Autopsy 2025 Preliminary Final: Hawks get rolled

[Bedi]

Yeah so did we how did it matter last night?, Lions and Cats are the 2 best sides Adelaide were pretenders.

So by that logic Hawthorn are pretenders too this year. Or anyone who doesnt win the flag for that matter. And you'd be right, but regardless, being minor premiers from 14th last year is a fair effort.

 

[QuietB]

Trying to explain to numpties on the main board who think it's only 1 player wouldn't have made a difference and than you point to examples of him dominating and the flow on effect it has and they still don't get it some of them.

Take Danger out of last nights game

 

[LindaCrescent]

So we hear all this talk about a player missing GF because he was unfortunately concussed...is it safe to assume there will be equal discussion around a player who misses finals via 3 weeks joke of a suspension

 

[Hawkk]

So by that logic Hawthorn are pretenders too this year. Or anyone who doesnt win the flag for that matter. And you'd be right, but regardless, being minor premiers from 14th last year is a fair effort.

Not sure I follow that at all. We were 8 goals up in that game with about 10 minutes left. The Giants game was easily our best of the season though. That's a top 10 HFC finals win ever in my books given the quality of that team. The Crom? Not so much…

If you want to see how fried the Pies truly are rewatch the Pies v Dees games (both KB and Round 23). They actually went over the cliff sometime around the Suns / Freo game about three months ago.

 

[Elhawko]

Trying to explain to numpties on the main board who think it's only 1 player wouldn't have made a difference and than you point to examples of him dominating and the flow on effect it has and they still don't get it some of them.

I don't think having Day would have meant we would win last night but it would make it a closer game, for sure. But it was his long term absence that cost us in close games during the season. Those losses cost us top four and that really did hurt us.

Anyway, they won, we lost. We move on. Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping it will kill your enemies as they say. Best way to put this behind us is to get better than them. In fact it's the only way! Let's just hope that day is coming soon.

 

[50metres]

Wiz to half back is never again territory.

All week they spoke about Geelongs two taggers. Surely we could’ve used Watson to run his tagger into Nukes tagger?

Or run Watson into Danger or run Watson thru Meeks legs?

 

[almuz]

Has anyone checked on Stewart?

Hope he is okay! Good honest fair clean player!

 

[DearJai]

This is what Geelong do to everybody, at what point do teams turn the tables on them. Holmes and Smith were tagged by the Saints early in the year and it paid dividends. Holmes had his worst game all year. When Mitch said at the presser we will just worry about what we will do and I felt this is the type of game that approach wasn't going to work.

If we were as fresh as they were, they weren't stopping us.

You get a feel for what a final between us and them will look like next year should we make top 4, by looking at our first quarter right through to the 10 minute mark of the second or thereabouts.

It was us pressuring them, them turning it over as they all ran forward like they do, and then us very carefully whipping the ball through what players they had defensive side of the ball, or making sure to avoid their talls in the air on the slow build ups, and getting shots at goal.

We did as we liked, and they couldn't stop it.

We did it to GWS and Adelaide. But unfortunately that week 1 final was just too brutal. I don't think many of our key players from the GWS game had recovered properly even by the Crows game.

Newcombe and Impey were flattish in the second half in Adelaide, though Newk obviously started very well.

But Geelong were up to play, and we couldn't sustain our game like we had in week 1. I think Gary Lyon mentioned it with 8 mins to go in the second when we were still 15 points in front and ostensibly in control, but had noticeably started to fade.

Yet we were still only ten points down around half way through the 3rd. Was pinching myself watching it.

I'm happy they tagged the guys they did. It's more ammunition for learning wha's going to happen against them in finals.

IMO this same side coming off a rest will beat Geelong, with the addition of a fit Day and Calsher, even if we don't get another A-grade mid.

Improvement from Ward and probably Mackenzie, Weddle, Wiz, Calsher and one of the listed Box Hill players will be enough.

 

[The hands of stone]

Has anyone checked on Stewart?

Hope he is okay! Good honest fair clean player!

Dion Prestia ( and a few others ) dislike the last comment .

 

[The hands of stone]

Tbh I'm pretty much done with Cats v Hawks games. For all the media hype about the rivalry it is the most predictable game in football. We really need to turn the table on them and actually win an Easter Monday fixture for once…

I love it . Great for the club/team .
It fell away during that period we were very ordinary (Clarkos last 4-5 years ) , but we are closing the gap in the last 18 months and its back imo.

Its a beauty and we will get our turn over the next period of time

 

[OnTheRocks]

Potting young players is a dick move.

He's probably moved plenty of dick

 

[Gaston]

Has anyone checked on Stewart?

Hope he is okay! Good honest fair clean player!

I believe Prestia has sent him flowers.

 

[TONYC3163]

Take Danger out of last nights game

Still Lose

 

[Nugett]

I love it . Great for the club/team .
It fell away during that period we were very ordinary (Clarkos last 4-5 years ) , but we are closing the gap in the last 18 months and its back imo.

Its a beauty and we will get our turn over the next period of time

What I’m learning about this current team, is that for the most part they hate losing. I think the team will bounce back. For the best part of 2 decades, our measuring stick has been Geelong. When ever we have been able to beat Geelong we have normally won the premiership, except for a couple of abnormalities.

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

Don't think we tried chipping the ball around much at all. Would have taken the heat out of Geelong's momentum at times

 

[Atch]

Don't think we tried chipping the ball around much at all. Would have taken the heat out of Geelong's momentum at times

Need to develop plan b and C and adjust accordingly to in game situations.

 

[cyrilsez]

Take Danger out of last nights game

Great idea.
Should have gotten Chol onto it.

 

[Sturty]

Midfield copped a spanking
Being at the game, Geeflop just kept driving it out of stoppages too easy
Onto next year!

 

[Sizzlesilk]

He's a defensive player, that the coach has used across halfback/wing when subbed on, to release others up the ground.

Yep.. and his defensive actions are poor.
Doesnt stick a tackle.
Corrals rather than pressures the ball carrier.
Gave up brain fade free kicks.
To even suggest he has a defensive bone in his body is laughable.

Id have taken & accepted “he comes on to release another player”…

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Yep.. and his defensive actions are poor.
Doesnt stick a tackle.
Corrals rather than pressures the ball carrier.
Gave up brain fade free kicks.
To even suggest he has a defensive bone in his body is laughable.

Id have taken & accepted “he comes on to release another player”…

Come on mate, you’re better than this.

He’s had plenty of good games as a defender, and even played well as sub this year.

 

[Newmo89]

Six Points: Geelong Cats, Preliminary Final 2025

Talking Hawks · Episode

bit.ly

Talking Hawks 6 points podcast

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

You get a feel for what a final between us and them will look like next year should we make top 4, by looking at our first quarter right through to the 10 minute mark of the second or thereabouts.

It was us pressuring them, them turning it over as they all ran forward like they do, and then us very carefully whipping the ball through what players they had defensive side of the ball, or making sure to avoid their talls in the air on the slow build ups, and getting shots at goal.

We did as we liked, and they couldn't stop it.

Until they changed their game plan and we didn't. They crowded and pressured our players preventing us from moving the ball amongst our players. When that happened you could see when a player took possession of the ball and looked up, there was no one ahead of him. It was either a quick kick, that was easily intercepted or they got caught. We didn't seem to have an alternate game plan to counter it.

 

[StackedHunch]

Respectfully disagree. Days injury prone and cannot be relied on anymore to be the one that takes us to premiership glory until he can put back to back seasons together of 20+ games. We all know how impactful he is, but 76 games across six seasons which is an average of 12.5 per season isn’t going to cut it. We saw what happened last night, and as good as day is, he isn’t going to create 5 goals per game, especially in a prelim. The midfields where the ball is won, meek won the hit outs yet we got smashed in clearances. Outside of Nuke, Nash isn’t going to dominate clearances, worpel is gone and wards still a long way off from consistency dominating games, that’s if he ever does. So realistically, A grade wise, Nuke is there, and who else outside of Day? If we don’t bring in ready made players to complete our midfield, we will get repeats of last night.

You're right that we can't rely on him to put together the consistent games. Respectfully, I don't think you're right to suggest we still would have lost without him. We would have won more games with him this year with him playing, and been top four, probably top of the ladder. Wouldn't have had an exhausted team in the second half. Also, even with our tough finals route, he would have tilted the midfield a lot. Dangerfield wouldn't have dominated if he'd played.

Anyway, now all hypotheticals. We do need Merrett, Petracca would be handy too, as yes, who knows if Day will ever be reliably in, given even when his body has held up, he's had cursed luck (like when that pig from Richmond threw Nuke into him, and Christian didn't care enough to investigate him).

 

[StackedHunch]

If we were as fresh as they were, they weren't stopping us.

You get a feel for what a final between us and them will look like next year should we make top 4, by looking at our first quarter right through to the 10 minute mark of the second or thereabouts.

It was us pressuring them, them turning it over as they all ran forward like they do, and then us very carefully whipping the ball through what players they had defensive side of the ball, or making sure to avoid their talls in the air on the slow build ups, and getting shots at goal.

We did as we liked, and they couldn't stop it.

We did it to GWS and Adelaide. But unfortunately that week 1 final was just too brutal. I don't think many of our key players from the GWS game had recovered properly even by the Crows game.

Newcombe and Impey were flattish in the second half in Adelaide, though Newk obviously started very well.

But Geelong were up to play, and we couldn't sustain our game like we had in week 1. I think Gary Lyon mentioned it with 8 mins to go in the second when we were still 15 points in front and ostensibly in control, but had noticeably started to fade.

Yet we were still only ten points down around half way through the 3rd. Was pinching myself watching it.

I'm happy they tagged the guys they did. It's more ammunition for learning wha's going to happen against them in finals.

IMO this same side coming off a rest will beat Geelong, with the addition of a fit Day and Calsher, even if we don't get another A-grade mid.

Improvement from Ward and probably Mackenzie, Weddle, Wiz, Calsher and one of the listed Box Hill players will be enough.

Good comment. Mr Meow how about replying to the post if you disagree, rather than stalking our board in your GF week like a little b*tch?

 

[Baz_hawk]

At the game the free against Gunston in the second quarter looked incredibly soft. Watched the replay just before and it was even worse than I thought. All the outrage over the non free to Elliott last night and how it swung momentum but absolute silence on what was a howler is interesting. Didn't help that the two main commentators on fox are one eyed cats supporters so didn't say anything about it.

Butlers mark went about 20m a few minutes later and followed up with about 3 10m kicks by Geelong that all got paid marks was infuriating from the stands. The lack of consistency is the biggest issue the game has from the umpiring side of things.

Didn't really impact the result but geez it would have been nice to go into half time with a couple of extra goals on the board and likely a small lead.