Review Hawthorn v North Melbourne Scratch Match

[houdinihuddo]

The game was played over seven stanzas with the sides kicking the same way twice before changing ends. Each stanza went for around 10 minutes and the breaks went for around four minutes. We had 16 players to NMs 12 so Jeka and Pepper played for NM in the first two stanzas and Maginness and Reeves lined up for NM in the third stanza before an injury to Morris resulted in the teams having 13 men a side and Maginness playing for Hawthorn. Brooksby played for NM in the fifth and sixth stanzas and in the seventh and final stanzas there was 12 a side with three backs and forwards at each end. Pessimistic, I’m not a fan of 14 a side however I don’t mind the thought of 16 a side so less players flood back to clog up the forward line.

There was no scoreboard so by my calculations the scores at each break were:
Hawks - 2.0. 4.0. 5.1. 6.1. 8.2. 10.3. 11.5.
North - 1.0. 2.0. 2.1. 2.3. 2.6. 3.7. 5.8.

The game was won due to our midfield dominance and better connection from the back to forward lines.
Morrison - Played a solid game winning some strong contests and generally using the ball well. He was a play maker but at times he called for the ball when he wasn’t clear.
Nash - Making allowances for it being his first game back from an injury, he had a good hit out. Looked fast and strong but needs to work on reading the game and cleaner ball handling. tommyk72, his knee was strapped at training however I did hear he had a hamstring injury.
Glass - Played forward, back and wing and competed well for the ball. Looked strong and balanced and his pace was good. 2 goals.
Howe - Assisted with coaching.
Hartley - Rock solid in defence, read and used the ball very well. He is AFL standard.
Puopolo - Started the game with a few fumbles and got caught with the ball, however he was terrific from the second stanza. He started in the midfield and ran forward, his work rate was terrific and he had a good game.
Jiath - Ran laps before the game.
Day - His composure, evasion, pace, ball use and ball handling were very good. He’s a very exciting prospect. Mustang, I think he has put on a bit of muscle so the signs are good.
Maginness - Played a great game. I love his ability to absorb tackles to both keep his feet and release the ball. He has both strength and pace and is a Joey Kennedy clone with better kicking skills. Exciting,
Walker - Injured
Koschitzke - Ran laps before the game.
Morris - Was injured at the beginning of the third stanza. He attacked the ball strongly and copped a high knock causing the game to be stopped for a few minutes before he stood up and was assisted to walk into the rooms. I noticed him have a little jog before the start of the fifth stanza but his game was over. 1 goal. Mustang asked what sort of player is Morris? He’s different because he can be explosive to win a contested ball or lay a strong tackle. He can take a very good mark and he’s a very good kick. Maybe he’s a small version of Tony Hall but with pace. He has an X factor and I’m looking forward to see if he can add quantity to his quality.
Moore - Played a good game coming back from injury. Took some good marks and competed well applying forward pressure. 3 goals.
Ross - Injured.
Minchington - At times ran out of the midfield with pace and was dangerous in the forward line. Had a good game. 2 goals.
Jeka - A good learning game playing against Hartley and Daw. Did some really good work crashing the packs to bring the ball to ground in front of packs. Showed clean hands on the lead and kicked well. I really like the way he keeps his shape and doesn’t go the ground in marking contests unlike Lewis and O’ Brien. 2 goals.
Jones - Spare for AFL.
Pepper - Tight in defence and provided an outlet with his run. Reads the play well and has an attacking flair.
Reeves - Competitive against Campbell and had some good hit outs to advantage. A highlight was a terrific smother followed by a strong tackle.
Greaves - Played a really good game. Halved or won most contests, read the game well and his kicking to advantage was great. He is a very good player who plays his role.
Golds - Injured.
Cousins - Another terrific game and my BOG. He was very good winning contested balls and then breaking clear with strength. If his kicking efficiency improves he will have an impact in the AFL. 1 goal.
Brooksby- Competed well and took some strong marks. 1 goal.

Last week Roddy asked if there was a reason for Lewis fading after dominating the game for a period. I thought possibly he reached his KPIs and was being eased back after injury, however I’m concerned it’s more a lack of maintaining his focus and intensity. Tonight he seemed to go for marks without having a belief he’d take them.

Cousins, Jones and Maginness are applying pressure to the likes of Hanrahan and Scully and soon Impey will be joining them. Timmy Almost needs to have the Teflon surgically removed from his fingers. His work rate and one percent efforts are good but if only he’d mark half even a quarter of the balls he gets his hands on.

 

[Wingnut19]

Thanks for that write up. Thing with Morris is, the way the game is played now he'll get the quantity as it's such a high possession game. The qaulity is much more important that qauntity. I wanna see him for Ollie. He would do alot more damge. Starting to worry about Kossie and Walker's bodies. always bloody injured

 

[tommyk72]

Awesome write up as always HH. Thansk for the insight on Nash.

 

[stemline]

Great stuff, thanks for the write up.

Any idea what's wrong with Koschitzke and Ross?

 

[Hawk_francais]

There’s two spots in our forward like begging for a couple of youngsters to make them their own. Moore and Minchington seem like theyre in the mix with Puopolo.

 

[theiaofseed]

Love to see Moore in the side, him along with Finn's running ability could be very crucial.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Thanks HH you're a star

 

[Adebisi]

Great write up HH

 

[Bugs1977]

Thanks for the write up HH. Love this kind of stuff

 

[MrPremiership]

Morris is exciting

 

[Noel Gallagher]

Moore before Minchington ever day of the week and twice on Sunday's. We desperately need his run (especially his repeat efforts which are off the charts) Moore is exactly the player we need - will run out four quarters strongly, can manufacture goals out of nothing and is a really good contested mark for his size. Sick of hearing about all the rubbish about his supposed size lack of leg speed, he is not super quick but he is more than quick enough to have a far bigger impact than Hanrahan, Puopolo and Minchington whose body simply cannot be trusted

Get him in this week along with Jones.

In Moore, Jones, out Hanrahan, Ceglar (self explanatory) Let Big Boy ruck all game Lewis to pinch hit in the ruck GW$ wont know what hit them

 

[Howe Amazing]

Is size the only thing holding back Day? How is he tracking along

 

[Slysh]

Outstanding news that Moore and Nash are back fit and playing again. Would love to see both pushing for selection soon with a couple more games.

Day is someone i am really excited about and the biggest reason i am sad with no VFL footy. I would tune in just to watch him develop.

Finn has to be pushing for selection, need the big body and he is seriously performing.

Lastly every time i have heard someone talk about Jeka either track watchers on here or people from the club all the talk has been very very positive around him. Very promising

 

[Lickmesocks]

Unless Scully gets a kick this week he will be playing in the next scratch match.

Needs to lift!!!!

 

[VandoHawk]

The reserves: Otten gives update on each player

The official AFL website of the Hawthorn Football Club

www.hawthornfc.com.au

Otten's report on the game. Also turns out Jones had a lazy 39 touches and 16 clearances vs Richmond. Has to be in line for senior selection.

 

[Slysh]

The reserves: Otten gives update on each player

The official AFL website of the Hawthorn Football Club

www.hawthornfc.com.au

Otten's report on the game. Also turns out Jones had a lazy 39 touches and 16 clearances vs Richmond. Has to be in line for senior selection.

That is an absurd stat line... I don't care that it is a scratch match with less players on the field GET HIM IN!

 

[TylerDurden]

Jones. Insane stats.

 

[MrPremiership]

Jones. It's time.

 

[Adrian Dodoro]

Does Jones come in for Bruest for extra midfield firepower against the giants?

 

[MrPremiership]

Highlights

Hawks R4 Scratch Match - Highlights

Check out the dominating performance from the Hawks reserves side! Check out the young guns making a case to crack the senior side!

www.hawthornfc.com.au

 

[kazzooka]

I think with Bruest out and Hanrahan not cementing a spot I would like to see Jones back in and use Wingard, Omeara, Worpel and Smith forward more. I think us failing to run out games is due to having too few midfielders to rotate. I'd rather a gun mid rest forward than have a mediocre small forward spend all day forward while the mids run out of puff.

 

[mustang]

The game was played over seven stanzas with the sides kicking the same way twice before changing ends. Each stanza went for around 10 minutes and the breaks went for around four minutes. We had 16 players to NMs 12 so Jeka and Pepper played for NM in the first two stanzas and Maginness and Reeves lined up for NM in the third stanza before an injury to Morris resulted in the teams having 13 men a side and Maginness playing for Hawthorn. Brooksby played for NM in the fifth and sixth stanzas and in the seventh and final stanzas there was 12 a side with three backs and forwards at each end. Pessimistic, I’m not a fan of 14 a side however I don’t mind the thought of 16 a side so less players flood back to clog up the forward line.

There was no scoreboard so by my calculations the scores at each break were:
Hawks - 2.0. 4.0. 5.1. 6.1. 8.2. 10.3. 11.5.
North - 1.0. 2.0. 2.1. 2.3. 2.6. 3.7. 5.8.

The game was won due to our midfield dominance and better connection from the back to forward lines.
Morrison - Played a solid game winning some strong contests and generally using the ball well. He was a play maker but at times he called for the ball when he wasn’t clear.
Nash - Making allowances for it being his first game back from an injury, he had a good hit out. Looked fast and strong but needs to work on reading the game and cleaner ball handling. tommyk72, his knee was strapped at training however I did hear he had a hamstring injury.
Glass - Played forward, back and wing and competed well for the ball. Looked strong and balanced and his pace was good. 2 goals.
Howe - Assisted with coaching.
Hartley - Rock solid in defence, read and used the ball very well. He is AFL standard.
Puopolo - Started the game with a few fumbles and got caught with the ball, however he was terrific from the second stanza. He started in the midfield and ran forward, his work rate was terrific and he had a good game.
Jiath - Ran laps before the game.
Day - His composure, evasion, pace, ball use and ball handling were very good. He’s a very exciting prospect. Mustang, I think he has put on a bit of muscle so the signs are good.
Maginness - Played a great game. I love his ability to absorb tackles to both keep his feet and release the ball. He has both strength and pace and is a Joey Kennedy clone with better kicking skills. Exciting,
Walker - Injured
Koschitzke - Ran laps before the game.
Morris - Was injured at the beginning of the third stanza. He attacked the ball strongly and copped a high knock causing the game to be stopped for a few minutes before he stood up and was assisted to walk into the rooms. I noticed him have a little jog before the start of the fifth stanza but his game was over. 1 goal. Mustang asked what sort of player is Morris? He’s different because he can be explosive to win a contested ball or lay a strong tackle. He can take a very good mark and he’s a very good kick. Maybe he’s a small version of Tony Hall but with pace. He has an X factor and I’m looking forward to see if he can add quantity to his quality.
Moore - Played a good game coming back from injury. Took some good marks and competed well applying forward pressure. 3 goals.
Ross - Injured.
Minchington - At times ran out of the midfield with pace and was dangerous in the forward line. Had a good game. 2 goals.
Jeka - A good learning game playing against Hartley and Daw. Did some really good work crashing the packs to bring the ball to ground in front of packs. Showed clean hands on the lead and kicked well. I really like the way he keeps his shape and doesn’t go the ground in marking contests unlike Lewis and O’ Brien. 2 goals.
Jones - Spare for AFL.
Pepper - Tight in defence and provided an outlet with his run. Reads the play well and has an attacking flair.
Reeves - Competitive against Campbell and had some good hit outs to advantage. A highlight was a terrific smother followed by a strong tackle.
Greaves - Played a really good game. Halved or won most contests, read the game well and his kicking to advantage was great. He is a very good player who plays his role.
Golds - Injured.
Cousins - Another terrific game and my BOG. He was very good winning contested balls and then breaking clear with strength. If his kicking efficiency improves he will have an impact in the AFL. 1 goal.
Brooksby- Competed well and took some strong marks. 1 goal.

Last week Roddy asked if there was a reason for Lewis fading after dominating the game for a period. I thought possibly he reached his KPIs and was being eased back after injury, however I’m concerned it’s more a lack of maintaining his focus and intensity. Tonight he seemed to go for marks without having a belief he’d take them.

Cousins, Jones and Maginness are applying pressure to the likes of Hanrahan and Scully and soon Impey will be joining them. Timmy Almost needs to have the Teflon surgically removed from his fingers. His work rate and one percent efforts are good but if only he’d mark half even a quarter of the balls he gets his hands on.

Thanks Houdinihuddo for answering my questions in your write up this week.

 

[Mappa]

Awesome write up as always HH. Thansk for the insight on Nash.

One of my favourites. I think as supporters we often focus too much on the big marks, and goals. For a newcomer to the game, his ability to instinctively handball by right or left is quite under-rated, as well as blocking and shepherding (for example). I saw Kade Simpson pick up a ball last night and handball across his body, awkwardly, when his right hand was clearly a better option. He's played over 300 games and still can't do it.


If we look back through the footage, he's got a hand (no pun intended) in many of our goals. The coaching staff clearly see some benefit to him being in the side, because let's face it, no one gets gifted a game at our club.

 

[houdinihuddo]

Gerry19, I agree quality is much more important than quantity. In a NAB Champs game at Geelong last year Josh had very few possessions however he showed something special with a single chase down and tackle, a strong contested mark and a very good kick in a five minute burst. His quantity has been better in the scratch matches and I’m looking forward to seeing an increase in his quantity.

stemline, I don’t know what injuries are holding back Koschitzke and Ross.

Howe Amazing, Day is tracking along well. There’s strong competition for a place in the team and I think it’s better to let him develop in the scratch matches rather than do what Melbourne did to Jack Watts.

I’m very pleased Harry Jones will make his AFL debut. His 39 possessions against Richmond was outstanding especially given the game time was around half the usual game time. His tackling and pressure were also elite. I hope Harry is given a minimum of three games to adjust to the pace and physicality in the AFL.

EDIT: There is no scratch match this week because the whole list is flying to Sydney on Sunday. I’m very lucky to have viewed two games through wire fences.

 

[mustang]

Gerry19, I agree quality is much more important than quantity. In a NAB Champs game at Geelong last year Josh had very few possessions however he showed something special with a single chase down and tackle, a strong contested mark and a very good kick in a five minute burst. His quantity has been better in the scratch matches and I’m looking forward to seeing an increase in his quantity.

stemline, I don’t know what injuries are holding back Koschitzke and Ross.

Howe Amazing, Day is tracking along well. There’s strong competition for a place in the team and I think it’s better to let him develop in the scratch matches rather than do what Melbourne did to Jack Watts.

I’m very pleased Harry Jones will make his AFL debut. His 39 possessions against Richmond was outstanding especially given the game time was around half the usual game time. His tackling and pressure were also elite. I hope Harry is given a minimum of three games to adjust to the pace and physicality in the AFL.

EDIT: There is no scratch match this week because the whole list is flying to Sydney on Sunday. I’m very lucky to have viewed two games through wire fences.

Seeing there in a Sydney hub now as there still going to be these matches for the players not playing in the ones.