Preview Round 10, 2025: Melbourne v Hawthorn, 4:15pm Sat 16th May MCG

[TylerDurden]

Chol will return and Dear should be available also for Adelaide. Our forward line should be back to it's best setup. I think we will have concerns for Thilthorpe although Scrim I think plays better as a key back.

Chol this week?

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Many teams seem to have their eyes on Hawthorn.

Is this because we're the bigwigs of the last 60-70 years?

Were not even a clear cut top 4 side yet, interesting that the coaches think we are and rate us as a big scalp.

 

[badgrill]

Chol this week?

for Crows

 

[Briseis1]

I reckon Dimma is a good match up for Kosi. As good as any.

How so, Kosi plays as a midfielder.

 

[Briseis1]

Both Dear and Chol were listed as 1 - 2 weeks last week. Gunston not ruled out. Surely one of them gets up.

Tom Morris says the club is confident Gunners gets up, I can't confirm that though. Dear and Chol are chances, especially with the 9 day break going into the next match, but the last I heard is they are more unlikely than likely. We may know more today.

 

[Briseis1]

I recon noodle Reeves got a bit thrown off by the Perth trip, different conditions to what he was used to and inturn gets torched by Jackson. Backing him in for a big response this week on he's home deck to beat gawn! Carn noodle!

Gawn has been playing 2nd ruck the last couple of weeks. Still damaging down the line and up forward. He could hurt us with no TB.

 

[Atch]

Gawn has been playing 2nd ruck the last couple of weeks. Still damaging down the line and up forward. He could hurt us with no TB.

Unfortunately wouldn't be the first time.

 

[HoldingThe Ball]

Hill still doesn't have the AFL tank.

If Sam wants more run and spread - he's putting Dalton back in.

Well suited to the MCG and has already worked with the first team during an actual AFL game twice already.

Just because we didn't debut anyone last season doesn't mean we have to debut 10 people this season.

Dalton is next man in, unless Sam wants Harry back.

Barrass - Scrim

Nash - Dalton

Butler, Moore, Watson and C-Mac have extra CBA

It's a wait on Gunston.

 

[GinniAndTonic]

Hill still doesn't have the AFL tank.

If Sam wants more run and spread - he's putting Dalton back in.

Well suited to the MCG and has already worked with the first team during an actual AFL game twice already.

Just because we didn't debut anyone last season doesn't mean we have to debut 10 people this season.

Dalton is next man in, unless Sam wants Harry back.

Barrass - Scrim

Nash - Dalton

Butler, Moore, Watson and C-Mac have extra CBA

It's a wait on Gunston.

If the coaches don't think Hill has an AFL tank then why has he been emergency twice already this year?

Dalton wasn't even an emergency last week.

 

[BigTonkaTroy]

Hill still doesn't have the AFL tank.

Why do people keep saying this when it’s not true at all. He’s done 2 pre seasons with hawthorn and however many pre seasons at the Melbourne storm who are very known to do high intensity pre season training. He clearly has the tank for AFL. And he’s been the emergency a few times which would mean the coaches even think he has the tank already for AFL.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Why do people keep saying this when it’s not true at all. He’s done 2 pre seasons with hawthorn and however many pre seasons at the Melbourne storm who are very known to do high intensity pre season training. He clearly has the tank for AFL. And he’s been the emergency a few times which would mean the coaches even think he has the tank already for AFL.

Hill does have endurance issues, but he is working on it. It is not as pronounced this year

 

[TylerDurden]

To be fair, Dalton couldn't get involved at all in the GC game.

 

[Walshawk]

The one in the 60’s? 1961

You can’t say “since the 50’s” because you have to win in that decade

He is right, the last decade we didn’t win a flag was the 1950s. So, we haven’t had a decade without a flag since the 1950s.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Tom Morris says the club is confident Gunners gets up, I can't confirm that though. Dear and Chol are chances, especially with the 9 day break going into the next match, but the last I heard is they are more unlikely than likely. We may know more today.

If the club is confident Uncle Jack will get up it would seem at worst he will just miss one game which is a relief.

Hopefully he gets up as I reckon he could have a field day again at the Dees defenders at the MCG, he will have acres of space to lead into.

 

[Manila_Hawk]

As silly as it seems, we need to switch and go to the side of the ground where Max Gawn

11

Max Gawn

Age

34

Ht

209cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

7.4

3star

HB

6.7

4star

CL

2.8

4star

HO

35.3

5star

D

18.5

4star

K

11.5

4star

HB

7.0

4star

CL

3.5

4star

HO

29.2

5star

D

8.4

3star

K

3.6

2star

HB

4.8

4star

CL

1.0

3star

HO

15.6

5star

isn't.

Avoid him at all costs.

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

For all those who criticise him, one thing Nash can do reliably is play 75% TOG. MacKenzie is already stretching to get to 70%. The rucks are barely passing 50% each. It's not as much of an issue every week but as we saw with TB's injury, it's a risk - when every other player has to pick up 5% TOG it puts everyone beyond their comfort level and into fatigue.

For those wanting Nairn and Hill in - as much as their abilities and highlights suggest they are AFL players in the future - neither are running out VFL games yet - would be 50-60% TOG players at AFL. You could possibly add one but need a seriously fit runner - just to maintain last week's level.

For all their shortcomings, Morrison can play >80% TOG and Finn could probably play 101%. Dalton is an endurance beast - it's not fitness limiting his TOG at AFL. HH might be a plodder, but he seems to plod along for 90% of gametime without too many issues.

 

[kazzooka]

However, I'd suggest playing Finn in a non-tagging role messes up our gameplan and structures even more - case in point being his 'contribution' I referred to in the Pies game.

Edit: If we don't want to tag, that's fine - but then, ffs, don't play Finn!

OR Play Finn as a ball winning clearance midfielder like he does in VFL and that we need at AFL Level.

OR Make sure Finn is playing the HFF Role well at VFL Level before expecting him to play a different role at AFL Level.

Same as Ramsden playing Ruck/Fwd, and then all of a sudden he's apparently not a ruckman at all and is a key forward replacing Dear? I think perhaps only 2-3 times in the last 2 years has he played purely forward at VFL Level.

 

[BigTonkaTroy]

OR Play Finn as a ball winning clearance midfielder like he does in VFL and that we need at AFL Level.

He isn’t good enough to play as a ball winning clearance player at AFL hence why he doesn’t play it at AFL.

 

[kazzooka]

Ill say it again but every team bar st kinda sees us as the grand final! Even Richmond turn into a competitive outfit for two and a half quarters against us! Collingwood played their gf against us, then looked what happened, they got smashed by cats! They had nothing left!

Collingwood had 5 more scoring shots vs Geelong than against us for 6 less goals on the scoreboard.

Additionally i'm really tired of the "they played their grand final against us" coming up every week. it's nonsense.

 

[kazzooka]

Imagine The Wiz gets going and Mitchell clears out the 50 for him.

I liked in 2024 against North I think we cleared the f50 and Dylan moore played FF leading out of the square. Might get him back and firing again.

 

[kazzooka]

Why do people keep saying this when it’s not true at all. He’s done 2 pre seasons with hawthorn and however many pre seasons at the Melbourne storm who are very known to do high intensity pre season training. He clearly has the tank for AFL. And he’s been the emergency a few times which would mean the coaches even think he has the tank already for AFL.

From watching VFL he seems to be far far better than last year covering the ground and running out games. He's also been going into the midfield a bit for the odd centre bounce and looking like a prime Burgoyne in there too.

If we want him playing forward and a little less gametime than he does at VFL Level he can absolutely run out the game at AFL Level.

 

[kazzooka]

He isn’t good enough to play as a ball winning clearance player at AFL hence why he doesn’t play it at AFL.

There's no evidence of this as he has NEVER had that opportunity. Even when tagging Clayton Oliver or Nick Daicos he would start outside the square first.

And if it is the case, we shouldn't play him in that role at VFL Level and put someone in there that has AFL prospects. We reward his performance as an inside mid in the VFL with a HFF role at AFL.

There is evidence that he isn't good enough as a HFF at AFL Level. Heck he may not even be good enough for that role at VFL Level.

However, as a Tagger there is evidence that he is absolutely AFL Level, AND perhaps one of the best in the AFL at it.

So he should play as a tagger, OR play in the role that he's earning promotion in. Not a role he doesn't do at VFL and has been very inconsistent in at AFL Level.

 

[BigTonkaTroy]

From watching VFL he seems to be far far better than last year covering the ground and running out games. He's also been going into the midfield a bit for the odd centre bounce and looking like a prime Burgoyne in there too.

If we want him playing forward and a little less gametime than he does at VFL Level he can absolutely run out the game at AFL Level.

He got another pre season under his belt so he’s got more fitness has shown this year with the uptick in disposals and playing higher up the ground like you said. People think he would come in and immediately play 95% TOG I think a lot of people would be surprised about how much TOG% some of our players actually spend.

He’d probably come in and play 60% maybe even 75% TOG if he played all his minutes forward.

 

[TylerDurden]

Sounds like Dear is available.

And they're giving Gunner every chance. It's on the very minor side.

 

[BobHawk]

Nash's strength is well, his strength. Its his defensive game and he is a bit of a tackling machine. Finn coming in as a replacement is a no brainer unless Sam is thinking differently. If we boil it down it shows how important Conor is to the team purely for the fact that he adds muscle in the middle.