Autopsy Round 14, 2024 : Hawks skin Tigers

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I know I said I'd stop posting on this but the raising of the arm is an absolute red herring here that I never once mentioned. I don't have an issue with players doing that, it's a natural thing to do if someone is trying to lock you up in a tackle, you're trying to free your arm to dispose of the ball.

My point here is that Watson's first instinct - again, instinct - even before collecting the ball was to look for Vlastuin, lower himself and draw the free kick. He even positioned the ball under his other arm in order to better drive himself into it. The raising of the arm was a little after effect to make sure the umpire 100% saw it.

If you want to see what a player can do in half a second instead of intentionally drawing a tackle, just watch what Day did in the middle when confronted by Dusty. He was in a position where he could have easily lowered himself from an already lowered position to draw a high free kick from Martin but he didn't, he did something better and dance stepped away. That's despite Day being on the move and needing to completely stop his forward momentum to do it.

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I’m glad Wiz didn’t try to dance step back over the boundary line.




I think you’re in a for a tough 12-15 years if Wiz playing for high free kicks is already getting under your skin.
 
My point here is that Watson's first instinct - again, instinct - even before collecting the ball was to look for Vlastuin, lower himself and draw the free kick.
I don't disagree with your general thingy (premise? thrust?)(or Eldo - god knows I made enough complaints about Selwood)

He did it the once? Maybe there was another. Didn't even move his feet to do it, well executed. Like his shots at goal, he is still testing the waters.

If his game is based just on hunting frees then I'd probably say the same as you but, it seems to be just one of many strings to his bow.
 

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I know I said I'd stop posting on this but the raising of the arm is an absolute red herring here that I never once mentioned. I don't have an issue with players doing that, it's a natural thing to do if someone is trying to lock you up in a tackle, you're trying to free your arm to dispose of the ball.

My point here is that Watson's first instinct - again, instinct - even before collecting the ball was to look for Vlastuin, lower himself and draw the free kick. He even positioned the ball under his other arm in order to better drive himself into it. The raising of the arm was a little after effect to make sure the umpire 100% saw it.

If you want to see what a player can do in half a second instead of intentionally drawing a tackle, just watch what Day did in the middle when confronted by Dusty. He was in a position where he could have easily lowered himself from an already lowered position to draw a high free kick from Martin but he didn't, he did something better and dance stepped away. That's despite Day being on the move and needing to completely stop his forward momentum to do it.

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Come on. For one, Day is 21 cm (!!) taller than Watson. Day doesn't have the same options to lean into a tackle.

Second, the example you give is a completely different phase of the game. Day is looking to gain a quick clearance and keep Richmond's defence off balance with a rapid forward entry. Free kicks in the middle while awarding possession (which he already had) slow down the game. Playing for a free in that situation does not improve our position on the field. Up forward, however, a free gives an immediate shot at goal. It's a completely different tactical situation.
 
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If he keeps looking for them and garners a rep for it he will stop getting them like Ginni. We will be known for it and it will affect the way we are umpired. As we get better it will become a pain point for opposition fans that desperately need something to hate on.

Agree with Kermit he was hunting for it in that instance.

He will certainly pick up many legitimate ones purely through being tiny. Ducking/shrugging off the tackle is mostly going to be his most efficient way of breaking it, I don't really care if he does that as long as he is actually looking to keep playing and stay on his feet.
 
How much fun is it watching those goals...you can see the love our boys have for each other (wiping away tear).
It's the absolute best.

These guys make footy so much fun.

That video shows that Chol really got of the chain. They just didn't pay him enough respect - or we were putting on some mad blocks.
 
I don't think you can claim he has ducked or even lowered his body. His height remains the same in all the stills hawkman has posted above.
He drove straight at an almost stationary player and was looking for the free. He tried to bust through and draw the high contact and it should be play on if Watson was able to dispose of it or a Free if not as per the rules Rogie posted above. The amount of whinging on the GD thread when this scenario goes against us indicates we all know which foot we're on with this interpretation.
 

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He drove straight at an almost stationary player and was looking for the free. He tried to bust through and draw the high contact and it should be play on if Watson was able to dispose of it or a Free if not as per the rules Rogie posted above. The amount of whinging on the GD thread when this scenario goes against us indicates we all know which foot we're on with this interpretation.
You have this backwards, Watson didn't move from his spot, it was Vlas who closed the gap. Look at the photos above, his feet haven't moved in any of the shots.
 
Coaches votes are in

Richmond v Hawthorn​

10 James Sicily (HAW)
8 Jai Newcombe (HAW)
3 Joshua Weddle (HAW)
3 Mabior Chol (HAW)
3 Tim Taranto (RICH)
3 Jack Scrimshaw (HAW)
 
Quick question - what should Watson have done instead? Faced by a player, hemmed in on the boundary line, he tried to get past him. He can either run around him (I haven't watched the replay, but recall he couldn't have moved closer to goal, but maybe space away from goal), or go through him? He's not going to make it through him by running straight at him, so he's tried to avoid him by getting low and making himself hard to tackle, and trying to shrug out of the tackle as it was being laid.

I've said this before, but the oness should be on the tackler to lay a legitimate tackle. If Day had have ankle tapped the player with his diving tackle it would have been a free against, and fair enough. Similarly, Vlastuin (sp?) should size up his opponent, know what he is about to do, and tackle at the hips. It's a lazy tackle, compounded by the fact that Watson is about 4 foot nothing. But Vlastuin needs to take that into account when he tackles him.

It's simple for me - if the tackler commits an illegal action then it's against them, with the exception of if a player runs straight at you with his head.
 
You have this backwards, Watson didn't move from his spot, it was Vlas who closed the gap. Look at the photos above, his feet haven't moved in any of the shots.
Look at the video posted, not the screen shots.
When Watson receives the ball, he feigns left then quickly right, Vlastin also goes right then counters to his left, planting his feet in preparation to tackle. Watson, in the space of time, move the ball from left hand to right, lowers his shoulder and drives for contact. Vlastin is on his heels, lowered body, almost squat like but there's nothing he can do as Watson is driving forward, shoulder first, ball tucked up under the right arm, no intention to try and dispose of it hence playing for a free. He was lucky IMO.
 
I'm glad Scrimshaw got votes as his intercept and contested marking was sensational on the weekend

If the game only went for a quarter he was best on for a mile.

Tigers were in it with a sniff the first fifteen minutes riding on emotion and Scrimshaw blunted every entry.
 
Look at the video posted, not the screen shots.
When Watson receives the ball, he feigns left then quickly right, Vlastin also goes right then counters to his left, planting his feet in preparation to tackle. Watson, in the space of time, move the ball from left hand to right, lowers his shoulder and drives for contact. Vlastin is on his heels, lowered body, almost squat like but there's nothing he can do as Watson is driving forward, shoulder first, ball tucked up under the right arm, no intention to try and dispose of it hence playing for a free. He was lucky IMO.
I did. Between receiving the ball and getting hit, his feet do not move. And if his feet don't move, then he's not driving.
 
Too much introspection regarding Watson. If you are creating and driving a narrative already, you'll never unsee what you've chosen to cling to and every 50/50 moment going forward you'll need to use to justify that opinion.

How about letting the kid get his feet wet without worrying if he's going to make a 200 game career out of free kicks you worry are dubious.

I met opinions like this from our own supporters in the 80's.
Those who cringed at our hard men doling out physical punishment, sometimes within the lines and sometimes outside.
Almost couldn't feel pride in Derm and Lethal and Dip because they worried about others opinions.
They played within the constructs of the game at it's time, just as today's group will find their equilibrium and I hope - PUSH RIGHT TO THE ABSOLUTE EDGE of what they can get away with to help win shiny cups for our magnificent Club.
Maybe let the judicial arm of our game sort out what's legal and what's not, and just enjoy the players who bleed for our Club and their efforts....often heroic.

We don't make excuses at Hawthorn for winning.
 
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Autopsy Round 14, 2024 : Hawks skin Tigers

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