Hawkins/Podsiadly

[you pick one]

I'll throw this out there at the risk of being absolutely hammered,it wouldn't surprise me if by mid season our forward line was either/or and not both.I don't think they work all that well in tandem like forwards of the past, ie the Brown/Bradshaw type combinations and this may be as the result of the way the game is played today, there being a lot less holding forward structure and more push up the ground and run back into space.

Can we afford to continue to use two crash and bash forwards who have really not dominated all that often and when they do quite regularly let them selves down with their kicking for goal.

One will be replaced in the forward line by mid year the likely candidates Menzel or Mitch Brown.

 

[SJ]

Last year we were struggling big time when Podsiadly was playing as the lone tall up forward.

No surprise that the Podsiadly/Hawkins combination reinstated in Round 17 against Brisbane (and with great support from the resting Ottens/West) lead us to the flag.

 

[footscore]

yet another quality thread

negative constructive criticism is always fine but you need to ask yourself why you said the following "who have really not dominated all that often and when they do quite regularly let them selves down with their kicking for goal."

Podsiadly has kicked over 100 goals in his 1st two seasons and 2010 his goal kicking was a fairly reasonable 64%. That dropped off last year to 50% but he took 57 contested marks and 68 marks inside 50.
He also kicked 6 goals throughout the 2011 final series until it all ended for him in the 2nd quarter of the grand final.

The criticism on Hawkins is fair because he's not delivered like Podsiadly has just yet but I sometimes shake my head at supporters who bring up this type of stuff because Pods and Hawkins will combine for over 100 goals this year and you seriously want to take one of them out of that equation?

Do you expect Mitch Brown to bob up and kick the other 40-50 goals?

 

[manboob]

Exactly right footscore and teams i.e. the Hawks, really really really struggle against two power forwards. Sure just having hawkins worked brilliantly in the GF but that was one game.

 

[you pick one]

Last year we were struggling big time when Podsiadly was playing as the lone tall up forward.

No surprise that the Podsiadly/Hawkins combination reinstated in Round 17 against Brisbane (and with great support from the resting Ottens/West) lead us to the flag.

Lets have a look here SJ the reasonably soft run home including the Brisbane game where they got hold of Staker, the only other game they played together where they earned their keep was against the poor Gold Coast where they managed a massive 7 between them,Richmond 3 between them and Sydney 2 total and out of the thousand we kicked against the Pies in the last round they manage 4 two each.

 

[winty]

I think it's too much to ask a guy coming off a knee reco or a guy who's pencil thin to hold down a key position in the forwardline towards the business end of the season.

If we were going to dump one of Hawkins or Pods out of the forwardline, I'd much rather us camp the 2nd ruckman in the goal square and tell them to, at the very least, bring the ball to ground for the likes of Chappy, Stokes and Motlop/Byrnes/Varcoe to pounce on. Menzel and Brown would be much better being the 3rd floating tall in the forward line rather than the go-to guy.

 

[SJ]

Lets have a look here SJ the reasonably soft run home including the Brisbane game where they got hold of Staker, the only other game they played together where they earned their keep was against the poor Gold Coast where they managed a massive 7 between them,Richmond 3 between them and Sydney 2 total and out of the thousand we kicked against the Pies in the last round they manage 4 two each.

It's not just about the damage they do directly...

 

[you pick one]

yet another quality thread

negative constructive criticism is always fine but you need to ask yourself why you said the following "who have really not dominated all that often and when they do quite regularly let them selves down with their kicking for goal."

Podsiadly has kicked over 100 goals in his 1st two seasons and 2010 his goal kicking was a fairly reasonable 64%. That dropped off last year to 50% but he took 57 contested marks and 68 marks inside 50.
He also kicked 6 goals throughout the 2011 final series until it all ended for him in the 2nd quarter of the grand final.

The criticism on Hawkins is fair because he's not delivered like Podsiadly has just yet but I sometimes shake my head at supporters who bring up this type of stuff because Pods and Hawkins will combine for over 100 goals this year and you seriously want to take one of them out of that equation?

Do you expect Mitch Brown to bob up and kick the other 40-50 goals?

I said it because it's true.

 

[dazbroncos]

Im not claiming admission to Mensa anytime soon but I would have thought that Pods, Hawkins with Menzel and SJ as 4 of the 6 forwards would go pretty well...

Add in a Stokes / Motlop / Bundy / Chappy to taste and I reckon most teams would be happy. Perhaps I am missing the point YPO ?

My thought would be that in the era of players dropping off their direct opponent defensively to spoil the contest that 2 bigger bodies crashing packs would aid in spilling the ball to our advantage - or even plucking a few. Even say Hawkins blocking out the 2nd defender to clear Pods to the ball in the long kicking environment - which seems to be coming back to the game a little to defeat the presses...

I have seen Tommahwak use his size on numerous occassions of late to do this. Its not a stat line anywhere but certainly contributes to the contest.

Now the kicking for goal is a different thing all together.....

just my 2 cents..
GO Catters...

 

[you pick one]

I think it's too much to ask a guy coming off a knee reco or a guy who's pencil thin to hold down a key position in the forwardline towards the business end of the season.

If we were going to dump one of Hawkins or Pods out of the forwardline, I'd much rather us camp the 2nd ruckman in the goal square and tell them to, at the very least, bring the ball to ground for the likes of Chappy, Stokes and Motlop/Byrnes/Varcoe to pounce on. Menzel and Brown would be much better being the 3rd floating tall in the forward line rather than the go-to guy.

And that second ruckman may very well be Hawkins.

 

[manboob]

God no!

 

[you pick one]

Im not claiming admission to Mensa anytime soon but I would have thought that Pods, Hawkins with Menzel and SJ as 4 of the 6 forwards would go pretty well...

Add in a Stokes / Motlop / Bundy / Chappy to taste and I reckon most teams would be happy. Perhaps I am missing the point YPO ?

My thought would be that in the era of players dropping off their direct opponent defensively to spoil the contest that 2 bigger bodies crashing packs would aid in spilling the ball to our advantage - or even plucking a few. Even say Hawkins blocking out the 2nd defender to clear Pods to the ball in the long kicking environment - which seems to be coming back to the game a little to defeat the presses...

I have seen Tommahwak use his size on numerous occassions of late to do this. Its not a stat line anywhere but certainly contributes to the contest.

Now the kicking for goal is a different thing all together.....

just my 2 cents..
GO Catters...

I didn't expect this to be popular as I stated right from the outset and the two power forwards did worry the Hawks last year granted,but really the only time they dominate in tandem is against 2nd 18 teams.

 

[muttweed]

Nope they're absolutely fine.

YPO, I'm not sure why you're so surprised that Pods and Hawkins don't particularly dominate. It's no secret that Geelong isn't too reliant on any player, and especially forwards. We had the most players in 2011 to kick 20+ goals, which shows that they spread the load pretty evenly.

Goalkicking accuracy is a bit of a worry for them two, but other than that they work fine together.

Having said that, I think during the 2011 GF, when Pods came off and Hawkins dominated, we found ourselves a tactic.

 

[winty]

And that second ruckman may very well be Hawkins.

After Hawkins' 2nd half of last season when he played as a permanent forward, I hope the piece of paper that the plan that Hawkins should be a ruckman was written on is burnt, the ashes put in an urn and the urn dropped off the end of Cunningham Pier.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

After Hawkins' 2nd half of last season when he played as a permanent forward, I hope the piece of paper that the plan that Hawkins should be a ruckman was written on is burnt, the ashes put in an urn and the urn dropped off the end of Cunningham Pier.

He sucked in the ruck. He lost his confidence in the ruck. He started getting injuries in the ruck.

All in all it was win/win for the opposition.

 

[winty]

He sucked in the ruck. He lost his confidence in the ruck. He started getting injuries in the ruck.

All in all it was win/win for the opposition.

Exactly. I think YPO needs a refresher on what Darren Jolly said about Hawkins rucking after a game in 2010 for proof it just doesn't worry the opposition at all.

I have no quarms about him contesting the odd ball-up or boundary throw-in in the forward line if we want our normal ruckman to be part of the wall we usually set up across half forward, but no way known should he be rucking around the ground.

 

[you pick one]

After Hawkins' 2nd half of last season when he played as a permanent forward, I hope the piece of paper that the plan that Hawkins should be a ruckman was written on is burnt, the ashes put in an urn and the urn dropped off the end of Cunningham Pier.

He would do himself a favor if he learned to kick,remember for all his heroics in last years GF he only kicked one goal from a set shot, and big blokes who can't kick may as well play in the ruck.

 

[footscore]

He would do himself a favor if he learned to kick,remember for all his heroics in last years GF he only kicked one goal from a set shot, and big blokes who can't kick may as well play in the ruck.

would you want him to be the main focal point in the forward line like Cloke is for Collingwood, Franklin is for Hawthorn, Brown is for Brisbane, Riewoldt is for St Kilda/Richmond?

Of course not....it's a secret to winning premierships which few teams have mastered, a healthy supply of goal kickers.

Hawkins will only get better in front of the sticks but I certainly wouldn't wanna see either of them out of the forward line heading into 2012.

His heroics in the grand final won Geelong the premiership whilst others who prefer to kick them all themselves, ended up falling just short.

 

[God Mode]

Are we seriously having this conversation? Worked for us last year, that will do me until it STOPS working.

 

[you pick one]

would you want him to be the main focal point in the forward line like Cloke is for Collingwood, Franklin is for Hawthorn, Brown is for Brisbane, Riewoldt is for St Kilda/Richmond?

Of course not....it's a secret to winning premierships which few teams have mastered, a healthy supply of goal kickers.

Hawkins will only get better in front of the sticks but I certainly wouldn't wanna see either of them out of the forward line heading into 2012.

His heroics in the grand final won Geelong the premiership whilst others who prefer to kick them all themselves, ended up falling just short.

I hope thats what he aspires to.

 

[you pick one]

Are we seriously having this conversation? Worked for us last year, that will do me until it STOPS working.

Just remember this Hawkins kicked 2 rovers goals off the ground from the goal square in the GF and only one from a set shot in the third quarter, other than that zilch zip nothing between them and while Pods was on they didn't look like it.
I guarantee had we been beaten that day we would be pointing the finger at two key forwards.

 

[muttweed]

Just remember this Hawkins kicked 2 rovers goals off the ground from the goal square in the GF and only one from a set shot in the third quarter, other than that zilch zip nothing between them and while Pods was on they didn't look like it.
I guarantee had we been beaten that day we would be pointing the finger at two key forwards.

Ever heard of improvement?

A 23 yr old, and a third-year player are bound to have some left in them. Just saying.

And don't even think about bringing up the NAB Cup

 

[Gogeelong]

Hawkins must play crash and bash centre half forward position.
His kicking MUST improve. This is a result of his foot injury which leads to difficult kicking style.

Brown will develop into a smart half forward flank who will e difficult to man up. He will be thrown into the mix.

Vardy also will spend time in our forward structure.

This means that we will have key position options

 

[David the Cat]

Two power forwards takes two tall defenders......and makes players from opposition sides look over their shoulders a bit....and Scott would have learned a lot from last years GF....if its not working, then there's a guy called Bartel that might cause a few problems....

Also...Pods works his way upfield, sometimes to the wing and takes telling marks.....to great effect ala Richo..........flexibility is the key these days and we have it.

 

[you pick one]

Ever heard of improvement?

A 23 yr old, and a third-year player are bound to have some left in them. Just saying.

And don't even think about bringing up the NAB Cup

I wouldn't do that to you mutty