Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn: Josh Ward. Extends to 2025!

[Dewyyyyy]

Ward is simply too passive while playing currently.

He’s clearly a very talented individual and that ability has carried him through his junior career and even at VFL level.

Problem is at AFL level you have to get the ball by either winning the hardball or getting free and demanding the ball on the outside. He finds himself not doing either.

He still gets the ball when it comes to him but he isn’t going out of his way to get it. Which is why he has very quiet days.

Some players just have “it” that bit extra to put their stamp on the game. Ward hasn’t shown any of that so far.

I agree to an extent. His dogs game showed “IT”. I think talent wise and ability he is up there with the highly talented at the club. Just needs to find an edge and a want to play, do well, get the ball and a desire to be the man. He needs to not overthink and play on instinct, let the game unfold as it is going to.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Ward at AFL level strikes me as an overthinker. No confidence or hunger issues though. I think he just gets caught up in the analytical side of how the play is unfolding and is very disciplined in sticking to his role and doing the less noticeable team things.

That's the trouble with having him play an outside role. If he's given the time and space to think then he can end up doing it to his detriment. He looked great in the finals when he went on-ball. I'd put that down to the time and space being reduced to the point where he was forced to play more instinctively.

I'm confident that he will be a great 250+ game player for us. The idea that he doesn't make it doesn't cross my mind.

Spot on.

 

[Blackhawk42]

There is a big switch that flicks mentally when a player goes from loving the opportunity to play, to knowing they deserve to.

The same way that players such as James Sicily, Dylan Moore and Mitch Lewis flourished as soon as they realised the Hawthorn football club was THEIRS, and wasn't just a cool opportunity to play AFL every week.

That confidence breeds consistency.

Josh Ward is a talented enough footballer to get there. He just needs that genuine belief in his ability and ownership of his role/footy club.

 

[H00t]

You mustn't have watched his finals series if you think that.

Played well one game then struggled the next.

That’s his problem. If the game goes his way he gets involved. If it doesn’t he can’t.

It’s not that he doesn’t have good games. He’s too talented for that.

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

I think others above have nailed it. Josh IS a primary onballer, he just doesn't beileve it yet.

At Box Hill, the moment he walks out on the field, he's starting as the #1 onballer and knows everyone is relying on him to win the contest. Him winning the contest at the coalface is more important than anything else he does on field. He carries himself accordingly - of course he does, he's a very intelligent young man and knows what's expected of him.

At Hawthorn, 90% of his energy/focus is on fulfilling a periphery role, fitting into structures, playing outside, not being beaten by his opponent. I almost wouldn't be surprised to see him ask for an autograph after the game. He doesn't BELIEVE he belongs there yet and is trying to play the team game - he knows that nobody else is relying on him to be THE MAN.

Some players take being put into peripheral roles personally, using it as motivation to be better than their team-mates. Others seem to need that responsibility thrust upon them, or risk 'coasting' along as the supporting cast (somewhat ironically, the Wing-man!) rather than stepping up to be the protagonist.

I'm projecting a lot here (obviously I don't know the man personally) but I think most of us feel Ward's issue is confidence, or at least his mentality.

 

[Iceman!]

You mustn't have watched his finals series if you think that.

First final yes, he did struggle in the second.

 

[H00t]

I agree to an extent. His dogs game showed “IT”. I think talent wise and ability he is up there with the highly talented at the club. Just needs to find an edge and a want to play, do well, get the ball and a desire to be the man. He needs to not overthink and play on instinct, let the game unfold as it is going to.

He had a good game. It was his most tackles ever by a big margin.

My impression of the game was he was still fairly passive. The game just played on his terms. There was some moments when he does some nice things but then he goes straight back to being passive.

 

[Sixpence]

First final yes, he did struggle in the second.

Who, other than the Wiz, didn't?

 

[lyger]

I think others above have nailed it. Josh IS a primary onballer, he just doesn't beileve it yet.

At Box Hill, the moment he walks out on the field, he's starting as the #1 onballer and knows everyone is relying on him to win the contest. Him winning the contest at the coalface is more important than anything else he does on field. He carries himself accordingly - of course he does, he's a very intelligent young man and knows what's expected of him.

At Hawthorn, 90% of his energy/focus is on fulfilling a periphery role, fitting into structures, playing outside, not being beaten by his opponent. I almost wouldn't be surprised to see him ask for an autograph after the game. He doesn't BELIEVE he belongs there yet and is trying to play the team game - he knows that nobody else is relying on him to be THE MAN.

Some players take being put into peripheral roles personally, using it as motivation to be better than their team-mates. Others seem to need that responsibility thrust upon them, or risk 'coasting' along as the supporting cast (somewhat ironically, the Wing-man!) rather than stepping up to be the protagonist.

I'm projecting a lot here (obviously I don't know the man personally) but I think most of us feel Ward's issue is confidence, or at least his mentality.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I always appreciate your posts.

I also don’t know Josh personally, but to your point, my take is that Josh doesn’t lack confidence. I think he knows that he belongs and it’s more his mentality- of playing different positions, and finding that balance between playing with instinct and flair, and sticking to the role and structure.

Josh has got great endurance, good speed, good skills, physically has filled out, so I think he is very close to taking that next step.

 

[OnTheRocks]

Hey, you leave us pigmentally challenged fellows alone!

 

[Iceman!]

Who, other than the Wiz, didn't?

Not really the point, you can't say he had a great finals series when he had one good game and one poor game.

That first final is a very promising sign but his finals series as a whole wasn't great.

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

Has shown the ability to hit a 40m dart straight onto the chest of a team mate. Done it multiple times the last three years.

 

[Yardie]

21 year old who hasn't played 50 games.......

 

[Sixpence]

Not really the point, you can't say he had a great finals series when he had one good game and one poor game.

That first final is a very promising sign but his finals series as a whole wasn't great.

But it is. He didn't have a poor second game, it was ok, it just wasn't anything special. It's disingenuous to say he had a poor game when we were constrained as a team and no-one stood out (bar Wiz).

So yes, I would say he had a decent finals series.

 

[Iceman!]

But it is. He didn't have a poor second game, it was ok, it just wasn't anything special. It's disingenuous to say he had a poor game when we were constrained as a team and no-one stood out (bar Wiz).

So yes, I would say he had a decent finals series.

14 disposals, 0 goals, 0 goal assists, 1 tackle, 3 clearances, 50% disposal efficiency… he was poor.

He wasn’t alone by any means, but he had a poor game. It’s fine for a young player in only his second finals game, but you are setting the bar at the floor to call that anything but a poor game.

 

[TheFourPillars]

14 disposals, 0 goals, 0 goal assists, 1 tackle, 3 clearances, 50% disposal efficiency… he was poor.

He wasn’t alone by any means, but he had a poor game. It’s fine for a young player in only his second finals game, but you are setting the bar at the floor to call that anything but a poor game.

Yep but played only 69% game time for whatever reason.

 

[MazHawk]

14 disposals, 0 goals, 0 goal assists, 1 tackle, 3 clearances, 50% disposal efficiency… he was poor.

He wasn’t alone by any means, but he had a poor game. It’s fine for a young player in only his second finals game, but you are setting the bar at the floor to call that anything but a poor game.

My lecturer at Uni used to say if you're going to use statistics to prove a point you have to use all the statistics relating to that point. Those statistics relate to only 69% gametime so in mathematical terms the overall result is skewed.
In our terms it's obvious.
14-0-0-1-3 extrapolated to a full game - another 31% gametime could point to a very good game.

 

[Fleabane]

Thought he went to another level in the finals

Me too. I'm a bit surprised by the ongoing queries around him as that convinced me he'll be fine.

 

[Iceman!]

My lecturer at Uni used to say if you're going to use statistics to prove a point you have to use all the statistics relating to that point. Those statistics relate to only 69% gametime so in mathematical terms the overall result is skewed.
In our terms it's obvious.
14-0-0-1-3 extrapolated to a full game - another 31% gametime could point to a very good game.

Except almost no one plays 100% game time especially not mids so it wouldn’t be 31% and even if you bump those numbers up it’s still not a good game. I also wouldn’t be shocked if lack of impact was part of the reason he had slightly less game time.

He objectively had almost no impact on the game. It’s fine but let’s not lie about it.

 

[MazHawk]

He objectively had almost no impact on the game. It’s fine but let’s not lie about it.

No-one's lying about it, I'm saying he had a fair game (and better than a few on the day) respective to the time he played.
You have your opinion, I have mine. Let's leave it at that.

 

[Iceman!]

No-one's lying about it, I'm saying he had a fair game (and better than a few on the day) respective to the time he played.
You have your opinion, I have mine. Let's leave it at that.

And as I said you are setting a very low bar of that’s the case but you are entitled to do so.

 

[MazHawk]

And as I said you are setting a very low bar of that’s the case but you are entitled to do so.

And I think you're setting an unreasonably high bar which you are just as entitled to.
So end of discussion yeah? Good.

 

[Iceman!]

And I think you're setting an unreasonably high bar which you are just as entitled to.
So end of discussion yeah? Good.

More than 14 touches is crazy high

 

[Noel Gallagher]

I still have my doubts but can't help but compare him to Darcy Parish. Very similar player at almost the same pick. Parish really struggled for consistency in his first 4-5 years until it all finally clicked. Think Parish's best is Ward's potential ceiling

 

[kenneje]

Watched the Dogs final last night and christ he's exciting. Reckon he finishes the year as one of our best 3 mids.