Preview 2017: how do we bounce back?

[10571z]

To be fair you were a missed kick off a prelim. Bring in Omera, Mitchell and Vickery.. I would expect to see Hawks fighting for a flag again.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Try and find KE% and metres gained, that's the best way to judge. I can hit 15 mtr chips after a kick to myself from a behind, I think what's stood out is his indecisiveness this year and composure under pressure.

90% of his possessions are uncontested, his DE% needs to be ellite otherwise he shouldn't be playing.

Same amount of uncontested possessions as the year prior when no-one was inexplicably calling for his head. Again - prior to Stratton going down our defence was utterly vital to us being on top of the ladder. Birchall was a huge part of that. Up until the Melbourne game we were conceding less points per game than last year despite our midfield leaking more than a colander. The spotlight has come on Birchall because he played one poor and one below average final. He's far from cooked. Take him out of our side next year and we'll regret it pretty quickly.

Doc makes more fundamental errors down back but I don't see the wolves coming for him.

 

[Hawkflag]

I'm pretty optimistic about 2017

Burton has a full year
Whitecross has a full year
O'Meara has a full year
Mitchell has a full year
Shoenmakers has a full year CHF
O'Brian has a full year FF
Brand has a full year at CHB

That's 7 players that will be regulars and make a massive impact to our chances. We are in the middle of a mini rebuild!

Add to that full preseasons (and a proper holiday) for the veterens, then I reckon we spring back!

Chins ups! We need a rest from all these exhausting grand finals! The veterns get one last massive crack at in 2017!

 

[tige19]

Same amount of uncontested possessions as the year prior when no-one was inexplicably calling for his head. Again - prior to Stratton going down our defence was utterly vital to us being on top of the ladder. Birchall was a huge part of that. Up until the Melbourne game we were conceding less points per game than last year despite our midfield leaking more than a colander. The spotlight has come on Birchall because he played one poor and one below average final. He's far from cooked. Take him out of our side next year and we'll regret it pretty quickly.

Doc makes more fundamental errors down back but I don't see the wolves coming for him.

Would love Birch to bounce back, he'd be shattered with how he performed tonight. He has looked a step off it this year, but to be fair our whole side has.

Stratts had a shocker to

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Would love Birch to bounce back, he'd be shattered with how he performed tonight. He has looked a step off it this year, but to be fair our whole side has.

Stratts had a shocker to

See that's an objective opinion so I can cop that. I just can't abide people retiring off a 28 year old, 4 time premiership player off the back of a few bad games. It's like how Frawley had a great season then had a howler against West Coast and people write him off instantly.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

The writing off of Birchall can't help but remind me of the knives that came out for Roughy after the 2012 GF, suggesting he change position or that he was cooked. Looking forward to Birchall proving the doubters wrong in a similar manner.

 

[jr4jane2004]

this reminds me of the era
..88-89 most... thought we were done...we pinched 91..gonna be some tough calls...in the next few weeks....if were to get back to the top we need to get access to more top talent and find a new game plan...gws and doggies have contested and fast flowing game...with big forwards as targets...there halfbacks are also quick to move in transition...how do we beat that. Look at crows..number 1 player leaves the club...but theyve got a gameplan thats were drilled that even their avg players contribute....i think we have more talent tham them...

 

[Taskmaster]

As much as people want to retire blokes and move others on, the biggest thing that hurt us this year was the loss of Rough. He left a massive massive hole.

Tough decisions will need to be made though.

 

[Ranj Sri Lanka]

Hard call but Gibbo ,hodge and birch are cooked

Yes time we make the hard call. Also you surely can not go without a quality full forward who can take a mark and convert for a whole year and win a premiership. Any FF going around?

 

[crazywildhorse]

this reminds me of the era
..88-89 most... thought we were done...we pinched 91..gonna be some tough calls...in the next few weeks....if were to get back to the top we need to get access to more top talent and find a new game plan...gws and doggies have contested and fast flowing game...with big forwards as targets...there halfbacks are also quick to move in transition...how do we beat that. Look at crows..number 1 player leaves the club...but theyve got a gameplan thats were drilled that even their avg players contribute....i think we have more talent tham them...

Adelaide have an unbelievable forward line at the moment, hacking it inside 50 is all that is required.

As far as our side goes, I'm of the opinion that the cue goes in the rack now, and we fashion another one. This group look cooked and said players are really still a couple of years off.

 

[coxy149]

Gotta make some tough calls.
One more year with vets to make another hard push.
Must get O'Meara, not a huge fan of Vickery but he is needed, if hawks could somehow work out how to get in tom mitchell that would be amazing. Even targeting a player like wells for a year or two, would more than make up for potentially losing hill and hartung.
Trade bait include Langford, hartung, hill, shoenmakers and obrein
Other trade targets to consider witts, McKenzie, vardy, Brandon ahchee, O'Shea, lyons, should all be looked at.
Also heard a rumour that the hawks could have a look at morabito, wouldn't be a bad option if the hawks medics thought they could get him right!

 

[JohnZ]

You guys will be back next year. Just look at everyone writing us off in '11 and bradburying in against a weakened collingwood side. Bring in O'Meara, Mitchell, get roughy back in that forward line, another year into sizzle and co. and you guys will be top 4 again

 

[WWSD]

Big pre-seasons will be needed from Burton, Sicily, O'Rourke, Hartung, O'Brien, Brand, Howe, etc.

One thing that's sorely lacking is not enough pace coming off half back.

The idea of sending Isaac Smith for example to the half back flank for next season isn't a bad one. Elevate Kade Stewart onto the senior list and have him and Hartung occupying the two wing spots.

O'Meara and Tom Mitchell will significantly improve our starting midfield as well as the contested possession and clearance work and it will mean a less emphasis and reliance on the senior players having to do the bulk of the work around the stoppages.

The forward-line needs a tweak with a lead-up center half forward to free up Gunston, and a genuine full forward who can crash packs and take contested marks.

How Graham Wright and Clarkson go about shaping the list during this off-season will have a big say in where we'll finish in 2017.

 

[Hawthorn23]

A few people have mentioned this about Birch, I think people reckon he is cooked because he isn't gaining as many metres as he has before. Something I've definitely noticed is that he hasn't had many opportunities of recent to dash out of backline with the ball at high speed. Definitely don't think he is cooked though, the club needs to find more ways to get him loose.

Edit: Just looking at his metres gained average stat, it has dropped from 386m in 2014, to 329m in 2015 and this year 305m. Pretty substantial

 

[tige19]

A few people have mentioned this about Birch, I think people reckon he is cooked because he isn't gaining as many metres as he has before. Something I've definitely noticed is that he hasn't had many opportunities of recent to dash out of backline with the ball at high speed. Definitely don't think he is cooked though, the club needs to find more ways to get him loose.

Edit: Just looking at his metres gained average stat, it has dropped from 386m in 2014, to 329m in 2015 and this year 305m. Pretty substantial

This is what I said earlier if you had seen it about Birch. His meters gained looked in 2016 was far less than previous years, this means use of the footy is done from a standing start or a quick kick out of trouble. The dash isn't there, it could a role change, it could be the dynamics of our side, it could be that we are more conservative or it could be he has regressed a little.

I'd like to see that attacking flair come back and that link up run, it was noticeably down this year.

 

[A Diakos]

we get meara mitchell vickery this year, we keep orourke…we get 2 big free agents next year ala Fyfe and a defender

 

[threesixpio]

Based on this season we need to address the following areas:

1. Contested ball- O'Meara and Mitchell will help (assuming we get them) along with Shiels and a few younger guys.

2. Run and carry off half back- Birchall hasn't been himself this year and has been injured a lot the past few years. Duryea is a decent kick but doesn't provide much run. Gibbo is usually a great user of the ball but again doesn't have the speed and Stratton is a lock down defender. Not sure how we address this one given our current personnel unless someone like Smith plays off a half bank flank but that reduces our midfield speed significantly.

3. Forward line- the structure has been rubbish all year. Again, tonight we had Gunston roaming up the ground and Rioli as our "tall target." Roughie may never make it back (and his health should be his only concern) so we need a significant overhaul of our game style that plays to the strengths of guys like Gunston, Rioli and Bruest who are not pack marking forwards (other than the occasion specie from Cyril).

This

 

[tige19]

This

Agree, post was spot on mate

 

[Mappa]

I'm hearing Chris Fagan is a big chance to head to Brisbane. That would be a big blow

 

[kazzooka]

Hate to say it but i agree. Birch has just dropped off dramtically. So sad.

Perhaps it's that without Suckling the pressure came back to him.

 

[kazzooka]

Need two outside midfielders- hill and Hartung gone. Lack of quality placers with pace was a killer this year.
Need another key defender- brand, heatherley and litherland are 2-3 years away
Need a key forward- vickery will come but he is not the answer- Ryan Shoenmakers has 2 kicks and 0 marks tonight. Shameful.
Need a ruck- McEvoy is like a glacier. Watch the way Jordan Roughead plays. You need to be able to move. The ruck is a huge issue heading into next season.
Next season- Lovell, Stewart, brand, litherland, heatherley, burton all need to play 15+ games.

Brand and heatherly will be 10 years away if we keep recruiting players to play in front of them. Either delist thhem now ir back them in for the next 2 years and let them improve. The reason guys like Bont, Dalhouse, Daniel, etc.. Are so good is cause they got AFL experience early.

We were getting smashed in 2002 and 2003 but we kept playing Mitchell and Hodge. Sure they were playing great but they had flaws and had we put them in the twos they would never have made it.
Our young players need games next year and important roles. Put O'rourke on the ball all game and let him be the main mid for a but. He'll never get there if he plays 5 games a year iff the bench and on a flank.

 

[MadDawg]

I'm hearing Chris Fagan is a big chance to head to Brisbane. That would be a big blow

...for Fagan

 

[Ned Ryerson]

The lack of Brand re-signing news fills me with dread as each day passes.

 

[grumbleguts]

Put Ryan Burton in the centre, where he is only 90m from the back line and 90 m from the goal square, he can be our forward line and our backline, and put Jaeger O'Meara on the wing so he has someone to high five when he scores.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Put Ryan Burton in the centre, where he is only 90m from the back line and 90 m from the goal square, he can be our forward line and our backline, and put Jaeger O'Meara on the wing so he has someone to high five when he scores.

Sadly this makes more sense than most posts here.