Lake - our most important player

[ACTion Hawks]

Although I don't think he is our best player, I reckon the naughty boy has become our most important. He is our only defender that can take the relieving mark in Defence. This is so Valuable to us when we are playing the better teams and I think is vital if we are to go B2B! This is not an indictment on any of our other players, but we have cover elsewhere, whereas we have no one who can bring the skillet that Brian brings.

Here's to him winning another Norm!

 

[Quietasamouse]

Here's to him staying healthy

 

[Main Man]

He is definitely in our top 3 most important players in my opinion, when he plays the entire team seems to play with more confidence, whilst we were winning matches I feel the last 2 weeks our form has gone up a couple of notches and it is no coincidence that it comes with his return to the side.

 

[MrFujiMoto]

Getting ahead here but imagine his first 2 years at Hawthorn ending with 2 premierships and 2 Normies around his neck. Couldn't happen to a stranger bloke either

 

[TyHawk]

I feel so much calmer with the Big Monster down back. His intercept marking gives us so much rebound and the marks he plucked from Clokes head last week were awesome! In fact , that overrated dunce only beat him once!

 

[Max Powers]

Definitely need him fit and firing to get us to our back to back goal.

 

[kenneje]

I agree with you totally. It's like someone is giving me a bear hug every time the ball is kicked in long, knowing he's there is just so reassuring.

The other guy who can take fantastic relieve marks consistently is McEvoy, it's the thing he did at St.Kilda that earnt him plaudits, but thanks to injuries, he just hasn't had a chance to get into a groove. He will be massive come finals.

 

[Roddy]

Not sure, have seen Stratts take the odd defensive grab (latter stages of last year's prelim?).

But yeah, Lake is a vital cog, as Richo said, the missing link from runner's up in '12 to premiers in '13.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Lake is the anchor for our defence!

 

[Argy]

I think he is one of the most important, but for the reason that he allows us a great deal more flexibility when he plays. We can play Schoe up forward or down back, for just one example.

 

[Pessimistic]

Was the same last year. But if fit, would improve any team

 

[BigRough]

As above, but gives us flexibility too, although Schoey spent more time in defence at the weekend than I thought he would.

 

[Phil McCreviss]

Nope. Roughead is structurally our most important. Lake is up there but not the most important.

 

[Davo-27]

idk, i felt with Lake, Stratton and Spangher we were taking alot more relieving marks against the GCS, it just felt like we dominated the air more with those 3.....

 

[Main Man]

Nope. Roughead is structurally our most important. Lake is up there but not the most important.

I'd argue we could still win it without Roughead as important as he is, without Lake I don't think we could because our defense would get exposed by the better teams.

 

[lickmerocks]

My favourite player to watch. Works the angles, times his intercepts and spoils, and more importantly watches the ball in the air and love the way he will not be bullied....

If I was schoey I would be watching him every single minute of the day.

 

[macdaddio]

Gibo is as important I think

 

[GoldenHodge]

I loved him at the Bulldogs and I love him even more now that he's at our club.

 

[Nomore4s]

idk, i felt with Lake, Stratton and Spangher we were taking alot more relieving marks against the GCS, it just felt like we dominated the air more with those 3.....

Agree Spanger has been very good at intercepting marks the last 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Harper_Hawk]

we can win it without Lake...we can't without Rough...he can go anywhere on the ground...almost your traditional ruck rover...JR Most Valuable Player...

 

[Hawkas1988]

Lake is super important but Roughy is easily the most important, without him we wouldn't win it. With Lake out our chances are much less but still achieveable.

It won't matter though as both will be playing for us in finals and will be leading us to another flag

 

[KINGBUDDY]

Lakey is the man, if he is fit and firing in September hawks will go very deep. He plays on the big boys and i have great confidence he can beat blokes like cloke, tipett, hawkins and Pav.

 

[Main Man]

Roughy spends the majority of his time in the part of the ground where we are at our strongest, we would still kick a mountain of goals without him in the team.

Lake on the other hand plays in the part of the ground where we are at our weakest (size wise), without him we would have a mountain of goals kicked against us and makes us easier to coach against with the simple plan of spreading and isolating our undersized defenders (Geelong this year).

To be honest I think we would struggle to win without either of them but I think we would manage better without Roughead in a cut throat final against Tippet/Franklin/Hawkins?

 

[play2win]

if we had our full list available we could take out any 1 of those players and still beat anyone. we are so good at the moment because we don't have a single most valuable player.

 

[toomanysquibs]

May the strange cat stay upright and healthy until October at the very least.

We'd have won another flag had he been in our team a year earlier.