How do you stop Hawthorn?

[Unfinished]

We're also a better side than last year, remember.

As are we

 

[Unfinished]

Hawthorn spread so well and use there array of left footers to perfection at the moment.

Always amazes me how teams don't setup to counter this - seriously, half there team are amazing left foot kicks but absolutely shithouse on the right (Isaac Smith, Cyril Rioli, even Lance Franklin has never kicked a ball in anger on his right).

I still think you can put them under a lot of pressure by quick ball movement into there undersized backline. Hawkins and Pods have given them a lot of trouble lately and if you have the good focal points then Hawthorn will try to counter that by getting more numbers back to the contest thus reducing there spread from the backline.

Will take high intensity football to bring them down though. Cats are capable, losing Corey and SJ will hurt that prospect though.

Lance Franklin has kicked a goal on his right foot before, likewise Rioli

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

Lance Franklin has kicked a goal on his right foot before, likewise Rioli

Franklin has no right foot - stop pretending. He wheels around 45 degrees every time he gets the ball to kick on his left. Rioli would rather kick a checkside left footer on the run than attempt a right foot pass.....pity he is normally pretty good at it!

 

[sydney_hawka]

Is it a worry they still allowed Essendon to score 86 points, even if they did score 180 themselves?

They still allowed goals to through regularly - when their midfield wasn't killing us. Maybe I'm just clutching at straws.

Clutching at straws mate. The winning margin is the telling factor. I couldn't give a toss if the opposition kick a 100 on us every week, just as long as we are kicking more.

 

[hawkman]

Franklin has no right foot - stop pretending. He wheels around 45 degrees every time he gets the ball to kick on his left. Rioli would rather kick a checkside left footer on the run than attempt a right foot pass.....pity he is normally pretty good at it!

Franklin has kicked 3 or 4 goals on his right foot this year, Rioli does not use his right foot

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Re-read my posts in this thread, I'm tired of repeating myself.

Clearly you're not

 

[Unfinished]

Franklin has no right foot - stop pretending. He wheels around 45 degrees every time he gets the ball to kick on his left. Rioli would rather kick a checkside left footer on the run than attempt a right foot pass.....pity he is normally pretty good at it!

Franklin has kicked 3 or 4 goals on his right foot this year, Rioli does not use his right foot

 

[RogersResults]

Don't tell Hawthorn that they are a better balanced team without Franklin.

 

[Replica31]

Don't tell Hawthorn that they are a better balanced team without Franklin.

Does look that way. Be interested to see what their efficiency going forward is like without Franklin in the side.

 

[sydney_hawka]

Does look that way. Be interested to see what their efficiency going forward is like without Franklin in the side.

Without knowing the facts, I would say its quite high. More options, less predictable, but what side wouldn't have Buddy as their first choice Forward??

 

[Catsmaninamerica]

Pay attention Friday night. Cats will
Give you all a blueprint of how to do it. I suspect it will showing up their weak, limp key defenders. Tom Hawkins is already salivating.

 

[fddf]

Change clubs and support Sydney. Definitely your best bet this year

 

[sydney_hawka]

Pay attention Friday night. Cats will
Give you all a blueprint of how to do it. I suspect it will showing up their weak, limp key defenders. Tom Hawkins is already salivating.

Your Blueprint is in the past.

Hawks will hand you blokes a serious "reality check" next Friday. Can't wait to be there as a witness.

 

[Farang83150]

Pay attention Friday night. Cats will
Give you all a blueprint of how to do it. I suspect it will showing up their weak, limp key defenders. Tom Hawkins is already salivating.

Steve Kerrigan: Dad...Bloke in the trad'n post say Cats to win next Friday night
Darryl Kerrigan: What odds is e given?
Steve Kerrigan: He says Cats odds on...
Darryl Kerrigan: Tell im e's dreammmmn.

 

[Unfinished]

Pay attention Friday night. Cats will
Give you all a blueprint of how to do it. I suspect it will showing up their weak, limp key defenders. Tom Hawkins is already salivating.

So so so clueless

 

[MARK In TIME]

As are we

Nobody said you weren't. In fact, I doubt any Swans supporter wouldn't consider Hawthorn premiership contenders and the current flag favourites. The fact of the matter is though that Hawthorn supporters have continually tried to play down the Swans win in the earlier part of the season. While I, and presumably most footy fans, would acknowledge the Hawks have improved from that game, the only definitive way to say you are a side currently better than Sydney is to actually beat Sydney.

It is much in the same way people dismiss the Swans ability this season on the basis of the fact we haven't beaten Collingwood (despite the fact we haven't played them yet and we are a seemingly much better side than in years gone past).

I'm not saying it is fair, or an accurate representation of where teams are now, but last results count. Despite what some confident Hawks supporters think, the onus is on Hawthorn to prove they are a better side than Sydney, not Sydney to (once again) prove they are a better side than Hawthorn.

 

[Catswin12]

Lets see how they go against the reigning Premiers next Friday night and we will see how they can be beaten..

 

[volcboy]

How do you stop Hawthorn? Wear blue and white hoops

 

[WWSD]

Lets see how they go against the reigning Premiers next Friday night and we will see how they can be beaten..

Gee-gone will be beaten by Franklin, Roughead, Gunston, Breust, Rioli, Lewis and Hodge. That's some forward line.

 

[Catswin12]

Gee-gone will be beaten by Franklin, Roughead, Gunston, Breust, Rioli, Lewis and Hodge. That's some forward line.

Talk it up.. Cats have smashed them the last 8 games.. Carry on.

 

[Senatorguesty]

*Sniffs the air*. Whats that smell coming from the Cawks?
*Sniff* FEAR.
Toot Toot Hawthorn, the G-Train is coming!!

 

[Back Pocket Rocket]

Talk it up.. Cats have smashed them the last 8 games.. Carry on.

Smashed?????

 

[the distributer]

Honestly, they look unstoppable the way they are playing lately, but if you had the task of working out how to beat them, what do you do?

They seem to always have loose players and even when they are manned up they seem to have a 3-5m gap on their opponent. They remind me of the Geelong style but with pinpoint kicks instead of handballs, slicing teams up the middle.

The other thing is they seem to be winning the vast majority of one-on-one contests, whether it be up back, midfield or forward, they just win the contests and there is not much you can do once you are beaten to the football.

So how do you stop them?

The Collingwood press does not seem to work, provides far too many loose players for Hawthorn on the turnover and they just ram the ball at pace down the ground.

Makes me think playing a zone is not going to work, you need to go back to the old fashion "man-on-man" to make them more accountable, but even then you still need to beat them one on one which isn't happening lately.

Do sides have to block up the middle and create more congestion? I feel this is where Sydney's style may aid them in slowing down Hawthorn, especially at a ground like the SCG, not sure it will work on the MCG GF day though.

What are peoples thoughts?

I think their main strengh is thier footskills, they're clearly a class above everyone else in that department and their spread is down right scary, not sure anyone can beat them in their current form but as us Collingwood fans know, it's hard to keep it up for long periods.

 

[Duskfire]

Gee-gone will be beaten by Franklin, Roughead, Gunston, Breust, Rioli, Lewis and Hodge. That's some forward line.

It is a hard forward line to manage, but if anyone can do it, it is Geelong. The Cats also have a pretty decent defense

 

[the distributer]

Just a novice opinion here, but they love pin pointing passes into the coridoor, maybe teams might strenghen their zone through the guts and give up the boundry, it would at the very least slow their ball movement.