I really didn't want to start a thread though after reading an article on HFC today 'Fixing Fumbles Key to Hawks' I couldn't resist, were in a lot more trouble if that's all the club and players see wrong.
Whether the coaches or players want to admit it they have definitely lost the edge that made them so determined for success over the past few years. I know ppl are saying other teams have figured us out etc which might be true in part but the thing that's most glaring to me is the lack of ownership and total commitment that saw us win games when we had been out coached or outplayed or under resourced in seasons past. I also look at the language in the article and whether you agree or not it does appear a little defeatist. Whatever ever happened to never letting your guard down, would've been much more positive had Rioli been more critical on the team performance than talk about the opposition being hungrier. Put the blame squarely on the group, publicly shaming for what was so glaringly ordinary from so many. Everyone from the coaches down needs to give themselves an uppercut if they don't think the team has been beating themselves and not the opposition. And the glass half full luck bs has nothing to do with it either, you could write a book on the number of un Hawthorn like errors from last weeks game and from this season go on and write a series. By comparison to the last couple years you could barely fill a chapter we've been that good.
And for the record I don't blame Cyril for the loss he had been having one of his best games up to that point, we did this one to ourselves and now appear to think the opposition just wanted it more. This line of thinking didn't just come from last week either, it's been brewing after a number of defeats we've had with the familiar theme of could've, should've, stuffed it.
So here's the passage below where the white flag is waved and the fingers get pointed in the wrong direction.
http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/2015-05-26/fixing-fumbles-key-for-hawks
But he didn't think the Hawks had lost their hunger for success.
"I think other teams are just pretty hungry for that success. We're doing the best we can and teams are just a bit more hungry," he said.
"It's just the little things that are biting us in the end, missing goals and we're fumbling balls, and I think that's costing us.
"We feel we're giving effort and we're still halfway through the year so we want to finish off the year strong."
Admitting that the team thinks the opposition is more hungry should never have been printed and any thought of such coached right out of them with the reality of those losses. The team has to take the blame squarely head on themselves and tell everyone within the playing group that it's not good enough, and demand more from each other. It's a little flippant and casual when I would hope they be totally filthy with themselves. Don't waste words on the opposition, tell how everyone is pulling together and working harder on all areas of the game that's been dropping off. Clarkson needs to stop drinking tea thinking it will turn around and start getting tougher at selection by dropping players he doesn't want to and send a message that it's not good enough and everyone has to step up. He's a master and where lucky to have him I know, he's playing the long game but he's flirting ever so closely with the very things that got us into trouble in 09 & 10. He needs to watch the Collingwood prelim for 3 days straight back to back and maybe then we'll see some names called he's been holding out on.
The teams been putting up some pretty ordinary performances compared to 13/14 if you look at the number of skill errors, some of which by our best under no pressure at all, the reports and general hollywood stroke play it's pretty obvious they're not working hard enough or expecting the next person to do the bit they're holding back on. Can't help but feel partof them is looking backwards at the success and all the positive press, expecting it will come good on it's own. It's time the club puts out a total media ban, if not already in place, stop reading the press and be more disciplined in everything they do. Stop bombing in hope and bring back the patience and precision that has worked so well when the game tightens up and do the basics to absolute perfection which we all know they can.
If this season doesn't improve fast, these guys will have missed out on something more special than I think they realise themselves. Playing for the blokes who missed out is only part of it. Who could argue if they go on with it that they're not the greatest AFL team to have ever played? They would be the first AFL team to win 3 in a row with a team that was built from the ashes of merger, mediocrity recruited from the draft and slick player trades and then rebuilt again after losing so many key players after the glory of 08. And with respect to the Lions fans, what they did was still an amazing achievement in itself but but you can't hold these teams against each other and ignore all the concessions they had which included additional salary cap, extended player lists post merger and the cherry picking of Fitzroy players to Lions, some of which were traded for more pics. Amazing as they did (With an ex Hawthorn player coach), the team on paper wouldn't have been without all those concessions. I would feel the same if not more about GC or GWS if they go on to do the same.
I know we've all been very lucky to this point as supporters and I wouldn't begrudge them if they didn't go on again but at least go down swinging rather than losing the way that we have. Total ownership and commitment needs to start now and hopefully can build that formidable never say die ruthlessness we know they can bring.
And of course... Go Hawks!
Whether the coaches or players want to admit it they have definitely lost the edge that made them so determined for success over the past few years. I know ppl are saying other teams have figured us out etc which might be true in part but the thing that's most glaring to me is the lack of ownership and total commitment that saw us win games when we had been out coached or outplayed or under resourced in seasons past. I also look at the language in the article and whether you agree or not it does appear a little defeatist. Whatever ever happened to never letting your guard down, would've been much more positive had Rioli been more critical on the team performance than talk about the opposition being hungrier. Put the blame squarely on the group, publicly shaming for what was so glaringly ordinary from so many. Everyone from the coaches down needs to give themselves an uppercut if they don't think the team has been beating themselves and not the opposition. And the glass half full luck bs has nothing to do with it either, you could write a book on the number of un Hawthorn like errors from last weeks game and from this season go on and write a series. By comparison to the last couple years you could barely fill a chapter we've been that good.
And for the record I don't blame Cyril for the loss he had been having one of his best games up to that point, we did this one to ourselves and now appear to think the opposition just wanted it more. This line of thinking didn't just come from last week either, it's been brewing after a number of defeats we've had with the familiar theme of could've, should've, stuffed it.
So here's the passage below where the white flag is waved and the fingers get pointed in the wrong direction.
http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/2015-05-26/fixing-fumbles-key-for-hawks
But he didn't think the Hawks had lost their hunger for success.
"I think other teams are just pretty hungry for that success. We're doing the best we can and teams are just a bit more hungry," he said.
"It's just the little things that are biting us in the end, missing goals and we're fumbling balls, and I think that's costing us.
"We feel we're giving effort and we're still halfway through the year so we want to finish off the year strong."
Admitting that the team thinks the opposition is more hungry should never have been printed and any thought of such coached right out of them with the reality of those losses. The team has to take the blame squarely head on themselves and tell everyone within the playing group that it's not good enough, and demand more from each other. It's a little flippant and casual when I would hope they be totally filthy with themselves. Don't waste words on the opposition, tell how everyone is pulling together and working harder on all areas of the game that's been dropping off. Clarkson needs to stop drinking tea thinking it will turn around and start getting tougher at selection by dropping players he doesn't want to and send a message that it's not good enough and everyone has to step up. He's a master and where lucky to have him I know, he's playing the long game but he's flirting ever so closely with the very things that got us into trouble in 09 & 10. He needs to watch the Collingwood prelim for 3 days straight back to back and maybe then we'll see some names called he's been holding out on.
The teams been putting up some pretty ordinary performances compared to 13/14 if you look at the number of skill errors, some of which by our best under no pressure at all, the reports and general hollywood stroke play it's pretty obvious they're not working hard enough or expecting the next person to do the bit they're holding back on. Can't help but feel partof them is looking backwards at the success and all the positive press, expecting it will come good on it's own. It's time the club puts out a total media ban, if not already in place, stop reading the press and be more disciplined in everything they do. Stop bombing in hope and bring back the patience and precision that has worked so well when the game tightens up and do the basics to absolute perfection which we all know they can.
If this season doesn't improve fast, these guys will have missed out on something more special than I think they realise themselves. Playing for the blokes who missed out is only part of it. Who could argue if they go on with it that they're not the greatest AFL team to have ever played? They would be the first AFL team to win 3 in a row with a team that was built from the ashes of merger, mediocrity recruited from the draft and slick player trades and then rebuilt again after losing so many key players after the glory of 08. And with respect to the Lions fans, what they did was still an amazing achievement in itself but but you can't hold these teams against each other and ignore all the concessions they had which included additional salary cap, extended player lists post merger and the cherry picking of Fitzroy players to Lions, some of which were traded for more pics. Amazing as they did (With an ex Hawthorn player coach), the team on paper wouldn't have been without all those concessions. I would feel the same if not more about GC or GWS if they go on to do the same.
I know we've all been very lucky to this point as supporters and I wouldn't begrudge them if they didn't go on again but at least go down swinging rather than losing the way that we have. Total ownership and commitment needs to start now and hopefully can build that formidable never say die ruthlessness we know they can bring.
And of course... Go Hawks!
