MaccaHawk
31 Aug 2006, 07:40
If the season ended today my own assessment of our 2006 would be that we made the steps everyone wanted and expected us to do, despite some unfortunate bumps along the way.
They key must have been for ladder progression, as well as on-field development, reduction of skills errors and confirmation that our draft/trade policy of the last couple of years has been on the mark.
LADDER: At the moment, we're a couple of spots higher than we were last year, but more importanly than that, we have more wins on the boards. Ladder position is relative as it depends on factors outwith your control (i.e. how the competition are doing), but the numbers in the far right column are the important indicators. In that regard we have picked up 3 more wins this year than last. We all know there should have been more, and that is a thing to be optimistic about. When we improve next year some of thse losses will be turned into wins.
ON-FIELD: A lot of our young guys really raised their games this year and for my money there were a lot less skills errors than last year. Young, Birchall, Murphy, Roughead (even though he's had his detractors), Franklin have been solid, and around them we have Mitchell, Bateman and Hodge, who are 3 engine rooms. Bateman's work ethic and work rate is impressive as he always appears to give 100%. We won games this year that would have been lost last year (Essendon Rd 5, Geelong), but there is still that worrying inability to last the course sometimes (i.e. Essendon and Carlton in the last few weeks) and put teams away comfortably. They will improve there and will sharpen that killer edge, which they need in order to keep pushing the pedal to metal, even at the end of the 3rd Q when you are up by 50+ points. Fitness/endurance is key and I suspect will be a particular focus in pre-season.
THE NEGATIVES: The main disappointment has to be the performances of Spida this year. After last year's stellar season I was sure he would be giving everything to be the competitions undisputed #1 ruckman. What I saw was lazy, and almost painful to watch as a Hawk, wanting the team to raise their game. He had hisinjury late on, but he might as well have sat out the rest of the year as it was an utter disappointment. The effort wasn't there, and he let down himself and his team mates. Harsh maybe, but its what I saw week in, week out. I want Spida to stay at the club, but only if he is going to make the effort that the rest of the staff's own efforts deserve. As a ruckman he is an import cog in the machine come game day, and not oulling out his finger cost us at least 4 ladder points I reckon. Another disappointment (believe it or not) is seeing the stellar form of Hank Crawford. He has been an inspiration this year again, and it is such a shame that he will probably only have another year or 2 in the game before it passes his aging legs by. He has been in Brownlow form at times, and has been a key driver in a lot of our successes. Good on him, as it can't get any easier chasing the Judd's, Dal Santo's and Cousin's of the world around the park week in, week out. We'll miss his input when the boots finally get hung up.
THE FUTURE: On a brighter note, our list for the future has to be one of the most promising around at the minute. We have competition in that field (Brisbane for example, and even Richmond) but I see good things when I look at a list that has names like Bateman, Mitchell, Hodge, Birchall, Dawson (believe it or not), Roughead, Franklin, Dowler, Tuck (he is of good stock and must be expected to turn into a bit of a gun!), Bailey, Murphy, Campbell, Brown and Guerra. With the right guidance and tuition ours will be a list to envy and we'll have everyone sniping at Hawthorn again - not because they dislike us, but because they're so bloody envious of us.
But that won't be enough. Our guys have given themselves something to build on for next year, a platform to launch a new campaign in a positive spirit after tasting victories at the close of a season that for long while looked like they might not come our way. Our mid-season was a shocker and a worse run than we could have expected (the loss to the Kangas was the trigger I suspect), and if even a couple of those games could have been met with stiffer opposition from the Hawks then we could have been biting our finger nails now wondering if we'd have been scraping into the finals on the last day of the home and away season. So next year we have to expect and almost demand that our side delivers us a finals campaign, and if they fail it must not be for want of trying. We will hopefully be no lower than 9th, but 7th or 8th is about as high as we can expect. For me 8th will suffice as that brings a return to finals footy for the Mighty Hawks, something we have been without foir a bit too long in my book, considering our grand history.
I wil be looking forward to 2007 and will be getting the membership renewal in as soon as I can.
I just I wish was in the same position as you lucky buggers and could get to taste the improvement live, at the G! I'll just have to follow my Hawks from afar...:(
They key must have been for ladder progression, as well as on-field development, reduction of skills errors and confirmation that our draft/trade policy of the last couple of years has been on the mark.
LADDER: At the moment, we're a couple of spots higher than we were last year, but more importanly than that, we have more wins on the boards. Ladder position is relative as it depends on factors outwith your control (i.e. how the competition are doing), but the numbers in the far right column are the important indicators. In that regard we have picked up 3 more wins this year than last. We all know there should have been more, and that is a thing to be optimistic about. When we improve next year some of thse losses will be turned into wins.
ON-FIELD: A lot of our young guys really raised their games this year and for my money there were a lot less skills errors than last year. Young, Birchall, Murphy, Roughead (even though he's had his detractors), Franklin have been solid, and around them we have Mitchell, Bateman and Hodge, who are 3 engine rooms. Bateman's work ethic and work rate is impressive as he always appears to give 100%. We won games this year that would have been lost last year (Essendon Rd 5, Geelong), but there is still that worrying inability to last the course sometimes (i.e. Essendon and Carlton in the last few weeks) and put teams away comfortably. They will improve there and will sharpen that killer edge, which they need in order to keep pushing the pedal to metal, even at the end of the 3rd Q when you are up by 50+ points. Fitness/endurance is key and I suspect will be a particular focus in pre-season.
THE NEGATIVES: The main disappointment has to be the performances of Spida this year. After last year's stellar season I was sure he would be giving everything to be the competitions undisputed #1 ruckman. What I saw was lazy, and almost painful to watch as a Hawk, wanting the team to raise their game. He had hisinjury late on, but he might as well have sat out the rest of the year as it was an utter disappointment. The effort wasn't there, and he let down himself and his team mates. Harsh maybe, but its what I saw week in, week out. I want Spida to stay at the club, but only if he is going to make the effort that the rest of the staff's own efforts deserve. As a ruckman he is an import cog in the machine come game day, and not oulling out his finger cost us at least 4 ladder points I reckon. Another disappointment (believe it or not) is seeing the stellar form of Hank Crawford. He has been an inspiration this year again, and it is such a shame that he will probably only have another year or 2 in the game before it passes his aging legs by. He has been in Brownlow form at times, and has been a key driver in a lot of our successes. Good on him, as it can't get any easier chasing the Judd's, Dal Santo's and Cousin's of the world around the park week in, week out. We'll miss his input when the boots finally get hung up.
THE FUTURE: On a brighter note, our list for the future has to be one of the most promising around at the minute. We have competition in that field (Brisbane for example, and even Richmond) but I see good things when I look at a list that has names like Bateman, Mitchell, Hodge, Birchall, Dawson (believe it or not), Roughead, Franklin, Dowler, Tuck (he is of good stock and must be expected to turn into a bit of a gun!), Bailey, Murphy, Campbell, Brown and Guerra. With the right guidance and tuition ours will be a list to envy and we'll have everyone sniping at Hawthorn again - not because they dislike us, but because they're so bloody envious of us.
But that won't be enough. Our guys have given themselves something to build on for next year, a platform to launch a new campaign in a positive spirit after tasting victories at the close of a season that for long while looked like they might not come our way. Our mid-season was a shocker and a worse run than we could have expected (the loss to the Kangas was the trigger I suspect), and if even a couple of those games could have been met with stiffer opposition from the Hawks then we could have been biting our finger nails now wondering if we'd have been scraping into the finals on the last day of the home and away season. So next year we have to expect and almost demand that our side delivers us a finals campaign, and if they fail it must not be for want of trying. We will hopefully be no lower than 9th, but 7th or 8th is about as high as we can expect. For me 8th will suffice as that brings a return to finals footy for the Mighty Hawks, something we have been without foir a bit too long in my book, considering our grand history.
I wil be looking forward to 2007 and will be getting the membership renewal in as soon as I can.
I just I wish was in the same position as you lucky buggers and could get to taste the improvement live, at the G! I'll just have to follow my Hawks from afar...:(