A successor to the 2025 thread who will be better in 2026? I personally think Geelong because they have star power on every line and the perfect mix of youth/experience. List management is like a matrix very difficult to get/maintain the right balance of youth/experience and Geelong do it better than anyone also their coach is also top notch and arguably the best in the business. Hawthorn are workmanlike with not a lot of star power hence throwing the kitchen sink at Zach Merrett but they are very well coached and Mitchell is a ruthless operator they should finish top 8 but Geelong are shoe ins for top 4 imo.
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Who will be better in 2026? Geelong or Hawthorn.
- Thread starter LeBronco
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Crankyhawk
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Subbed for the upcoming shit fight
though I agree Geelong to do better, they have managed to regenerate on the run very effectively
and I think worpel will be worth more than you paid for him
though I agree Geelong to do better, they have managed to regenerate on the run very effectively
and I think worpel will be worth more than you paid for him
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- Oct 3, 2008
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Hopefully Hawthorn but Geelong are always good.
Strapping Young Lad
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- Apr 19, 2006
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Made me chuckle.
- Nov 1, 2021
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I mean, it's true, isn't it? I believe they are a well run team with a very good coach and many players who execute their roles well. He did say "not a lot of star power", not that you had no stars. That's not to say you don't have plenty of youth capable of becoming stars either.
Strapping Young Lad
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No.
Newcombe, Sicily, Day, Gunston, Battle Barrass, Weddle, Watson, Moore all widely regarded as stars and most have been in AA or AA squad, then others like Amon, Impey, Meek, Hardwick, Scrimshaw all unheralded, but certainly excellent players in their positions.
To say Hawthorn lack star power while also claiming that Geelong have stars on every line, to me is a bit absurd, and is either downplaying the talent on the Hawthorn list or overplaying the ‘well coached/role players’ belief.
- Nov 1, 2021
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Fair enough, I guess it depends on your interpretation of a "star" I certainly wouldn't suggest Parish a star simply because he has an AA blazer.
Kane McGoodwin
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- May 21, 2001
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Only 2 Victorian teams I'm confident will finish in the traditional top 8.
Honestly line ball & depend on injuries.
Eg. If Day stays fit, makes a big difference to the Hawks. His fitness may be the difference between who finishes higher.
Honestly line ball & depend on injuries.
Eg. If Day stays fit, makes a big difference to the Hawks. His fitness may be the difference between who finishes higher.
- May 20, 2014
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I think we have managed our list pretty well to avoid a cliff, at least a cliff in the sense of North, Richmond, West Coast which is how I would define it. A lot of the team is not even that old now.
Under 30 team:
B: O'Connor (28) De Koning (24) J.Henry (27)
HB: Z.Guthrie (27) O'Sullivan (20) Humphries (22)
C: Holmes (23) Smith (24) Dempsey (22)
HF: Miers (26) xxxxx Mannagh (28)
F: Stengle (27) Neale (23) Close (27)
R: xxxxx xxxxx Worpel (26)
I: Mullin (25) Bowes (27) O.Henry (23) Bruhn (23) Clark (21)
Our biggest problem is the 3 gaps in that team are our point of difference players in Dangerfield, Blicavs and Cameron.
Short pre season and tough fixture, can definitely see us having a dip next year if we get a bad run with injuries.
A dip wouldn't be that bad for us either IMO. Grab a top 10 pick for a gun midfielder / key forward prospect plus another top 30 kid before Tassie come in.
Then we are a good free agent or two from being in a good medium term position.
More like 4 years. Our rebuild started the day Clarkson was sacked
Only a short time ago, we were voted the weakest list in the AFL. The response was to make a Semi then a Prelim in consecutive years.
I think 2019 is when things started turning over a fair bit, with a focus on the draft. Some good young players were picked up in 2016 for a longer term view, but obviously the idea at that stage was to keep contending as well. 6 years after 2019 they did make a prelim and so should be expected to take further steps in the next few seasons.
Geelong continue the odd gravity defying feat until they don't, I guess.
Yeah my Geelong comment was a bit tongue in cheek, with our supposed cliff arriving each year.
Still, nothing lasts forever and grand final day showed us what sort of team we are with no impact from Cameron, Stewart (inj), Danger or Blicavs. We need a decent ruck, rebounding back flanker, key forward and midfielder from some route over the next few years. Obviously improvement and development of others in the meantime is also needed.
- Nov 12, 2014
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Hardwick is a star, should be pretty obvious to most people after watching him in the finals. That's what SYL took issue with. The underrating of players who do the job week in and week out because there elite at their role. We have more players than Geelong do that are on the cusp so to speak IMO, more depth across the board too.
- Nov 12, 2014
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Very reasonable post
.
- Feb 12, 2017
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We have big Jimmy now.
Hawthorn by the length of 20 Flemington straights
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There goes our 5 frees against per game (either directly, or because he's put his teammate under significant pressure)We have big Jimmy now.
Of corse, those disastrous fend offs will suddenly be frees for him, and his teammates wont have to correct his mess, so he will look like a different player
- Feb 12, 2017
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That was a typo!
Strapping Young Lad
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- Apr 19, 2006
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That’s because Parish had maybe one or two good years and has done nothing since.
Try and tell me Gunston, Barrass, Battle, Moore and Sicily arent routinely spoken about as stars of the game.
- Jul 16, 2013
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All depends on Day for me once finals starts.
If he is fit I go Hawks.
If not I go Cats.
If he is fit I go Hawks.
If not I go Cats.
