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Mitch Hahn

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OldSchool

OldSchool

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Veteran 10k Posts Western Bulldogs - Ryan Hargrave 2007 Player Sponsor Western Bulldogs - Ryan Hargrave 2006 Player Sponsor
Mar 10, 2002
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I don't think Hahn had a great 2005 season which I suppose was impacted by some injuries he had from time to time.
Assuming there are no major trades or changes to our list is Hahn really in our best starting 18 players for next season?
I think he is definitely in our best 22 but I struggle to get him into our starting line-up for next season especially with the likes of Darcy spending more time as a key forward.

Thoughts?
 
Definitely didn't perform to his standards this year. He's a physical presence on the field, which is what we need more of.
I wouldn't have him in our starting 18, but more of a rotation based player, who can spend time on the ball or taking up a back or forward pocket, if he learns not to miss the easy goals ;)
 
Dry Rot said:
If his kicking was better maybe he'd be a better bet than Cole down back as a tough nut defender?
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His kicking, especially for goal, has actually improved a bit but I suppose a player like Cole would provide a bit more run than Mitch. I like the physical way he plays footy but guys like Cross, Cooney and co have almost forced him out of the midfield rotation and guys like Smith, McMahon and Griffen have taken any running defenders positions.
With Darcy and maybe Grant playing forward and with Murphy, Robbins and Johnson taking the smaller roles there doesn't appear to be a natural spot for Hahn in our best 18.

Great player to have on the bench though.
 

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OldSchool said:
His kicking, especially for goal, has actually improved a bit but I suppose a player like Cole would provide a bit more run than Mitch. I like the physical way he plays footy but guys like Cross, Cooney and co have almost forced him out of the midfield rotation and guys like Smith, McMahon and Griffen have taken any running defenders positions.
With Darcy and maybe Grant playing forward and with Murphy, Robbins and Johnson taking the smaller roles there doesn't appear to be a natural spot for Hahn in our best 18.

Great player to have on the bench though.
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Good post. I agree with what you said. Hahn though, if he plays to what we know he can, could easily step right back into the starting 18. He's brillant when he's going in hard, knocking guys out of the way and feeding it to guys like Cooney. Although he's a bad kick, he seems to be capable of kicking 'em too. I guess he's a "hit or miss" guy, which doesn't matter a whole lot when most of the team are good kicks. He adds a lot to our side that most dont. Toughness. Wish we had more of it. That'd be the good thing of recruiting Cole.
 
the ghost of alby smedts said:
He didnt have a great year but there were more than a few times when he had a big impact. Thats the kind of player he is.He can bust a game open in just a few minutes and thats the main reason he should stay in the team.
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I don't think his spot in the team is in question but haven't you just described an ideal interchange type player?
It's just with the likes of Darcy and Grant playing as key forwards in 2006 it could squeeze him out of the starting line-up.
 
I realise the issue of Cole is off the subject but he has been raised twice during this discussion, once with a comment about his toughness.

I don't know where this comes from - all I recall about him is dogging it badly in the GF against Brisbane and subsequently being mocked by the Brisbane players.
 
He had a couple of cracker games up forward (would have been better if he could kick straight from set shots).

I think the Melbourne game he slotted our first couple.
 
I used to think he'll be a great HBF but I now also think he could be a HFF in the Hamill mould. Just needs to improve his set shot kicking.
He's fantastic, the group walks taller with him out there (uninjured). Definately a spot for him in the team
 
He is a crash and bang player who has played with injuries hence his impact hes been limited. I think his aggression and hardness at the ball are important to the side.

I think two things need to happen in 06 for Mitch - his kicking must improve and he needs to find a position for himself to settle down. He does not seem to be a player who can adapt to positional changes and role changes easily.
And there is the problem he doesnt seem to be a outright rover or backmen or a KPP forward, he needs to find his own patch in the side BUT he is important to the team.
 
There was a similar thread to this one posted a while back, where it was discussed whether or not Mitch would make it or not. At the risk of repeating myself, I believe Mitch is still a valuable contributor but certainly does not contribute enough.

He plays 5-8 great minutes each quarter, where he busts packs, runs lines and kicks long. The problem with that is he is spent after those 10 or so minutes and he is nowhere to be seen for the remainder of the quarter. It's a problem that has not gone away for mitch, coupled by his growing injury concerns this year, we reall have gotten very little in return from mitchell.

If he continues to display spasmodic form, then i agree that there will be difficulty finding a regular spot for Mitch. If he can get his fitness right and play more consistently throughout matches, he can be used and rotated in the middle, or up around the half forward line.
 

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hahns best is bloody good - he has shown glimpses that he can turn a game with brute and willpower - 'I WILL clear this ball!!'

plus he is good at the contest and plays tall - gets a lot of his ball through the corridor, but just doesnt punish the opposition enough when he does.

there is heaps there to work with
 
He can be influential,his game against West Coast showed that. He and Eade know that he lacks consistency. He was the only player from the leadership group to be dropped in 2005.
 
he's inconsistent, can bob up and win a game for you and other times go missing. Although towards the end of the season he really lifted his game, actually started playing like he did when he started footy and used his body.

He has value to us because he is one of only a few strong bodied players we have, just has to play like that all the time that's all.
 
If he'd kicked straight in the last month and a half he probably could have added another 20 goals to his year's tally. He's very much a potential matchwinner... if he can get his set shots sorted he'll play a HUGE role for us in the coming years.

I love the guy... love how he plays. How he attacks the ball and I think he's a tough guy to match up on. He's agile, can play tall but is great in and under also. If he can hurt opposition more on the score board then he'll be a great asset to the team.
 
OldSchool said:
His kicking, especially for goal, has actually improved a bit but I suppose a player like Cole would provide a bit more run than Mitch. I like the physical way he plays footy but guys like Cross, Cooney and co have almost forced him out of the midfield rotation and guys like Smith, McMahon and Griffen have taken any running defenders positions.
With Darcy and maybe Grant playing forward and with Murphy, Robbins and Johnson taking the smaller roles there doesn't appear to be a natural spot for Hahn in our best 18.

Great player to have on the bench though.
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OS - remember his early games, he started as a HBF. There was a night game v Melbourne (McMahon's first game??) where we needed to win, Wallace used one of those "all sign a ball before the game" tactics. Hahn played off HB in the No.37, and played a blinder, taking a screamer at one stage over his opponent. I think in the same game Trent Bartlett took a screamer as well, so maybe this game isn't such a good analogy :D !!
 

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HK_Bulldog said:
I used to think he'll be a great HBF but I now also think he could be a HFF in the Hamill mould. Just needs to improve his set shot kicking.
He's fantastic, the group walks taller with him out there (uninjured). Definately a spot for him in the team
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totally agree. think he has struggled a bit this year to work out where he fits in with the rest of the team. obviously the eade running plan in the midfield has hurt his chances there but he is still a vital cog to the team.

i tend to look back at his performance against st kilda this year as the game that showed he belongs. disposal was ordinary that day, as it has been for a while, but his ability to bash-n-crash and win the hard ball is something that will be vital come finals time.
 
amnesiac said:
totally agree. think he has struggled a bit this year to work out where he fits in with the rest of the team. obviously the eade running plan in the midfield has hurt his chances there but he is still a vital cog to the team.

i tend to look back at his performance against st kilda this year as the game that showed he belongs. disposal was ordinary that day, as it has been for a while, but his ability to bash-n-crash and win the hard ball is something that will be vital come finals time.
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I watched the WCE game again last night. He had a pretty good game that day. Kicked 2 long goals bursting out of the centre. I think he'll get more on-ball time as his injuries leave. He can be quite damaging out of the middle, is a long kick and can bust open packs, making him a perfect foil for say a west/cooney or cross/griffen set up.
 
Work rate,worke rate and work rate are the big issues for Hahn.There is a difference between hardness and work rate.Hahn just wasn't getting to enough contests and putting in enough second and third efforts when his form was down this year but once he fixed that problem his form came good again and he was able to infuence a number of games.Watch the last quarter of the saints game and I reckon that is where the penny dropped.He still had bad patches after that but he was alot better and more consistent after that.IMO he basically picked us up and carried us over the line against the tigers in the second half after being mauled for the hard ball early on.
 

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Mitch Hahn

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