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.

 

[Hawkk]

Clarko delivered us 4 flags . His 2008 coaching performance in the GF is arguable the greatest ever ( some will argue Barrasi 1970 )
Setting us for the 3 peat was also his genuis .

Like all coaches in sport , professional or otherwise the game has gone past him . Happens to the all time greats if they are around long enough
It's more complex than that but that's a simple rundown.

I actually think he can benefit North - they are just getting the latter version of him .

Glad we made the move- even if it was messy at the time

Hawthorn always judge coaches harshly. We sacked Alan Joyce less than three years after he won his second flag and didn't even miss the finals. Did the same to David Parkin less than two seasons after he won a flag too

 

[crazywildhorse]

Hawthorn always judge coaches harshly. We sacked Alan Joyce less than three years after he won his second flag and didn't even miss the finals. Did the same to David Parkin less than two seasons after he won a flag too

Glad you brought Joyce up. I was a young guy at the stage and had no idea what was going on. Was it also fall out from the financial problems?

 

[Mercy Seat]

Those sad handful of folk who were so rusted on to the old regime - surely you have to see the light now. Sitting through some of the soul-destroying directionless, soulless and tediously uninspired defensive drivel from 2017-2021 with midfields that just let teams continually waltz through and get inside 50s at will. Forward lines that hadn’t a hope in hell with a midfield that would just bomb it in at will with no thought or structure. If somebody was new to the sport and you told them a 4 time premiership coach was in charge they’d think you were lying to them.

The breath of fresh air in terms of structure, recruiting, man management and game style has honestly revolutionised the club. We were on a slow march to nowhere for half a decade and in 3 short years there’s an entirely new blueprint on the club that had been turned into a one man dictatorship.

This isn’t solely the doing of Sam - but the on field results are absolutely his to take credit for primarily. I know there were multiple parties agitating for regime change in 2021 and no one person can take credit for it - but those who made the gutsy calls deserve the adulation. That includes Kennett, the board and the playing group.

This demonstrates that Hawthorn can never be about one person - we have a team of people determined to bring this club back to the top where it belongs - and boy it’s been a fun ride.

This will likely get deleted along with whole chat as it's been covered ad nauseum, but it was really only 3 stinking years 2019-21, and a lot of it was to do with going 100% on a strategy that failed spectacularly.

We missed out on some free agents we were all but promised were coming to the club, lost Roughie to his cancer diagnosis, lost Cyril 5 years too early, lost Mitchell to a broken leg in a year we thought we would compete. Jaegar was nowhere near the player we thought we were getting, Chad struggled to get on the park, and then covid and the hubs happened and the entire thing blew up.

The gamestyle was a reflection of an average list, a coach who had committed to this top up strategy, and a club that was in no mans land. To top it all off, the coach wasn't talking to the CEO and there was tension everywhere including the playing group.

But we were all 100% in on it because who wouldn't after the success we had.

Sam has been a breath of fresh air in the place and deserves all the praise for doing what he has done. It was definitely the right time and I’ve always said that. But it is sad that a lot of the nuance has been left out of the discussion about what happened in that period.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

This will likely get deleted along with whole chat as it's been covered ad nauseum, but it was really only 3 stinking years 2019-21, and a lot of it was to do with going 100% on a strategy that failed spectacularly.

Agree to disagree. 2017 was abysmal and some of the early losses that season were harder to sit through than any of the floggings we received the past few years. 2018 we made top 4 via a blessed run of wins when other sides fell away. Most of the year we were in the bottom half of the 8 and even out of the 8 late in the season. We got bundled out of the finals quite easily. Our gamestyle throughout that time was dreary. Even in 2018 our points for was one of the worst of the top 8 sides. List management went wrong I will absolutely agree - but that doesn't get the regime of the time off the hook for a style of playing that was really hard to watch at times and didn't deliver results.

 

[Mercy Seat]

Agree to disagree. 2017 was abysmal and some of the early losses that season were harder to sit through than any of the floggings we received the past few years. 2018 we made top 4 via a blessed run of wins when other sides fell away. Most of the year we were in the bottom half of the 8 and even out of the 8 late in the season. We got bundled out of the finals quite easily. Our gamestyle throughout that time was dreary. Even in 2018 our points for was one of the worst of the top 8 sides. List management went wrong I will absolutely agree - but that doesn't get the regime of the time off the hook for a style of playing that was really hard to watch at times and didn't deliver results.

There was no fundamental change in coaching between 2016 when we probably should have pinched another flag had Issie Smith kicked straight after the siren, and 2017. It was all down to the list, trying to transplant and entirely new midfield and losing some club legends in the process.

Players of that 2017 season will tell you that they were so used to having certain players around them it was like second nature, and losing that, they were initially shell shocked. Clarko didn't suddenly think, hey let's play a dreary brand of footy because I think that will win a flag.

Anyway, agree to disagree. Sam is the man and he's doing a mighty fine job.

 

[KermitJagger]

There was no fundamental change in coaching between 2016 when we probably should have pinched another flag had Issie Smith kicked straight after the siren, and 2017. It was all down to the list, trying to transplant and entirely new midfield and losing some club legends in the process.

Players of that 2017 season will tell you that they were so used to having certain players around them it was like second nature, and losing that, they were initially shell shocked. Clarko didn't suddenly think, hey let's play a dreary brand of footy because I think that will win a flag.

Anyway, agree to disagree. Sam is the man and he's doing a mighty fine job.

I half agree, I do think at that stage Clarko had bought too far into the "soldier in, soldier out" mentality and had lost sight of just how much guys like Mitchell and Lewis did on field, let alone other guys that were retired at the end of that year.

Sam has actually said as much in interviews, when the best sides are ticking along the coach barely needs to do anything. The problem was that by moving so much experience on Clarko went back to thinking that it was the coaching of the players that brought success, so instead of being able to take a step back he was always heavily involved from a strategy point of view.

So you're right that Clarko didn't decide to play a dreary brand of footy, but I do think it was an unintended side effect of his decision and the paint-by-numbers way we were coached.

 

[CHUBBSS]

I half agree, I do think at that stage Clarko had bought too far into the "soldier in, soldier out" mentality and had lost sight of just how much guys like Mitchell and Lewis did on field, let alone other guys that were retired at the end of that year.

Sam has actually said as much in interviews, when the best sides are ticking along the coach barely needs to do anything. The problem was that by moving so much experience on Clarko went back to thinking that it was the coaching of the players that brought success, so instead of being able to take a step back he was always heavily involved from a strategy point of view.

So you're right that Clarko didn't decide to play a dreary brand of footy, but I do think it was an unintended side effect of his decision and the paint-by-numbers way we were coached.

It’s such an important trait of a premiership side, it’s just that teaching/developing a team to function as a perfectly synchronised organism driven by itself and adhering to structure/input is a very very nuanced thing.

The most interesting thing Mitchell has said all year from all the tidbits I have heard is how good kicking is mainly decision making (once the skills are solid) and you can see how we think through decisions now on every play, little by little this has dramatically impacted how we move the ball on top of the compounding confidence in the belief to play an individual yet team based game.

 

[HawthornHawk]

This is terrific, good to know where Ginny's '6 to come' call after the Blues game came from

 

[KermitJagger]

It’s such an important trait of a premiership side, it’s just that teaching/developing a team to function as a perfectly synchronised organism driven by itself and adhering to structure/input is a very very nuanced thing.

The most interesting thing Mitchell has said all year from all the tidbits I have heard is how good kicking is mainly decision making (once the skills are solid) and you can see how we think through decisions now on every play, little by little this has dramatically impacted how we move the ball on top of the compounding confidence in the belief to play an individual yet team based game.

My other favourite little tidbit is how great plays are just a lot of small things done well.

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

This is terrific, good to know where Ginny's '6 to come' call after the Blues game came from

The video productions this year have been top shelf

Kudos to whoever is responsible

 

[Jane Doe]

Glad you brought Joyce up. I was a young guy at the stage and had no idea what was going on. Was it also fall out from the financial problems?

Joyce was far too intense and tough on the players and ended up losing them pretty quickly. Same thing happend when he went to the bulldogs.

 

[Flukey!]

Not that long ago, there was plenty of whining on here about our clubs social media.
The content was limited and pretty poor overall.

Now, the HFC are killing it and have become the clear leaders in this space.

Who within the club gets credit for that?
Anyone know who is behind it?

They are doing an amazing job and no doubt helping create the next generation of Hawk fans.

 

[hawkman]

As he progressed he became more a system/structure coach . Most are but he certainly became more to the extreme end of the scale .
If you have stars in the system it's great as you still get the dynamic flair and skill . The system hopefully covers weaker elements in the team.

If you lose that you become more what we became . You get the odd 'masterclass' performance mixed in with a robotic style of play .

In the NFL Bellicheck is a good example . Lost Brady and the system that had worked so well , wasn't as effective.

He was always system/structure coach. He had the players to play the system at the heights of 07-16. Once the players from that time fell away his system didn't adapt well for the players he had

 

[CHUBBSS]

Not that long ago, there was plenty of whining on here about our clubs social media.
The content was limited and pretty poor overall.

Now, the HFC are killing it and have become the clear leaders in this space.

Who within the club gets credit for that?
Anyone know who is behind it?

They are doing an amazing job and no doubt helping create the next generation of Hawk fans.

Big props to max lynch, reckon his really helped connect the players to the more day to day socials and updated. Brings some personality to game day to

 

[toomanysquibs]

An actual picture of Sam's direction for the club:

Sam signaled his intentions early after recognizing that defensive structures in the AFL had reached their logical conclusion. Went to work on the underdeveloped end of the football equation to beat them: all out attack.

Brought in the players he needed at the end of last year, improved the ones he had.

Outcome: Hok Ball.

 

[Newmo89]

Not that long ago, there was plenty of whining on here about our clubs social media.
The content was limited and pretty poor overall.

Now, the HFC are killing it and have become the clear leaders in this space.

Who within the club gets credit for that?
Anyone know who is behind it?

They are doing an amazing job and no doubt helping create the next generation of Hawk fans.

The social media team this year is the same social media team as last year. I complimented them on their work and they said they felt that their work was the same, it just gets noticed more because the team is performing better.

I know when we were 0-5, they copped a fair bit of grief from supporters that the players should be concentrating on winning games etc.

The media team at Hawthorn includes Michael, Charlotte, Seamus and Steven who all do a tremendous job.

 

[Hawkers Hero]

The social media team this year is the same social media team as last year. I complimented them on their work and they said they felt that their work was the same, it just gets noticed more because the team is performing better.

I know when we were 0-5, they copped a fair bit of grief from supporters that the players should be concentrating on winning games etc.

The media team at Hawthorn includes Michael, Charlotte, Seamus and Steven who all do a tremendous job.

You would also have to think our recruits have driven a lot of the engagement as well. The 'rat pack' or whatever they call themselves certainly provide more content to work with.

 

[Sixpence]

The social media team this year is the same social media team as last year. I complimented them on their work and they said they felt that their work was the same, it just gets noticed more because the team is performing better.

I know when we were 0-5, they copped a fair bit of grief from supporters that the players should be concentrating on winning games etc.

The media team at Hawthorn includes Michael, Charlotte, Seamus and Steven who all do a tremendous job.

Might be the same as last year, but it's a clear step up from previous years! It was basically non-existent 2 years ago.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Might be the same as last year, but it's a clear step up from previous years! It was basically non-existent 2 years ago.

Yeh it's changed a lot.

Last year it felt like standard manager-approved media approach.

Now it's like a really enthusiastic fan with some good publishing skills.

 

[cryptor]

Media team has long been good at putting together the "high effort" polished content. Stuff like the season launch "No Limits" video, the Chance Bateman

Chance Bateman

Age

43

Ht

175cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.1

4star

K

8.8

3star

HB

6.3

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.1

4star

CL

1.1

3star

No current season stats available

D

18.6

5star

K

11.0

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.8

5star

CL

1.2

4star

video, the mid-season hype video, the recent post-H&A/pre-finals hype video, the player travel diary videos, etc, etc.

But there's been a sharp rise for the media team this year in terms of the engaging, viral "low effort" TikTok style content. Stuff like the silly hokball animations, annoying/bantering with the players as they come down for training or just existing around the club. It did start before this season but the winning form of the team and the introduction of some big personalities helps with positive engagement.

And I say "low effort" in that the turnaround on this type of content is typically fast and while I'm sure there is plenty of planning and thought that goes into it as part of the greater media strategy, the whole point of it is to come across as naturally cool and candid. It's primarily meant to appeal to younger demographics and it's cool because it doesn't feel manufactured like some focus group or committee were actively trying to "go viral". It just feels like an extension of the playing group energy of doing their own thing for the sake of our (entire club + supporters) own enjoyment.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Media team has long been good at putting together the "high effort" polished content. Stuff like the season launch "No Limits" video, the Chance Bateman video, the mid-season hype video, the recent post-H&A/pre-finals hype video, the player travel diary videos, etc, etc.

But there's been a sharp rise for the media team this year in terms of the engaging, viral "low effort" TikTok style content. Stuff like the silly hokball animations, annoying/bantering with the players as they come down for training or just existing around the club. It did start before this season but the winning form of the team and the introduction of some big personalities helps with positive engagement.

And I say "low effort" in that the turnaround on this type of content is typically fast and while I'm sure there is plenty of planning and thought that goes into it as part of the greater media strategy, the whole point of it is to come across as naturally cool and candid. It's primarily meant to appeal to younger demographics and it's cool because it doesn't feel manufactured like some focus group or committee were actively trying to "go viral". It just feels like an extension of the playing group energy of doing their own thing for the sake of our (entire club + supporters) own enjoyment.

They are leveraging off of others too which is good to see. The 'What is Hokball' video with the animations is a guy who does videos like that on TikTok so clearly the club has seen it and got him to do one.

 

[matey]

This is terrific, good to know where Ginny's '6 to come' call after the Blues game came from

Sam “Put your hand up who’s played finals before?” …. someone responds “you have” Classic!

 

[offtherails9]

Media team has long been good at putting together the "high effort" polished content. Stuff like the season launch "No Limits" video, the Chance Bateman video, the mid-season hype video, the recent post-H&A/pre-finals hype video, the player travel diary videos, etc, etc.

But there's been a sharp rise for the media team this year in terms of the engaging, viral "low effort" TikTok style content. Stuff like the silly hokball animations, annoying/bantering with the players as they come down for training or just existing around the club. It did start before this season but the winning form of the team and the introduction of some big personalities helps with positive engagement.

And I say "low effort" in that the turnaround on this type of content is typically fast and while I'm sure there is plenty of planning and thought that goes into it as part of the greater media strategy, the whole point of it is to come across as naturally cool and candid. It's primarily meant to appeal to younger demographics and it's cool because it doesn't feel manufactured like some focus group or committee were actively trying to "go viral". It just feels like an extension of the playing group energy of doing their own thing for the sake of our (entire club + supporters) own enjoyment.

A lot of those low effort videos are so good because it often gives you a little glimpse into who the guys are as people so much more than a ten minute radio interview would. Recent ones like 'name a random youtuber' or stuff along that lines is just so easy but pretty good and funny.

The long form travel diaries or the spend a day with pre-season videos are so good. That's the best stuff the club does I reckon.

I think Sam and the rest of the club have been really clear with the social media team (and probably the team in general) that whilst it's really good to have fun and express yourself, it can't go to that next level like GWS have gotten into a lot of trouble for which is baiting and taking pot shots at people from other clubs. You gotta keep it classy.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Less is more. Love the small socials.

 

[Roddy]

Sam “Put your hand up who’s played finals before?” …. someone responds “you have” Classic!

Yeah, loved that!!