This season is starting to turn into a disaster

[MarkPlow]

We now sit 2 wins 3 losses.. I know that is not so bad but considering we were premiership favourites at the start of the year, lost a home game with a side just about full strength, have given up a lead in 5 of our last 6 games and at the end of the day, we won a flag in 2008 and its now been 4 years since. Media was talking it up like this is our year but we just cant play 4 quarters of footy and maintain a lead. With the list we've got we should be able to beat any team and the way we faded out today was just disgraceful. There's no injury excuses or no excuses in general we can't dish up this shower

[JBs-Hawks]

That second half was the worst football iv seen a hawk side play since the bulldogs smashed us by 100 pts in 09. We looked like we lacked effort hunger speed and brains.

[2 large cokes]

spewing about the game today. was a disgrace. if there's one tiny thing I'm taking from it is last weeks game killed us. we literally stopped in the second half. look at wce who nearly got done by the tiges. not saying because we went to Perth last week it's alright we lost. it's deffinatly not. but I'm giving them another chance. clarko needs to get up em. put a rocket up buddy and tell him to pull his finger out. was rated te best player in the comp pre season and would be lucky to make the top 50. time to step up to the plate. this is scarily starting to look like 09 :( hopefully we can look back at this in a couple of months when we're 9 and 3 come bye week and smile :)

[ossie85]

I still think Hawthorn - right now - are in a better position that both Collingwood and Geelong.

Yet, the Pies and the Cats seem to win the close games? At the moment, you get the impression the Hawks are mentally fragile. Do you think it is because of last year's prelim? (I say this seriously)

[MajorLazer]

I still think Hawthorn - right now - are in a better position that both Collingwood and Geelong.

Yet, the Pies and the Cats seem to win the close games? At the moment, you get the impression the Hawks are mentally fragile. Do you think it is because of last year's prelim? (I say this seriously)

I'd really like to say no Os, but I think last year's prelim and the fact that we haven't beaten Geelong for way too long has messed with the mentality we had in '08, fear no team and go in there hard.

We still have an issue with the size of our backline and I have been saying that for a long time.

Also, Cyril needs to take the game on himself rather than handballing to others all the time.

[bowyanger]

There is an excuse...its called Clarkson.

How many times do you see the Hawks make a turnover on the HB line, then have no one in our fwd half to kick it 2 because of the "zone" (just a fancy name for flood), and then have to go sideways or backwards until someones down there to kick it to? Go to a live game and it happens nearly every 5 minutes...its been happening for the last 3 years.

Its pathetic, we should have Franklin & Roughy down there...get the bloody thing in quick, put pressure on the opposition backmen instead of letting them get organised with this pathetic sideways, slow FWD50 entry crap. If they bang it in there much faster, ontop of franklins / ruffnuts / hales heads constantly, theyre going to grab a few, the more opportunity, the greater chance of success... even if they dont grab it theres some of the best crumbers in the league in Sizzle or Bruest who are more than handy at mopping up the crumbs.

Since 2008 when Croad & Campbell retired, we have been screaming out for quality ruckmen and a gorilla defender, what have they done about it since then? Bloody nothing, look how Wet Toast is going with 2 great ruckmen, but no, instead they chose to let JPK go, a well respected family at the club....supposedly the family club (yeah right)...and then in the same trade period go for a has been in Burgoyne...WTF...I bet he didnt come cheaply..they could have payed JPK his wage and got much better service for longer, Bozo clarkson has admitted on the hawks website they are managing burgoynes roles to prolong his career...pathetic.
Why the hell did they get Gunston? Just what we needed....NOT. We had Lisle and replaced him with Gunston, the same bloody thing will probably happen as with JPK...its a joke really.
I thought Renouf did a really good job in the ruck by himself when Campbell went down in 2009, he was just starting to improve his kicking as well but, you know, we just had too many quality ruckmen, so we traded him.
I agree with Paul Roos On The Couch this week, for the Hawks to not fix their ruck and key backman with quality is a glaring omission for structure.

What about the WC game...the best small forward in the comp was in the back bloody pocket for half the game roving their tall timber? How bloody defensive and negative is that? Its only when Sizzle went forward that we started to get a sniff and he kicked a few.
Its like getting me to go and race a ferrari instead of Schumacher...stupid (would be fun though)

Put Sizzle 1 out in the fwd50 by himself more often, the bloke can evade 3 players at once, in a 10m radius with the ball in his hands, then even if they do get it...the bloke is a tackling machine and will force errors from opposing backmen.

The coach needs to play to his strengths...not this defensive Ross Lyon game style that is really evident this year. Possession  / defensive football is not made for Franks and Rioli, get it in there quick...its not bloody hard....how good do the hawks look when the ball is moved quickly, long and direct.....the bloody goals are not side ways or backwards...have some confidence and take the game on.
We have some real toe on the list, play Hill, Smith, Rioli, Bateman, Young, Pops, Smith & AFrank...let em run...rip the game apart...attacking football...it comes natural to them all...itll make Carltons mosquito fleet look 2nd rate at best...get these guys in and get the slow coaches like ossie, shiels, burgoyne, whitecross and suckling...the ones that have been taught to play posession football under clarksons regime, and turn it over all the time, out of the side (its not their fault,..its the coaches)....some of them are the same build anyways


Too often our game plan comes undone with the opposition employing 1 on 1 footy, by hawthorn trying to pinpoint by foot with crappy little chip backwards and sideways rubbish which just creates pressure. Theres a lot more chance for a simple mistake, which we see often happening...in our bloody backline, employing this game style. Its far better to boot the footy 50m upcountry and then make a mistake than kick it sideways and backwards 5 times, create pressure, then make a mistake without geting any further from the oppositions goal.
If I was an opposition player, as soon as the Hawks got possession, id get a big smile on my face knowing a hawks player is going to butcher the ball in a minute, probably 10m closer to my goal than where its at right now.
The opposition corrails them, and then just waits for the mistake to come, because more often than not...it does.
Kick the freaking thing long, whenever we look great...its because we kick it long and back ourselves

The hawks have also lost their unsociable game style...in a big way. It is very evident this year, Campbell Browns unrelenting approach, and the way it affected / influenced his team mates to run straight and hard at the ball is definately missing. (I live on the Goldy so still get to see Browny go hard every week..its great..he hasnt changed 1 bit). Hodge and Lewis used to be ferocious at the contest, constantly, which in turn rubbed off on Ossie and Mitchell etc...they never let manners or fear of hurting someone, even a team mate get between them and the ball....this year they look too much like ballerinas, looking to get an easy kick, not wanting to get dirty.
The Hawks do have some depth so I cant see why they would sacrifice a hard, tough, unrelenting game style which does seem to work ....when ....if ......"a soldier falls (suspension), another stands up to take his place" (Clarkson quote much??) Has the team become more focussed on themselves instead of playing for each other?
I remember that during 2008 finals, there were about 6 Hawthorn key players on the edge of demerit point suspension...how many have that now?
Kyle Cheney in the last 2 weeks has shown some real grunt and desperation, no doubt he will be the scapegoat for current results...I hope not.

Schoey demonstrated against Sydney what type of player he is, a natural running, contested marking FWD...not a young kid to play on monster fwds, which in turn ruins his confidence....he has even said so himself, how long will it take before they realise that he is not suited to, and doesnt want to play as a key defender? The kid will be a big unit one day, and Im glad Clarko is keeping him in the side but how about giving him a few games at CHF?

When will Franklin take a grab over his head...even when he is 1 out? What sort of a forward is that? Keep him on the wing if he wont take a contested grab.

Why dont the players try and kick goals instead of dribbling them through? Surely an oval shaped ball is better off not hitting the ground if you want it to go straight...its all a confidence issue IMO.

All this must be coaching influences right?

Yeah Im pissed off...the hawks should be dominating and I cop it from me mates that theyre crap...Im starting to really believe them

Hawthorn is starting to become really disliked by everyone in the football world, I have never seen it this bad...I have no doubt its because of the pathetic excuses that are thrown up since we won the 08 flag. (We were kicking massive scores that year, compare that attacking football to this years crap)

Negative , defensive, possession style game plan...along with some really poor recruiting decisions regarding mature monster ruckmen and monster, mature key backmen is why we have not dominated the competition for the last 4 years.

The team seems to be playing a bland, sanitised, safe style of football. The game plan seems too over baked, too complex or reliant on precision and minimal mistakes. Every 1 is doing the 1%ers or worried about playing their role, running to the right space or whatever...I understand if there isnt these things in place a team wont be competitive, but I think its possible to go too far and this detracts from the strengths of certain players.

As long as the player gives 100% for the entirity of the game, and the fans easily recognise their intensity or want to win the ball, then Im sure there will be more success.

Footy has many unpredictables, most of it involves the shape of the ball, split second decision making of a 1000 different scenarios / variables and of course the pressure or flow of a game that changes very quickly many times throughtout even a 1/4 of a game.

Keep It Simple Stupid

And who does the buck stop with at the end of the day?


The Head Coach

[2 large cokes]

that has to be of the biggest rants on here ;). but I do understand how your feeling. dad asked me if I wanted to go the footy this weekend. the first thing that came to my mind was no, not of we play like we have the last couple weeks. it's boring and weak.

I do agree somewhat with you bowyanger in regards to our game plan. it deffinatly needs some work and clarko needs some new ideas. I don't no about anyone else I'm bloody sick of David hale. I literally can't stand him as a player. he reminds me of a troll. he's so big and strong when he wants but has to be one of the biggest deadshowers in the comp! play broc and rough but not hale. we looked so slow on the weekend. we need to run. all the talk was about or speed pre season. our hole team looked like matty suckling running on the weekend. so hale deffinatly has to go although it will most likely be broc.

I can't stress enough how much I agree with Cheney. we need more guys like him that actually would give their left nut to get a game. but as you said I can see him being a casualty after the weeekends loss.


iv had enough of our playing a spare man back. that obviously means the opposition have a spare player. and right now buddy doesn't even look like beating his own opponent let alone 2. we need to play more 1 on 1. obviously it's a risk with our fairly weak backline but I'm confident all of our fwds (bud, rough, cyril, bruest) can beat their players 1 on 1.

[elephants]

Bowyanger that's a story!!

[bowyanger]

Bowyanger that's a story!!

Nah man....its fact

GET KENNETT BACK TO GO HARD AT BARNEY (Matthews) TO COME OUT OF RETIREMENT, COME HOME AND COACH THE HAWKS

I can see all Kennetts hard work going down the drain and the Hawks really struggling in 2 years.

Wouldnt be surprised either if some players jump off the sinking ship over the next 3 years

[ossie85]

Bowyanger that's a story!!

Nah man....its fact

GET KENNETT BACK TO GO HARD AT BARNEY (Matthews) TO COME OUT OF RETIREMENT, COME HOME AND COACH THE HAWKS

I can see all Kennetts hard work going down the drain and the Hawks really struggling in 2 years.

Wouldnt be surprised either if some players jump off the sinking ship over the next 3 years

It amazes me a bit that clearly the most succesful team of the last 50 years - by far - that the Hawks would be any sort of trouble.

Makes me wonder what the hell you guys have been doing.

For the record, I think the Hawks are going pretty strong.

Tassie will take you :)

[bowyanger]

It doesnt take long, or much  at all before a footy club starts to go into the red.

Dicko pulled us out of it, but it took a long time to fix

Bad performances on field and bad club management will see any club get in trouble really quick.

As noted by 2 large cokes, fans will not want to go watch the games. The fans keep the club successful, take the fans away and see what happens.

I expect the Tassie thing to slowly fade away as it was Kennett that pushed it hard, and he aint there no more. The Hawks no longer have the monopoly in Tassie with the Roos showing up.
The new hierarchy will fold under pressure that the Hawks dont need to play home games there, and will be better served by playing in Melbourne.

Its a ripple effect that could well see the most successful team of the last 50 years crumble really quick...Hawthorn has a lot of overheads with their NZ, Tassie and remote NT indigenous projects to consider also, when they start dropping these projects, membership will fall, its basic econimics that Kennett had set up.

Kennett said some colourful stuff in the media that many hawks supporters didnt like, but he was a fine business man for the club

[T Dog]

Is Hodge the missing piece on field? Is the leadership / captaincy sorted and settled?

[Justin Bieber]

Is Hodge the missing piece on field? Is the leadership / captaincy sorted and settled?

Hodge IMO looked fat and slow. Really did not help the team on the weekend.

[ossie85]

Is Hodge the missing piece on field? Is the leadership / captaincy sorted and settled?

Hodge IMO looked fat and slow. Really did not help the team on the weekend.

The last player that was told he was fat and slow, went on to get 42 touches, 3 goals and an ANZAC Day medal.

Hodgey is a star.

[Justin Bieber]

Is Hodge the missing piece on field? Is the leadership / captaincy sorted and settled?

Hodge IMO looked fat and slow. Really did not help the team on the weekend.

The last player that was told he was fat and slow, went on to get 42 touches, 3 goals and an ANZAC Day medal.

Hodgey is a star.

No one ever said swan was slow. Just tubby haha. But I hope hodge hits form.