Good podcast. Particularly interested in comments about Geelong ground. Haven't been there since Dunstall days - it looks very smick on TV but glad to hear that's not the case.
'Glorified corridor' Spot on, Danny! The ground is so out of bounds in terms of width it provides Geelong a massive advantage - and yes, Hawks didn't come to play, but it such a crazy home ground advantage you just have to take games there with a roll of the eyes.
You touched on Bruest and Gunston - you need to be more brutal. We look worse with them on the ground most weeks. Everytime Bruest swaps for Watson we are such a lesser team. Despite all the benefits to young blokes (and worth doing this year for sure) we have to retire both next year.
Ginnivan comments spot on. An important part of our side now.
I thought you were a bit soft on Scrimshaw. He can be like a deer in the headlights and was truly awful in the first term and just handballs anywhere under pressure, and you see this time and time again with him.
You didn't touch on what I thought might have been a poor selection decision. I thought Serong might have come into the side instead of Mitchell and when I saw Mitchell manning up Rohan and losing a contest I wondered if they didn't get it wrong. Hard to follow the match-ups on TV and clearly we were worried about thier smalls but it didn't look right to me.
We are a long way from having a completed finals team and even further with a flag winning side and whilst the last few weeks were great I agree we need perspective about the long road. But you keep seeing things each week (Moore and Day going up a gear when chips were down in this game) that it makes you think we are on the right track.
Bad day at the office for most but that’s ok albeit disappointing that we lose to that lot again.
But guys….I appreciate your perspectives on the game and the players - hey that’s why I subscribe so I can hear them - but please less of the disparaging comments about other hawks fans and their views. It’s a real turn off. Is HI only for people like you? Fans can and should have and express views emotional or not. It’s an emotional game. And this is fan media. Not expert media. Who cares about perspective. Who cares about ‘how much you know about football’. Diversity of perspective is what makes it fun. At least for me.
The ground size being an issue did have an impact on our style of play, but this was a known factor coming into the game. Bunjil did have the boundary set up for the KP dimensions.
Worth noting and again it was all planned - the players & Sam flew back on Monday with the assistants taking the red-eye to do their match review for the players.
Tuesday was a fan day with a very light 30 minute games session.
Wednesday was their day off.
Thursday another fan day, but a longer session about 60 minutes with some limited match sim - not full ground.
They haven't done 16/16 or 18/18 full ground match sim since the season started, however they regularly do 10/10 match sim going wing to wing using a little more than the width of the centre square, so are used to playing in confined spaces.
Anytime; anywhere is the next stage of the progression to a heavyweight team.
I agree we should not be blaming preparation and / or conditions. I was super confused by the kick out plan with those Q1 behinds but Reality is we got bullied and couldn’t handle it. Happens with a young team.
Just observations without the stats to support it on the kick outs.
I think we have predominantly kicked out to the left side for most of the year, given that Amon appears to be the preferred player for the kick ins followed by Scrimshaw or Sicily. Going left for a left footer makes it easier to bring the boundary into play for a stoppage if we can’t take a mark and being predictable, the ruck & tall forwards who push down to help out in the marking contest know where to go to set up.
A couple of times when a quick player was able to get a break on their opponent or set up to the right (fat side), we have looked to change up the pattern with some success.
Quite simply, the gun and run style that the players have used with great impact over the last five matches was impossible on that ground. Out of the running brigade, it was only CJ who tried to go for a 'real' gallop but found himself just running in circles and the inevitable dead end. Impey, Amon. D'Ambrosio and Weddle also found very little grass to move and in the first half our forward entries without the run resembled the Melbourne game. Players were not kicking to moving targets, were constantly under tackling pressure and the turnovers were well and truely punished by the cats who just sat back and waited for the inevitable mistakes. We were forced top play Geelong's game on their ground without it seems plan B!
The only time in my memory that a Hawthorn team had any level of success playing in a sardine can had the likes of Mathews, Knights, Tuck and Ablett running around and they trained daily on the ground while the rest of the league hated it with a passion.
Great sobering pod gents.
Spot on takes about our forward line and notable performances
Well worth celebrating that it’s our younger charges that leading the way
Happy to learn a lesson in handling pressure against the cats in the regular season, and turn the table in the finals.
Next stop, give Freo’ the heav ho’
Good podcast. Particularly interested in comments about Geelong ground. Haven't been there since Dunstall days - it looks very smick on TV but glad to hear that's not the case.
'Glorified corridor' Spot on, Danny! The ground is so out of bounds in terms of width it provides Geelong a massive advantage - and yes, Hawks didn't come to play, but it such a crazy home ground advantage you just have to take games there with a roll of the eyes.
You touched on Bruest and Gunston - you need to be more brutal. We look worse with them on the ground most weeks. Everytime Bruest swaps for Watson we are such a lesser team. Despite all the benefits to young blokes (and worth doing this year for sure) we have to retire both next year.
Ginnivan comments spot on. An important part of our side now.
I thought you were a bit soft on Scrimshaw. He can be like a deer in the headlights and was truly awful in the first term and just handballs anywhere under pressure, and you see this time and time again with him.
You didn't touch on what I thought might have been a poor selection decision. I thought Serong might have come into the side instead of Mitchell and when I saw Mitchell manning up Rohan and losing a contest I wondered if they didn't get it wrong. Hard to follow the match-ups on TV and clearly we were worried about thier smalls but it didn't look right to me.
We are a long way from having a completed finals team and even further with a flag winning side and whilst the last few weeks were great I agree we need perspective about the long road. But you keep seeing things each week (Moore and Day going up a gear when chips were down in this game) that it makes you think we are on the right track.
Bad day at the office for most but that’s ok albeit disappointing that we lose to that lot again.
But guys….I appreciate your perspectives on the game and the players - hey that’s why I subscribe so I can hear them - but please less of the disparaging comments about other hawks fans and their views. It’s a real turn off. Is HI only for people like you? Fans can and should have and express views emotional or not. It’s an emotional game. And this is fan media. Not expert media. Who cares about perspective. Who cares about ‘how much you know about football’. Diversity of perspective is what makes it fun. At least for me.
The ground size being an issue did have an impact on our style of play, but this was a known factor coming into the game. Bunjil did have the boundary set up for the KP dimensions.
Worth noting and again it was all planned - the players & Sam flew back on Monday with the assistants taking the red-eye to do their match review for the players.
Tuesday was a fan day with a very light 30 minute games session.
Wednesday was their day off.
Thursday another fan day, but a longer session about 60 minutes with some limited match sim - not full ground.
They haven't done 16/16 or 18/18 full ground match sim since the season started, however they regularly do 10/10 match sim going wing to wing using a little more than the width of the centre square, so are used to playing in confined spaces.
Anytime; anywhere is the next stage of the progression to a heavyweight team.
I agree we should not be blaming preparation and / or conditions. I was super confused by the kick out plan with those Q1 behinds but Reality is we got bullied and couldn’t handle it. Happens with a young team.
Just observations without the stats to support it on the kick outs.
I think we have predominantly kicked out to the left side for most of the year, given that Amon appears to be the preferred player for the kick ins followed by Scrimshaw or Sicily. Going left for a left footer makes it easier to bring the boundary into play for a stoppage if we can’t take a mark and being predictable, the ruck & tall forwards who push down to help out in the marking contest know where to go to set up.
A couple of times when a quick player was able to get a break on their opponent or set up to the right (fat side), we have looked to change up the pattern with some success.
Quite simply, the gun and run style that the players have used with great impact over the last five matches was impossible on that ground. Out of the running brigade, it was only CJ who tried to go for a 'real' gallop but found himself just running in circles and the inevitable dead end. Impey, Amon. D'Ambrosio and Weddle also found very little grass to move and in the first half our forward entries without the run resembled the Melbourne game. Players were not kicking to moving targets, were constantly under tackling pressure and the turnovers were well and truely punished by the cats who just sat back and waited for the inevitable mistakes. We were forced top play Geelong's game on their ground without it seems plan B!
The only time in my memory that a Hawthorn team had any level of success playing in a sardine can had the likes of Mathews, Knights, Tuck and Ablett running around and they trained daily on the ground while the rest of the league hated it with a passion.