If HI had a direct line to the coaches box we would…
First time contributor Anthony Voyage looks at what he would do to get over the link this week against the Power in Tasmania
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We love HI Community Contributions - here at Hawks Insiders, and today in his Hawks Insiders debut, Anthony Voyage has put together his thoughts looking ahead to this week’s game against Port Adelaide.
In preparation for the Round 19 clash against Port Adelaide in Tasmania, I’m going to take a look at how the Hawks can best prepare for a team that has in recent times had the edge over the brown and gold.
Having won six of the past seven fixtures against the Hawks including the infamous semi final last season (we still owe them for that), the Power will be confident of taking us on home or away.
Our starts
This season we’ve been poor starters and are giving teams too much of an early jump on us. We’ve got to address this. Whether it be a real focus at centre clearance or whole of team KPI, this should be written on the whiteboard in permanent ink.
How?
Focus, structure, opposition analysis to the point of predictability and an absolute sharp concentration on roles at the set up. And for good measure let’s be manic at the ball and man this week.
Our weapons
We seem to hear so much about opposition strengths and how we’re ‘not quite there’ in 2025, but let’s change that narrative this week. So what is that and how do we leverage it?
We’ve got the best small forwards in the competition (Ginni, Watson, Moore, CMac), they play at their best when the ball is on the deck inside 50 with chaos balls and stoppages. A combination of beating opponents back to goal (means working them over up the ground) and speed and dynamic movement inside 50. The extra tall like Max Ramsden, Mitch Lewis or Calsher Dear to support Mabior Chol and Jack Gunston is critical, but we need deep entries inside the corridor, not out wide.
Our other major weapon is our backline and yes it’s perhaps not quite as dynamic and bouncy as last year but it is predictable and organised in 2025. With pressure applied up the field, high balls into our defence will suit us and we can launch from there but the big caveat is ensuring that we have an all of team defence to put pressure on the ball carrier. We’ve seen that against Brisbane, Collingwood and Fremantle that opposition can spring off our halfback line very easily if we give them space, so defenders, mids, forwards, you are all on notice to defend like never before this weekend as well.
The marginal seats
There are a couple of areas of the ground - key role players and potential moves, that when we get them right, we typically perform. But if slightly off things can go against us. Here are some conversations I’d be having this week:
Play CJ as the sub. He gives us amazing run and carry when he comes on fresh in second halves, stick to this, it works. If that means Jack Scrimshaw or Jai Serong have to play while Josh Weddle recovers then do it.
Keep up the Dylan Moore and Nick Watson centre bounce attendance strategy. This works, gives us some fast feet and a different look. Even if only occasionally.
Get HOKball back, and soon. And by that we mean the celebrations, the pats on the back for the smothers and one percenters, the fun and joy. It is contagious. Hope we catch a bit of that this week against Port Adelaide.
The switch. If we’re going to switch the ball deep in defence, do it quickly, keep it flat and don’t telegraph it. We wouldn’t have won a poker hand against Fremantle last week doing this and if we want it to work, speed and precision is critical.
Manic pressure. As a team when we get over 80 tackles, we’re very hard to stop, set this as the benchmark and don’t miss tackles, hold on like your life depends on it. It matters.
Get a fraction more from Conor Nash, James Worpel, Josh Ward, Cam Mackenzie and Finn Maginness. Can we get a 5-10 per cent lift from this group? It’s time someone supported Jai Newcombe.
So that’s how I’d set up the focus for the week, every player and line coach will have their own focuses of course but if we can get some or all of the above going we’re a huge chance to get over Port Adelaide on Saturday.
With their stacked midfield (even without JHF), they can do damage from clearance and with Mitch Georgiades on fire up forward we need to limit both his supply and influence.
We’re looking for an old fashioned team effort, a return of HOKball and a chance to keep our season alive and well.
Only time will tell.
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Great stuff Anthony. Last time we played Port, we didn't read the room and played it down, whereas Port was hugely revved up for it. We need to be really up for it from the very start - let's see some real intensity and physical pressure applied to Port.
Totally agree with your observations on the midfield and the sameness of the existing combinations is a little frustrating when we have options such as Moore, McDonald and Watson. The other thing this can do is release Jai to spend a little time forward where we know he's capable and it can also be an issue for a tagger. While Sam doesn't like to use a player in a hard tag role, we need to be prepared to deploy Nash and even Worpel in 'cooling' roles, which will be especially important this week with Butters.
Maginness is not best 23 and in their heart the selectors seem to know it, by repeatedly bringing him in and then dropping him. He's our equivalent of Carlton's Francis Evans. Let's see Jai Serong, Bailey McDonald and others given an opportunity.
Get Mabior into the game early. He's a barometer player and give him a run in the ruck relatively early in Q1. He's generally very good in there and it helps to get him involved in the game early.
Our 3 tall forwards, whatever the combination, can be a real weapon and maximising that strength is a priority for the remainder of the season as it is one area where we do have asset, which, aside from Adelaide, is also a point of difference from the other contending teams.
It's a huge 6 weeks ahead, starting this Saturday!
You make some good points Anthony.
I agree with what you say about CJ but he can’t be a permanent sub. I’d love to see him on a wing as his tackling as a back is poor and really cost us last week. At the moment he’s not best 22 IMO.
Your point on switches through the corridor are spot on. It’s a high risk strategy but we need to do it. Given that, delivery has to be sharp and low. Floaters kill you.
Our small forwards are a weapon no doubt and were on fire early last week with great lock in pressure. What I’d like to see a bit more of is chaos forward entries when there’s no obvious tall forward options. Mongrel entries to Wizard, Cmac etc are hard to defend.
Good conversation.