What are the question marks over your team in 2022?

Nutjob

Premiership Player
Oct 23, 2014
3,075
5,258
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Well you take away your good 30 year olds (Goldy, Hall, Ziebell, Cunnington) and you're being relegated to the VFL.

Take away your oldies and you’re back in under 10’s. At least they don’t score in under 10’s, so you can pretend you’re not s**t.


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Dewyyyyy

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 28, 2020
9,336
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Hawthorn
Wow a player who has stagnated and a player who has never played


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Lol. A top 5 (live pick.)
And a bloke who when he again like others played in a good system (post bye) played well, think he kicked a goal every game for a big period of time after the bye till he got injured in the Pies game and his averages were mid 20s or there abouts with disposals and his contested/clearance game was good.
 

Dewyyyyy

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 28, 2020
9,336
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AFL Club
Hawthorn
Take away your oldies and you’re back in under 10’s. At least they don’t score in under 10’s, so you can pretend you’re not s**t.


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Lol, our "oldies" aren't old, late 20s. Yours are 30+.
 

Nutjob

Premiership Player
Oct 23, 2014
3,075
5,258
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Lol. A top 5 (live pick.)
And a bloke who when he again like others played in a good system (post bye) played well, think he kicked a goal every game for a big period of time after the bye till he got injured in the Pies game and his averages were mid 20s or there abouts with disposals and his contested/clearance game was good.

So out of all that squabbling you have Worpel. Well done, you have one good young prospect who has played a game.


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Really their ladder position flattered them at the end of season. Clearly bottom 4.
Sorry Vinnie, but fact is that Hawthorn defeated 5 top 8 sides, no other side outside of the 8 defeated more than 3, so they were the best performed team against the finalists of all sides who missed finals.
 
It’s okay to have them when you’re contending for a flag. When you’re rebuilding maybe not so good.


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That's a bad take. A list with pure under 25's ends up being as shite as the Suns have been.
 

Dewyyyyy

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 28, 2020
9,336
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AFL Club
Hawthorn
So out of all that squabbling you have Worpel. Well done, you have one good young prospect who has played a game.


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Rofl, i could and will go on.

I'd have Newcombe there think he's super talented and came straight in with no pre season, Bramble showed plenty on a wing, Downie was a 2nd rounder (pretty sure) as a wing option, with MacDonald and Butler also from this draft with Ward. Also have 200cm Nash when he has been a mid has been very good, Maginness who looks like he's ready to explode with his best pre season by far, some of the explosive training he's done to compliment his elite running to go with his contested game, only real issue for him has been his using his running for good, like getting to find the ball more on the outside.

There's some talent in Seamus who is a forward/mid aswell as Ned Long who we got in the Rookie draft who at his size is built like a 25 year old prime midfielder like Cripps already. His running capacity is also very good and has some talent.
 

Dewyyyyy

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 28, 2020
9,336
10,656
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Rofl, i could and will go on.

I'd have Newcombe there think he's super talented and came straight in with no pre season, Bramble showed plenty on a wing, Downie was a 2nd rounder (pretty sure) as a wing option, with MacDonald and Butler also from this draft with Ward. Also have 200cm Nash when he has been a mid has been very good, Maginness who looks like he's ready to explode with his best pre season by far, some of the explosive training he's done to compliment his elite running to go with his contested game, only real issue for him has been his using his running for good, like getting to find the ball more on the outside.

There's some talent in Seamus who is a forward/mid aswell as Ned Long who we got in the Rookie draft who at his size is built like a 25 year old prime midfielder like Cripps already. His running capacity is also very good and has some talent.
There's a few aswell that i'd say will become midfielders in Day/Scrimshaw, scope wise. Too many defenders.
 
Sep 16, 2006
35,834
35,415
AFL Club
West Coast
Basically our concerns are:

We petered out last season due to our game plan being worked out by other teams. Do we have something new in store for this season?
We have average midfield depth, any covid interruptions or injuries in that department means we're in big trouble.
We are mentally weak in regards to hubs etc, if the WA state border opens later than expected we'll be on the road to start the season.

If all goes well I think we're a good show for finishing top 6. But any or all of the above and we'll struggle to even play finals.
 
I would say that's pretty accurate. So are you confident that your midfield is up to it against the best teams?

I would think so. Before you asked that I would've thought our midfield was one of the best in the competition. We definitely have an achilles heel with big bodied midifielders though and we've seen in finals players like Martin, Oliver/Tracc and Danger bullying our midfielders and us having no answer.

We have shown that we can match it amongst the best thought. We were dominating the Dees for the first half the year until the slammed us in the second half through Oliver and Tracc. The Cats absolutely punished us in the prelim and then 6 months later we completely demolished them. We had struggled to contain Dusty for years and then recently we found a way to contain him through the mids and up forward and even won a qualifying final against them playing spectacular footy in the year they ended up winning the flag.

Our midfield lacks speed, size and defensive running, although our A graders have the ability to be dominate when on. What we really need is someone to come in and complement what we have.
Jarrod Berry, injury free and with a full pre season could be a game changer as a defensive midfielder that uses his running ability from the breakaway.
Rayner could be an explosive, strong, big-bodied mid.
Bailey presents as a top level goal scoring mid if he's there full time, who knows?
And in Fagan's own words it's a matter of when not if Starcevich gets tried in the midfield.

I guess the question is what do we do with Neale and Lyons when or if we're getting slammed in the midfield and want to rotate others there? Could say you only need one point of difference so if one is benched in favour of the three mentioned or Clugg then no issues. Does raise an issue with team balance though that two extremely strong mids in Neale and Lyons do not have anything close to a second position in the event we're getting smashed in the midfield. I feel like we've got the troops though. Maybe I'm biased though.
 
Aug 16, 2010
10,050
6,939
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
I would say that's pretty accurate. So are you confident that your midfield is up to it against the best teams?
We’re a team that doesn’t tag which I feel has let us down at times when players like Neale and Zorko are well held we often go head to head against the best teams I felt a major hole was our ruckman but Oscar seems to have improved
 

Dewyyyyy

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 28, 2020
9,336
10,656
AFL Club
Hawthorn
I would think so. Before you asked that I would've thought our midfield was one of the best in the competition. We definitely have an achilles heel with big bodied midifielders though and we've seen in finals players like Martin, Oliver/Tracc and Danger bullying our midfielders and us having no answer.

We have shown that we can match it amongst the best thought. We were dominating the Dees for the first half the year until the slammed us in the second half through Oliver and Tracc. The Cats absolutely punished us in the prelim and then 6 months later we completely demolished them. We had struggled to contain Dusty for years and then recently we found a way to contain him through the mids and up forward and even won a qualifying final against them playing spectacular footy in the year they ended up winning the flag.

Our midfield lacks speed, size and defensive running, although our A graders have the ability to be dominate when on. What we really need is someone to come in and complement what we have.
Jarrod Berry, injury free and with a full pre season could be a game changer as a defensive midfielder that uses his running ability from the breakaway.
Rayner could be an explosive, strong, big-bodied mid.
Bailey presents as a top level goal scoring mid if he's there full time, who knows?
And in Fagan's own words it's a matter of when not if Starcevich gets tried in the midfield.

I guess the question is what do we do with Neale and Lyons when or if we're getting slammed in the midfield and want to rotate others there? Could say you only need one point of difference so if one is benched in favour of the three mentioned or Clugg then no issues. Does raise an issue with team balance though that two extremely strong mids in Neale and Lyons do not have anything close to a second position in the event we're getting smashed in the midfield. I feel like we've got the troops though. Maybe I'm biased though.
Starc is literally your best small defender (lockdown).
 

Kavliaris69

Club Legend
Sep 1, 2011
1,418
1,413
"A Little Left of Heaven"
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Good question.

1. Will Sam Mitchell win over the whole group as the new coach?
2. Will James Scicily regain his best form (top 20 AFL player) after knee injury? (next captain I think)
3. Will Jack Gunston & Jarman Impey come back from injuries and regain their stellar form over last few seasons?
4. Will James Worpel be used more as an inside mid as is his best position? (worried we will lose him)
5. Will Jiath & Day continue to develop into great players as they have showed?
6. Will Lewis, Kozi, Moore and Brockman continue to improve from their good 2021 season? (our fwd line worries me)

I am happy with our defence at the moment with Hartigan and Frost showing plenty in 2021.

Much to ponder but as a developing team there are always many questions with no answer. I guess
we will know after the first several games.
 
Sep 9, 2008
34,901
52,815
adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
1. Hinkleys strategic ability as a coach.

Yeah he’s loved by the players. He’s a good people person. Strategically though he’s a bit slow to make changes, ignores obvious issues (out of stubbornness or who knows why?) and is often out coached by his opponent.

2. The health of butters and rozee.

Port has the makings of a gun midfield but the one thing we struggle with is a lack of x-factor mids who can single handedly turn a stoppage / clearance into a damaging possession by themselves.

Butters and Rozee have that skill.

But last season butters got wrecked and Rozee was battling a foot injury.

Their health is super important to us.

3. What is our best spine?

Last year with the addition of Alir, who had a great year we found ourselves with 4 genuine quality key defenders in Jonas, Alir McKenzie and clurey. When clurey’s jaw got smashed McKenzie came in and clurey couldn’t get back in.

I’m not sure Hinkley knows who the best mix is back there. McKenzie was too good to be sitting out. But once clurey went out our back structure was a little more lost and Alir a little less settled without clurey playing the goalkeeper deep role. we also added Sam Skinner after he had an excellent year in the sanfl after finally staying healthy. Not just who is our best back 3, but who will work best as a group? I don’t know and if Hinkley doesn’t know we will be unsettled during the year.

And then up forward. Dixon Georgiades and Marshall all established themselves last year and all three worked very well together (104 goals was one of if not the best returns from 3 kfs in the league). Because of their mobility and Ladhams own skill set we also played a second ruck.

Now Ladhams is gone and we’ve brought finlayson in.

what will our forward line look like? Will we play a second ruck? Does finlayson play with the 3 kfs we established last year and does that work or do we only pick 3 of Dixon , Georgiades, Marshall and finlayson?
do we play 2 rucks or just lycett + backups?

4. What does Hinkley do with our group of half backs

we’ve got Dbj, Houston, burton, Bonner, jones, Bergman, Frederick, Sam mayes and Josh Sinn who can all go back through there. The first 6 names are all easily first 22.

Houston has been trialled up the ground, and looked excellent there, but he’s best in the back half I think. Burton is a must pick. Dbj was all-aus a year ago.

that leaves Bergman, Bonner jones and sinn fighting for a spot on the bench. Bergman showed a lot as a wingman as well. Bonner had some excellent games. We will have injuries no doubt, but it’s hard to know what Hinkley will do with this group.

he will be tempted to move some of them around but I think some should be left as half backs.

5. Boaks anti-aging serum.

When is the year that the deal boak made with the devil to not age expire? This year? Next year?

I doubt it will be a sudden drop off to be honest which is the only way it would hurt us. I think it is happening slowly. Wines already took the reins from him last year.

6. Dbj’s form

Went from an all-aus player to a regular average player last year. Looked like he bought into his own hype. Was frustrating as all hell.

Will he recapture his form or continue on?

7. small forwards and Fantasia’s health

port has a lot of creative forwards. Mids types who can be creative in the forward line.

gray, butters, rozee and motlop. Amon Farrell and mayes Spp chipped in at times. Fantasia is really the only genuine small forward but port can get goals out of those mids / forwards types well enough.

While our 3 key forwards finished with 104 goals for the year our 3 highest scoring smalls (Fantasia, gray and rozee) finished with 69 goals.

that’s an okay number, but gray is going on 34 and held together by hopes and dreams, rozee will need to spend more time in the midfield, and Fantasia is still injury prone.

the drop off in small forwards from that group to the next is massive. If gray wrestlewith Father Time, butters and rozee spend more time in the midfield, motlop shouldn’t be best 22 anymore then who are our small forwards we can count on to kick multiple goals?

Fantasia desperately needs to stay on the park in that case cause our small forward line is going to be hobbled together out of mids like Sam mayes and Sam Powell Pepper.

The great white hope for us is Dylan Williams, who has all the skill in the world but still gets out of breath tying his shoelaces.

8. wines form.

players and teams will come after the Brownlow winner. Can he retain his form with all the attention?

I think so. His workrate and contested style don’t really lend itself to him getting tagged out. I think he will be fine but is certainly something to watch early in the season.

9. which one of our juniors will be the one to explode?

We’ve got too many young players on the cusp. Bunch of them coming up on 50 games or thereabouts.

One of them will go bang this year.

10. Marshall’s development

he’s a quality young kid who’s had the hardest start to a career any young player has ever had (both parents passed away, at separate times, in his first 2 years at the club).

drafted as a string bean kf he’s struggled to put a lot of size on but last year at least found some strength.

At one stage early in the season the stats had him rated as the 2nd best key forward in the league before he dropped away a bit. Has had consistent small niggles and unlucky injuries the last couple of years.

Needs to get stronger, though not bulk up as his strength is his mobility but core strength is important, stay fit and get some confidence.

lacks in confidence at times, knows he is there to support rather than be the star. At some stage need to tear a game apart for confidence.

last season he was a good component of the team as a chf who worked up the ground and back, did the team things, and played a role. Is a freakish kf in that his ground ball ability, skill, vision and field kicking are freakishly elite for any player much less a bloke that’s 198cm tall.

Having said that 2022 is a very important year for Todd and there is some questions.

With the addition of finlayson who does Hinkley like as our key forwards? What structure do we employ and how do we use those players? Can Marshall hold his spot in the team?

And will Marshall lift another level and demand the ball more, hold more of those aerial contests and improve on the 24 goal return?

He’s not a player who can afford to stagnate.

it’s really important for life after Dixon that Georgiades and Marshall continue to develop.

11. Drew’s emergence

established himself as one of, if not the premiere defensive mid in the game.

2nd in the league for tackles

43rd for clearances

as a 23 year old.

he’s 190cm with a long wingspan, and has the best defensive instincts I can remember seeing. Has shown he can make x-factor defensive plays during a game, getting tackles when you think a player has gone. Diving onto and getting a hand to a ball a player is about to take away that he had no right to get to. Getting deflections on handballs in and around contests like he’s a nba hall of fame defender protecting the lanes.

Can he take that, and also become more dangerous when we have the ball?

12. Ruck depth and the debut of Sam Hayes.

We traded out the exciting Ladhams last year and the reason the club did so is they rate Sam Hayes. He’s been tearing senior rucks in the sanfl apart for a while now. We only have lycett and Hayes now so I expect we will see Hayes play, and port fans will be watching closely.

For those of you not familiar Sam is 205cms with longer arms and regularly gets well above his opponents at the centre bounce. Is a high quality tap ruck who has the potential to be the best. Was lacking in fitness but that looks to have been addressed. Real old school tap ruck and gobble up marks around the ground type.

13. Amons form.

Was a slow burn who was on the outside of the 22 for much of his career and last year established himself as a very damaging midfielder who made the all-aus squad. Can he maintain that form or even possibly go to another level.

His workrate kept lifting as the year went on. With his athleticism and ball use if he gets a lot of the ball he will tear the comp a new one.
 
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Starc is literally your best small defender (lockdown).

Yes but we what he can offer as a midfielder needs to be explored. We have a very decent small lockdown defender in Noah Answerth who's having a full pre-season and should be fit again which gives us some flexibility with Starce.
 

VinnieB

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 28, 2021
6,121
8,867
AFL Club
Collingwood
Rofl, i could and will go on.

I'd have Newcombe there think he's super talented and came straight in with no pre season, Bramble showed plenty on a wing, Downie was a 2nd rounder (pretty sure) as a wing option, with MacDonald and Butler also from this draft with Ward. Also have 200cm Nash when he has been a mid has been very good, Maginness who looks like he's ready to explode with his best pre season by far, some of the explosive training he's done to compliment his elite running to go with his contested game, only real issue for him has been his using his running for good, like getting to find the ball more on the outside.

There's some talent in Seamus who is a forward/mid aswell as Ned Long who we got in the Rookie draft who at his size is built like a 25 year old prime midfielder like Cripps already. His running capacity is also very good and has some talent.
Oh dear…..wow!
You’re just playing with us right?
 

Nutjob

Premiership Player
Oct 23, 2014
3,075
5,258
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Rofl, i could and will go on.

I'd have Newcombe there think he's super talented and came straight in with no pre season, Bramble showed plenty on a wing, Downie was a 2nd rounder (pretty sure) as a wing option, with MacDonald and Butler also from this draft with Ward. Also have 200cm Nash when he has been a mid has been very good, Maginness who looks like he's ready to explode with his best pre season by far, some of the explosive training he's done to compliment his elite running to go with his contested game, only real issue for him has been his using his running for good, like getting to find the ball more on the outside.

There's some talent in Seamus who is a forward/mid aswell as Ned Long who we got in the Rookie draft who at his size is built like a 25 year old prime midfielder like Cripps already. His running capacity is also very good and has some talent.

More disappointing than I first thought.


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Nutjob

Premiership Player
Oct 23, 2014
3,075
5,258
AFL Club
North Melbourne
That's a bad take. A list with pure under 25's ends up being as sh*te as the Suns have been.

I agree a team needs a spread in age demographic. It’s a bit of a worry though when you’re a bottom side and most of your best players are over 25.


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BIGHAWK23

Club Legend
Nov 7, 2019
2,337
6,776
AFL Club
Hawthorn
I agree a team needs a spread in age demographic. It’s a bit of a worry though when you’re a bottom side and most of your best players are over 25.


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We havent been committed to a rebuild for as long as north (this isnt a shot), would be normal then to not have our best players being young yet most of our best/most promising from last year would be 22 and under (Jiath, Kosi, Worpel, Moore, Brockman, Newcombe, Day,DGB) where you hope they come on and become those pillars
 
I agree a team needs a spread in age demographic. It’s a bit of a worry though when you’re a bottom side and most of your best players are over 25.


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Like, on the very bottom?
 
Jul 26, 2007
31,920
33,100
Darwin
AFL Club
West Coast
It’s like you are replying to someone elses posts.

More like its like posters attempt to twist my words into something else entirely because they don't like dealing in reality.

I've made my view pretty clear. Hawks looks like a bottom four side in 2022 and will be fighting it out with the Pies for the spoon. Will take some time for the kids to come good and for Mitchell to settle into being the main coach and implement his game plan.

Maybe when school holidays are over the standard of posting will improve.

I won't hold my breath on that.:)
 

Nutjob

Premiership Player
Oct 23, 2014
3,075
5,258
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Like, on the very bottom?

Sometimes you need to take a step back to go 2 steps forward. I hope for your sake Mitchell doesn’t roll out with a midfield mainly consisting of Mitchell, O’meara, Wingard, McEvoy. You will probably finish higher than North, but you will be further away from a premiership.


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