Autopsy 2026 Opening Round – GWS Giants vs Hawthorn, Saturday 7 March, 4.15pm, ENGIE Stadium

[Maximus 2011]

These guys are roughly on the clock pretty much every weekend and most days during the week. They get about six weeks break at the end of the season before having to show up again, and they'll be expected to keep themselves in shape over that period too. The AFLPA are fine - they wanted an extension to be optional, it is, people don't need to show up.

The commentary around it is doubly wrong though - the young players (years 1-4) are mandated to show up from day 1. It's the more senior players that get two weeks of optional offseason who decided to forgo it.

For me and Kane for that matter it's not about training loads it is more about the access to the players for coaches. Imagine getting put in charge of a very young list and trying to implement all your ideology, systems and game style only for the players to never be there over summer.

Such an advantage for the older well drilled teams who are established and have played together for close to a decade now (Geelong, Collingwood, Brisbane) and such a disadvantage for teams like Richmond, West Coast and to a certain extent Melbourne now.

On the physical side of things let's be honest here. Are player more or less likely to be in top condition if they are training by themselves as opposed with the whole list together and coaches watching over them guiding them and pulling them up on standards?

 

[Orange Agent]

Our older players have been coming back earlier for a few years now so it's not relevant to this year's injuries and the guys Clarry named as being such hard trainers has always been the case, new players to the club have always said this. The issue with the AFLPA break is the season keeps getting extended with extra byes, October GF, split Opening round and Rd 1 and now Origin, preseason is becoming shorter all the time. To get a solid base training phase and then progress to build to be ready for Rd 1 is becoming difficult with the time available. Its a definite question whether players are overdoing it before they come back or whether our program wasn't quite right.

 

[dlanod]

For me and Kane for that matter it's not about training loads it is more about the access to the players for coaches. Imagine getting put in charge of a very young list and trying to implement all your ideology, systems and game style only for the players to never be there over summer.

Such an advantage for the older well drilled teams who are established and have played together for close to a decade now (Geelong, Collingwood, Brisbane) and such a disadvantage for teams like Richmond, West Coast and to a certain extent Melbourne now.

That hypothetical very young list does not have an optional component to their offseason.

 

[Giant Gutsache]

Free kick count 13-21 against.
Didn’t look too obviously one way at the ground, other than Hawthorn players seeming to be given forever to dispose of the ball when tackled.

Giants tackling was first class.

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

One player that will never get the accolades, but who I find becoming increasingly important, is Ryan Angwin.

As regular readers of this forum will be aware, I have in the past been slightly critical of Angwin and his playing ability, as well as the club for re-signing him and the match committee for picking him.

But I am prepared to admit the back half of last year and in the game on the weekend he has significantly improved and now deserves his spot.

An interesting thing I noticed is that he doesn't play on either the left or right wing. He plays on the near wing.

All four quarters, regardless of which way we were running, he lined up on this side (interchange) of the field.

 

[Orange crush]

Free kick count 13-21 against.
Didn’t look too obviously one way at the ground, other than Hawthorn players seeming to be given forever to dispose of the ball when tackled.

Giants tackling was first class.

Most of that occurred in the last quarter …. Think it was 7-0 to the hoks until the final couple of minutes

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Free kick count 13-21 against.
Didn’t look too obviously one way at the ground, other than Hawthorn players seeming to be given forever to dispose of the ball when tackled.

Giants tackling was first class.

Early in the first it was 6-1 to us so the turn around after that was 20-7 and I thought it was pretty obvious watching it live that the 2nd half was almost exclusively Hawks.

It was the inconsistency that does my head in. They clearly got away with stuff we got pinged for and it was blatant at times.

 

[Giant YoYo]

Crowd was 16,157, our 15th biggest ever home crowd. As expected lower than the capacity crowds that the Opening Rounds vs Collingwood drew, but nonetheless excellent attendance given the forecast bad weather. Noteworthy that it was our highest ever home and away crowd vs Hawthorn (albeit not counting the Elimination Final last year that drew a crowd of more than 20k).

Would have been interested to see what the crowd would've been had the forecast not been severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, flash flooding and large hail.

It was raining in parts of Sydney after I left home around 2pm as I was watching the radar on my way in.

If 5-10% decided to call it quits as a result of the weather that's still fairly significant.

10% deciding not to come is 1,616 for a total of 17,773..ahh, guess we'll never know.

Incredibly relieved the rain help off for the most part except for some some drops here and there.

 

[MelbourneGWS]

Would have been interested to see what the crowd would've been had the forecast not been severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, flash flooding and large hail.

It was raining in parts of Sydney after I left home around 2pm as I was watching the radar on my way in.

If 5-10% decided to call it quits as a result of the weather that's still fairly significant.

10% deciding not to come is 1,616 for a total of 17,773..ahh, guess we'll never know.

For what it’s worth it was our highest home crowd, apart from our derbies with Sydney Swans or the Opening Round Collingwood matches or finals. A crowd of 15k at Engie will also always beat any attendance at our Manuka home ground. A good attendance outcome.

 

[Adam Giant]

Coaches votes are in. Kingers and Sam Mitchell very aligned.

 

[Draft Bored]

Did your B team play a VFL preseason game against anyone? If so is there a match report anywhere?

 

[Orange crush]

Did your B team play a VFL preseason game against anyone? If so is there a match report anywhere?

Played the Hawks on Saturday at engie

 

[Giant Strides]

Did your B team play a VFL preseason game against anyone? If so is there a match report anywhere?

No, it was meant to be versus Swans after the AFL preseason game, but was washed out.