Roast What is wrong with our supporters?

[Strapping Young Lad]

Bashful? Too polite? Entitled?
Perhaps it's for a number of reasons, but the almost dead silence whilst an opposition player lined up for goal just ten metres in from the boundary in front of thousands of Hawk members in the M10-M13 seats had me completely perplexed yesterday. Not just once, but numerous times, and it happens so damn often.

Perhaps the seated areas are filled with families and kids, who don't want to partake in loud noises or attempts to put off the opposition?
It doesn't look to be the case from what I have observed, with plenty of all male groups, teenagers and singular adults taking up their place in the region.

So where's the passion?

Sitting amongst the Hawk faithful during the final warm up minutes to the Preliminary final last year, the Hawthorn side runs out to a so-so applause and some luke-warm renditions of the club song as it plays over the MCG speakers, what was to come though was surreal. The adjacent bays went absolutely ape droppings at the sight of their team entering the field, and when the banner was raised and the "Power" song pumping I looked over to see 99% of Port fans clapping, cheering, singing and just generally supporting their side.

Throughout the match, the noise these patches(bays) of supporters gave were tremendous. They screamed, they cheered, they jeered and they cursed.

It was unbelievable and perhaps showed a great deal of thanks from a supporter base who were so appreciative that their club was even in that position.

Back to the Hawthorn fans though, we are almost in direct contradiction to the crowds of Adelaide oval, Perth and even Etihad. Our members area is docile and mute. There's very little noise, cheers, barracking or jeering happening at any point during our games, although there is still the obligatory "man up Hawthorn" or "just kick it......awww, who was that to!?", or of course, the moans from a bad umpiring decision.

Are we so used to winning, that we just sit back, almost uninterested in making any noise? Not bothering to cheer or jeer. Uninterested in trying to make an opposition player feel the pressure of a shot for goal in front of thousands?
It certainly seems so.

If you're reading this and you agree that we've fallen off a bit, then get your mates up and about. Tell the others around you to make a bit of noise. We have 70,000+ members, who are often well represented at our home games, yet while our team shows an 'unsociable' way of playing our game which we love, a more than large proportion of the members in the stands are more than happy to go quietly into the night.

So this is a call to arms, so to speak. Get loud at the footy. If an opposition player is having a shot, make some noise. If Hawthorn are on a run, make some noise. If we're kicking goals, make some noise, and if we make it through to the Prelim and GF's once more don't take it as a given, cheer, jeer and scream like it's our last.

Don't even get me started on the cheer squad.

 

[James Colorado]

This'd be news to certain other supporter bases on BF. According to them, we're the most arrogant, rude and antisocial campaigners out there. Oh, and they'll hasten to add "poos & wees", too.

 

[parsons nose]

Bashful? Too polite? Entitled?
Perhaps it's for a number of reasons, but the almost dead silence whilst an opposition player lined up for goal just ten metres in from the boundary in front of thousands of Hawk members in the M10-M13 seats had me completely perplexed yesterday. Not just once, but numerous times, and it happens so damn often.

Perhaps the seated areas are filled with families and kids, who don't want to partake in loud noises or attempts to put off the opposition?
It doesn't look to be the case from what I have observed, with plenty of all male groups, teenagers and singular adults taking up their place in the region.

So where's the passion?

Sitting amongst the Hawk faithful during the final warm up minutes to the Preliminary final last year, the Hawthorn side runs out to a so-so applause and some luke-warm renditions of the club song as it plays over the MCG speakers, what was to come though was surreal. The adjacent bays went absolutely ape droppings at the sight of their team entering the field, and when the banner was raised and the "Power" song pumping I looked over to see 99% of Port fans clapping, cheering, singing and just generally supporting their side.

Throughout the match, the noise these patches(bays) of supporters gave were tremendous. They screamed, they cheered, they jeered and they cursed.

It was unbelievable and perhaps showed a great deal of thanks from a supporter base who were so appreciative that their club was even in that position.

Back to the Hawthorn fans though, we are almost in direct contradiction to the crowds of Adelaide oval, Perth and even Etihad. Our members area is docile and mute. There's very little noise, cheers, barracking or jeering happening at any point during our games, although there is still the obligatory "man up Hawthorn" or "just kick it......awww, who was that to!?", or of course, the moans from a bad umpiring decision.

Are we so used to winning, that we just sit back, almost uninterested in making any noise? Not bothering to cheer or jeer. Uninterested in trying to make an opposition player feel the pressure of a shot for goal in front of thousands?
It certainly seems so.

If you're reading this and you agree that we've fallen off a bit, then get your mates up and about. Tell the others around you to make a bit of noise. We have 70,000+ members, who are often well represented at our home games, yet while our team shows an 'unsociable' way of playing our game which we love, a more than large proportion of the members in the stands are more than happy to go quietly into the night.

So this is a call to arms, so to speak. Get loud at the footy. If an opposition player is having a shot, make some noise. If Hawthorn are on a run, make some noise. If we're kicking goals, make some noise, and if we make it through to the Prelim and GF's once more don't take it as a given, cheer, jeer and scream like it's our last.

Don't even get me started on the cheer squad.

We save our voice for Adam Goodes!

 

[davross]

This'd be news to certain other supporter bases on BF. According to them, we're the most arrogant, rude and antisocial campaigners out there. Oh, and they'll hasten to add "poos & weeks", too.

Totally agree, Collingwood have a thread just for us "arrogant Hawks".

 

[Crankyhawk]

I think we save our voice to yell at the whipping boys/ umpires. We aren't a fan of the "chewy on ya boot" - I get odd looks whenever I try it.
There may be a component of spoiled by success.

Against that we certainly made noise in 2013 prelim, and the 2014 GF.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

I think we save our voice to yell at the whipping boys/ umpires. We aren't a fan of the "chewy on ya boot" - I get odd looks whenever I try it.
There may be a component of spoiled by success.

Against that we certainly made noise in 2013 prelim, and the 2014 GF.

We do pick and choose who we want to get loud for.

So, considering the amount of collective disdain we have for yesterday's opponent, the crowd's lack of noise was completely at odds with my expectation.

I would love to be sitting amongst thousands of members who are cheering and jeering at levels that rival those made by other clubs, but we just seem uninterested.

 

[Crankyhawk]

We do pick and choose who we want to get loud for.

So, considering the amount of collective disdain we have for yesterday's opponent, the crowd's lack of noise was completely at odds with my expectation.

I would love to be sitting amongst thousands of members who are cheering and jeering at levels that rival those made by other clubs, but we just seem uninterested.

Perhaps we were concerned that they were inspired by the booing the first time around and silence would be more off putting? Or a fair amount of shocked silence that we were dishing up tripe again in the first half.

 

[Tyrone Time]

Keep up!
No indigenous players were shooting for goal, so the racist Hawks fans had nothing to boo.

 

[Baz_hawk]

Have to agree with you, especially regarding the Prelim last year. That was pretty disappointing from our supporters. This year has been far worse however and I think it stems from a number of things. Firstly, some supporters expect us to rock up and win and I've lost count of the number of times I've heard 'I've never felt so flat after a win'. So there are some who are perhaps arrogant or expect us to just walk over other teams which is disappointing. The more common thing is just how on/off we are this year. Sitting in the members you can really feel the frustration around you with how inconsistent we are and people struggle to get into a game when their side can be dominating a team then next minute be very lazy and lethargic and concede a number of goals in a short period.

Me personally, I blame that kid we have doing announcing at our home games

 

[marklar]

I noticed it yesterday too up in high in the cheap seats at the city end. I think most of the fans were utterly bored for most of the game, we trotted out a fairly similar first quarter of crap but didn't let them get away from us. Broooost didn't do much so there wasn't much to go on with, no Cyril so minimal ohh-ahh, Roughy hasn't given us much to cheer about this year but he did grab a few marks, and none of the injectors did anything particularly boo-worthy on the day.

In the end we ground out a win with minimal flair, minimal crowd support required.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

You wouldn't like me Echols, I am not very noisy at the best of times. At the Freo game last year the Freo fans next to me told me at the end of the game I was the quietest supporter they'd ever sat next to, I was crestfallen as I thought I had been quite rowdy I do cheer and clap when we do something good but really can't be bothered booing the opposition.

I agree with you on the prelim last year though, it was quite noticeable the difference between the noise the Port supporters made and the noise the Hawks supporters made and there were more of us there surely

I think there is a degree of complacency amongst Hawks supporters due to our recent success and - this is going to sound very arrogant - a sense that we are just going through the motions until finals time (a bit like our team seems to be playing!).

 

[market]

I can tell you that Hawks fans in Perth are loud...mental like and esp against West coast

In melb, (like yesterday, I was sort of meh, whatever...), there were some times when the hawkers around where I was sitting arced up, but I think it was expected we would win and that's it.

Back over in Perth, it means a truckload to the Perth Hawks fans to win (as its that one game a year), so we don't have to hear the shite they dribble on with for the remainder of the week..

Prelim final in 2013 was insane, so was qualifying final 2007 against Adel...

 

[halfback dasher]

Iv been kicked out to many times hence the reason iv pulled my head in , s**t !! They have even got me at BH , the rest of them , iv no idea about .

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Iv been kicked out to many times hence the reason iv pulled my head in , s**t !! They have even got me at BH , the rest of them , iv no idea about .

It's funny you should say this. I was listening to Finey on SEN the other day, and I know he talks a lot of crap but on this occasion he was saying something interesting, he said he rarely goes to games these days because he can no longer barrack like he used to. He was at a game recently and he yelled out a comment to an opposition player who had changed his first name. It was nothing racist or anything like that just a bit of witty sledging based on the fact that he'd changed his name. Next minute some security guard came up to him and told him if he didn't cease and desist he would be thrown out!

 

[luciien]

You should go to a game with my dad. He is a throwback to the days of standing in the terraces. Never shuts up, never satisfied unless we are killing teams and playing perfect football.
Regularly threatens and abuses opposition supporters and magically clears space around us during the course of a game.

 

[Noneedforaname]

When I went to the GWS game, I wandered round to sit with, or near the cheer squad. Plonked down behind the goals, close to where the squad were. Embarrassed that those that rolled up may have only numbeered 11, but it could have actually been less than double figures. Shameful effort. Quiet and half arsed, not like anything I've ever seen from any sporting team. Was it arrogance, or apathy that no-one could be bothered to travel?

Any wonder that players didn't show up either. Was disheartening all round.

 

[Roddy]

Totally agree, Collingwood have a thread just for us "arrogant Hawks".

Ha! Thanks for pointing that out. Went in for a read, had a great old laugh! At least there's a few intelligent ones in there, amongst the majority of 'the Hawks are dirty and their fans are all arrogant flogs' types, who recognise that it all flows from jealousy and an inferiority complex.

 

[rdhopkins2]

I agree that our supporters are rather tame but I also think that statement applies to all AFL teams these days. The AFL prefer this though. Active support in AFL is essentially dead. You get the odd group of rowdy fans but they are few and far between.

The game has been sanitised both on and off field in the modern era.

 

[Messenger]

Iv been kicked out to many times hence the reason iv pulled my head in , s**t !! They have even got me at BH , the rest of them , iv no idea about .

I have always found you to be shy, retiring type.

 

[halfback dasher]

I have always found you to be shy, retiring type.

 

[rdhopkins2]

That Collingwood board thread is a laugh and a half. I don't have a problem with Collingwood supporters in general (they have their fair share of asses too) but by and large they are passionate, good for banter and turn up to support their team.

That thread though should have a tall poppy watermark through it though.

 

[GOHORCS]

I think it is part of being the family club. When you have the kids and missus with you then you have to set a good example. It also seems that every time you raise your voice you get daggers from the other supporters sitting in the seats in front. I am astounded at the silence when we complete a tackle that is so obviously a holding the ball.

 

[Jaeger]

1.40pm is too early to drink for some people?

I thought the whole crowd was a bit flat yesterday, and they barely had any supporters there for them. We were expected to win, we were playing poorly and it was a scrappy contest. The game still had its moments but not long enough to keep the crowd very engaged. Was a bit like a Tassie game.

I don't think there's a problem with our home crowds, we were electric in the Geelong and Sydney home games this year.

My only* issue is how empty the Punt rd end always looks. Would be awesome if it was packed. If it's a reserved seating area, why are so many buying reserved seats and regularly not showing up? The only reason I can think of is people are buying reserved seats to go in the GF ballot, if we get there of course!


*Another issue - and this is only yesterday - there were many Essendon supporters spread out in a lot of our reserved seating areas. They had that selling back tickets promo this week so obviously people were giving them to Essendon fans, but I think it's a little unfair on the others in those sections who want to be among other Hawks fans only. Nothing major obviously, but if I wasn't going I wouldn't give/sell my ticket to my Essendon mates just out of curtesy to the other members in the section. In saying that, I was actually sitting next to some Essendon supporters and it made the second half more enjoyable

 

[Flag08]

Definitely sanitised by success. On Saturday, it felt like we couldn't have played any worse in the first half and the scum were chopping us up through the middle time and again. Then you look at the scoreboard and we're in front! I felt disappointed only to win by 38. That was 4 goals less than I would have been happy with. When the standards set are so high anything less is a letdown. It was more fun going to the footy in 2006, 7 and 8 when we were on the rise and we could celebrate every extra step up the ladder. After last years GF the only way to go is down. That was perfection.
Part of it too for me is our robotic style of play which is highly effective but takes away individual flair. I lost interest before getting to the G yesterday knowing Cyril was out. He's half the reason I go. Another factor is the familiarity of the players. We might be too used to the guys that have been the backbone of the team over the last 8 or so years. I get far more enjoyment watching the likes of Billy coming through than seeing Mitch rack up another 30 possie game.

 

[marklar]

*Another issue - and this is only yesterday - there were many Essendon supporters spread out in a lot of our reserved seating areas.

Has been happening for years, I had Silver at ground level and I noticed how many non-Hawks fans were turning up to every game and sitting in "our" area, obviously other Silvers giving their tickets to their mates.

One of the reasons I went back down to Bronze last year, at least I can choose who I sit near.