

Firstly, we are not even in the 8..
Secondly, we are far far far away from being anywhere near a finished product. We still lack KPP in the backline, a forward and another gun midfielder.

Playing some fun exciting football, but this is just silly. Easy to forget we got touched up a few weeks ago by Geelong. That was a boys v men type of game.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

5 from 8 then in then. Inc 2 GF and 1 PF.

I don't think it's a assumption, most supporters are along for the ride and enjoying it. From a 0 and 5 start to this we have nothing to lose.

The last Hawks win being 10 years ago.

Good on you for holding on to it, but I don't think any of those results will be the least bit relevant.

 

[PerthBoy86]

If they beat GWS and Carlton I think they've earned the right to be genuine premiership contenders, but like the Bulldogs, the question is can they sustain it? Get in the 8, freshen up before the finals with the break, the sky's the limit.

 

[JZedd]

I reckon they put us up against North in the last game as a battle for the wooden spoon. Close but no cigar.

 

[bungalow_bill]

Dogs were up and down but exploded post that game, Lions were in form before and after and Hawthorn beat them in the middle of it, beat GWS who just beat Geelong, beating sides around them like Collingwood, top side in Freo in Tassie.

Hawthorn are a contender, Dogs of 16.

Lions back then were in form at times but we were still up and down. Form now is rock solid with 8 in a row. Coincidentally our run started when Dew joined the coaching ranks.

 

[peetoo]

It’s only a week or so ago commentators were saying, when listed as a finals aspirants next game, hawthorn was a W to the team

I think it was collingwoods remaining games to play

 

[peetoo]

Sorry, we'll have to agree to disagree. I think all of GWS , Dogs and Lions were in poor form when we met them.

Lions flying? They were 4-10 before losing to us, and those two wins and a draw just before playing us where against Tigers, Suns and Adelaide, all teams currently well out of the 8. Before those two wins and a draw against teams that appear to be not much chop they had won 2 out of 7, and one of those 2 was North. A smashing against the (now) bottom team on your home deck is hardly the hallmark of 'in form'. I'm not denying they hit form AFTER playing us, but their leadup form was terrible, despite smashing Richmond at the Gabba. If Brisbane's lead up to our game is your definition of "in form" then we are not going to agree on any of these.

After a team lost to hawthorn, week after week, they got smashed in the media. May be a factor

 

[MadMaxx]

Take a look at the rolling All Australian Thread here.
Only a single candidate being discussed, Dylan Moore

13

Dylan Moore

Age

25

Ht

177cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.9

3star

K

5.1

2star

HB

6.7

4star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.9

4star

G

0.3

3star

No current season stats available

D

12.2

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

6.2

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

2.8

5star

G

0.4

3star

..

And that is probably correct.

So What you are really seeing is the genesis of a top TEAM forming. All 23+ Player on the list all onboard for what Sam Mitchell is selling. All Commited, all HAPPY. No reliance on any superstar perforemances, just emerging quality on every line, and a growing confidence that the small ball gameplan that Mitche has developed, combined with the elite ground ball gets is the next evolution in gamestyle to build a team around.

It is not particulry common for an AFL team to be in this sort of mindset, and that is why we are so hard to beat currently.

The question is, can we ride that wave for 2 more months, or will we flame out.

Time will tell

 

[checkraiseulite]

One of the few finals aspirants I'd be supremely confident against.

2008 vibes

 

[threesixpio]

2008 vibes