Preview Round 4, 2023: Geelong v Hawthorn, MCG 3:20pm Easter Monday 10th April

[DEECEE]

To any kennedy members out there, do we still get bar access on level 2 when it's a replacement game?

My seats are out in the open, so looking for a plan b.

Sent from my SM-S901E using Tapatalk

 

[bigmaxi]

Are we the only professional sporting organisation in the world that doesn’t have a microphone to hear the questions being asked by the media? Even in post match at the ground, drives me nuts

It works. Sam gets to make up his own questions then and say what he likes !!!
Mind you most of the questions i hear in press conferences are mind numbing, there should be a Big Footy text number so we can send in our own questions, "now that's what I'm talking about."
OOHHHH the melts !

 

[Paul Kersey]

To any kennedy members out there, do we still get bar access on level 2 when it's a replacement game?

My seats are out in the open, so looking for a plan b.

Sent from my SM-S901E using Tapatalk

Never tried. Imagine no - they’ll be for the Handbagger equivalent.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Just making a point that given their ages we really can't wait three years for our rucks to improve.

They are right in the age bracket where rucks should be starting to really hit their straps (assuming prime rucking years are from 24 through to 30).

Lets face it our ruck stocks right now at this very moment are the worst in the AFL.

Pretty much every second week the opposition rucks seem to have dominant performances against us.

If we are going to take that next step as a team we need to be able to at least break even in the ruck (I know we won last weekend with our rucks getting smashed but thats not going to happen too often).

That's the cold hard truth, but it won't go down to well here.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Cameron is bloody average and isn't that far ahead of ours. He is also 3 years older and has nearly 3 times the experience. I can see both Meek and Reeves overtaking him pretty quickly. Both Cameron and Cox are also injured at the moment and they have no-one else of note, so so much for "better ruck stocks".

You keep banging on about their work around the ground, which I agree needs to improve, but the primary job of a ruck is to win hitouts and give first use to our mids. We are winning hitouts and we are winning clearances. That is exactly what they need to do. Their primary role is solid, now give them time to add more strings to their bow.

Cameron is quality around the ground, routinely picks up 15 + touches. Seems lots of our fans are stuck back in the 90s thinking the rucks job ends after the bounce or throw in has been contested. In terms of impact around the ground, we currently have by far and away the worst ruck combination in the league.

 

[hawkinoz]

I think we just need to let the rucks develop and not expect too much this year apart from effort and contest. If we can rotate them and get 15 games into the top 3 and some games into ramsden I think that’s a tick. When we are ready to compete we will know what we need to know about all of them that’s to me the focus.

exactly, I want to see the rucks rotated.. So after 4 games, bench the worser one and get Lynch in, then bench the other after 2-3 games in name of being managed or to hone skills in VFL and keep doing that.. Add Rama in for one of the cycles if 2 of the rucks are doing bad/injured.

Get games in to all and reassess at end of season

 

[TheFourPillars]

exactly, I want to see the rucks rotated.. So after 4 games, bench the worser one and get Lynch in, then bench the other after 2-3 games in name of being managed or to hone skills in VFL and keep doing that.. Add Rama in for one of the cycles if 2 of the rucks are doing bad/injured.

Get games in to all and reassess at end of season

No we are not doing that it's like saying let's try all the half back flankers all the mids on a rotational basis. They come in when they have made a case which more compelling than an existing player in their position

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Cameron is quality around the ground, routinely picks up 15 + touches. Seems lots of our fans are stuck back in the 90s thinking the rucks job ends after the bounce or throw in has been contested. In terms of impact around the ground, we currently have by far and away the worst ruck combination in the league.

Yes I think it's fair to say that assuming each team has a full component of rucks to choose from (discounting injury) any combination of current ability Reeves, Meek and Lynch will struggle to hold their own against the Nakvervises, Gawns, Darcy's, Goldstein, English, Witt's, etc of the AFL.

I admit I have probably gone to hard to early on Meek given it's only round 3 but I don't think it's unreasonable to observe that he hasn't set the world on fire so far at the Hawks given he is already a reasonably mature ruck with AFL experience (just look at what Nankervis did when he moved to the Tiges from Sydney and he was only 23 at the time).

I think we should let this one be for now and reassess mid year, an 11 game sample size will tell us a fair bit about where we sit re our current ruck stocks.

 

[The Spirit of Cricket]

Cameron is quality around the ground, routinely picks up 15 + touches. Seems lots of our fans are stuck back in the 90s thinking the rucks job ends after the bounce or throw in has been contested. In terms of impact around the ground, we currently have by far and away the worst ruck combination in the league.

It's not true though. It might be the worst if you looked at an entire list and assumed everyone was healthy and in their prime, but that isn't reality. And it's certainly not "far and away" the worst. West Coast's ruck stocks are absolutely putrid, so too are Collingwood and Sydney's right now. Port Adelaide's pretty bad too. Lycett won a flag and was a decent ruck in his time, but his start to the year has been terrible.

If we're going to judge Hawthorn's rucks on their current output, rather than potential, then we have to do the same with other ruckmen even if they've been better or healthier in the past.

EDIT: you might be right in terms of around the ground, but my post was referring to our stocks in general being the worst in the AFL right now.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Also given all this talk of rucks, it's probably a fair bet that Meeks and Reeves will come up against old man Ceglar this Monday.

That's going to be interesting

 

[Hodginator]

Should probably just have a ruck thread.

 

[spudmaster]

To any kennedy members out there, do we still get bar access on level 2 when it's a replacement game?

My seats are out in the open, so looking for a plan b.

Sent from my SM-S901E using Tapatalk

Unfortunately not mate.

 

[KermitJagger]

That's the cold hard truth, but it won't go down to well here.

10 games

 

[FB19]

No we are not doing that it's like saying let's try all the half back flankers all the mids on a rotational basis. They come in when they have made a case which more compelling than an existing player in their position

Sorry there was an implied dependency that games need to be earned I should have explicitly stated that. My statement was aspirational and that decent games for all would be an ideal outcome for me, but understand it won’t work like this. In a development phase we need to quickly assess list fits and gaps accurately; fringe players need a run of opportunities not just in for 1 then out to prove themselves. I’m saying we should err on the side of giving those opportunities rather than playing the incumbent when it’s a close selection call at least some of the time. I feel the same across the ground in this development phase but rucks have been the focus of discussion. Lucky for Lynch our rucks have set the bar so low it shouldn’t be far away now.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Sorry there was an implied dependency that games need to be earned I should have explicitly stated that. My statement was aspirational and that decent games for all would be an ideal outcome for me, but understand it won’t work like this. In a development phase we need to quickly assess list fits and gaps accurately; fringe players need a run of opportunities not just in for 1 then out to prove themselves. I’m saying we should err on the side of giving those opportunities rather than playing the incumbent when it’s a close selection call at least some of the time. I feel the same across the ground in this development phase but rucks have been the focus of discussion. Lucky for Lynch our rucks have set the bar so low it shouldn’t be far away now.

I think we are in the phase where we need continuity amongst our best 22. If we are performing well enough then there will be minimum chnages to get some connection between the mids and rucks etc. Your ideal outcome would come naturally anyway as players tire or play poorly and others get a game

 

[hawkman]

Reeves and Meek were spanked on the weekend by Goldy who is in his dotage as an AFL player.

Just imagine what our young midfield could do with a decent ruck, would be a game changer.

Really need one of Reeves or Meeks (preferably both) to take that step.

Happy for them to spanked every week if we still dominate the clearances like we did against North

 

[Lotus]

10 games

People forget we have real story like Dylan Moore. Hopefully everyone can have a break out game and be the best player they can be.

 

[FB19]

I think we are in the phase where we need continuity amongst our best 22. If we are performing well enough then there will be minimum chnages to get some connection between the mids and rucks etc. Your ideal outcome would come naturally anyway as players tire or play poorly and others get a game

Fair enough. Part of this is I missed the early 2000s low period and rebuild I was overseas and no coverage like today just news reports so I am excited to embrace the ride and watch the development. Also it’s getting tough to see where the end of year list changes come from I could see almost anyone making it which is exciting in and of itself. Sorry back to the game, Finn to danger wipe that smug look of his face!

 

[OnTheRocks]

to get some connection between the mids and rucks

This is vital to our progress.
We know what our mids are presently capable of and if the rucks come on as expected then the connection between rucks and mids will have a flow on positive effect to the forwards and relieve pressure on the backs.

 

[lethalselbow]

Guess it's the turn of the ruckmen to take a

Should probably just have a ruck thread.

Yerp.

Who can go lowest potting Hawthorn ruck men.

 

[FB19]

I rewatched the Roos game last night it’s tempered my expectations for Monday. I didn’t realise at the time just how bad Norf were the second quarter looked like circlework for the most part and on the coverage they said 16 tackles for the half. Cats clearly a better side with backs to the wall so this is going to be much harder but great let’s see how competitive we can be.

 

[RiverRiver]

Jesus, we haven’t lost the hit outs once this year lol I’m just happy not being mauled by opposition ruckmen

 

[Dewnior]

Are they?

Worse than Collingwood? Cameron and Cox are both pretty average and are currently injured, they have no-one.

Reeves and Meek comfortably won the hitouts against Sydney and Essendon and broke even against North.

They need to improve around the ground, but as rucks, they're doing exactly as they need to.

Maybe not the right place for it but with all the renewed talk about a mid season trade period, would we consider loaning someone like Meek to the Pies for say 6 months in exchange for a draft pick?

 

[hawkinoz]

Love this snapshotfrom today's Sicily video on socials. Love the size of Weddle and seemed to compete well with Sicily.

 

[FB19]

Maybe not the right place for it but with all the renewed talk about a mid season trade period, would we consider loaning someone like Meek to the Pies for say 6 months in exchange for a draft pick?

Ironically why not big Max Lynch?