Autopsy Round 13, 2026: Hawks get leashed

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

there is a theory that Dingley training site is extremely windy and has thus affected our goalkicking which has been bad all year

I have thought this too tbh.

 

[Blackhawk42]

I turned it off and got on the piss just after half time, that was a positive.

I drank before the game. Was feeling jovial and probably a little too happy confident at half time. Second half was sobering.


Ps. St.Andrews Beach Brewery in Melbourne Park is an excellent pre-game watering hole. Would have been full of 80% Hawthorn supporters.

 

[Bedi]

1 goal, 11 mother****ing behinds, am beyond filthy this morning. What a wasted opportunity

 

[Howard Moon]

I come in peace, I can't find stats to back it up, there's some on Sen that seem wrong to me but it feels like the clubs with windy AF training bases end up with terrible goal kicking. For ages we were/are terrible, STK, Melbourne when at Casey. Now you guys seem to have the curse. Anything to it?

 

[Mercy Seat]

Disappointing that after a really positive season so far we are only half a game better off than we were this time last year.

Dropping points against Dogs last night, Dees, Pies really drops us into the pack. Can’t help but feel like it’s a bit of a missed opportunity, and a big part to do with our goal kicking.

 

[HedgeFund]

No positives.

You’re underestimating the importance of Expected Score here…..

 

[Wingnut19]

Just out of morbid curiosity, the score lines in those games are -

Us...... 35:46 (9.17, 13.15, 13.14)
Oppo....41.15. (12.5, 15.3, 14.7)

81 shots to 56 for a five point deficit!

This is nuts. Has to be a positive right?

 

[FAIRANDBALANCED]

Who on our list is genuinely tough? We have so many mentally weak footballers who love to crack on when the game is on our terms but go missing when it gets tough. It is just not good enough.

I think Newcombe is one of the toughest in the comp, and Day is 2 games back, he is definitely tough too. Both of them mentally and physically tough.

 

[MinerBoy]

1 goal, 11 mother****ing behinds, am beyond filthy this morning. What a wasted opportunity

Yeah I’ve woken in nasty mood

 

[Gut Runner]

Thoughts:

Heaps of negativity for big Meek - we were desperate for him to do more around the ground with marking and he did. IF he had kicked just one of those shots I think people would have a different opinion, he is actually quite a reliable kick normally. Also, a good defensive mark that was overturned - spew

Having said that our rucks are not near the best in the comp - what a difference it made for them having English tis time around.

At the ground Ginnivin was horrible - all night - every single time - looked slow, bad below his knees, fumbles. He is a smart footballer but things are just not working for him at the moment.

Think Sam was out of ideas when Ryan was in the forward line in the last qtr.

Apart from the second qtr our kicking was crap all night field and shots on goal.

Is it possible for Croc to go to Half back, not a great defender but a super kick and I feel the flood stifles his game. Actually the flood stifles everyone's game. A lot of times there was one too many hand balls in the middle instead of getting in quick which would help.

We love the wiz and he is a burst player but sometimes I think he doesn't have that defensive pressure mindset that Rioli had. A lot of walking out there after a contest instead of manning up. Couple of times they were running it out of 50 and he wasn't chasing as nearly as hard as he runs towards goal.

Day looked fatigued. Newc was tough but just like everyone else his kicking was off.

Just an off night really, which you just cannot afford to have when you are getting Prime time all the time. Every opposition wants to play their best at Prime time making it more challenging for us - hopefully the exposure helps us in finals.

 

[La Vache]

Great teams will simply take care of business. The match was lost in the first 5 mins of the third where we started all over the dogs but absolutely butchered the Sherrin and burned blokes in good positions. It was embarrassing and that lazy profligacy carried over.

 

[Stranglers]

I come in peace, I can't find stats to back it up, there's some on Sen that seem wrong to me but it feels like the clubs with windy AF training bases end up with terrible goal kicking. For ages we were/are terrible, STK, Melbourne when at Casey. Now you guys seem to have the curse. Anything to it?

Probably hard to quantify as there would be too many independent factors involved. We do seem to often miss fairly basic set shots though, and a lot of the time at distances that would suggest unconscious bias for wind wouldn't be a factor. I'd suggest its a mental issue, as a unit we don't generally respond well to the implied pressure when we start missing shots. It blows my mind that an AFL level footballer can miss some of the shots we do though.

 

[hfc70]

No words

 

[SammyC]

That was a really annoying one to drop but in the scheme of things with our draw and players coming back i still expect to finish top 4.

a few thoughts:

- we aren’t getting the dominance we should from 2 rucks. that’s got to change or we just go with one.

- there will be a lot of negativity and criticism of sicily. i think he played a good game, better than most, but they wanted to turn it into a dogfight and he let them.

- the dogs are normally exposed by tall fwds. Lewis on one leg really hurt us. Thought weddle fwd and hardwick back happened too late.

 

[Ram-Man]

Thoughts:

Heaps of negativity for big Meek - we were desperate for him to do more around the ground with marking and he did. IF he had kicked just one of those shots I think people would have a different opinion, he is actually quite a reliable kick normally. Also, a good defensive mark that was overturned - spew

Having said that our rucks are not near the best in the comp - what a difference it made for them having English tis time around.

At the ground Ginnivin was horrible - all night - every single time - looked slow, bad below his knees, fumbles. He is a smart footballer but things are just not working for him at the moment.

Think Sam was out of ideas when Ryan was in the forward line in the last qtr.

Apart from the second qtr our kicking was crap all night field and shots on goal.

Is it possible for Croc to go to Half back, not a great defender but a super kick and I feel the flood stifles his game. Actually the flood stifles everyone's game. A lot of times there was one too many hand balls in the middle instead of getting in quick which would help.

We love the wiz and he is a burst player but sometimes I think he doesn't have that defensive pressure mindset that Rioli had. A lot of walking out there after a contest instead of manning up. Couple of times they were running it out of 50 and he wasn't chasing as nearly as hard as he runs towards goal.

Day looked fatigued. Newc was tough but just like everyone else his kicking was off.

Just an off night really, which you just cannot afford to have when you are getting Prime time all the time. Every opposition wants to play their best at Prime time making it more challenging for us - hopefully the exposure helps us in finals.

Good summary. Meek could have had a huge night.

One move Sam has used in the past was Chol into the ruck.

 

[Mitch75]

I thought Will Day played a very good game for his second game back and spoke really well when interviewed out on the ground after the game. The bloke has class and humility in spades. Make him captain.

We’re not winning any silverware with Sicily in the job. He has shown time and time again he’s not a captain’s a%#hole. The sort of schoolboy crap he pulled last night permeates through the team, and because he’s co-captain, you can’t easily drag him either. He can play but he’s not a leader and must not be captain next year.

 

[triangulation_squared]

Second half fade out been a recurring theme this season. Potentially playing two rucks part of the issue. WithoutvWiz firing in the second half we didn't have a system to score.

When we faded like this against Port earlier in the season, young Luke McCabe

Luke Mccabe

Age

49

Ht

183cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.7

4star

K

8.4

3star

HB

5.3

4star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.0

4star

No current season stats available

D

7.8

2star

K

3.4

2star

HB

4.4

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

1.2

3star

slammed a goal from 55m in the pocket to steady the ship. We needed someone to step up like that last night and we didn't have it.

Wardy was very clean all night. He needs to back himself and kick a goal when we are struggling to become elite.

 

[Briar Gold]

Our draw opens up in the run home. We'll get some good players back soon. We're pretty healthy. Day is only two games back. Glass half full time.

If we bring our best on the G in September we can take any of these other mobs.

I love your next morning optimism but we desperately need to address: goal kicking, flooding in our fwd line, and most importantly on field leadership to be winning any finals.

So much respect for Newcombe but Sicily needs to smarten up and others need to support him. Looking at you Moore and now Day. The leadership is what set us apart in the 3peat and we are nowhere near it.

 

[OnTheRocks]

I'm normally one who doesn't get sucked into Dunstall's commentary but tonight it was grating me. But to be honest that's because he was 100% spot on.

I don't feel we are going to take that next step if we can't put teams away when we are in top.

This.
We are not ruthless.
Front running, down hill skier mentality.
Faux tough guys that distract from the game.
When the side footballs, they can dominate, we know it, we've seen it.
This loss is from a lack of focus & when the pressure was applied, the reaction was unclean & at times panicked.

 

[TassieGrown]

Honestly a pretty embarrassing night, the comments from Watson at half time.

Sicily carrying on while the game is falling to bits (as always)

Goal kicking a joke

No answer for the flood again.

This pretty much summed up the night, well put sir.

Way to much back slapping at half time.

The Sicily carry on coming from the captain is just an awful look and embarrassing for him and the club.

 

[badgrill]

The flood should be the easiest to adjust to when you are up by 4 goals. What’s the purpose to be rushing forward kicking aimlessly long to the opposition. We don’t play to a shot clock, we need to incorporate soccer tactics and just play keeping’s off in our own half to draw them out. It’s a boring method but hey give me boring rather than that collapse in the second half. Need to be smart not pretty to win games sometimes. They can also
Leave that fake tough crap to teams like the bombers. They need to be focused and tough at the ball .

I thought they did that okay in the last 10 mins, but then messed up with either the kick into 50 or shot on goal.

Was almost frustrating how slow each buildup was, but I was actually impressed how they worked it - until the last bit ofc lol

 

[badgrill]

1. Centre clerances
2. The free kick and goal to Croft that changed the game.
3. Goal kicking


Last 6 games I've attended we're 1-5, and in 2 of those we've given up 5 goal leads.
It's a big cost outlay to travel, and more often than not I'm leaving feeling as though it’s not worth it.
May come down for the Richmond game though... surely that will be safe.

 

[user33]

Newcombe was a colossus. He is putting on a mighty season.

It's a pity Meek's goalkicking was such a disaster because the rest of his game was an improvement on where he has been in recent weeks.

Amon was as far off the pace as I have ever seen him.

For just his second game back from a year off Day was very very good. So much upside.

Chol also very good. He is a massive unit. When he first joined us he could often get pushed out in the marking contest. It never happens anymore. Now he is playing to his size. He is a brute. So important to us

When we started to get sucked into the niggle in the third I was dreading us losing focus. You could see it unwinding clear as day. Just not good enough. So dumb.

And the carry on from Sis and Watto is exactly why opposition supporters love to see us lose. Embarrassing.

Spot on analysis imo.

On Meek, if he kicks those goals it’s his best game of the year.. he still provides zero basically outside 1-2 marks a game.

Really hope we look into the 2 ruck thing. Having two trees, who provide basically nothing is becoming a serious problem at selection.

 

[cuttlefish]

Our season defining moments seem to be losses, which is a bit telling. This group needs to have a good hard look at themselves.

 

[hr_23]

I was fearlul of the result when they trained indoors on Thursday instead of in the rain..
deplorable second half
Kicking like a busted is so deflating
2 games we’ve let inaccuracy cost us wins
So so flat
Big 2 weeks after the bye
Go Hawks