What do you see being the team's greatest weakness in 2015?

[killerspud]

Off the OPs list I ticked the accumulation of older players, but what I really think is the biggest threat is other teams working out how to beat us. We will be relying on Clarko to reinvent our game plan yet again and come up with some tactics to bamboozle to the opposition. If he can do this I have no doubt we have the personnel to carry out his plans, older players notwithstanding (we have plenty of good soldiers in reserve as was proved this year). The three-peat is on!!!

I think our game is always evolving under Clarko and see it going further moving away from (but still keeping elements of) the elite kicking game and moving towards elite runners - the slimming down of Hodge and Lewis and the recruitment of Smith, Hill and Hartung were absolutely no accident

 

[MightyHawks]

I think the current plan with Hartung is to have him able to replace either Hill or Smith in the side

The future plan will be to have the team function with 3 elite runners

Litherland looks like Gibbos long term replacement in the side and he adds some pace as well

I'd expect, Smith, Hill, Hartung & Litherland all in the side when we play Port on ANZAC Day...

 

[HR Roughnstuf]

I think the current plan with Hartung is to have him able to replace either Hill or Smith in the side

The future plan will be to have the team function with 3 elite runners

Litherland looks like Gibbos long term replacement in the side and he adds some pace as well

I'd expect, Smith, Hill, Hartung & Litherland all in the side when we play Port on ANZAC Day...

Hill is 21 and Smith is 25. Hardly in desperate need for replacement.

However I could see these guys taking Burgoyne's role or fix it man everywhere. However if Burger's knees were fine then he would be used much more exclusively in the midfield than he has been over the last 4-5 years.

 

[deanc]

That's not the point I was making. A long term injury to Rough would hurt us, I stand by that. Last season (and yes other injuries were about at the time) without him we lost to Port and lost to Freo. Not saying he's the only reason we lost - but it highlights how important he is to our structure up front.

Agree, not having Roughead play for an extended period (5+ weeks) would be a challenge for Gunston and Co in the forward line and would impact other team strategies. Rough's various roles as a part time utility and defender should not be underestimated and will harder to replace than his performance as a forward. And thinking top teams will just play their best defender on his replacement (be that O'Brien or similar) during this period is naive and Clarko may need to come-up with a cunning plan, i.e. by playing Burgoyne or Rioli at Full Forward during this period. Rough's absence may not be an issue against the lower teams but against most of the top 6-8 next season it could be the difference in a few results.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

We really missed Roughie in that match against Freo over in Perth (when he got rubbed out for a week for that ridiculous 'trip' ). Fortunately cunning plans are Clarko's forté

 

[James Colorado]

I think our game is always evolving under Clarko and see it going further moving away from (but still keeping elements of) the elite kicking game and moving towards elite runners - the slimming down of Hodge and Lewis and the recruitment of Smith, Hill and Hartung were absolutely no accident

I can't see the elite kicking game ever being replaced, it's what's really differentiated us from the rest of the comp for the last few years, and is a skill that will never be superfluous. The elite running is just adding that string to the team.

While Clarko's in charge, I don't think we'll ever get rid of the "if you can't kick, you can't play for Hawthorn" rule.

 

[Randy Campbell]

I think our game is always evolving under Clarko and see it going further moving away from (but still keeping elements of) the elite kicking game and moving towards elite runners - the slimming down of Hodge and Lewis and the recruitment of Smith, Hill and Hartung were absolutely no accident

Elite kicking and Elite running work better if you have both.

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

Lewis is definitely the player in the next age group down that offers up some of what these guys offer but after that we still have unprovens who need to show us what they've got. The candidates for me are:

Gunston - Is the next captain after Lewis or Roughead if you ask me. Is young, sharp and talented. Perhaps not a game breaker like Hodge and Mitch but has many of their attributes.
Langford - Has shown glimpses of his talent and drive. Seems to be intelligent and a thinker. Has potential.
Hill - Has come on in leaps and bounds. Talent is all there. Is he a leader though? Tony Shaw is convinced that he is a future captain of the club.
Anderson - Exudes Hodge-like qualities to me. Brightest under 21 prospect in the squad.
Shiels - Strikes me as just been a serviceable mid but not a leader of men.
Smith - Similar to Shiels for me.
Woodward - Unproven.
Hartung - Unproven. Does not appear to be a leader.
Willsmore - I know very little about him but have heard that he has leadership qualities.
O'Rourke - Fingers crossed on his footballing potential but makes Buddy sound like Noam Chomsky when he speaks. Not a leader.
Pick.31 2014 draft - I really liked what I saw (and heard) in Touk Miller btw (see here ----> Video). Would be thrilled if he slipped to Pick.31. Well spoken and looks to have many of the above attributes.

Am I missing anyone?

Duryea is highly regarded in the club for his leadership qualities

 

[MightyHawks]

Hill is 21 and Smith is 25. Hardly in desperate need for replacement.

However I could see these guys taking Burgoyne's role or fix it man everywhere. However if Burger's knees were fine then he would be used much more exclusively in the midfield than he has been over the last 4-5 years.

Sorry I meant Hartung currently being an emergency to cover Hill or Smith (2014-2015)

I expect in 2016 onwards he will develop so that we can play all 3 of them...

 

[wahawk]

Sorry I meant Hartung currently being an emergency to cover Hill or Smith (2014-2015)

I expect in 2016 onwards he will develop so that we can play all 3 of them...

Glad you clarified that, as i was thinking the same as HH.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Decline of players aged over 30 is the biggest thing that stands between us and going very close to a 3peat.

 

[Hawkk]

That and outright favouritism. As strong as we've been in recent seasons we haven't copped overly well with expectation and favouritism in big finals (as 2012 PF/GF, 2013 PF and 2014 PF can attest)

Its pretty amazing to think that we've won 3 flags in 7 seasons with the tide of favouritism and expectation running against us (the Cats were the greatest team of all in '08, the Bloodz were the Bondi Billionaires in '14, heck in the year that we should have been runaway favourites we had the whole purple haze crap)

Obviously the club has perfected the technique in somehow going under the radar despite our spectacular successes

 

[Hodge2NormSmith]

Injuries, specifically injuries at bad times, as tough we had it this year it was pretty good come finals time.

 

[killerspud]

That and outright favouritism. As strong as we've been in recent seasons we haven't copped overly well with expectation and favouritism in big finals (as 2012 PF/GF, 2013 PF and 2014 PF can attest)

Its pretty amazing to think that we've won 3 flags in 7 seasons with the tide of favouritism and expectation running against us (the Cats were the greatest team of all in '08, the Bloodz were the Bondi Billionaires in '14, heck in the year that we should have been runaway favourites we had the whole purple haze crap)

Obviously the club has perfected the technique in somehow going under the radar despite our spectacular successes

Don't worry the media will soon find some new darling and bang on incessantly about - my money is on the superior fitness and running of Port Power....

 

[killerspud]

I can't see the elite kicking game ever being replaced, it's what's really differentiated us from the rest of the comp for the last few years, and is a skill that will never be superfluous. The elite running is just adding that string to the team.

While Clarko's in charge, I don't think we'll ever get rid of the "if you can't kick, you can't play for Hawthorn" rule.

Fair point - but I that was the only string to our bow up to 2012 and was one of the reasons that teams that played a high pressure game like Geelong could get to us. Now that we run at an elite level as well I think it takes a lot of pressure of that kicking game. BUT yes you can't play for Hawthorn if you can't kick and I hope that remains in place for a long long time

 

[seysearles]

Duryea is highly regarded in the club for his leadership qualities

And his hairdressing skills ...

 

[whiteTiga2k]

For elite kicks of the footy... Hodgey and Cyril need to work on their goal kicking! They miss too many set shots. Get some tips of Bruest and Gunner!

I voted for hunger... but I think the older guys and keeping them fresh will be our biggest concern. Amazed we didn't rest Burgoyne at all this year... played every game... What a player!

 

[HR Roughnstuf]

Sorry I meant Hartung currently being an emergency to cover Hill or Smith (2014-2015)

I expect in 2016 onwards he will develop so that we can play all 3 of them...

I think all 3 can play in the same team.

All 3 players have more strings to their bow than just pace and endurance.

 

[Ordovician]

We have 3 good key defensive options, 3 of third tall defenders that can play small, 3 good wings, 3 very good small forwards, a great medium forward, three competent rucks, and lot of mids some of whom are over 30 and fill in where ever necessary around the ground as effective hybrid midfield utilities. We have very good depth over most of the ground.

The only position that I can see where we don't have any depth at all, is for the tall strong marking forward. There is Roughy and that is it. Schoey is not marking target. TOB is way too raw and is really more of a Gunstall understudy. Spangher and Frawley are is a much better defenders than forwards.

Is this a bigger issue that having an aged list with a heavy reliance on many 30yo star players?

That is hard to say, but I believe that we could get by, for a month or so, without probably 3 or 4 of Hodge, Mitchell, Burgers, Gibbo, Hale and Lake, as long as the injuries were spread across the positions and not concentrated on say the midfield group or the tall defenders as they were last year with the tall defenders going down for long periods (Spang, Lake & Gibbo). Losing Hodge and Burgers would be tough in terms of leadership and clutch plays but I'd like to think that Lewis et al. could step up.

However, the loss of Roughy for say 2 months would really derail our season.

In my mind we still need to replace voldemort with another tall forward target. That way if we lost Roughy as we did in 2011 with achilles tendon, we could still stay in the hunt for the flag. Needless to say finding another big forward that good in the short term is near impossible.

 

[Procrastinator35]

However, the loss of Roughy for say 2 months would really derail our season.

In my mind we still need to replace voldemort with another tall forward target. That way if we lost Roughy as we did in 2011 with achilles tendon, we could still stay in the hunt for the flag. Needless to say finding another big forward that good in the short term is near impossible.

This would be the singular & only reason why Grimley & Schoey remain on our list!....Even then I'd still prefer to see one of O'Brien, Lake, Frawley or Spangher 'pinch-hitting' in that position ahead of these 2 clue-less ponies!

 

[Thaihawk]

This would be the singular & only reason why Grimley & Schoey remain on our list!....Even then I'd still prefer to see one of O'Brien, Lake, Frawley or Spangher 'pinch-hitting' in that position ahead of these 2 clue-less ponies!

I really believe the title of this thread should read:

"Who can stop us in 2015, and how could it be done?"

Being really optimistic, 2015 could be the half way in our run of premierships!

 

[Hawks Supporter]

Definitely our midfield for me, odd in a certain sense in the way we dismantled sydney in the GF.

There were games this year in which we simply couldn't get our hands on it in the middle, the first quarter of the prelim against port a glaring reminder.

Seem to lack a premium mid of sorts in the ilk of ablett, watson, selwood, fyfe. What we lack in quality, however, we seem to make up with sheer quantity and the numbers we can throw through the midfield. No other team has this kind of versatility. Always a great ace up our sleeve.

In saying that, there seems to be plenty of organic improvement to be had in the middle. Langford gets another pre season under his belt. Whitecross, anderson back in business. Woodward gets his chance, Lewis now in elite category.

The recruitment of o'rourke could be extremely significant, hopefully in '15, but certainly in years to come if the hawthorn stable can turn this one into the group 1 champion some say he has the potential to be.

Like someone previously stated, we break even here for the majority of the year, I can't see us not finishing top 2

Midfield is no worries for us, i dont know if you know but we have a good crop of young talent in the reserves (anderson, hartung, simpkin, whitecross, woodward and O'Rouke) and possibly more in the upcoming draft.

I am more worried about our backline, even though we got frawley. Lake, Gibson, Hodge and burgers all play a critical role in the back 50 and losing them will hurt very much and i am still unsure on how shoey will develop in the back line.

 

[Hawks Supporter]

Agree, not having Roughead play for an extended period (5+ weeks) would be a challenge for Gunston and Co in the forward line and would impact other team strategies. Rough's various roles as a part time utility and defender should not be underestimated and will harder to replace than his performance as a forward. And thinking top teams will just play their best defender on his replacement (be that O'Brien or similar) during this period is naive and Clarko may need to come-up with a cunning plan, i.e. by playing Burgoyne or Rioli at Full Forward during this period. Rough's absence may not be an issue against the lower teams but against most of the top 6-8 next season it could be the difference in a few results.

I want to see grimley get a few more games under his belt this year, cant afford for him to leave the club

 

[Lethality]

Playing players on past glories and not current output I think is our greatest potential weakness, and possibly our coach's biggest weakness as well. Conversely I would like to see the likes of Hartung, woodward, Anderson played more often. Any one of those could fit in the best 22 as a sub at least.

 

[Taskmaster]

Our greatest weakness, will be playing a home game at shittyhad! Apart from that, cant find any..