Prediction Will the Hawks go a step further in 2025?

[extractasam]

Completely agree, the natural trajectory of Nick and Calsher is enough to improve our list regardless of the additions. I was more talking about players to come in to the 22 from the SF team.

For what it's worth the rational part of me can see Calsh having a bit of second year blues. If keys put more work into him and stop him leaping he might struggle until he either works through it or gets strong enough to compete (his genes should sort that out quick enough).

I think Nick should only get better and can honestly see him kicking 40+ next year. I think smalls with his workrate are harder to stop than talls. If he gets the supply he will tear multiple games apart next year.

The worst thing that can happen is the holds get ignored by umps and he loses a bit of confidence if the poor games stack up. Aliir tried it in the semi and the umps were all over it, but you are right.

Hopefully Barrass doing his own stopping down the other end can offset whatever we potentially lose in our forward line.

 

[Dipper]

Good thing your username didn’t involve Tuck - or maybe a bad thing ?

All I can think about right now is Plugger.

That's a lie because I just thought of Stephen Dank too.

 

[Ka Norkers]

I'll preface my reply here by saying that I genuinely thought Hawthorn would finish bottom two or three last year, so take this with a grain of salt.

Hawthorn had their best chance over the next decade to win a flag in 2024. Should have won a flag in 2024.
1. Absolutely stiffed with two utterly key injuries to Day and Frost at the wrong time.
2. Played an awful game against Port, as the young Hawks were prone to do every 5 or 6 weeks in the second half of the season. Still only lost by three points, and the usually reliable Moore missed a shot he'd make 9.5 times out of 10. Siss's shot from 50+ was a bit in the lap of the gods, so not as dirty on that. I was uber confident Hawks would smash that team of lifeless pretenders who, laughingly, call themselves the "bloods" in the prelim, and Brisbane at the MCG would have seen Newk shine like never before, he was Norm Smith bound, make no mistake about that.

Still, like 2007 and 2012, this team has the combined strength of character to overcome that incredible disappointment, and focus on winning that flag. Not so much 2007, but that dirty night in Port Adelaide last September will annoy me for the rest of my days.... the premiership was there for the taking.

2025 Crystal Ball.
Expectations of middle-of-the-road to lesser than average injury list (young list)

1. Hawthorn will finish top 4, from there, and expectation of a flag.
2. Jai Newcombe will finish as AA player and Brownlow top 5. He's already a top 10 player in the AFL.
3. Sicily, Macdonald Barrass and Mass will join Newk in the AA 40 squad.
4. Dear, Watson and Lewis will all kick 30+ goals, the latter off only 9 games.
5. Barrass will seem to be one of the greatest bargain trades of the modern era.
6. Damien Barrett will jump on the band wagon and simply ignore his previous ridiculous pontifications. Ditto Montagna.

 

[Bugs1977]

Completely agree, the natural trajectory of Nick and Calsher is enough to improve our list regardless of the additions. I was more talking about players to come in to the 22 from the SF team.


For what it's worth the rational part of me can see Calsh having a bit of second year blues. If keys put more work into him and stop him leaping he might struggle until he either works through it or gets strong enough to compete (his genes should sort that out quick enough).

I think Nick should only get better and can honestly see him kicking 40+ next year. I think smalls with his workrate are harder to stop than talls. If he gets the supply he will tear multiple games apart next year.

With the small ball brigade that he’ll have at his feet all he has to do is to bring it to ground if he can’t mark it himself. Earlier in the season I thought both he a Mabs did a fantastic job of this and you could tell the message from Sam was just don’t let the opposition mark it easily.