Preview Qualifying Final - Hawks vs Collingwood

[cryptor]

If it rains on Friday we have an even greater advantage!

As a great man once said the best teams actually play better in the wet!

I like to think of it like this! We are the best kicking team in the competition so if it rains the kicking affects both teams if I'm not mistaken!

So if our kicking goes down slightly and Collingwood's kicking goes down slightly we still have an advantage!

That's true if you were to say both teams DE% drops by x amount of points in the wet as the difference between the 2 remains the same. If you were to say both teams DE% drops by x% then we'd still retain a higher DE% but the difference between them becomes less, hence they gain an advantage by it raining despite our DE% remaining higher.
It's still a very simplistic way of thinking about things and like I said on their board, a little bit of rain isn't going to have the same dramatic effect on the game at the MCG as a mud slosh suburban ground.

If there's anything to worry about it then it would be strong winds like today that will make hitting up players long down the line very difficult.

 

[Harper_Hawk]

Will be closer than we think. Hawks by 6pts.

 

[B&GBlood]

Will be closer than we think. Hawks by 6pts.

Obviously not

 

[Hodge is God]

Will be closer than we think. Hawks by 6pts.

God, I hope not

 

[PNess]

Rained last year against Freo (worst conditions I have seen for a few years) we won by 50+ points
Rained this year against North we won by 115

So you don't care if it rains?

I would rather good conditions that let our skills be as damaging as possible.

 

[Hodge is God]

So you don't care if it rains?

I would rather good conditions that let our skills be as damaging as possible.

I don't think the rain will be heavy enough to effect the game.

 

[WWSD]

Rain, Hale or Shine. Players like Buddy, Cyril and Burgoyne are lethal in all sorts of conditions!

What sort of an impact will the wet weather have? Nada!

Hawthorn by 25 points

 

[Roby]

Quite a few, i don't think the rain will be a factor Friday.

I was using sarcasm.

 

[badgrill]

Is funny, since I moved to Melbourne I've noticed they quite often get the weather wrong by about half a day. So, whatever Sat morning to midday's forecast is probably what it will be like on Friday night.

Which is: Partly cloudy, isolated showers. Winds Westerly 25-35kms/hr

Which is much nicer. ;-)

 

[Mitchell Madness]

I have no doubt at the first centre bounce if Hale crosses the centre line he will be penalised. Absolutely no doubt the umpires will be onto it this week. I would hate to be Nth Melb especially. I hope we are planning for a crackdown on it.

It isn't against the rules to get to the bounce of the ball

If he turns his back to the opponent, then it will be penalized, just as it has been for 3 yrs

 

[Ilovethehawks]

If the winds are anything like what we had in Melbourne today, Collingwood will pump us by about 50 points.

Ugh.

 

[IdiotBox]

If the winds are anything like what we had in Melbourne today, Collingwood will pump us by about 50 points.

Ugh.

Because.... they'll all be in hang-gliders?

Custom fitted of course!

 

[jmac70]

1st Hawthorn
2nd Adelaide
3rd Sydney
4th Collingwood

The ladder speaks for itself. I'm sorry, but Collingwood have been the 4th best team this year. Deal with it!

Lucky for us that the premiership is not awarded after the home and away season.

May the best team win on Friday night.

 

[Roby]

Lucky for us that the premiership is not awarded after the home and away season.

May the best team win on Friday night.

In fact, finishing on top of the ladder in the last four years has usually meant that you don't win the premiership.

Collingwood has been the second best team this year, the ladder can be forgotten. They convincingly beat both Sydney and Adelaide away despite been undermanned and losing players in game.

 

[Dinner Plate]

This comment is laughable.

Your ten posts so far are without peer, HappyRed. In fact, I would go as far as to say you are clearly the best poster on the entire Big Footy forums, HappyRed.

Is there some kind of award we can give HappyRed?

Perhaps we can hand back the two wins we have had over the Wobbles this year? Can we give back the 8 premiership points? I'm sure HappyRed would like that very much. Wouldn't you, HappyRed?

But that would mean we'd have to give back the minor premiership. Collingwood would be on top, and we'd have finished fourth. Which would mean a Friday night game at the MCG versus HappyRed and his team of gaptoothed mouthbreathers.

Eff off back to your own board, you effing moron.

May Hawthorn tear Collingwood a new one tomorrow night, then deposit brown and gold matter in the exposed cavity.

 

[Football God]

good lucks boys and girls FINALS FEVER!

 

[Ilovethehawks]

Your ten posts so far are without peer, HappyRed. In fact, I would go as far as to say you are clearly the best poster on the entire Big Footy forums, HappyRed.

Is there some kind of award we can give HappyRed?

Perhaps we can hand back the two wins we have had over the Wobbles this year? Can we give back the 8 premiership points? I'm sure HappyRed would like that very much. Wouldn't you, HappyRed?

But that would mean we'd have to give back the minor premiership. Collingwood would be on top, and we'd have finished fourth. Which would mean a Friday night game at the MCG versus HappyRed and his team of gaptoothed mouthbreathers.

Eff off back to your own board, you effing moron.

May Hawthorn tear Collingwood a new one tomorrow night, then deposit brown and gold matter in the exposed cavity.

Careful, the toothless ones have been known to go feral and bite people, infecting them... they also enjoy eating brains, im thinking because they dont have any themselves....

 

[Gunstall19]

This comment is laughable.

Your education is poor. Shame on your teachers.

 

[Rioli magic]

Pretty simple for mine, match or exceed Collingwood's intensity and attack, and we should win.

Lost count the number of times I have read/heard this week that if Collingwood are manic and bring the intensity they will stop the Hawks and win the game. Spoke to David King the other day and asked him...but what if Hawthorn match their intensity? Then what happens?

A: You'll win by 10 goals.

Not saying that will happen, just think in general people neglect the fact that Hawthorn can pile on the pressure as good as anyone, we're not just an offensive team.

 

[lethalselbow]

Great. Every time i sniff cockiness amongst Hawthorn fans, i start to get nervous about the result.

Expecting a close one, but hope Hawthorn come out in front.

 

[Hodge is God]

Don't see why everyone's worried about the weather. It might have a negative affect for us, but it will also have a negative effect for Collingwood.

 

[LuvMyHawks]

I don't think the weather will affect the wobbles. They live in tents, don't they?

 

[Agent Smith]

Lucky for us that the premiership is not awarded after the home and away season.

May the best team win on Friday night.

Absolutely! It's not the best team during the home and away season that wins premierships, it's the best team in the finals. The proper season starts tomorrow.

Now can you please go to the Geelong board and explain this theory to all the deluded Cats fans out there that assume that winning the minor premiership automatically means flag entitlement. A bit of 'Macho Man' muscle posing at the same time would go down well, I'm sure.

 

[jmac70]

Absolutely! It's not the best team during the home and away season that wins premierships, it's the best team in the finals. The proper season starts tomorrow.

Now can you please go to the Geelong board and explain this theory to all the deluded Cats fans out there that assume that winning the minor premiership automatically means flag entitlement. A bit of 'Macho Man' muscle posing at the same time would go down well, I'm sure.

The minor premiership certainly didn't do us any favours last year. What is more relevant I believe is form leading up to the finals, particularly over the past 6 weeks. On this measure you and Geelong are the teams to beat. To be honest I am hoping for continued improvement in the Pies and a competitive performance. A loss for us won't be the end of the world and may even open up the draw a bit in our favour. The Lions of 2003 still haunt me after we beat them in the QF.

 

[QuietB]

Pretty simple for mine, match or exceed Collingwood's intensity and attack, and we should win.

Lost count the number of times I have read/heard this week that if Collingwood are manic and bring the intensity they will stop the Hawks and win the game. Spoke to David King the other day and asked him...but what if Hawthorn match their intensity? Then what happens?

A: You'll win by 10 goals.

Not saying that will happen, just think in general people neglect the fact that Hawthorn can pile on the pressure as good as anyone, we're not just an offensive team.

King is a big fan of the Hawks though and he expects them to win either way. I think other teams do underestimate the Hawks ability to apply pressure. A lot of outsiders think it is just silky outside skills. It is the combination of skills and hardness that makes the Hawks difficult to deal with. Pies can match the Hawks from a hardness perspective, they will not narrow the skills gap overnight. It is simply a question of if the pies allow the Hawks enough space, or if the Hawks can create enough space to put those skills on show.