Autopsy Round 13, 2026: Hawks get leashed

[Nick the Pig]

Our two rucks had a combined 25 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles, 1 goal That's a fair effort you would take any day. In comparison English had 14 disposals (and Lobbe hardly any while rucking)

It was Meek's goalkicking which skews the perception of how our rucks performed.

 

[hfc70]

Meek - stay out of F50, leave it to the forwards to kick behinds

 

[hk89]

I can usually let go of losses fairly quickly, but I must admit to having trouble coping with 1-11. The fact that a single one of those (often very gettable) misses going through for a goal would have been enough for a draw has been harder than usual to let go. Such a massive lost opportunity (as was the Pies game).

Bad kicking is of course bad footy, but it is also much easier to play 'what if' when the team has been so poor in front of goal, but been otherwise good enough to get the shots. Holding dogs to 77 should have been enough given they've averaged about 10 points more than that for the year.

Anyway, I guess at the start of the season, most fans if offered, would have taken 3rd at the half way point with a clean injury list to start an (on-paper) easier second half of the season, and Will Day with two return games under his belt. I certainly would have.

 

[smeltitdeltit]

Can anyone with a better tactical Brian than mine put your finger on the massive swings in clearances we’ve seen this year?
It was a weakness for us going into the season but many times we’ve absolutely dominated centre bounce clearances to half time then it’s like a switch is flipped and we then get our arse handed to us in the middle. Can’t just be swings and roundabouts. What are we/oppo changing in the middle?

 

[TylerDurden]

Greeves with 25 today. Has to be close now.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Can anyone with a better tactical Brian than mine put your finger on the massive swings in clearances we’ve seen this year?
It was a weakness for us going into the season but many times we’ve absolutely dominated centre bounce clearances to half time then it’s like a switch is flipped and we then get our arse handed to us in the middle. Can’t just be swings and roundabouts. What are we/oppo changing in the middle?

It doesn’t totally explain it, but with the current tactics and rules, swings in every facet of the game seem to be increasing. I don’t think the swings are the problem, it’s how you combat them.

Another issue is that we have limited clearance kings in our midfield, this will make it easier for teams to work out our tactics.

I think what this season has shown is, when you’re on top you really need to make it count. We haven’t done that enough

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

North had a worse second half than we did. How is it possible for a team in a so-called "elite" competition to kick 0-3 in an entire half of football?

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Greeves with 25 today. Has to be close now.

It's time. Blood the kids next two games

 

[NMBB]

1.11 in the second half - just not good enough lads

 

[TylerDurden]

GC look tripe here.

 

[RoughysMullet]

Greeves with 25 today. Has to be close now.

Should’ve been a top 20 pick, just get him in - made for it

 

[Elhawko]

1. We get forced to take shots outside 45m or on difficult angles due to the flooding of our forward line in the 2nd half
2. When we do get an easy shot - ie Meek holding the ball free right in front of goal - there’s so much pressure on the kick because we’ve only kicked one goal for the half and therefore he misses

The start of the third quarter, we are double their score and have all the momentum. Ginni gets an uncontested mark maybe 40 metres out on a 40 degree angle. Commentators said there was nobody on him and it was like he was an extra in our forward line. He is a professional medium forward whose trade is to kick goals. He shanks it. That had nothing to do with the Dogs tactics and nothing to do with score board pressure. He just didn't execute. Then Maribor misses a 50/50 snap from 15 metres out. Again not squeezed to the boundary, it was a shot resulting from a marking contest on a not very severe angle. We kick just those two goals we win. Dogs tactics did nothing to prevent either. A few minutes later Croft gets a free for them in about the equivalent position of Ginnis shot at their end of the ground. Croft is a KPD and he's been probably played 20 games.His side has scored 27 points in over an half of football and are 29 points down. He is the one who should be under scoreboard pressure. He drills it through the middle.

Bevo said himself we should have won.

 

[westhawk]

You get the feeling, Meek kicks that goal and we run away with it. Goes up the other end and English splits the middle. 2 goal turnaround. Heads drop.

Spot on, said it at the time when he missed, that they will go straight down the other end and score.

 

[RoughysMullet]

The start of the third quarter, we are double their score and have all the momentum. Ginni gets an uncontested mark maybe 40 metres out on a 40 degree angle. Commentators said there was nobody on him and it was like he was an extra in our forward line. He is a professional medium forward whose trade is to kick goals. He shanks it. That had nothing to do with the Dogs tactics and nothing to do with score board pressure. He just didn't execute. Then Maribor misses a 50/50 snap from 15 metres out. Again not squeezed to the boundary, it was a shot resulting from a marking contest on a not very severe angle. We kick just those two goals we win. Dogs tactics did nothing to prevent either. A few minutes later Croft gets a free for them in about the equivalent position of Ginnis shot at their end of the ground. Croft is a KPD and he's been probably played 20 games.His side has scored 27 points in over an half of football and are 29 points down. He is the one who should be under scoreboard pressure. He drills it through the middle.

Bevo said himself we should have won.

Agree but there’s less pressure on Croft to kick that goal as they were so far behind at that point - almost a nothing to lose mentality

I really think another big factor is bathwater drinking by us from half time thinking the game was over - they thought they could spray a few shots and get away with it - they found out the hard way you can’t…

 

[FB19]

Ive had time to sleep on the Meek debacle.

Take out the set shots.

He had:
21 hitouts
16 touches
4 marks
13 contested possessions (2nd most on ground)
3 shots on goal - yes, all shanks.

On that form, if you're dropping 1 ruck, it can't be him.

So our problem is that Reeves is great at tap work, but can’t seem to run out a game and doesn’t offer much around the ground. So we have to play another ruck if he’s selected. Meek isn’t great at taps but his strength is endurance which he can’t really use given limited TOG. In the past he would work other rucks over physically and still be going in the last quarter.
I’m with you I’d play Meek alone with a chop out from Chol or Nash. Setup centre square work to accommodate for losing the hitouts or for his soft drops and go from there. Add another runner on the bench to increase our ability to cover the ground.

 

[peetoo]

It's time. Blood the kids next two games

Was really putting in second and third efforts

 

[Paul Kersey]

Saw Tuck interviewed post game. 'We think we're better than we are'.

 

[theiaofseed]

the only certain wins on the run home are Richmond and Essendon. Its an easy fixture, but we are no monties

If we lose to Carlton, West Coast we might as well fold.

 

[Mrzohs]

Should’ve been a top 20 pick, just get him in - made for it

Always looks good at training and puts in.

The extra on baller would be really handy.

 

[Hawker2828]

I tell you what, the vitriol towards Watson by the masses is borderline psychotic. Dont think ive ever seen a player so hated

Watson provokes the hatred he gets from the masses IMO. Him running right up to the opposition cheer squad & giving them the finger has become a common occurrence. One of many examples. It’s also envy from non-Hawk fans because he is so damaging / his bursts swing momentum our way & he gets the reaction from supporters/media alike.

I know I’ll probs cop it for saying this.. I’d rather he toned his antics right down & let his footy do the talking. It’s always been the Hawthorn way.

 

[RoughysMullet]

Saw Tuck interviewed post game. 'We think we're better than we are'.

He’s right - they need to pull their heads in - were embarrassed last night

 

[Mitchell Madness]

If we lose to Carlton, West Coast we might as well fold.

Carlton are no immediate. Theyre playing decent footy since Voss left, and Westchester in the first al round - who knows what a "theres no tomorrow" approach will do for them, particularly in perth

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

E

Carlton are no immediate. Theyre playing decent footy since Voss left, and Westchester in the first al round - who knows what a "theres no tomorrow" approach will do for them, particularly in perth

Exactly. We play soft, loose football whilst acting like millionaires, and we will get punched in the mouth again.

 

[brew]

GC look tripe here.

But we will still have our standard away lose to them.

 

[MinerBoy]

There is no amount of “territory” that allows someone to call a complete stranger a weak campaigner over the fence, and no reality where doing that directly to another person is not a personal attack.

The idea that players should just deal with it or that it’s standard behavior because they play professional sport is real backwards thinking.

Your take that he has no right to be annoyed at being called a weak campaigner over the fence by some random stranger is just completely broken.

I think when you are performing your job in a way that involves trying to “tough guy rough up” your fellow coworkers/competitors then you should have a certain amount of backbone to be able to handle some opposition supporter words like that