Autopsy Round 10, 2025: Suns get it done against plucky Hawks

[Buzz Hawk]

We’re definitely a contender and there was a lot to like about last night.
The difference was we were smashed in the clearances. Our midfield without Day is very blue collar and we lack that edge in class he brings, when he is not around.
He and Mitch Lewis are the keys for us to go to the next level. We need them back fit and firing.
Oh and please only rest Gunners for the ‘lesser’ games/teams.
Umpiring was ok, not really a factor, although I am still scratching my head over the late scrimmers free.

 

[Lickmesocks]

That's the part that bothers me. Sure be upset with your own issues with the club or some of the individuals. But to just cut off all your teammates who thought they were on good terms with him when he retired then nothing.

Hodgey was the skipper during a period that Cyril and others have mentioned.

Hodgey was very tight with Clarko.

It would not be easy for Cyril to stay in contact with a lot of these guys.

 

[Lickmesocks]

I think even with Day fully fit and firing we need one more, I think the club knows it and that is why we are not signing Worpel yet

100% correct. If there is any small sniff at all of a Butters, Reid or even a rejuvenated Petracca you must do everything possible to add one of these.

 

[Lickmesocks]

Connor Mac is just a liability at the moment- looked like he was labouring at certain points, if he’s injured we just need to rest him but if not he needs to get dropped for a week to find some form in the VFL.
If Ginnivan can be dropped - don’t see why he can’t…

Yep CMAC is in the gun for sure.

So many of our players are down on last season, but this is all part of the journey.

 

[Buckemenico]

Great effort by boys.
The difference was how the Suns could roll out of the front of the centre bounces. Other than that, I think we were better and more even across the ground. They have a terrific midfield with Anderson, Rowell and Miller who are conditioned and dragged them over the line. Jai was outstanding and should get at least 1 Brownlow vote for that game. I actually feel confident we can be top 4 after that game.

 

[Mercy Seat]

Montagna will be getting a please explain from Hawthorn this week, there’s a reason he is disliked by most footballers outside st Kilda

Sorry
Noodle
Morrison
Finn

Ain’t up to it, effort is there, but there are better players

I have no idea what to do with Sicily

Lol, it doesn’t matter how well Morrison plays, some of you can’t take the blinders off. He was great last night.

 

[CobberRodgers]

100% correct. If there is any small sniff at all of a Butters, Reid or even a rejuvenated Petracca you must do everything possible to add one of these.

This.

 

[Lickmesocks]

A fully fit Day we would have beaten the Cats and Suns tonight and possibly won the flag last year. He is an elite talent! Ward and Mackenzie are beginning to emerge and obviously someone like Reid would be the icing on the cake!

Super important player to us. I don’t believe we will see much of him in the middle again for the Hawks due the smashing his body has taken. We can turn him into the best winger/flanker in the league and at the same time give him a chance to play 150 games for the club.

 

[CobberRodgers]

Lol, it doesn’t matter how well Morrison plays, some of you can’t take the blinders off. He was great last night.

I’m a Morrison basher but he’s certainly not the worst bloke having a crack out there atm.

In saying that, if we genuinely want to win a flag, names like Morrison aren’t on the team sheet.

We have a good system and some great players, we are lacking a genuine game breaking superstar though. Landing one would elevate a few others imo.

 

[swampy]

Well, skills were the difference in my opinion. We bobbled the first touch so consistently, especially in the first quarter, while GCS were far cleaner on first touch.

We seem to have been fumbly all year, to the point that I’ve wanted to smuggle a can of stick-um into the MCG and hand it to a player over the fence. I think how far we go this year is entirely dependent on how sticky the boys’ hands get. It’s killing flow and undermining the whole game plan.

Interesting, I actually thought we were much cleaner in handling the ball last night than we have been recently, especially given greasy conditions. We were slightly messy with our kicking game going inside 50 in the first half, but fixed this right up in 2H.

In the end our stoppage setup cost us, they got multiple goals from having a loose ahead of the ball for an uncontested I50 which are really tough to defend.

 

[BIGHAWK23]

Lol, it doesn’t matter how well Morrison plays, some of you can’t take the blinders off. He was great last night.

Speaking of blinders, went at 50% in the first quarter, 65% overall

"But Morrison was great"

He was a liability with ball in hand last night

 

[CobberRodgers]

Interesting, I actually thought we were much cleaner in handling the ball last night than we have been recently, especially given greasy conditions. We were slightly messy with our kicking game going inside 50 in the first half, but fixed this right up in 2H.

In the end our stoppage setup cost us, they got multiple goals from having a loose ahead of the ball for an uncontested I50 which are really tough to defend.

Agree with this, pretty much sums it up for me.

Despite losing, I feel a lot better this morning than I have after any of the last 5 games.

 

[Ka Norkers]

selectors have made a rod for their own back here, perhaps drinking a little of their own bath water.
Surely you rest Meek against the Demons, not GCS, whoever played was going to lose that anyway
Surely Dear has to show even a little bit at BHH before he gets selected. Now what? play him again against the best side coming off four games where he has done virtually nothing? Of course he's going to be great, but talk about throwing a lad to the wolves (and Lions next week)
Playing Weddle, our most capable aerobic beast, at FF to start the match was questionable to say the least, when he went back his running power turned the match, alas we'd already accumulated too large a debt, and spent the petrol tickets in the third quarter.

Sam has had an immense last two seasons, but surely this is his low point thus far.

 

[Lickmesocks]

I would like to be in the coach’s box to understand why Noble was just allowed to roam free for the night and have 36 and 1000 metres gained.

Was his opponent pushed up the ground to help with an extra number around the ball while we were getting smashed in clearances?

Would love to know the reasoning why nobody went near him for the night.

 

[The hands of stone]

What is the story here - which mate are we talking about.

Mates with Robert Harvey

Has had a very different narrative towards us prior to and after Harvs leaving ( being overelooked for Sam )

 

[TylerDurden]

They kicked 5 in the last. As much as it hurts to say, they ran the game out better than us.

There was one centre bounce in the last that was a momentum killer. Moore pounces on the loose ball, loses his feet, and can't lock it in. They clear it and kick a goal from it. Killed us.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

They kicked 5 in the last. As much as it hurts to say, they ran the game out better than us.

There was one centre bounce in the last that was a momentum killer. Moore pounces on the loose ball, loses his feet, and can't lock it in. They clear it and kick a goal from it. Killed us.

Game of inches mate. Moorey handballed out of the pack and it ricocheted off a Suns players shin back towards another Sun, rather than out to our runner.

We didn’t take our chances in the last, we finished on equal inside 50’s, after being behind in them most of the night.

We lost it in the middle, I would say and that was to be expected. They were +9 centre clearances.

There was an 8% differential in disposal efficiency across the ground too. That’s game most weeks.

 

[TONYC3163]

CMac needs a run at BH.

 

[Ripper Rioli]

I think we will look at this game in hindsight either positively or negatively pending out next month, or even next fortnight.

If we drop our next 2 weeks, we will think of it as a missed opportunity. Win our next 2 and we think it will be a loss we expected to have!

Mids got smashed, it would be very good to have one more A grade midfielder, but I am more confident now than I was after any other game that we are a top 4 side.
Competition for spots next week is going to be huge with Impey, Meek, Gunston and Nash all available for selection. Concerned with CMacs form, had high hopes for him this year. Would like to see him at a few CBAs, but looks devoid of confidence at the moment.

Bring on the Bears next week!

 

[hardway]

Sicily has definitely lost at least 5 metres on the length of his kicks. He must be carrying an injury besides the drop in form. We need him kicking over and through zones to get us to be a serious contender.

 

[smeltitdeltit]

Cool

If you watched that game and thought he was our third best player

There's bigger issues at play

So it’s clear Mitch will drop him then?

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Speaking of blinders, went at 50% in the first quarter, 65% overall

"But Morrison was great"

He was a liability with ball in hand last night

DE% last night - Moore 64%, Worpel 60%, D’Ambrosio 58%, Newcombe 69%, Weddle 68%. For the Suns, Noble was going at 63%. Presuming all those players were liabilities with ball in hand last night also?

Cherry picking stats is fine but from the eye test Morrison wasn’t a stand out last night nor was he lowering his colours. He got the job done as he usually does.

 

[scrim reaper]

It sounds too obvious to even bother mentioning but Will Day changes this game entirely. When the ball gets walked out the of stoppages and you have someone who:

• Is willing to stand on the defensive side of the stoppage
• Can still win his own ball
• Clean hands and breakaway ability from said stoppage
• Can dish and take tackles to reset and stop clean oppo exits

It changes everything entirely. Newcombe can't do it himself and Worpel is workmanlike, you can win a flag with him in your midfield mix but he can't be your second best mid, and possibly not your third.

Mackenzie just aerobic ability away from really asserting himself. Ward will make it I am absolutely convinced.

All that said, I'll bookend with another obvious statement, Harley is in fact the right move for us. He is the point of difference, and I hope we are leaving no stone unturned in that pursuit.

Newcombe, Day, Reid, Mackenzie, Ward is the mix.

I still think we can win the flag this year.

 

[SSSSSS]

Speaking of blinders, went at 50% in the first quarter, 65% overall

"But Morrison was great"

He was a liability with ball in hand last night

He was significantly better than Mass (ball in hand and in general) but I don't see anyone calling for his head.

Morrison had a decent game. He had a few howlers but who didn't in the first quarter. Had a couple of good defensive efforts and surprisingly had the (equal) second most contested marks for the game.

 

[jenniferHAWKinS]

Sicily has definitely lost at least 5 metres on the length of his kicks. He must be carrying an injury besides the drop in form. We need him kicking over and through zones to get us to be a serious contender.

He has a groin injury