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2024 in season advance was huge…similar to lions around 2000
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Prediction Will the Hawks go a step further in 2025?
- Thread starter Strapping Young Lad
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- Jun 28, 2013
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I will forever have a soft spot for Vossy’s lions making the “team of the century” capitulate in 2001. Oh boy
I possibly have more concern in losing Calsher (and Mitch) for the first chunk of the season than others, but of all things the recent Isaac Smith podcast interview has boosted my confidence. Firstly, he said teams dont need to get off to a flyer, and instead reckons around 4-4 is a good launching point for the rest of the season. Even though we were nigh on unbeatable last year, looking at our draw, ironically we can easily be 1-7 again! Need to brace ourselves for an incredibly tough first few months. While of course this is worse case scenario, if we temper our expectations for 4-4, i reckon we will be in a good place once we get Dear back, and Lewis not far after.
Secondly, he also said he knew Geel were good enough to win the flag just from the fact they were losing close games even when playing crap. Though 2025 is a new season, this was very much us last year, so you'd hope our players will be buoyed by losses to GWS and Port. All games we we played poorly yet still should've won, and you'd hope would galvanise the list for future success
Back to the podcast, one disappointing aspect to the interview was Smith being unable to split his affection for the two clubs. Diplomatic response, sure, but not great to hear given they are our sworn enemy.
Secondly, he also said he knew Geel were good enough to win the flag just from the fact they were losing close games even when playing crap. Though 2025 is a new season, this was very much us last year, so you'd hope our players will be buoyed by losses to GWS and Port. All games we we played poorly yet still should've won, and you'd hope would galvanise the list for future success
Back to the podcast, one disappointing aspect to the interview was Smith being unable to split his affection for the two clubs. Diplomatic response, sure, but not great to hear given they are our sworn enemy.
Strapping Young Lad
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Fox Footy( 
) has a Hawks flag for 2025.
) has a Hawks flag for 2025.
- Nov 10, 2022
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I’m thinking a similar result to 2024. Improved but slightly harder draw
May be much better in finals though
May be much better in finals though
The margins between a finals fail and a successful campaign are so small. We saw that last year with us - Day doesn't get pushed into Newcombe and Frost doesn't hurt his foot and what ends up happening there? Prelim at least and probably could've been a Grand Final at home agains the Lions. You need some luck. Hopefully we get some but there's every chance it'll be someone else too. Just need to put yourself in the best spot to do that - I think banking some early season wins so we're not playing a 'final' every week for 8 weeks before the finals.
Edit - Last thought is god it's so exciting to have some expectation on us though. Kane Cornes was pretty right about us a few years ago - we were completely irrelevant to the competition. You'd watch a show or listen to a pod/radio and we wouldn't even cop a mention. Now that's done a 180.
Edit - Last thought is god it's so exciting to have some expectation on us though. Kane Cornes was pretty right about us a few years ago - we were completely irrelevant to the competition. You'd watch a show or listen to a pod/radio and we wouldn't even cop a mention. Now that's done a 180.
If Meek just dropped the ball to his feet and caused a second stoppage against Port in round 10 we win that game and finish 2nd and probably win the flag. However lessons were learnt from that.
I remember the Hawkins after the siren loss and the crazy Puopolo soccer attempt from the pocket. All he needed to do was let it go out and we win but tried a miracle goal. Round 10 against port we did so so many things wrong in the last minute it was ridiculous. People blamed us going defensive too early or whatever but bottom line is we had chances to score we didn't take and we were 11 points up with 40 seconds to go. A few more cool heads and that should have been the final margin.
Fox Footy(
All we need to strive for is top 4 and from there anything can happen especially if we peak at the right time
Strapping Young Lad
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If we make the top 4 I'll be pissed if we dont win it from there.
Realistically, we need Dear and Mitch Lewis to come back and fire. If this happens, and I don't see why not, we'll make a Grand Final. I think we can win it but we need those 2 lads to come back and fire.
Otherwise I don't think we have enough KPFs to win the big one, mainly due to the pressure. Pretty much like the Port Adelaide loss. Chol is a decent player, love his tackling but he's not in Lewis' league when Mitch is on fire.
A fwd line with Lewis, Dear and Chol is a scary proposition. If our young players step up a notch it will certainly be a lot of fun watching guys like Finn, McKenzie and Ward etc.
I wish I could have your low standards. I genuinely expect to go through every season undefeated, and every loss is soul crushing, even if we win the flag.
Mitch Lewis was not a factor at all last year and we would have won the flag easily if we had Frost and Day at the tail end.
flamin_heck
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Agreed with others, our foward line is the weak link. We really need a mobile big, that could of course be Calsher or Lewis but there has to be question marks on just how much we can expect from them this season.
People need to realise that this is what this club does, we bottom out, we rise to glory, bottom out, rise to glory. Been doing it for DECADES. And it's proven a far more effective strategy than that of clubs who remain almost perpetually 'up', ie Cats, Swans, Pies. Since, say, 1958, those three clubs have nine flags COMBINED. We have THIRTEEN, alone.
Sure, the down times are tough to live through, but I'd still take our approach every day of the week....
Sure, the down times are tough to live through, but I'd still take our approach every day of the week....
Sturty
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Flag us now
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King showed some footage of Chol on first crack. It was pretty damning.
I know he has a laconic style but he was not running hard at all and constantly getting caught behind.
He isn't good enough to be the main target, he needs to be the 2md or 3rd tall.
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I know he has a laconic style but he was not running hard at all and constantly getting caught behind.
He isn't good enough to be the main target, he needs to be the 2md or 3rd tall.
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Hold the presses. Who knew?
We all want him to just get up and compete consistently but it's not really his go, he has other great attributes but so long as he's our sole focal point he will continue to frustrate.
- Jun 8, 2015
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That’s what we recruited him to do.
It’s not his fault Mitch Lewis and Calsher Dear are injured.
With Sic in the forward line, and maybe Weddle or Battle, he becomes much more potent.
Saw a video of Dane Swans 2025 team predictions. It’s a laugh, has Collingwood improving this year to be a big contender for top 4. Says injury prevented them last year. Basically said that Carlton will Carlton and will probably slide, and that injury is no excuse. Basically said, that we won’t surprise anyone this year, and will slide dramatically and basically that last year was a fluke. Brisbane will slide because they don’t have Daniher.
I stopped watching, after he contradicted himself regarding that injuries are no excuse, and then using the injury excuse to justify Collingwoods rise for this year.
Collingwood is on the decline, the Hawks are on the up, which basically comes to the age differences in the two teams.
But do agree that Carlton will end up Carltoning and be a bottom 6 team despite their easy draw.
I stopped watching, after he contradicted himself regarding that injuries are no excuse, and then using the injury excuse to justify Collingwoods rise for this year.
Collingwood is on the decline, the Hawks are on the up, which basically comes to the age differences in the two teams.
But do agree that Carlton will end up Carltoning and be a bottom 6 team despite their easy draw.
- Jun 11, 2013
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i don't think his fitness is the best
he goes super hard when the ball hits the ground and when the oppo has it inside 50, but i guess sometimes he just gets buggered and can't chase up the ground as much (haven't seen the footage but i remember one instance of him bringing it up in the comms at the time when Blakey kicked the goal)
Sixpence
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Swan actually has a pretty good sense of humour. It's just as likely that he's taking the piss and/or trolling oppo fans.
