Autopsy Round 21, 2024 : Hawks snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

[The Chad and I]

But we didnt learn. Was very similar to the port loss.
1) Sub off calsher early and lose a player to bring the ball to ground up the field.
2) Go into our shells halfway through the qtr and try take time off the clock with 10mins to go, rather than play the attacking football that wins us games. Our defense is not good enough to defend the turnover, its the forward pressure which is our biggest defensive strength.

We responded to the port loss by winning the next 8 out of 9 games.

Learning a lesson does not mean we never lose a close game again.

We do need to establish the ability to control a game. We’re very good when it’s full tilt. Next stage of maturity is control.

Three-peat era had to learn this the hard way too. It can take time.

 

[seysearles]

The issue was some results haven't gone our way the last 2 weeks to help our cause

It feels like almost every result we needed it went the other way which makes it extremely hard given our percentage

Exactly. Port beating the swans and Bulldogs beating Melbourne in particular.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Sammy sounded really disappointed in the presser

 

[LunchboxLegend]

Gws belted Brisbane by 9 goals in their previous match at Manuka oval.
I feel we are severely under-rating our performance today.

Round 7 Brisbane is not Round 21 Brisbane.
We were ordinary today. From the get-go.

 

[happy_hawks]

That's assuming our percentage stays the same. Given we play 17th and 18th, we can fill our boots.

Not to mention GWS could have their % trimmed vs lions at the Gabba or Dogs in Ballarat. No certainties against Freo either.

Knock off the blues and we are still a decent chance.

 

[SammyC]

i don’t reckon we had this game on our terms in the 2nd half. GWS were playing their game and we were hanging on. Scoreboard flattered us at 3/4 time and could see it coming.

beat carlton and we are alive. Would be really really stiff to miss if we win the last 3 and get our percentage up around 110.

I’d be confident enough to say if we take care of carlton, can see us dishing out a percentage boosting spanking to richmond and taking our season into the last week with a clear view on what we need to do.

 

[Billyc]

Sammy sounded really disappointed in the presser

No doubt. Win that game and we were playing finals. It's still possible, depending on other results now, but we threw away an almost guaranteed finals berth. It was a very consequential and painful loss.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Gws belted Brisbane by 9 goals in their previous match at Manuka oval.
I feel we are severely under-rating our performance today.

They are a good team, no doubt. But they are missing two of their three best midfielders (and Cumming), we really should not have been run all over like that in that last quarter.

Hogan is in career best Coleman form, so why Frost was not on him instead of Weddle is a bit perplexing.

 

[Ka Norkers]

back-to-back interstate trips (thanks AFL or should I say Geelong-AFL), a ground the majority of the team have never even seen, and we lost by 2 points. Doesn't sound like the end of the World to me.
win the last three and Hawks play finals.
Newk was awesome today, but this time next year he'll be a year further developed in the system, and in the first few seconds of the last quarter he won't hesitate to bang it on his left, as he should have done today. Remember, he hasn't been a professional since the age of 10 al la Nick Daicos, and I think he's still developing his skills.

 

[lordbob]

We responded to the port loss by winning the next 8 out of 9 games.

Learning a lesson does not mean we never lose a close game again.

We do need to establish the ability to control a game. We’re very good when it’s full tilt. Next stage of maturity is control.

Three-peat era had to learn this the hard way too. It can take time.

i got no problem losing a close game, but we lost it by doing the same mistakes that we did in the port game. That indicates to me that they forgot the lesson from the port game.

 

[satan1]

back-to-back interstate trips (thanks AFL or should I say Geelong-AFL), a ground the majority of the team have never even seen, and we lost by 2 points. Doesn't sound like the end of the World to me.
win the last three and Hawks play finals.
Newk was awesome today, but this time next year he'll be a year further developed in the system, and in the first few seconds of the last quarter he won't hesitate to bang it on his left, as he should have done today. Remember, he hasn't been a professional since the age of 10 al la Nick Daicos, and I think he's still developing his skills.

It's neither the end of the world (2 point loss in Canberra is a hell of a lot better than getting thumped by Sydney) or a guaranteed finals berth if we win 3.

It's simply out of our control now and that is depressing, even though we can be proud of the team's efforts to get us back in contention.

There would be some very disappointed players that would feel they didn't exactly leave it all out there.

 

[Rich]

Just home from the game and feel absolutely shattered.

Thought in the third we did well to stem the tide and increase the margin at 3/4 time.

As has been said, the run from half back for Giants killed us in the last.

And able to run in through the middle.

Onto next week and let’s hope we can knock off the Blues

 

[DogDaySonny]

Sammy sounded really disappointed in the presser

Did he commit seppuku? No? Not good enough.

 

[kirbatron]

i got no problem losing a close game, but we lost it by doing the same mistakes that we did in the port game. That indicates to me that they forgot the lesson from the port game.

it takes more than one game... lessons (even the same ones) are learnt over yrs

 

[TylerDurden]

Not sure it was Sam Mitchell’s best performance as a coach today…
GWS had two players that were capable of winning the game today in Whitfield and Hogan - we didn’t seem to handle either of them well... or have a plan to shut them down at all…

Understand we back ourselves to win the contest but blind Freddy could see Whitfield had been in great form and we needed to have a plan to shut him down… late in the game Frost as our best one on one defender needed to be the matchup for Hogan- instead we hung Weddle out to dry really…

100% this.

Frost had to man Hogan at all times. No hand overs.

Anyone had to lock down on Whitfield. Was slicing through us like a surgeon late. 37 touches at 90% is as good a performance from half back as you'll ever see.

All of a sudden we've got headaches everywhere:

• Sicily can't physically compete with his shoulder
• Ward isn't up to speed
• CJ is off
• what do we do with Breust
• Dear need a spell?
• Day didn't cope with a tag.

A week is a hell of a long time in footy.

 

[derp de derp]

i got no problem losing a close game, but we lost it by doing the same mistakes that we did in the port game. That indicates to me that they forgot the lesson from the port game.

I thought we played Day in the middle in the last in an attempt to win and it backfired.

We are still a developing team and coaching group. Fair to say we have learned a lot since that last game against Port.

 

[Newmo89]

It took something special to beat us. Greene, Hogan and Daniels had insane last quarters. We never truly had the game on our terms, even when we skipped out to a 28 point lead. The Giants pressure all day was great and we struggled to get the game on our terms. Bedford quelled Day’s influence in the midfield and impacted the midfield massively.

Nash tried hard in their and his two goal assists were very good - a testament to the work that he has put into that part of his game.

Meek battled hard against Briggs all day which is what we needed. Had a few missed chances for goal that certainly would have been handy. Needed him on the line for the Hogan mark on the goal line but this will be picked up in the review I’m sure.

Gunners had 5 touches for 4 goals - did his job on Taylor well in that aspect, making himself really important to the team.

Moore was his industrious self like always, putting himself in great positions to use the ball well to set up with 3 goal assists.

Amon off half back was smooth with the ball in hand, while Newcombe’s clearance work in the centre was great to watch.

Massimo on the wing goes from strength to strength, not only using the ball well but finishing well to end up with two goals.

Weddle was given a massive task on Hogan, who was sitting in second place on the Coleman ladder. It’s a big learning curve for Weds, who is in his second year and under 40 games, but will hold him in good stead down the track one feels.

The Giants are certainly no slouch, having many quality players who have been in high pressure games over the past 5 years and know how to win these tight ones. This loss will burn the players and I have no doubt that they’ll come out firing next week, ready to give themselves the best chance for September action.

 

[satan1]

100% this.

Frost had to man Hogan at all times. No hand overs.

Anyone had to lock down on Whitfield. Was slicing through us like a surgeon late. 37 touches at 90% is as good a performance from half back as you'll ever see.

All of a sudden we've got headaches everywhere:

• Sicily can't physically compete with his shoulder
• Ward isn't up to speed
• CJ is off
• what do we do with Breust
• Dear need a spell?
• Day didn't cope with a tag.

A week is a hell of a long time in footy.

Agree.

The whole game wishing for Day to get involved I also couldn't help but wonder why we couldn't have played Finn on Whitfield.

He has developed to be able to kick the occasional goal and Whitfield will always take you to dangerous spots.

 

[bigmaxi]

Sammy sounded really disappointed in the presser

Some of the questions from whoever was on Sam’s left seemed a bit weird and convoluted. The last one nailed it as did his answer. Gotta play 4 Quarters, we didn’t and we lost.
It’s burns and I see us coming hard next week. A 4 quarter effort and I reckon we roll the blues.

 

[jive]

We got the tactics wrong in the final quarter. Why did we send a loose man down back behind the ball?
It gave them an extra around the ball and got their run going from half back and let Daniels run riot.
We were smashing them in the clearances for most of the match. I get Toby and Hogan were causing problems but we invited the Tsunami into the match and it killed us.

 

[grumbleguts]

That’s incorrect. Most models had us losing one game and finishing 9th.

No they didn't. They had us losing 1.3 games of the two games (GWS and Carlton) AND finishing in the 8, we win next week and we are 0.3 games ahead of schedule.

 

[seysearles]

No they didn't. They had us losing 1.3 games of the two games (GWS and Carlton) AND finishing in the 8, we win next week and we are 0.3 games ahead of schedule.

This is exactly what they were tipping. This prediction was done last Monday.



and now this week it’s predicting this.

 

[CHUBBSS]

It’s sucks we lost but the little things it highlights are what we have all off season to fix and try attain.

I’d love to make finals but we are just a little bit off it still for the long seasons and fierce contests, week after week. And yet we still could have won the game a few different ways so it’s pretty bloody close.

Dear and the wiz after one off season will be insane.

Onto Carlton and I reckon we correct a few things and game structure

 

[LunchboxLegend]

100% this.

Frost had to man Hogan at all times. No hand overs.

Anyone had to lock down on Whitfield. Was slicing through us like a surgeon late. 37 touches at 90% is as good a performance from half back as you'll ever see.

All of a sudden we've got headaches everywhere:

• Sicily can't physically compete with his shoulder
• Ward isn't up to speed
• CJ is off
• what do we do with Breust
• Dear need a spell?
• Day didn't cope with a tag.

A week is a hell of a long time in footy.

I thought it was the least effective 37 possession game I’ve seen.
He had 12 at quarter time.
Watson had 2, and had twice the influence.
Whitfield wasn’t the problem.

 

[Nugett]

We got the tactics wrong in the final quarter. Why did we send a loose man down back behind the ball.
Gave them an extra around the ball and let Daniels run riot.
We were smashing them in the clearances for most of the match. I get Toby and Hogan were causing problems but we invited their back half run into the match and it killed us

We missed defensive pressure in the forward half, in that last quarter. If we had someone like Hardwick on Whitfield, it may have changed things