What do you expect from Hawthorn in 08?

[Fat Tony]

I think that a top 8 spot is very likely and if injuries remain low, then we can aim for a top 4 finish or better still a premiership

 

[Neville Bartos]

If we can match or nearly match our performance from this year then it will have been a good year. We had virtually no injuries this year, so if they come next year and we can still finish in the top 6, then i'll be stoked.

I hope the hawthorn coaching panel have a plan to keep the hawks amongst it after our premiership window has faded. West Coast have made the finals almost every year since 1990 and won 3 premierships in that time too. If we can find a formula to match that success it would be great. I feel to become a power club, we really need to be competitive and hard to beat, every year.

 

[Number 24]

I expect development in the mid field. What I will be looking for is the ability to cope with the shut down tactics of some teams particularly by them forcing "stop play" situations where we have not been able to get the ball away from the contest.

We are already a better than average running side, able to move the ball quickly and accurately, we have effective forwards who will be better served with Williams back as a "small tall" and the probable introduction of a genuine small forward, Roughead able to play back to assist Gilly and Croad if needs be 'cause Dowler and Thorp will be able to assist Buddy & Boiler in the tall forward area, and the development of Bailey and Renouf to assist Big Bob and Tails (possibly also McEntee), and then there will be the development of Ellis and Muston to provide footy smarts and with Musto ..speed.

And across the whole team I will look for increased mental toughness.

 

[shoddy]

The ability to turn around more games that aren't going our way (which is usually against lesser talented teams that like to choke us). Do that and we're good for another 2-3 wins next year.

 

[play2win]

anything less than finals will not be good enough, unless the injury curse stirkes of course.

 

[Skyfire15]

If we can match or nearly match our performance from this year then it will have been a good year. We had virtually no injuries this year, so if they come next year and we can still finish in the top 6, then i'll be stoked.

Williams, our best goal scorer since 2005 missed 18 matches plus finals, club leaders such as Clarke and Jacobs barely got on the park and Tim Boyle missed a month and never truly recaptured form, our captain, vanders played only a handful of games! Whilst we didn't suffer injuries to the same extent as say StK, to say we had a good year helped by luck with 'virtually no injuries' is selling us a bit short imo!

We were in the top 4, even top 2 for much of the year in 07 and stumbled badly at the final hurdle in sydney to finish 5th, the hunger and more importantly experience gained to better those efforts will be there and I think top 4 should be achieved. From there finals are a lottery, but I'd like to think we can take the next step and reach a Prelim as a minimum.

 

[Neville Bartos]

Every team barring Geelong and maybe Port had equal or worse injuries than us this year. So i can say it was a good year for injuries

 

[randall boner]

to narrow the gap between our best and worst perfomances;if that is achieved the rest will take care of itself.

 

[bigmick]

A premiership, anything else is a cop out! they have beaten every other team cept the sydney snooze, time to finish there work. i have been patient long enough.... now i expect more!

 

[Cleavy]

hopefully none of these efforts where we only score 4-5 goals in the entire game.

 

[Leafie]

I want to smash Sydney and the Kangaroo's. also beat Adelaide at AAMI!

 

[bluespooner]

Premiership window is open - so I'm going to say a premiership.

West Coast and Sydney have been diminished for different reasons; a lot of sides are still on the rebuild and are less advanced than Hawthorn; which leaves Geelong, who I think Hawthorn matches up against well.

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

I expect us to be tougher. We showed with our comeback V Camry that we are on track. Our final loss V the Roo ted showed where our improvement must take place.

A Top IV spot is gettable.

 

[shotta]

Hardness. I want us to be acknowledged as a hard team to beat. When things aren't going well to fight tooth and nail and never just roll over. We did this pretty well this year and with improvement I reckon we will master it!

 

[cs61]

I think if we get our forward structure right, and take advantage of midfield dominance by being efficient into our forward 50 we can take the next step this season.

We have a number of options, but its about getting the right mix, and hopefully getting Buddy and Willo working well together.

I have in the back of mind that 09 may be the year we really challenge, but also think why not 08 if we sort our forward line out.

 

[borgo]

If we manage to get 8+ games into 5 of the following players and still play finals then I will be very happy..

Muston
Bailey
Renouf
Thorp
Dawson
Tuck
Dowler
Rioli

 

[MaccaHawk]

After last year, a preliminary final for 2008. The following year, a premiership.

 

[hawkstars]

I would be happy for some more youngsters to come through. I would be rapt to see the hawks play in a prelim. Be extatic to see hodge have a break out year and be the most damaging player in the afl. Week in and week out. I know he is good but just to burn all opponents. Go Hodgey

 

[MightyHawks]

I'd be looking for top 4 for the next few years.

I hope the hawthorn coaching panel have a plan to keep the hawks amongst it after our premiership window has faded. West Coast have made the finals almost every year since 1990 and won 3 premierships in that time too. If we can find a formula to match that success it would be great. I feel to become a power club, we really need to be competitive and hard to beat, every year.

Eagles finals record not as good as it looks. They've made a lot of finals but were not genuine flag contenders 1995-2004. 10 years of basically finishing 7th or 8th...

Top 4 finishes are the key - you want to do that as much as possible and win some flags too

 

[Jason Dunstall]

Tough, hard, consistent footy week in week out, so all other teams hate playing us.

 

[Binxy]

Hardness. I want us to be acknowledged as a hard team to beat. When things aren't going well to fight tooth and nail and never just roll over. We did this pretty well this year and with improvement I reckon we will master it!

Tough, hard, consistent footy week in week out, so all other teams hate playing us.

Agree

 

[Gary Shadforth]

.

A big improvement in accuracy in kicking majors.

I would imagine I may be ridiculed for writing this: If we had have kicked the many goals we should not have missed we would now be the reigning premiers .

A big statement I know, however I really believe it the more I analyse our performances over season Kevin 07.

 

[cama30]

what i expect from the hawks next year, to hold there position on the ladder, to improve against teams that try to close our game plan down(sydney, port, kangaroos, adelaide and st kilda) steady improvement from the 2nd and 3rd tier players such as roughead, lewis, ellis, birchall, dowler, muston, mcglynn, gilham, murphy and young which would take the pressure off 1st tier players croady and browny, hodge and mitchell, buddy and willo. injury free years from the 2 beaus, big maxy, mitch thorpe and willo

 

[H2F]

I expect development in the mid field. What I will be looking for is the ability to cope with the shut down tactics of some teams particularly by them forcing "stop play" situations where we have not been able to get the ball away from the contest.

We are already a better than average running side, able to move the ball quickly and accurately, we have effective forwards who will be better served with Williams back as a "small tall" and the probable introduction of a genuine small forward, Roughead able to play back to assist Gilly and Croad if needs be 'cause Dowler and Thorp will be able to assist Buddy & Boiler in the tall forward area, and the development of Bailey and Renouf to assist Big Bob and Tails (possibly also McEntee), and then there will be the development of Ellis and Muston to provide footy smarts and with Musto ..speed.

And across the whole team I will look for increased mental toughness.

That's one of the most accurate and informed views on the Hawks that I have read. Number24 knows his stuff and is spot on.

 

[play2win]

.

A big improvement in accuracy in kicking majors.

I would imagine I may be ridiculed for writing this: If we had have kicked the many goals we should not have missed we would now be the reigning premiers .

A big statement I know, however I really believe it the more I analyse our performances over season Kevin 07.

hi gary, no ridicule
which games do you think we would have won if we kicked straight? apart from the port game, and possibly the match against the bullies, i don't think any results would have changed. it has been a long festive season and my memory is a little blurred.

anyways, if we had won 2 more, top 4 was ours, but i still think we wouldn't have got over geelong the way they played in the finals. the final against the kangas showed us up a little in terms of finals experience (and apart from the dome we don't like playing at nite), but we will be better for it.