Are the Hawks back?

[CharlieG]

Or are St Kilda, Essendon and Richmond gone? A few weeks ago I asked if the Hawks were finished, and the consensus was yes. Now, to argue that the Hawks can't make the eight would be to say the same thing about those three clubs... meaning that the eight would be set in stone. So... can we safely say that Hawthorn are back in contention?

 

[Becker]

Well, the Hawks play Western Bulldogs next week and would be expected to win. This would put them at 7-7, and a real chance for the eight.
The bonus is the Hawks have beaten 5 of the current top 8 teams which would indicate they would be competitive in the finals should they make it.

 

[dave_27]

Hawks still have to play 4 top sides in Brisbane away, Port home, West Coast away and Sydney away though which will probably end their run.

 

[X_box_X]

Hawthorn is a weird team to understand. It went loss, win, loss, win, etc, for the first seven rounds. Then it has currently started another pattern. It lost four games in a row (rounds seven to ten), and then has currently started a three game win streak. That will probably mean the ****s will beat us next week. Although, I give us a decent chance of winning at the MCG.

But in answer to your question, Charlie, no, I don’t think Hawthorn will make it. It’s far too inconsistent and a team who loses more than three games in a row for a season shouldn’t really be classed as a good team. I recall Hawthorn playing weird “pattern” Football last year, too. A series of wins followed by a series of losses.

10th sounds about right for Hawthorn. Two years in a row.

 

[HIG]

Any way you look at it, we've had a barry crocker of a year so far.

Given our draw it would be difficult to predict that we would make the finals. Having said that IF we do, it will be more than deserved and due to the current (unfair IMO) finals system we could have a pretty good run come September.

 

[pete_hawker]

hawkers!

In my opinion, the Hawks are back, they've played their best footy in the last three games, and thats been:
Without Barker, Hodge, Lekkas, Lonie for the Adelaide game.
Without Brown, Hodge, Lonie for the Collingwood match.
And Without Brown, Everitt for Fremantle's match.
Hawthorn have also had the following players out for all three matches, and all these players played as first team players last year:
Nathan Thompson, Daniel Harford, Kingsley Hunter (from the WB), and Luke McCabe.
Hawthorn has a great bunch of young players coming through, and playing well. The likes of Osborne, Mitchell, Kane, Ladson, Bateman and Brown all are starting to push for selection week after week. These players have taken over the young players from the last couple of years that have fallen back, or had injury problems. Glenn Bowyer, Steven Greene and Brett Johnson.
Also Nick Ries, Tim Clarke, Nick Stone and Mark Williams have played a bit for the Hawks without setting the world on fire. Though Clarke has played a few good games.
To think that they (the media) could say that Hawthorn didn't have the right coach, captain or coaching staff, is a load of bull ****. Schwabys done a great job as coach, as has Crawf as captain. And if they brought in a new coach it would just unsettle the team not make it better, just look and what Schwab has done. He came to the club in 2000 after Ken Judge left for West Coast, after another shocking season (finshed 9 or 10, should of done way better), took the team to the finals in his first year, then to the prelimary final the next year, to loose in a close one.

For sur the Hawks are back, they have the right players and coaching staff to get to the finals again, and make a serious chalenge!

CARN THE HAWKS!!

 

[PrideOf]

No

 

[Falchoon]

Originally posted by Becker
Well, the Hawks play Western Bulldogs next week and would be expected to win.

That is normally their undoing. Win the hard ones, lose the easy ones.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Originally posted by Falchoon
That is normally their undoing. Win the hard ones, lose the easy ones.

Exactly. We have lost Geelong, St Kilda, Melbourne and Richmond. The Doggies have to win sometime.

We still have to travel to Brisbane, Sydney and Perth and play Port Adelaide again.

I can't see us making the finals at this stage.

 

[tige19]

If the Hawks can back it up against the Bulldogs they are deffiently back on the scene for a finals spot.
If they can go into games against teams like Brisbane and Port with some confidence there is no reason why the Hawks cant compete at there level, however i still believe that we need a nw coach and another well noted onballer before we can even consider being a top 4 side.
cheers

 

[cjwalkley]

The Hawks still lack the quality in and under players to be rated more than an 8-12th placed side this year. Some of their younger players (Hodge, Bateman and Osborne) really look the goods, but players like Cox, Clarke etc. wouldn't get a game at a top club and are still their downfall.

 

[TD]

Originally posted by cjwalkley
The Hawks still lack the quality in and under players to be rated more than an 8-12th placed side this year. Some of their younger players (Hodge, Bateman and Osborne) really look the goods, but players like Cox, Clarke etc. wouldn't get a game at a top club and are still their downfall.

I think Mitchell may fill this void.....will be a very good footballer that bloke.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Originally posted by cjwalkley
The Hawks still lack the quality in and under players to be rated more than an 8-12th placed side this year. Some of their younger players (Hodge, Bateman and Osborne) really look the goods, but players like Cox, Clarke etc. wouldn't get a game at a top club and are still their downfall.

Yes, I agree with TD, Mitchell, and to a lessor extent Ries will fill that gap. Our weakness is a crumbing forward, a pacy outside midfielder (Simon Cox has the skills put not the pace) - and our brains.

 

[Pevers-Legend]

Back where?? To being a middle of the road side. yes.

 

[MarkT]

Back to what?

 

[CharlieG]

To finals contention.

 

[The Scarecrow]

I wouldn't worry about that until they beat a team like Brisbane, then you could probably say that.

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by CharlieG
To finals contention.

I sort of figured that. It's the concept of back I'm struggling with. They were in finals contrention in 2001 but "back"?

 

[The Hitman]

Nah, we'll still miss the finals.

The Hitman

 

[superstar]

We're back playing good footy, but the season ended with that disgraceful start.

We won't make the finals.