Preview Geelong V Hawks Mon Apr1 2024 @MCG 320pm

[4quarter_cat]

No way- Stanley was influential in those finals, and the combo of Hawkins, Cameron, Blicavs and Stanley was excellent overall.

Agreed, and it was one of the flexibilities that made us hard to beat in 2022. Along with the legions of players we had shuffling through the midfield. It is clear from our recruiting that it is the type of general profile we want to keep on our list, long into the future.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I honestly thought they just got sick of his s**t and told blitz take over, he was only allowed to ruck in the back half because he was really bad.

If you had a ruckman that was a liability, you wouldn't ruck them in the back half because of the threat of conceding scores from stoppage

 

[4quarter_cat]

But back to Mondays game. Has anyone else seen the article on the afl app about how truely aweful the Hawks midfield has been this year so far. If they can't turn that around this week against our undermanned group then I sense a comfortable win on the horizon.

 

[Vdubs]

I will be furious! What a wasted opportunity that would be

Can say that about all losses BEFORE the event, but it comes down to "when you play them and not who you're playing" this week in particular.
Hawks all over the media, fired up, good MF, arch rival team Geelong, we are depleted with Danger and Guthrie out...can never underestimate Danger's importance to our team, and our first 2 games verifies that this year.
Understandably we are favourites, but this game in 2022 should remind us that anything is possible in this comp, and that was our flag year, admittedly before we had momentum.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

But back to Mondays game. Has anyone else seen the article on the afl app about how truely aweful the Hawks midfield has been this year so far. If they can't turn that around this week against our undermanned group then I sense a comfortable win on the horizon.

There's 2 data points in that data set, one came against the dees midfield.

They're a good midfield out of form coming up against a midfield doing its best with players missing. The midfield battle I don't think will be a strength for us

 

[D BRIDGE]

I’m a tad unsure why people on here seem to rate the Hawks midfield.

Looks very ordinary to me.

Newcombe obviously is a good player but apart from him it looks a ordinary imo.

Day being out doesn’t help that midfield.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I’m a tad unsure why people on here seem to rate the Hawks midfield.

Looks very ordinary to me.

Newcombe obviously is a good player but apart from him it looks a ordinary imo.

Day being out doesn’t help that midfield.

Could be an innate fear of failure on my part but I rate Newcombe pretty high. Day being out of maybe a bigger out than I give credit to, he was a pretty big factor for them last year.

 

[D BRIDGE]

Could be an innate fear of failure on my part but I rate Newcombe pretty high. Day being out of maybe a bigger out than I give credit to, he was a pretty big factor for them last year.

They use Nash, Newcombe and Worpedo as theirs main centre bounce mature body mids.

Then looks like they rotate nothing but kids through there after that.

The kids are good… but like Jhye Clark, they are still just kids.

Weddle, McKenzie, Ward, Macdonald… even Day is pretty young but not playing.

Thats not a midfield I fear at all… and we easily have the stronger backs/forwards.

Reeves should probably give them a good run with the tap outs v Conway (I assume).

Reeves is no English around the ground but goes ok in the ruck as a 210cm monster.

We really should be able to handle them… but can’t come out as lacklustre as last year.

Danger/Guthrie out is never gonna be ideal for our mids… still, if we can’t get the job done here it’ll feel like a bit of a wasted effort last week.

I really look forward to this one.

Win it (as any good team should) and we are just about 100% gonna be a minimum 4 and 1, with a shot to be 5 and 0.

Next week could go either way, but ain’t no way North are beating us.

 

[D BRIDGE]

So just had a look at our fixture after the North R5 game… and it isnt pretty imo.

Kinda makes me think the Dogs game is more important than I was thinking… even if we beat Hawks/North.

Ahh well if we are good enough, we are good enough and win out fair share.

R6 Brisbane - Gabba
R7 Carlton - MCG (play blues twice at G)
R8 Melb - MCG
R9 Port - GMHBA
R10 Suns - Darwin
R11 GWS - GMHBA

So we go interstate 3x by R6 and 4x by R10.

Gotta make the most of this decent early fixture as it’s absolutely gonna get harder leading up to the bye.

I know I’m forecasting here… maybe should take it one week at a time.

 

[supahoops]

Our fixture was always a nice start/finish so dropping games like this is not an option as far as top four goes. Will find out plenty during the middle stages.

 

[Lethal09]

Nathan Buckley said on the couch Monday night Geelong will go 5 - 0

 

[iameviljez]

The 2008 Grand Final still burns me,

I'm pretty sure the old man hasn't gotten over Dunstall knocking us out of the Final Five in the last 90 seconds of 1987.

 

[4quarter_cat]

There's 2 data points in that data set, one came against the dees midfield.

They're a good midfield out of form coming up against a midfield doing its best with players missing. The midfield battle I don't think will be a strength for us

Sure but the other was against Essendon who aren't setting the world on fire imho. 2 Swallows don't make a spring sure, I'm just saying that it gives one pause for thought.

 

[iameviljez]

Nathan Buckley said on the couch Monday night Geelong will go 5 - 0

Eh, the Dogs will be very tough. Hawthorn and Norf, we should win.

 

[iameviljez]

I honestly thought they just got sick of his s**t and told blitz take over, he was only allowed to ruck in the back half because he was really bad.

No, it was genuinely a system that worked. If they were sick of him, he would have been replaced by now.

 

[iameviljez]

No way- Stanley was influential in those finals, and the combo of Hawkins, Cameron, Blicavs and Stanley was excellent overall.

Agree. 2022 was really the only year where I felt comfortable and confident that our ruck combination would be dependable against anyone, and that included Stanley.

2022 was just that year when absolutely everything went right. The team chemistry was right, the strategy was right, the best players fired at exactly the right time, we had a great run with injury, the siren blew at the right time against Collingwood in the QF, and a few of our nastier potential opponents (Melbourne, Collingwood, Richmond) were kind enough to get eliminated by other sides in the finals.

We probably weren't the most talented team in it, but everything went right.

 

[CatRiot]

I'm pretty sure the old man hasn't gotten over Dunstall knocking us out of the Final Five in the last 90 seconds of 1987.

I think I remember that game as a tacker. I don't know why they couldn't find a beast full back in that late 1980s squad, it would've made a difference. Tim Darcy was a bit of a featherweight against those power full forwards.

 

[Munich]

Eh, the Dogs will be very tough. Hawthorn and Norf, we should win.

I dunno, did you see them against Melbourne? Woeful

 

[iameviljez]

I dunno, did you see them against Melbourne? Woeful

Melbourne are an excellent side if they get their forward line sorted, though.

 

[iameviljez]

I don't know why they couldn't find a beast full back in that late 1980s squad, it would've made a difference.

We got Stephen O'Reilly five years too late. But still... imagine if Gary Pert had crossed to us instead of Collingwood?

Malcolm Blight's Open Mike interview was really interesting on this front. He said that if he had his time again, he'd have put Ablett at FF, Billy at CHF, and Stoneham at CHB. Trying to cram both Billy and Gary into the one forward line never really worked, and we were always one tall player down at the back.

Don't forget that for all his pie-eating fatness now, Billy was one hell of an athlete when he played.

 

[Vdubs]

Melbourne are an excellent side if they get their forward line sorted, though.

Definitely top 4 aspirant.

 

[Vdubs]

We got Stephen O'Reilly five years too late. But still... imagine if Gary Pert had crossed to us instead of Collingwood?

Malcolm Blight's Open Mike interview was really interesting on this front. He said that if he had his time again, he'd have put Ablett at FF, Billy at CHF, and Stoneham at CHB. Trying to cram both Billy and Gary into the one forward line never really worked, and we were always one tall player down at the back.

Don't forget that for all his pie-eating fatness now, Billy was one hell of an athlete when he played.

Stoneham was like Blic- was played in ruck, KF, KB, and did all roles really well. Could have been a great FB. Nothing against Darcy and Schulze, but Stoneham would have been great back there. GAS going awol for a season did not help that cause. Plus we had Exell, Lindner, Cameron and Hamilton who were all very handy up forward in the Blighty era.
Lindner played a great GF in defence in 89.

 

[#6 Thorp #7 Selwood LOL]

We probably weren't the most talented team in it, but everything went right.

Agree with the overall sentiment, but an opposition team has to go a long way to top the talent of Dangerfield, Stewart, Cameron & Hawkins.

 

[Vdubs]

Agree with the overall sentiment, but an opposition team has to go a long way to top the talent of Dangerfield, Stewart, Cameron & Hawkins.

May, Lever, Petracca, Oliver, Gawn, Brayshaw, Viney, Fritsch. Underperformers really with that talent base

 

[fpm84]

Eh, the Dogs will be very tough. Hawthorn and Norf, we should win.

Very hard to see us beating the Bulldogs without Danger or Guthrie IMO.

If both teams were at full strength I would expect to win.