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.

 

[daniel23]

I reckon the most intriguing part is that we’re now almost the complete opposite of ourselves from 2023.

Last year were a terrible offensive side who were scored against quite easily, with a midfield that came alive at centre bounces.

While we’re no defensive juggernaut in 2024 we’ve improved in that area of the ground and we’re a far more dangerous side going forward with a better inside 50 efficiency…. Our midfield though has barely turned up.

What will be the impact to our overall game when we start to halve the centre bounces with more regularity? I’d like to think we’ll be in a lot more games.

Interesting take considering we only kicked 5 goals from 42 entries last weekend.

 

[kazzooka]

The chip around during the first quarter reminded me of when Clarko would get the players to do the same thing during games - it even cost us a win or two. But in the end it helped enforce and develop a gameplan.

Hopefully that's all it was and hopefully Mitchell was able to make some observations and learn something things from it, if only that it was terrible to watch and to never try it again.

Clarkson was copping that critism in 2011 all the way to 2013 saying that the chip chip gamestyle wouldn't hold up in finals. Then when we got really good at maintaining posession the opposition couldn't score and we eventually dominated with it.

We don't yet have the players or the instint to do it well, but the opposition cannot score if they don't have the ball, and they can't tackle you if you mark it. But in order for you to score you need to run hard to keep getting marks, and you need guys like suckling, hodge, birchall, burgoyne, mitchell, lewis that can hit those zig zag kicks as you bring the ball forward. Also when you go forward slow, you need STAR forwards who create elite pressure, can score from half chances etc..

In the first quarter it was back switching back and forth and no options created forward or attempts to hit those targets.

Possession football is an important skill to develop as a team, as is explosive rebound with run and carry.

 

[wahawk]

It’s little wonder many posters have deserted this place. Any criticism is greeted with aggression by fans who refuse to face reality.

Haha
Are you the same The Cryptkeeper that was on Hawk Headquarters ?

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Clarkson was copping that critism in 2011 all the way to 2013 saying that the chip chip gamestyle wouldn't hold up in finals. Then when we got really good at maintaining posession the opposition couldn't score and we eventually dominated with it.

We don't yet have the players or the instint to do it well, but the opposition cannot score if they don't have the ball, and they can't tackle you if you mark it. But in order for you to score you need to run hard to keep getting marks, and you need guys like suckling, hodge, birchall, burgoyne, mitchell, lewis that can hit those zig zag kicks as you bring the ball forward. Also when you go forward slow, you need STAR forwards who create elite pressure, can score from half chances etc..

In the first quarter it was back switching back and forth and no options created forward or attempts to hit those targets.

Possession football is an important skill to develop as a team, as is explosive rebound with run and carry.

I reckon we have the players, but not the experience.

Players I would consider skillful/good kicks include: Sicily, Hardwick, Amon, Ward, Newcombe (although better at decision making than precision kicks) D'Ambrosio, Giniivan, McKenzie (although making a few errors still), Scrimshaw, Moore.

There's enough skill there to build a 'precision-kicking' game around. But the experience and confidence and decision making isn't there yet.

But first quarter on the weekend they played so ridiculously safe. Nobody wanted to have a crack at anything more than a 20m sideways kick to someone completely on their own.

 

[FB19]

just reading the last page or two .. in summary we need more topliners & potential topliners.

if we're 2-10 say - how much harder is roughies job?
is the club really done with the draft?

Don’t say that…I suggested we were one draft short last year and was lambasted for it. The club said we were hitting the draft hard 2021-23 and that’s it. And we all know rebuilds are easy, linear and experts never make mistakes.
Thank god we have our first pick.
But on a more serious note as long as our season mirrors last year and we finish well it’s easy to sell a message to our targets. It is clear we have a good crop of young talent and will start to rise but that there are still gaps so significant opportunity to be an integral piece should they join. And cash, don’t forget the cash!

 

[Hawked Wings]

98% of people on here need to smoke a joint and relax. It’s round 2, we were a few good shots on goal from being 1-1. I agree that Saturday was really poor but hey our inexperienced coach made a mistake with the game plan early, it happens.
We have a few of our best players out of form in Jai and Lewis, a few players in Nash and Breust who havnt turned up yet….it will turn. We always knew the first 4-5 weeks was going to be tough
Trust the process

 

[peetoo]

I reckon we have the players, but not the experience.

Players I would consider skillful/good kicks include: Sicily, Hardwick, Amon, Ward, Newcombe (although better at decision making than precision kicks) D'Ambrosio, Giniivan, McKenzie (although making a few errors still), Scrimshaw, Moore.

There's enough skill there to build a 'precision-kicking' game around. But the experience and confidence and decision making isn't there yet.

But first quarter on the weekend they played so ridiculously safe. Nobody wanted to have a crack at anything more than a 20m sideways kick to someone completely on their own.

Chol had a nice couple of assists by foot

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Chol had a nice couple of assists by foot

I love Chol. Smooth moving wrecking ball.

 

[Denver Day Lewis]

I love Chol. Smooth moving wrecking ball.

I love that song, Smooth Moving Wrecking Ball.

Wasn't it a Sade and Miley Cyrus duet?

 

[MasterSamurai]

Here's a quirky little stat.

Hawks are -79 points in two games but..... Scoring shots stand at:
Haw 41
Oppo 45

Just four less shots yet 79 points less than the opposition.
Haw 16.25
Oppo 31.14
Huge discrepancy, and all this with only one engine working in the midfield ( worps). Be interesting to see how these numbers look in a month.

 

[The Chad and I]

Here's a quirky little stat.

Hawks are -79 points in two games but..... Scoring shots stand at:
Haw 41
Oppo 45

Just four less shots yet 79 points less than the opposition.
Haw 16.25
Oppo 31.14
Huge discrepancy, and all this with only one engine working in the midfield ( worps). Be interesting to see how these numbers look in a month.

Melbourne is a very strong team, and we should have beaten Essendon.
The scoring shots stat is a good perspective to bring into the discussion.


We will do OK this season once the mids sort themselves out.

 

[Dipper Here]

Here's a quirky little stat.

Hawks are -79 points in two games but..... Scoring shots stand at:
Haw 41
Oppo 45

Just four less shots yet 79 points less than the opposition.
Haw 16.25
Oppo 31.14
Huge discrepancy, and all this with only one engine working in the midfield ( worps). Be interesting to see how these numbers look in a month.

If only The Wiz had converted some of his shots--especially that poster v Ess (you all know the one haha)!!!

A quirky stat, but maybe not so little

 

[Phil McCreviss]

Here's a quirky little stat.

Hawks are -79 points in two games but..... Scoring shots stand at:
Haw 41
Oppo 45

Just four less shots yet 79 points less than the opposition.
Haw 16.25
Oppo 31.14
Huge discrepancy, and all this with only one engine working in the midfield ( worps). Be interesting to see how these numbers look in a month.

I saw this stat too. Coupled with a heat map of where shots at goal are taken. Most of our shots are closer to the boundary lines and plus 40 metres, our opposition are regularly shooting from the corridor within 30. Correlates to those numbers.

 

[Flukey!]

‘Got it wrong’: Mitchell’s stark admission after AFL great’s withering takedown of ‘disrespectful’ Hawks

‘Got it wrong’: Mitchell’s stark admission after great’s takedown of ‘disrespectful’ Hawks

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[unitedhawk]

‘Got it wrong’: Mitchell’s stark admission after AFL great’s withering takedown of ‘disrespectful’ Hawks

‘Got it wrong’: Mitchell’s stark admission after great’s takedown of ‘disrespectful’ Hawks

www.foxsports.com.au

Great to see our coach not resorting to excuses.

Lesson kearnt. Move on.

Now for the Cats...

 

[Sixpence]

They should’ve stuck with Clarko

Yes, because North are flying at the moment ...

 

[theiaofseed]

They should’ve stuck with Clarko

Yep I just love the days of playing Patton and Minchington over Moore and Lewis.

 

[barbster]

Great to see our coach not resorting to excuses.

Lesson kearnt. Move on.

Now for the Cats...

But he shouldn’t have got it so wrong. If he wanted to trial it, do it in the preseason or at the end of the year when the season is all but over.

 

[FB19]

They should’ve stuck with Clarko

Jokes need to be accompanied by an emoji or change in font color.

 

[SpanishBrowne]

Yep I just love the days of playing Patton and Minchington over Moore and Lewis.

This. Also how much we all loved the style of footy we played in 1st qtr last week. Brought back so many memories. Wish we did it every single quarter

 

[Billyc]

Sam hasn’t started the year well. There’s been some head scratching decisions and he’s owned a couple of them. Hopefully turns it around, starting Monday, together with the playing group.

We need to have a look at our pre seasons. It’s been several years of very sluggish starts and the season being gone before it really gets going, only to recover a bit as the year goes on. It’s a clear trend over several years

 

[unitedhawk]

Sam hasn’t started the year well. There’s been some head scratching decisions and he’s owned a couple of them. Hopefully turns it around, starting Monday, together with the playing group.

We need to have a look at our pre seasons. It’s been several years of very sluggish starts and the season being gone before it really gets going, only to recover a bit as the year goes on. It’s a clear trend over several years

Very good point re pre-seasons. We've even had Rob McCartney say, for two consecutive years now, something along the lines of how we'll be better as the season wears on.

That might be justifiable as a young group gets accustomed to each other and the new players but things like game-plans - and Plan Bs and Cs, which didn't seem to exist in that diabolical first quarter last week - ought to be well-rehearsed during pre-season.

Let's not make a habit of this as bad habits die hard and will hurt as when we're a better team and further up the ladder in years to come.

 

[burner1]

We need to have a look at our pre seasons. It’s been several years of very sluggish starts and the season being gone before it really gets going, only to recover a bit as the year goes on. It’s a clear trend over several years

Think it’s the challenge of a young and not very good list. Just not enough real quality to set standards over preseason or provide real competition for players to benchmark themselves. We seem to get a reality check early season then work into season.

 

[RoughysMullet]

Sam hasn’t started the year well. There’s been some head scratching decisions and he’s owned a couple of them. Hopefully turns it around, starting Monday, together with the playing group.

We need to have a look at our pre seasons. It’s been several years of very sluggish starts and the season being gone before it really gets going, only to recover a bit as the year goes on. It’s a clear trend over several years

Get the feeling the bad starts have a lot to do with a young group not being up to handling pressure…

Every year the expectation is high early and clubs are looking to get wins on the board to set up their seasons… as soon as we lose a few games, the expectation goes away and we are able to play with more freedom- that’s when our wins tend to come..

Don’t even get me started on the late season wins that gives us false hope for the next season when most clubs are tanking/coasting for finals…

 

[peetoo]

Question from one who does not know the detail, but us our ruck coaching as good as when Monky was doing it.

Reeves and meek both seem to have physical gifts they don’t seem to be maximising