Autopsy Round 16, 2022: Giants drown the Hawks

[Gut Runner]

We are teetering on the edge of a bad year. Winning 2 of the next 3 is a pass mark. We should win all of them.

Finishing with 8 wins off the back of youth is a good platform and directionally right. We should not be going backwards from our 7 wins last year (and 2 draws).

I don’t care about draft picks, I would be bitterly disappointed with a 5-6 win season. That’s not making us an attractive destination for trade and free agent targets and not keeping blokes at our club or building a winning culture.

You could argue we aren't ready to be tweaking the list with free agents and trades anyway. We need elite talent and it comes with finishing low.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Struggling to make an impact. May be better off with a run at BH to get his hands on the footy again.

Kingy cursed him with his, "he will get a RS nomination within the next 6 weeks," comment.

 

[Mercy Seat]

Close to the most underrated player in the game for mine.

Just an absolute gun defender that does his job week in week out and never gets the credits he deserves.

Even from his own supporters a lot of the time.

Kept Toby Greene to a pretty paltry 13 touches. Couldn’t ask for much more.

Would have had he, Tom and Sic as our best 3. Morrison up there too.

 

[Baz_hawk]

Was impressed by Reeves today. Thought he could be excused for going missing given the conditions but he held his own.
Blanck was solid, doesn't look out of place and gives it his all.
Morrison was our best in my view, seemed to handle conditions better than anyone else on our side.

Our ball use was horrific today. Yes, conditions were bad but we were messing up simple skills under no pressure and just constantly hacking the ball forward when we had time to steady and lower our eyes.

 

[Gut Runner]

Not sure why someone wasn't playing on Hogan all the time.

GWS seemed to be better positioned for the release kick out of contests all day, constantly intercepting quick kicks, this is an experience issue for mine.

McVeigh is coaching for his chance at the main role next year, he ain't playing kids like Mitchell is - probably was the difference.

 

[B&GBlood]

He cannot use the footy. Kicks it like he is playing Rugby, Gaelic style.

Not entirely true has has some excellent field kicking this year

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Struggling to make an impact. May be better off with a run at BH to get his hands on the footy again.

He has to keep playing. He’s going to kick 3 at some point soon.

 

[TylerDurden]

Moore.

 

[Maybloomer]

Agree on both counts, but I am more concerned with the first issue.

Maybe it was hard to detach from the distraction of crowd inaction or the nuffie GWS supporter banging his stick on a metal plate every 10 minutes but it seems like the MO of today was no different from a game at Marvel. what killed today was an extra handball when not required, a switch that was not required, a short pass that was not required, every one another moving part that was not required. Get the ball forward and rely on a fumble, a lucky deflection or a free kick.

The day was never going to be about precision, it was an ugly day that needed ugly footy and Sam Mitchell doesn’t have ugly in his sights for the HFC.

 

[hawkheart]

Am I the only one who saw this as a nill-all draw?

Some goals from both sides just pure luck. Others (mostly to GWS) through dodgy umpiring decisions.

We don't gain anything ladder/draft wise from the loss or win.
Rare weather conditions meaning game plans are out the window.

Everyone had a crack but they finished ahead on the scoreboard. That's it.

Precisely. The overreaction to a 4 goal loss to a better side in atrocious conditions is stupefying.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Moore.

We really took Newk out of there too. interesting.

 

[rei154]

Moore.

Get the feeling Worpel would have had a big one in there if it weren't for that shoulder. Hopefully he's only out for a couple weeks max and there isn't anything too structurally damaged.

 

[burner1]

Precisely. The overreaction to a 4 goal loss to a better side in atrocious conditions is stupefying.

When it’s 14th vs 15th losing because the other side is clearly better / more talented highlights (if it wasn’t plainly obvious) how bad a shape we are really in. Some are a bit slow to have realised it but last 2 months have been a reality check.

 

[SSSSSS]

Thought Butler and Maca we're good today. Forward entries did not help one bit.

 

[arupist]

Somebody please tell me the sky is not falling.

 

[Nastyfish]

Somebody please tell me the sky is not falling.

It’s just low clouds, the sun will rise.

 

[Alite]

I thought Reeves played a solid game. He used to be easily pushed off position for the drop of the ball but now holds his own against a good ruckman in Flynn.

His follow-up work was decent as well.

Ramsden showed enough in the VFL to indicate that he will become a great duo with Reeves.

 

[B&GBlood]

Simply not much to get excited over. Blanck looks promising

 

[Maybloomer]

When it’s 14th vs 15th losing because the other side is clearly better / more talented highlights (if it wasn’t plainly obvious) how bad a shape we are really in. Some are a bit slow to have realised it but last 2 months have been a reality check.

With the list they have, GWS should be 4th, not 14th. Hawthorn is where it should be at this stage of their development.

 

[The Gotham Penguin]

My partner is a Hawthorn member so I have seen a fair few Hawks games over the last 10 yrs.
Jiath has been poor
Worst on last week, and no better this.
He leaves his man free all the time without affecting the contest he goes to, and takes too many short steps when it's his time to go.
Oppo players called him out last season - and he shirked a few yesterday.
In the last quarter his man jogged off him at will constantly.

Maybe the wing is his go - he is skilled - but he doesn't seem to have the discipline or ticker to be a permanent defender.

Morrison, Mitchell and Reeves tried their guts out. Gunner, sadly , through no fault of his own, is cooked.

Sam Mitchell has some hard choices to make at seasons end.

I'll be at the Crows game - a Hawks win is needed. If only to get some peace and quiet at home!

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

When it’s 14th vs 15th losing because the other side is clearly better / more talented highlights (if it wasn’t plainly obvious) how bad a shape we are really in. Some are a bit slow to have realised it but last 2 months have been a reality check.

A reality check for who though? Not the coaches, not the players, not the majority of fans.

If we were being walked over by six goals plus from the first bounce every week then you might have a point but we’ve had periods of dominance within games, where we’ve lost to two finals bound sides by a couple of kicks.

We are not the finished product and clearly we have some gaps to fill,
but despite the losses there’s been a tonne of things to like about some of our performances in the last month.

 

[BIGHAWK23]

When it’s 14th vs 15th losing because the other side is clearly better / more talented highlights (if it wasn’t plainly obvious) how bad a shape we are really in. Some are a bit slow to have realized it but last 2 months have been a reality check.

Im not comparing talents levels to a club who has had a multitude of first round picks over the last 5 years in comparison to a team who has had 3 over that time

Silly comparison

 

[Simon Crawshay]

A reality check for who though? Not the coaches, not the players, not the majority of fans.

If we were being walked over by six goals plus from the first bounce every week then you might have a point but we’ve had periods of dominance within games, where we’ve lost to two finals bound sides by a couple of kicks.

We are not the finished product and clearly we have some gaps to fill,
but despite the losses there’s been a tonne of things to like about some of our performances in the last month.

For myself personally the last two weeks have been very stark viewing.

Mostly because it has become very clear that our senior core of players are basically shot (Gunston, Chad, Shiels, JOM, etc) and yet I watch teams like the Pies, Tiges, Geelong etc and their senior players (who are generally older than ours) are leading their teams to another finals tilt.

And if our senior players are shot then we need to rely on our 23 to 28 year old contingent but thanks to Clarko we don't actually have any (apart from Sicily)!

So we are down to a situation were we are relying on rookies and players in their early 20s to lead the club. And that is a scenario filled with all kinds of risk.

This is why all those trades to get Scully, Patton, Vickery, etc were so disastrous. Sure they didn't cost much in terms of trade capital but they took up a spot on the list that could have been used to develop a rookie/late season pick who would have been coming into their prime about now.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[RUSHORE]

Like the Backlines Future: Like the Forwards Future: Midfielders who cant win the Ball first and Kick goals rely solely on the Forwards getting the Job done: Which is telling the opposition have no fear of us as an option that can hurt you: Time to turn over who is unable to do such things. Lots of stats that dont hurt the opposition dont count: Until then treading what in the Bottom 4