Autopsy 2025 Preliminary Final: Hawks get rolled

[Ned Ryerson]

Lost it in the coaches box. Bad game from Sammy

Will be a much better team with Worps, CJ and Lewis out of this team next year.

Quality input you miserable campaigner.

 

[beside the seaside]

Was at the game. It was a cracking contest. You had them rattled early on. I thought the decision against Gunston was a huge moment, definitely shouldn't have been a free. Also thought your players looked really tired in the second half. It got so cold at half time, must have dropped about 8 degrees, that seemed to suit their big bodies- Danger/Smith/Holmes the difference. Gunston was superb... Really gutsy effort to fight it out and still have a sniff late. Bad luck but a great finals campaign.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Not my intent to troll. But that was an an insane game tonight. You guys were incredible. Look forward to future games

We were decent but our midfield were poor unfortunately, kick our wounds get some good additions at the trade table and go again next year with a much deeper more talented mix.

 

[KOLOKOTRONIS]

We were in it throughout, however when it mattered we couldn’t pull off the brilliance. Too many goals in a row have haunted us this season. GWS was an early sign. Last week proved to be our grand final for many players.

CJ’s last game for the club I think. Was a good servant but lacks awareness and brilliance to make a difference

Day needs monitoring week in week out in 25-26. A massive inclusion.

Merrett would be a huge inclusion if he a deal is struck. Essendon will make it excruciating.

Dear needs a full preseason following a disappointed 2025 for him.

Weddle to break and be the koutafides we need.

The hawks are ahead of schedule with much needed experience the past three matches.

Our season is a huge which was looking a big at the beginning of the fourth v GWS.

If we can stay consistent in 2026 and not go to sleep for long periods in matches we make the grand final as an absolute minimum.

Desperately hoping Geelong remain stuck on four flags since 2000, however I can’t see how Collingwood or Brisbane can win.

They are by far the best team in 2025

KOLOKOTRONIS

 

[Hodgey 15]

85 points as a losing score and pushing Cats out to a score over 100 points to win in a preliminary ain't a half bad effort either.

 

[Hawksboy72]

Big question is .... is this our 2011 or 2001?

2001

 

[SA HAWK]

2001

I think this team is better than 2001.

Don’t see us trading 2 kpp’s for pick 1 this year.

And Sam is a far better coach than Schwab.

 

[StackedHunch]

I think this team is better than 2001.

Don’t see us trading 2 kpp’s for pick 1 this year.

And Sam is a far better coach than Schwab.

2001 we arsed our way to a prelim through a lot of good fortune. This year we scrapped our way to a prelim despite a pretty shit hand. There are no brilliant teams in the comp right now, and even playing badly we have been competitive. If we can finally get good mids, we will dominate.

 

[almuz]

Ok ok one more play on the man rather than the ball:

I hate that the whole Cat’s team are all lookalike surfer NPCs, stop spawning in boring zero personality George Horlin Smith regens

 

[S Lawrence]

Go easy and please no injuries Sat Pies and Lions, need you cherry ripe for next week

 

[brew]

Enjoyable season… I hope we are close to success.

But Geelong have owned us for a decade.. when are we going to step up?

Always the same story.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

It would be really interesting to see our centre bounce differential with Day in the team versus out. Last year centre bounce clearance was pur strength. It completely deserted us tonight.

You only have to go back to the Adelaide game and how we went with him there. Looked the most balanced we had been all year.

 

[SA HAWK]

Enjoyable season… I hope we are close to success.

But Geelong have owned us for a decade.. when are we going to step up?

Always the same story.

Tbh they have basically owned us since 2008.

They were the last team i wanted us to play based off of our w-l record.

 

[StackedHunch]

Enjoyable season… I hope we are close to success.

But Geelong have owned us for a decade.. when are we going to step up?

Always the same story.

Won't be with Day in. They've been kissed on the deek by the draw, by the umps, and with injury. Let's go and acquire some big names like they do, and we'll easily surpass them (and it's hard to see how they win without their ageing stars anyway).

Depressing night, but Geelong were definitely been handed a several goal start

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

The one opportunity that does open itself up now is that of Geelong getting their hearts crushed in the grand final. Squandering a 3/4 time lead or something along those lines. Those losses scar you for decades. I don't know if its just me but I don't feel all that torn up about this one. I feel like tomorrow and into next week ill be well over it. Brisbane will be a much more formidable opponent for them than we were tonight. I suspect they'll beat Collingwood so we desperately need Brisbane to win. All is not lost

I wasnt even upset when you knew they were going to win. I felt they were the better team beforehand and all last night did was confirm it in my mind. Would have cut deeper if we were the better team IMO.

 

[Elhawko]

I'm disappointed but not devastated. The cats are an extraordinary outfit and to beat them you have to be really really good. They were rested and had not one injury; we had our best player out and had travelled for our last three games, all against top sides. The game panned out pretty much to script - we jumped them as you might expect a team that has been playing more to do, they negated most of our match winners as we knew they would and dragged themselves back into the match through their class and power, and then we just couldn't sustain the effort and they eased away. I thought we did at least as well against them as the Lions did.

I'm really proud of our effort in 2025. We lost the very player we couldn't afford to for most of the year, we had a series of other injuries early in the season that kept disrupting us, and our two key forwards were both unavailable until too late and were rusty and underdone when they finally did return. We basically bedded in a new back line, then had to patch up our midfield when Day, then Worple and then McKenzie got hurt, and then had to redesign our forward line all in the one year. It was like tuning the car while we were trying to drive it. But we scrapped out game after game and were neck and neck with the likely premier until half way through a preliminary final. Cant be disappointed with the effort.

Our backline is solid but I'd like to see another smaller running defender come into the mix. We know we need a-grade mids and hopefully we will secure those this off season. I think Lewis was encouraging tonight and hopefully Calsher comes back bigger and better next year and if so our forward line should be among the better attacks out there.

I think we need to prioritise role players who can shut down opposition stars, but Sam doesn't seem to think that way. I just think a bottom six player isn't likely to have a lot of weapons but if they are tough and disciplined then they can negate weapons for the other team. When you looked at this game in the lead up it seemed really apparent that with Finn unavailable we don't have anyone with the physical profile to stop Danger, Holmes or Smith and so it turned out.

Anyway, let's hope a few egos were stung tonight and the boys spend the off season determined to make amends. We're not far off it. I think the desire is there.

And surely, surely, next year the Cats get the draw from Hell and maybe even lose a star or two to injury!!

 

[brew]

Won't be with Day in. They've been kissed on the deek by the draw, by the umps, and with injury. Let's go and acquire some big names like they do, and we'll easily surpass them (and it's hard to see how they win without their ageing stars anyway).

Depressing night, but Geelong were definitely been handed a several goal start

I hope your right…

But 20points up… Stuart goes off and the wheels fall off for us?

Make it make sense!

 

[StackedHunch]

I hope your right…

But 20points up… Stuart goes off and the wheels fall off for us?

Make it make sense!

Yeah, they had the depth, for sure. Having goals literally stolen like the Gunston one, doesn't help.

 

[Off The Couch]

 

[Jaeger007]

Cats too tough in the end

First quarter we should have been more in front.

After quarter time they dominated clearances & we had too many broken tackles. Got killed in transition

Our midfield is Newcombe or bust

Need reinforcements to compete with likes of Geelong & Brisbane.

Unfortunately we were 0/4 across the year against both

 

[SSSSSS]

You only have to go back to the Adelaide game and how we went with him there. Looked the most balanced we had been all year.

Day was the #1 centre bounce clearance differential player in 2024. He's so important for us.

 

[SA HAWK]

Day was the #1 centre bounce clearance differential player in 2024. He's so important for us.

Last player we coukd afford to lose probably cost us a top 4 spot from there who knows what happens.

 

[StackedHunch]

Last player we coukd afford to lose probably cost us a top 4 spot from there who knows what happens.

We probably would have won tonight with him in. We just don't lose centre bounces easily with him playing. And Geelong couldn't properly tag him and Nuke, even if that's their main strength.

 

[Harper_Hawk]

Very proud of our 2025 season. Got over some demons with our away finals wins.
Scott knew exactly where our achilles heal was and he went for it. 20 to 5 centre clearances tells the story. He shut Newcombe down and that was the game.

Going to and watching Hawks v Geelong games for me feels like a certain level of sadomasochism. Hard to explain but others will get what I mean.

 

[seysearles]

Sadly you aint going to win many games with those numbers. I guess on the plus side, there is no ambiguity about what needs to be addressed in the trade and draft period.