Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn, Josh Battle

[TylerDurden]

 

[Leather Poisoning]

It's amazing when you pick up top 3 player from another club. Not easy to do, regardless of the club. Well done Roughy and the recruitment team

 

[Hawker399]

Confident that Josh will see plenty of time forward.

 

[CHUBBSS]

Lets not forget McCabe, coming through learning from Sicily, Battle, Hardwick, he may end up better then all

 

[Rushed_Behind]

We will have such an attacking backline next season. Barrass sweeper going 3rd man up allowing Sicily, scrimshaw, battle to intercept at will, frost and Hardwick taking opposition smalls. Amon, impey ground ball gets from spoils then off to the races.

If they’re having a down day you could throw meek or day down there as an extra.

 

[cs61]

Confident that Josh will see plenty of time forward.

I see Battle as similar to Himmelberg at GWS. In that he's probably a defender, but if we have a need up forward can play a role there to cover any holes until we fix our depth/get players back.

Frost + Barrass as key defenders + Weddle, Sicily, Scrimshaw, Impey, Amon is a very good line up. Barrass changes the whole feel of the defence, and is the pillar that turns us from having a weakness to attack, to having a top 2-3 defence in competition. Battle then could be thrown forward with Hardwick and it changes the dynamic there until Lewis returns.

I don't think we will permanently move any of Sicily or Weddle, as they are both absolutely elite defenders. But every time they do go forward they look dangerous, so the potential to have one of Battle, Sicily, Weddle up forward at any time is exciting, while still keeping our back 6 very strong. Hardwick can stay forward for longer, where he also looked very dangerous but also felt thin in defence whenever that happened in 2024.

If Lewis gets back as well, then we basically have a whole spine added from the team who lost to Port (Barrass, Frost, Day Battle, Lewis). That is a huge upgrade for a side that was playing as well as us last season.

 

[tommyk72]

I see Battle as similar to Himmelberg at GWS. In that he's probably a defender, but if we have a need up forward can play a role there to cover any holes until we fix our depth/get players back.

Frost + Barrass as key defenders + Weddle, Sicily, Scrimshaw, Impey, Amon is a very good line up. Barrass changes the whole feel of the defence, and is the pillar that turns us from having a weakness to attack, to having a top 2-3 defence in competition. Battle then could be thrown forward with Hardwick and it changes the dynamic there until Lewis returns.

I don't think we will permanently move any of Sicily or Weddle, as they are both absolutely elite defenders. But every time they do go forward they look dangerous, so the potential to have one of Battle, Sicily, Weddle up forward at any time is exciting, while still keeping our back 6 very strong. Hardwick can stay forward for longer, where he also looked very dangerous but also felt thin in defence whenever that happened in 2024.

If Lewis gets back as well, then we basically have a whole spine added from the team who lost to Port (Barrass, Frost, Day Battle, Lewis). That is a huge upgrade for a side that was playing as well as us last season.

Fair overview, but I wouldn't be arguing that Weddle is an elite defender at this point - not defensively anyway.