Preview Round 2, 2025: Carlton v Hawthorn, Thursday 20th March, 7:30pm @MCG

[threesixpio]

To quote our coach, any game plan that is executed well enough will beat any other.

Something I heard this week:
Corbin Middlemas (ABC Footy): "I was on the boundary on Friday night, The Hawks players at every stoppage were like traffic cops waving their arms around, organising each other, worried about the team rather than the individual. Jarman Impey comes off, spends his eights minutes on the bench speaking with every single player and coach. I was impressed just how connected and organised this team is."

Adam Simpson (on SEN): "You don't want to be number 1 in a single area. As a footy team you want to be top 6 at everything. That's what I see in the Hawks with their ability to win two games in totally different ways. It's hard to predict them and therefore hard to play against them."

The conversation drifted towards Sydney last year being off the charts in clearance, but then teams shutting in down, notably in the GF. An interesting perspective on us.

Sammy creating smart on field leaders.

I’m almost crying about how much I love Impey. Ok I’m actually crying ok. Leave me alone!

 

[BIGHAWK23]

Seeing footage of Curnow running

Even if he plays, he aint close to 100%

 

[threesixpio]

Seeing footage of Curnow running

Even if he plays, he aint close to 100%

 

[Bugs1977]

Sammy creating smart on field leaders.

I’m almost crying about how much I love Impey. Ok I’m actually crying ok. Leave me alone!

 

[flinchfree]

We are going to beat the Bluuz with pace on the outside, which is why I hope CJ makes his way into the side.

I'd love to get him back in, but think with his now very chequered recent injury history should get a block of 4 games at Box Hill to build some hamstring/back/flexor resilience. Would be crushing to see him go down quickly with a recurrence.

Felt similarly with Mitchy Lewis but seeingly everyone wanted him back in quickly. I wouldn't mind seeing Lewis do a 6-8 game block at Box Hill to slowly strengthen his lower half at the somewhat reduced pace of VFL footy.

Again, very much doubt Sam or those on here will agree.

 

[CD Xbow]

I'd love to get him back in, but think with his now very chequered recent injury history should get a block of 4 games at Box Hill to build some hamstring/back/flexor resilience. Would be crushing to see him go down quickly with a recurrence.

Felt similarly with Mitchy Lewis but seeingly everyone wanted him back in quickly. I wouldn't mind seeing Lewis do a 6-8 game block at Box Hill to slowly strengthen his lower half at the somewhat reduced pace of VFL footy.

Again, very much doubt Sam or those on here will agree.

Yes, it's a stupid idea.

 

[matey]

Nash pretty much was the only one with an unsociable Hawks hat on against the Bombers with 10 tackles, 18% of the teams total tackle count on the night. I hope the team brings a mindset of pressure/tackling as this is when we play our best.

 

[scrim reaper]

I don't like shooting down ideas on a discussion board but I can't remember any player of Lewis' calibre having done a 6-8 week conditioning block in the twos. If you're spending that long there, the reality is you're a fringe player, which he is definitely not.

 

[grumbleguts]

Massimo is a far better kick than the last two mentioned

Absolutely. Embarrassment of riches, I was just pointing out that off the top of his head he had to come up with one, came up with a few, and Frenchie and Ward were among them.

 

[SSSSSS]

Storms predicted on Thursday.

Slippery conditions should suit us.

 

[Nugett]

I'd love to get him back in, but think with his now very chequered recent injury history should get a block of 4 games at Box Hill to build some hamstring/back/flexor resilience. Would be crushing to see him go down quickly with a recurrence.

Felt similarly with Mitchy Lewis but seeingly everyone wanted him back in quickly. I wouldn't mind seeing Lewis do a 6-8 game block at Box Hill to slowly strengthen his lower half at the somewhat reduced pace of VFL footy.

Again, very much doubt Sam or those on here will agree.

I agree with you. Even Dear i personally wouldn’t be rushing back in either. I would rather we wait for players to be 100% with less chance of injury occurring rather than trying to rush them back in. I think we have the depth to cover for them.

 

[eldorado]

I agree with you. Even Dear i personally wouldn’t be rushing back in either. I would rather we wait for players to be 100% with less chance of injury occurring rather than trying to rush them back in. I think we have the depth to cover for them.

If they're ready, they're ready.

If they're not, they're not.

At most, once they are deemed injury-free, one or two games at Box Hill, purely for fitness ...certainly playing them at Box Hill for greatly extended periods based on the belief that they will be 'safer from injury' there is a false economy.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Massimo is a far better kick than the last two mentioned

Wouldn't go that "far," Mackenzie is an elite kick.

 

[kazzooka]

I wouldn't take Sam's answer to be an indication of any kind of ranking order - apart from Amon at No.1.

Gaz asked him who the best kick in the team was and the first name he mentioned was indeed Amon. There was then a (very) slight pause, after which he started reeling off the other names you mentioned, probably to indicate there were plenty of other good kicks in the team. I don't think the other names were named with any particular order in mind and he would probably have continued naming others had Gaz not interrupted by saying how the team's kicking profile was similar to our '08 flag winners. That comparison with the '08 team was, I reckon, the main point both Sam and Gaz were trying to make.

Sam doesn't like to single out players much. He mentioned on Dyl and Friends that he doesn't like answering those questions as it ends up in the footy record interviews as "who's the coaches pet" if he mentions "X has had a good preseason"

 

[Nugett]

If they're ready, they're ready.

If they're not, they're not.

At most, once they are deemed injury-free, one or two games at Box Hill, purely for fitness ...certainly playing them at Box Hill for greatly extended periods based on the belief that they will be 'safer from injury' there is a false economy.

Yes and no.

If the players they are being rushed back into the side for have been playing consistently, then there is no need to rush them back into the side. If the players that they are going to replace have just been serviceable, by all accounts bring them back in, after a fitness run at Box Hill . Although saying that, if another player that has been performing consistently well at Box Hill in a similar position I don’t see the harm in bringing them in either.

Carlton bringing Curnow in against us, thinking he will make an immediate impact, is laughable. While he might do a few good things here and there, however I think he will be more of a liability on Thursday.

 

[eldorado]

Yes and no.

If the players they are being rushed back into the side for have been playing consistently, then there is no need to rush them back into the side. If the players that they are going to replace have just been serviceable, by all accounts bring them back in, after a fitness run at Box Hill . Although saying that, if another player that has been performing consistently well at Box Hill in a similar position I don’t see the harm in bringing them in either.

Carlton bringing Curnow in against us, thinking he will make an immediate impact, is laughable. While he might do a few good things here and there, however I think he will be more of a liability on Thursday.

As I said...if they're ready, they're ready.

If Curnow is not ready, he's not ready...if he is, he steps right in. You don't leave a fit Curnow out because you can't find a spot.

Perhaps we're not on the same page regarding what I mean by 'ready'.

I mean completely over the injury, and match-fit. Then they are just like any player vying for best 22.

We shouldn't be distracted the fact that Carlton have been notorious for bringing in players when they're not ready. Get match fitness at Box Hill, or at Carlton's VFL side, for one or two games...then you decide if they're best 22.

Curnow is best 22, and Calsher for us is best 22...you don't leave him for 8 weeks at Box Hill 'in case' he gets injured again

 

[scrim reaper]

Yes and no.

If the players they are being rushed back into the side for have been playing consistently, then there is no need to rush them back into the side. If the players that they are going to replace have just been serviceable, by all accounts bring them back in, after a fitness run at Box Hill . Although saying that, if another player that has been performing consistently well at Box Hill in a similar position I don’t see the harm in bringing them in either.

Carlton bringing Curnow in against us, thinking he will make an immediate impact, is laughable. While he might do a few good things here and there, however I think he will be more of a liability on Thursday.

We are conservative with bringing people back. He will have already done a full fitness block in training, and you can still maintain a really solid aerobic base with swimming and a stationary bike.

It's not bringing him back early to rush him back to save our forward line, it's that as soon as he is able to play footy without a higher risk of re-injury, then does he make our AFL side better? The answer is yes. He will probably get a one game Box Hill tune up to get reacclimated to playing footy against real opponents, and that is it.

 

[peetoo]

I get the feeling we aren’t using Weddle to his max yet, and CJ is more of an enigma.
I’d love it to work though
Vagaries of the season will give all some game time no doubt. Up to them to seize the chance

 

[StillAtLarge]

Wouldn't go that "far," Mackenzie is an elite kick.

I wouldn't say McKenzie is elite at anything at this stage of his career. Don't get me wrong- he's tracking nicely to become a good player but we've got 6-8 guys most weeks who are performing better.
His best attribute at this stage is probably his lateral movement (and vision) in congestion

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Scrimshaw is an elite half-back.
Karl Amon is an elite whatever tf position he plays.
Watson is an elite small forward.
Meek is a top 5 ruck at his best.

Day dominates games when he is fit and healthy. Elite.
Newk needs a bit more consistency at his highest output, but he's about 5% away from that level.
Tom Barrass is one of the best KP defenders in the league.

That's 9 elite players.
As good as most premiership teams tbh.

It all depends how you define elite, it's a loose term.

Personally I define Elite as a player who backs up week after week and is one of the best in the league in their position most weeks (which Sic and Moore do).

I think you are right on the Scrimmers call, he probably is elite now as he is super consistent (we will miss him big time the next three weeks).

Watson has the potential to be elite and he probably will be but he's not at that level yet (he's only in his second year to be fair to the kid).

Meek still probably just outside that very top echelon of rucks. Still love the big fella though.

Day will be elite if he can get his body right.

Newk as you say just needs that extra 5% in consistency to be truely elite, he's very close.

Amon I would have as very good rather than elite but that's just me. I probably don't give him the props he deserves.

Barrass, like Meek probably just that one level down from the Elite Key Defenders like Taylor, Andrews and Weitering. Still an excellent pick up though.

Our spread of talent is so wide now though, that's why we can have players have down days like we have seen the last two weeks yet still win comfortably.

That's the sign of a very good side, we are right in it this year

 

[Nugett]

As I said...if they're ready, they're ready.

If Curnow is not ready, he's not ready...if he is, he steps right in. You don't leave a fit Curnow out because you can't find a spot.

Perhaps we're not on the same page regarding what I mean by 'ready'.

I mean completely over the injury, and match-fit. Then they are just like any player vying for best 22.

We shouldn't be distracted the fact that Carlton have been notorious for bringing in players when they're not ready. Get match fitness at Box Hill, or at Carlton's VFL side, for one or two games...then you decide if they're best 22.

Curnow is best 22, and Calsher for us is best 22...you don't leave him for 8 weeks at Box Hill 'in case' he gets injured again

I agree, you don’t leave a player in Box Hill for 8 weeks, for fear of injury. I also agree a fit and confident Calsher Dear is an automatic lock. What I’m saying is we need to build the player up, to have that consistency in their performance from the get go. It’s about building their confidence back up. This also applies to Lewis and CJ.

 

[Liverbird]

Going to MCC members on Thur night.

Have 2 single tickets for the game.

Near 50 m line, Q50 row C single seat - $30

Dead centre, M20 row Q single seat - $50

DM if interested, thanks.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

200 games for the heart and soul of this team this week.

Go well Jars.

 

[JZedd]

,,lbblllh

On Pixel 6 Pro using BigFooty.com mobile app

If you want a reply you'll have to give us more than that bud.

 

[StillAtLarge]

200 games for the heart and soul of this team this week.

Go well Jars.

Sounds like a eulogy! But yes, absolute heart & soul player and an impressive leader on and off the field