Preview Round 3, 2024: Hawthorn v Geelong, 1st April 3:20pm MCG

[Since 2001]

Not many surprising changes in the team, good to see morrison back in the team and hopefully meek can put on a show to put pressure on reeves

 

[Siri]

The inclusion of Duncan & Atkins is not good.

 

[Mrzohs]

7.5 / 10 team selection.

Ramsden stiff. A few midfielders can count themselves lucky.

 

[Walshawk]

No rain forecast until after 6pm. Want Ramsden in.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Watson sub?

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Watson sub?

Surely Morrison?

 

[Billyc]

Based on what I read on here during preseason I am absolutely shocked to see Reeves being omitted so early into the season. Shocked I tells ya! Impossible! Surely not?

Anyway, presumably Morrison is our sub, and Mullin or Bowes will be theirs. Meaning the midfield battle will be:

Meek, Newcombe, Nash, Worpel, Ward, Mackenzie, Hustwaite, MacDonald
vs
Conway, Blicavs, Parfitt, Bruhn, Atkins, O'Connor, Clark, Holmes

That looks like it stacks up in our favour. Hopefully they control the middle so we can help out Frost, Sicily and Scrimshaw as much as possible. Frost has been good so far this season, we can't hang him out to dry tomorrow.

Alarm bells if we can’t win that midfield battle. Hawkins, Cameron and Stewart cut us up? I can live with that. They are champion players, which we don’t have. But if we lower colours to that midfield, it is a serious regression. They have a clear edge at both ends of the ground but we should win that midfield battle

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

Watson sub?

Breust for me

He needs the pace off the game now. Perfect sub until he can show he can handle the full game as the season progresses.

Playing him from the start and subbing him part way through takes away the benefit of having him play.

I know it is like killing Bambi but he has looked miles off it in the first few weeks. I hope they don’t destroy his legacy

 

[Kuuz]

Whilst I want to see Ramma playing, I think the balance is better with one less tall on the park.

We’ve had odd players coming off the bench and felt we’ve lacked an extra mid rotation at times. The changes balance that a little better.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Alarm bells if we can’t win that midfield battle. Hawkins, Cameron and Stewart cut us up? I can live with that. They are champion players, which we don’t have. But if we lower colours to that midfield, it is a serious regression. They have a clear edge at both ends of the ground but we should win that midfield battle

Yeah you can live with players like the simply getting the better of their opponents. No shame in it.

We have to win that midfield battle. If both Lewis and Chol get on top of SDK and Henry then we could see Blicavs moved back on one of them, that would really weaken their midfield further.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Breust for me

He needs the pace off the game now. Perfect sub until he can show he can handle the full game as the season progresses.

Playing him from the start and subbing him part way through takes away the benefit of having him play.

I know it is like killing Bambi but he has looked miles off it in the first few weeks. I hope they don’t destroy his legacy

Breust would be the best option IMO, but they aren't likely make the sub a named starting player. The sub is always from the bench players, right?

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

Breust would be the best option IMO, but they aren't likely make the sub a named starting player. The sub is always from the bench players, right?

No not always, it could be anyone

The cats are known to make last minute changes. I am wondering if this could still be the case

 

[madhawksfan]

If their midfield beats ours it will be embarrassing. I’m sure they’ll tag Newk but even so we should dominate them in clearances and on the spread. Nash needs a big game as does Ward.

Hopefully Mitch and the coaches pull their fingers out this week and have better tactics and our players showing aggression towards their key players. Would be great to see someone getting stuck into Stewart, Duncan and Jezza instead of waiting for Sicily to get targeted.

Seeing Richmond beat Sydney who are a superior side to the Cats gives me some hope.

 

[WWSD]

This is it. It’s now or never for Meek.

 

[GinniAndTonic]

Watson sub?

No chance we sub the guy that’s had the most scoring chances in our side. People need to stop suggesting he gets dropped or the sub it’s just stupid

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Surely Morrison?

Morrison is vanilla, but he's also the wise head of the midfield group.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Morrison is vanilla, but he's also the wise head of the midfield group.

I'm just assuming the sub will be one of the guys named on the bench, and I can't see it being Mackenzie or Weddle based on their games last week. It would be rough to use Hustwaite as a sub.

 

[Gut Runner]

A lot of people expecting a win in the midfield.

Our midfield hasn't turned up for 4 weeks and I don't think they are good enough to just flick a switch and bring it.

Think it might be a case of slow improvement over the next month.

 

[CHUBBSS]

A lot of people expecting a win in the midfield.

Our midfield hasn't turned up for 4 weeks and I don't think they are good enough to just flick a switch and bring it.

Think it might be a case of slow improvement over the next month.

Expecting the hot irons have been placed on them though, just need for more effort in defence at stoppages

 

[Siri]

Morrison is vanilla, but he's also the wise head of the midfield group.

Ha! He's not the lone ranger. Most of our list is vanilla, & we're currently one of the weakest teams in the competition. Cool heads prevail, & especially on this day, Lord knows we need one. He should play!

 

[Bugs1977]

A lot of people expecting a win in the midfield.

Our midfield hasn't turned up for 4 weeks and I don't think they are good enough to just flick a switch and bring it.

Think it might be a case of slow improvement over the next month.

Agreed. I think for whatever reason Geelong's midfield is just clunking along and getting the job done whereas ours although beaming with you talent just hasn't been able to gel yet. It's like the old idiom 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts' and probably sums up their midfield atm. They're a veteran team that has had structures in place for long time which makes it easier for newer players to come in and play their role. Where in the early stages of a rebuild but we definitely have the talent to go toe to toe with them if we decide to turn up and play to our strengths rather than the drivel we dished up last week.

 

[Newmo89]

Went with Morrison based on the rain forecast which makes sense, although Rama now misses a week of football in terms of his development which isn't the ideal situation. Reckon he'd be feeling pretty stiff about it.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Went with Morrison based on the rain forecast which makes sense, although Rama now misses a week of football in terms of his development which isn't the ideal situation. Reckon he'd be feeling pretty stiff about it.

Did he train on saturday or do the captains run on sunday?

 

[lethalselbow]

Geelong just manage a few against us. See Hawthorn as nothing to worry about.

 

[Newmo89]

Did he train on saturday or do the captains run on sunday?

All 24 including Rama trained yesterday at the captains run - match simulation was 12 on 12