Who is Hawthorn's biggest threat in 2016?

[A Cut Above]

Could be an interesting discussion, which club could give us the most grief next year?

 

[Plastic_Hawk9]

geelong look to be a contender again and west coast should be coming back for revenge

 

[lethalselbow]

West Coast look the goods.

I think age, complacency, injuries and other things will catch up with us. Far bigger threats

 

[Hoogmeister]

If Port can get their shit together, they could be a threat. They'll have an easier draw this season so they should make finals, and our recent history against them hasn't been great.

 

[randall boner]

If Port can get their shit together, they could be a threat. They'll have an easier draw this season so they should make finals, and our recent history against them hasn't been great.

Agree port big dangers there system bothers us

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Age catching up with us, its got to get us eventually surely ?

 

[market]

Still need to add "Hawks" into the poll as an option...just like this year...our biggest threat was ourselves.

 

[amos]

Im looking at next season as an absolute ripper. Port to come back. Freo will hang around, as will North. WC dangerous with more 'G' games. GWS on the up with 20 more games into their stars, and Mummy back. Collingwood and Geelong trading like it's armageddon. Bulldogs' and Richmond's natural improvement and Sydney won't go away. Would not surprise at all if the minor premier loses 6 games. Given we could only select one team, I chose Port.

 

[cyril4brownlow]

• A favourable draw gifting a lesser team a top 4 spot leaving us to try and win from 5th.
• A long term injury to Gibson, Frawley.
• Illuminati

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Im looking at next season as an absolute ripper. Port to come back. Freo will hang around, as will North. WC dangerous with more 'G' games. GWS on the up with 20 more games into their stars, and Mummy back. Collingwood and Geelong trading like it's armageddon. Bulldogs' and Richmond's natural improvement and Sydney won't go away. Would not surprise at all if the minor premier loses 6 games. Given we could only select one team, I chose Port.

Could be one of those seasons that the minor Premier and 9th only separated by 3 games or so.

 

[Dewnior]

Still need to add "Hawks" into the poll as an option...just like this year...our biggest threat was ourselves.

And for the two years before that

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

Port are the only team that can genuinely beat us. The rest need us to play like pumpkins to be competitive.

 

[Samthegun]

I put West Coast. Although Port have us sussed out, they need to actually make the finals to be a true threat. The teams that present the biggest danger in any given match are Port, West Coast and Richmond. (Maybe North, on their day.) It's just a matter of whether or not they'll meet us in the finals, plus a host of other factors.

Interesting how nobody has rated Sydney. What the hell has happened to that footy club? They're imbalanced and we have the wood on them.

Something needs to be done regarding our issues with Port. We can't just rely on avoiding them in the finals to get the trophy. They just run all over the top of us.

 

[Lethality]

I felt that West Coast were a 'phony' team this year and that if they won the flag it would've been dumb luck.

Richmond are probably our biggest threat. If their progression continues they probably make the Top 4 next year and win a final. Hawthorn have never played Richmond in a final in the entire history of the game though, so it's hard to tell what our finals form will be like against them.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I felt that West Coast were a 'phony' team this year and that if they won the flag it would've been dumb luck.

Richmond are probably our biggest threat. If their progression continues they probably make the Top 4 next year and win a final. Hawthorn have never played Richmond in a final in the entire history of the game though, so it's hard to tell what our finals form will be like against them.

I rate Richmond also but I've been waiting for that progression for 3 years now.

 

[DrEvil_]

Hawthorn

 

[RelaxMax]

Injury

 

[DrEvil_]

I felt that West Coast were a 'phony' team this year and that if they won the flag it would've been dumb luck.

Richmond are probably our biggest threat. If their progression continues they probably make the Top 4 next year and win a final. Hawthorn have never played Richmond in a final in the entire history of the game though, so it's hard to tell what our finals form will be like against them.

Lol Richmond is the biggest bunch of pea hearts going around. Guys like Houli, Grigg, and whatever Carlton spuds they pick up will not stand up in a final.

 

[Boo71]

Wait and see how the pre-season goes for all clubs, as well as who gets what draw, which will tell us who the afl wants to win.

But during this year the media, the umps (imo), and the rest of the comp threw everything they had at us, yet we still won. Not to mention some horrible off field events.

Amazingly I believe our team has improvement in it still, particularly up forward, our outside run, and in the ruck. On top of this I have not heard one 'expert' pick apart how we bashed West Coke in every position on the ground. I think the rest of comp is in a little bit of shock with the ease in which we smashed West Coke.

My only real concern is our half back line and the drive we get off it, since Birch struggled at times (so it seemed to me), Burgs is getting on, Hodge now plays forward/mid, Chip is still new, and no Lake as the rock. But up forward I think Gunston, Bruest, Rioli and Shoe all have improvement in them, with Rough being a running half forward, now he's not expected to take contested marks all day. And maybe I'm dreaming, but with the way we set up I can't see our inside game at the stopages suffering to much at all just because of age and legs that are maybe a bit slower, except through injury, while our outside game should improve.

To put it simply, our good players are just too good.

So everything being equal, which its not, we'll beat ourselves looking for perfection through fiddling, which cost us a top two spot this year, imo.

Of course I maybe bias and blind with my head stuck in the sand, but after winning three in a row for the first time ever, it feels impossible to undersell this current Hawthorn team, in fact they looked like they have yet to hit their peak or are right on it, which truly is insane and means its past my bed time.

 

[QuietB]

Im looking at next season as an absolute ripper. Port to come back. Freo will hang around, as will North. WC dangerous with more 'G' games. GWS on the up with 20 more games into their stars, and Mummy back. Collingwood and Geelong trading like it's armageddon. Bulldogs' and Richmond's natural improvement and Sydney won't go away. Would not surprise at all if the minor premier loses 6 games. Given we could only select one team, I chose Port.

Sydney will go away. They are cooked.

 

[jmac70]

Surely the last Victorian team to beat you in a final deserves a mention?

 

[J Shuttlesworth]

Global Warming.

 

[Roddy]

I predicted that Port would wilt under the 'next big thing' tag in 2015. That worked out well. (I reckon the same may happen to the weagles next year)
I'm now predicting that they will bounce back next season. They are a good team who had a bad year and they certainly know they can beat us. I reckon they're our biggest threat.

 

[Agent Smith]

The Sith. This year has seen the end of the Jedi and soon it will spell the end of the rebellion.

 

[Roddy]

The Sith. This year has seen the end of the Jedi and soon it will spell the end of the rebellion.

Wouldn't it be The Matrix, Agent Smith?