Coach Sam Mitchell's direction for the club and 2024 news

[Strapping Young Lad]

If anyone wants to have a listen about what the data is saying in regards to whether we have actually gotten worse this year have a listen to this from the 9:15 mark.

I know a few people have already touched on it, but the data is also showing that our results this year have been slightly better despite actually putting out a younger team and dealing with some injuries.




And here.

 

[Colloquy]

I reckon the handballing is part of a deliberate long term strategy. We have a large number of elite runners (and a growing number of quick players and elite inside 50 kicks) and look to run in waves like a lot of the successful teams do.

But more importantly we seem to be focusing on quality of ball inside 50. The good teams are great at dealing with the highball into forward 50. We appear to have decided the extra 1-3 handballs and then targeting a lead with 30-40m kick is worth the risk vs a long dump kick that mostly get intercepted.

Now maybe it will not stand up to finals type pressure - but that’s a while away. Our skill level today (as shown via port) also isn’t good enough but should improve. I note teams like Richmond and dees at their best were very good at moving ball by hand under pressure so there’s a standard we can conceivably reach.

I could see us playing very much like Port did against us in that first qtr in a few years fast kicking attack football and hitting targets at pace.

 

[Roddy]

Good write-up here…

The Six Points: Zak Butters almost a top 5 player in the AFL; Eagles so awful they're re-writing record books

This week's Six Points features the hottest young player in the AFL, the latest instalment of the dire Eagles, why low-scoring football doesn't equate to bad football, and what might be the worst MRO decision in history.

www.espn.com.au

 

[cs61]

Peter Burge's influence on the side is starting to show with our power running.

 

[TylerDurden]

Peter Burge's influence on the side is starting to show with our power running.

No doubt. He's a genius.

 

[Brant]

No doubt. He's a genius.

As is David Hale proving to be.

 

[cryptor]

Good write-up here…

The Six Points: Zak Butters almost a top 5 player in the AFL; Eagles so awful they're re-writing record books

This week's Six Points features the hottest young player in the AFL, the latest instalment of the dire Eagles, why low-scoring football doesn't equate to bad football, and what might be the worst MRO decision in history.

www.espn.com.au

Over the last month, the Hawks have been the No. 1 scoring team in the league, rank second for turnover score differential and fourth from clearance score differential. They're also the No. 1 contested possession side and the highest-ranked team in terms of efficient ball movement from defensive 50 to attacking 50.

 

[Roddy]

Over the last month, the Hawks have been the No. 1 scoring team in the league, rank second for turnover score differential and fourth from clearance score differential. They're also the No. 1 contested possession side and the highest-ranked team in terms of efficient ball movement from defensive 50 to attacking 50.

Yeah that's the part that blew me away...

 

[Brant]

Over the last month, the Hawks have been the No. 1 scoring team in the league, rank second for turnover score differential and fourth from clearance score differential. They're also the No. 1 contested possession side and the highest-ranked team in terms of efficient ball movement from defensive 50 to attacking 50.

All that, whilst tanking!

 

[cs61]

As is David Hale proving to be.

Hickmott says hi as well.

 

[Brishawk]

All that, whilst tanking!

With no youth!

 

[Tuck In]

I'm grading Hawthorn's tanking efforts.....D+

 

[Lickmesocks]

Where is Purple and his sliding door?

 

[Nick the Pig]

Over the last month, the Hawks have been the No. 1 scoring team in the league, rank second for turnover score differential and fourth from clearance score differential. They're also the No. 1 contested possession side and the highest-ranked team in terms of efficient ball movement from defensive 50 to attacking 50.

It's been a while since Hawks and 'highest scoring team' have been mentioned in the same breath

 

[Steven Tyler]

It's been a while since Hawks and 'highest scoring team' have been mentioned in the same breath

Unless the word “against” was in the sentence

 

[parsons nose]

Don’t know if anyone listened to Jack Fitzpatrick

Jack Fitzpatrick

Age

33

Ht

200cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.3

2star

K

5.8

2star

HB

3.4

3star

CL

0.8

3star

HO

5.5

5star

No current season stats available

D

9.2

3star

K

5.2

2star

HB

4.0

3star

CL

1.0

3star

HO

4.2

5star

on Hawks Insiders today. But he gave Sam a really big rap. Basically confirmed what we already know, Sam has the highest IQ in footy. According to Ash Browne, after a single, last minute interview with Sam, Jack Bowes

12

Jack Bowes

Age

26

Ht

189cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.3

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.5

4star

MG

318.1

4star

D

18.0

4star

K

11.8

5star

HB

6.3

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.1

2star

MG

318.1

4star

D

11.6

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

was so impressed he nearly reneged on the Cats offer. As his reputation grows, we‘ll start to see out of contract players wanting to come to Hawthorn to be coached by Sam.

He’s probably to best performer at post match press conferences and he’s not given to emotion in the coaches box, which I like. It’s easy now to see, why the club was falling over itself to jettison Clarko and get him in, when there was a very real prospect of him being snapped up by another club.

 

[Roger Rogerson]

Over the last month, the Hawks have been the No. 1 scoring team in the league, rank second for turnover score differential and fourth from clearance score differential. They're also the No. 1 contested possession side and the highest-ranked team in terms of efficient ball movement from defensive 50 to attacking 50.

It's impressive. I wonder if we take out the Eagles game which was basically against a VFL side how our numbers look.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

It's impressive. I wonder if we take out the Eagles game which was basically against a VFL side how our numbers look.

But that means taking out every team that plays the eagles

 

[wahawk]

It's impressive. I wonder if we take out the Eagles game which was basically against a VFL side how our numbers look.

You can only play those who you are fixtured to play

 

[Hodginator]

A lot of good stuff in this article. Too much to copy and paste.

Not tanking, rising: How the Hawk punt on Mitchell, O’Meara is paying off

The decision to jettison the pair – the cornerstones of a failed Hawthorn attempt to defy the draft’s natural gravity from 2016 – was contentious enough to prompt accusations that the Hawks were tanking for draft picks this year.

www.theage.com.au

Hawthorn traded Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara for only modest draft returns, despite paying hefty shares of the midfielders’ 2023 salaries.

The decision to jettison the pair – the cornerstones of a failed Hawthorn attempt to defy the draft’s natural gravity from 2016 – was contentious enough to prompt accusations that the Hawks were tanking for draft picks this year.

 

[The Chad and I]

Nash, Worpel and Day have gone from mid-teens to mid-20s for average disposal in just one season.
Huge improvement.

And we've got MacKenzie, MacDonald and Ward developing...

 

[Brishawk]

Nash, Worpel and Day have gone from mid-teens to mid-20s for average disposal in just one season.
Huge improvement.

And we've got MacKenzie, MacDonald and Ward developing...

It’s hard to imagine how they could have improved more on last years form. The transition has gone as good as we could have hope for!

 

[naysayer]

Peter Burge's influence on the side is starting to show with our power running.

I get nervous when the high performance team gets mid-season plaudits. I've seen it go to hell in the second half of the year too often. Nobody say anything! Don't jinx it!

 

[flinchfree]

It’s hard to imagine how they could have improved more on last years form. The transition has gone as good as we could have hope for!

Enough that you no longer think getting rid of both Mitchell and Jaeger was a mistake that would leave our young players exposed physically or without leadership?

 

[Brishawk]

Enough that you no longer think getting rid of both Mitchell and Jaeger was a mistake that would leave our young players exposed physically or without leadership?

Absolutely. We needed 2-3 players to stand up to that level and they have. Could you have foreseen Worpel going from a battler to a top five clearance mid? Nash going from a below average mid who tackled a bit to a physical force and ball winner? Day had obvious talent but could he stand up to the rigours of midfield life? Could he adapt to the demands? Huge doubts over those three but all three at the same time have exploded. We took the risk and are reaping the benefits.

We are still protecting the young players. We are running less players through the middle than last year on average based on cbas. But we still give players like Cmac, Cmac and ward a shot through there at times.

Also, our ruck division is far and away better than last year. Obviously reeves has improved but also he is playing every week. Meek has added a lot even if some weeks he doesn’t perform to the level we need.

All this has coalesced into improved performance. I still don’t think we handled Mitchell and his departure well and the deal probably won’t prove a decisive benefit for us unless stephens comes on (I’d did help us land weddle indirectly which alone might prove all the value we need from it!) but it doesn’t look like it will hurt our premiership chances in a few years time.

 

[flinchfree]

Absolutely. We needed 2-3 players to stand up to that level and they have. Could you have foreseen Worpel going from a battler to a top five clearance mid? Nash going from a below average mid who tackled a bit to a physical force and ball winner? Day had obvious talent but could he stand up to the rigours of midfield life? Could he adapt to the demands? Huge doubts over those three but all three at the same time have exploded. We took the risk and are reaping the benefits.

We are still protecting the young players. We are running less players through the middle than last year on average based on cbas. But we still give players like Cmac, Cmac and ward a shot through there at times.

Also, our ruck division is far and away better than last year. Obviously reeves has improved but also he is playing every week. Meek has added a lot even if some weeks he doesn’t perform to the level we need.

All this has coalesced into improved performance. I still don’t think we handled Mitchell and his departure well and the deal probably won’t prove a decisive benefit for us unless stephens comes on (I’d did help us land weddle indirectly which alone might prove all the value we need from it!) but it doesn’t look like it will hurt our premiership chances in a few years time.

Yup, agree completely.
The response to being given both the extra responsibility and opportunity to our younger on-ballers could not have been more firmly grasped. As in, a truly fully realized plan with zero negatives that I can tell.

For mine, the reason to have backed the Mitchell plan was simple. The exposed results with JOM and Tommy showed absolutely no force mulitplier effect because of their presence or performance. Sure, they played hard for the jumper and I think earned with guts and pride the chance we took and fully my respect, but it was a struggle for me to see whose game on the rest of the list they elevated with those efforts. They didn't make our Rucks look good, they didn't make their mid cohorts look good, they didn't make our forwards look good, they didn't make our run game look good, and while they battled defensively they didn't make our defence or transition look good.

And that's not over just the one season, I believe the above holds true during their entire time with us. When the rest of the team played well or better individually, it was because of sheer effort - not because it was easier to do so because of Tom and Jom.

Much as Sammy Mitchell seemed to know more instinctually what strings to pull to get better efforts and playing style when in charge of Box Hill, the second he seemed to embrace moving on those two more eminent players I felt totally good with it. Not to mention that our young players seemed to have bodies more ready for first football than I'd ever seen before, and at the same time had the self driven desire to improve entirely separate to any leadership from Jaeger or Tom.

Anyways, it's been the perfect rebuild thus far for mine, just roll a few more highly fancied teams this season and we will be absolutely charging over the summer training and into 2024.