Autopsy Round 18, 2025: Hawks fall short

[Dazza the Viking]

Finn in, was expecting him to tag Clark

 

[Kuuz]

Choosing the sub between Mackenzie or CJ was like when you are really ill and the choice is diarrhoea or vomiting. Or awarding the best looking Daniher brother.

Bit rough on Frenchie. He's one of the youngest in the side (or youngest) and as Mitch said, it's the first time he's had to deal with an injury mid-season.

His hand injury has completely thrown him out of his form - whereas prior to it, he was absolutely killing it. I have no doubt he will get back to those levels, but it's now looking more next season than this one sadly.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Tag Seroshaw from the start and kick straight for the 1st 3 quarters and we win.

 

[Arrogant Frog]

Sicily was far from our worst. I'm surprised at how he is always singled out.

Moore was ordinary, Chol was nearly invisable all night, CJ had a shocker, Amon was good, but lost Switkaksi 3 times. Ward, Nash, Mckenzie and Worpel aren't giving newcombe the support he needs.

We lost all structure, double grabbed and tackled terriably in the last, that's why we lost, and they were far more accurate on goal.

Also doesn't helped having a defensive forward as a sub.

 

[seysearles]

Port Adelaide fail..
Geelong fail…
Gold Coast fail…
Collingwood fail…
Brisbane fail..
Fremantle fail..
Adelaide threw it away.. even GWS arguably.

Not gonna happen this year.. we move on.

If you look at all those results though.... they sort of reflect where we are at. None of our results have been an outlier. I think we have a much better idea of where we stand in 2025 than we did in 2024 when we were coming like a rocket. This season is very much set up for to fall into finals and get bundled out first week.

 

[goldfinger]

I don’t understand how Sicily and CJ lose the ability to take intercept marks so quickly. A number of examples where the ball simply went through their hands. Love watching both of them when they are on-song but tonight neither was able to execute this, and when they don’t is critical to stopping the opposition’s momentum. Not sure we can carry both if this continues

Sicily has been mind****ed by Barrass and Battle... where he used to establish body position and just melt back and take the mark with soft hands, Barrass and Battle just come in and bash the pack and clean the ball out now. Sicily must be anticipating that at pretty much every contest. LOVE Barrass and Battle in the team, but this has killed Sicily's game.

They need to develop that synch between each other... ie, if Sicily's in position, maybe dont go the bash every time...

CJ - love your energy. Don't love your footy. Sorry.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Why not? We literally did it a month ago and we’ll have our most important player back.

They'll batter us at Adelaide Oval. We don't travel well

 

[SA HAWK]

We’ll beat Adelaide.

I’m concerned about next week tbh.

In Adelaide?

Tough ask.

No certainty to beat Port next week.

 

[Mitchyy]

Can't praise Dimma enough. Always hard at it and rarely makes a mistake. We would be cooked even more so without him in the backline - where he needs to stay.

 

[Kuuz]

Seems one of Sam's negative is his stubbornness. Doesn't change on his perspective even presented with evidence. Not a good trait..

It just felt a bit like Ange syndrome. He's absolutely 100% behind his system, but then can miss the easy wins that come with being adaptive to the opponent.

I say that, but he was the one who arguably made tagging vogue again when he played Finn as a tagger a few years ago and murdered Daicos.

I just don't get why we don't do it much anymore, particularly with our midfield being so ... lopsided.

 

[FB19]

Bit rough on Frenchie. He's one of the youngest in the side (or youngest) and as Mitch said, it's the first time he's had to deal with an injury mid-season.

His hand injury has completely thrown him out of his form - whereas prior to it, he was absolutely killing it. I have no doubt he will get back to those levels, but it's now looking more next season than this one sadly.

Sorry but your comments are excuses. My comments are on his performance in tonight’s game. If he is selected none of what you said is relevant. He was dire but to be clear, I am not saying he’s no good or he won’t make it, simply he was extremely poor tonight.

 

[CobberRodgers]

In Adelaide?

Tough ask.

No certainty to beat Port next week.

I’m more confident in beating Adelaide in Adelaide than I am Port Adelaide anywhere

 

[SA HAWK]

Why not? We literally did it a month ago and we’ll have our most important player back.

A luck win in shocking conditions in Tasmania.

Play like we have the last 2 weeks and it won’t even be close.

Expecting Day to come back and dominate is very unrealistic too.

 

[Mercy Seat]

Sicily was far from our worst. I'm surprised at how he is always singled out.

Moore was ordinary, Chol was nearly invisable all night, CJ had a shocker, Amon was good, but lost Switkaksi 3 times. Ward, Nash, Mckenzie and Worpel aren't giving newcombe the support he needs.

We lost all structure, double grabbed and tackled terriably in the last, that's why we lost, and they were far more accurate on goal.

Also doesn't helped having a defensive forward as a sub.

Thought Sicily was ok. Took some good intercepts and competed well. I guess we’re all comparing him to what we know is his best which is as a top 3 defender in the league and a match winner. Certainly not getting dropped.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

We are on the same winds as Geelong who everyone is fishing over. Just won 4 in a row.

I don't think it's season over at all

 

[smeltitdeltit]

I actually thought Sis was ok tonight. Took some intercepts and used it pretty well.

Did he? Don’t recall any. May have been the great northerns.

 

[CobberRodgers]

Teams with a deep midfield are a struggle for us.

Until we can improve ours, we’ll be below the rung of elite teams.

Blokes like Ward and Mackenzie will naturally improve when we get some quality back/recruited in there and they can be nursed through.

I’ve said it 50 times. We’ve got enough young talent, screw the draft this year, bundle everything we can for a star midfielder and watch this team elevate it itself instantly.

 

[Dazza the Viking]

In Adelaide?

Tough ask.

No certainty to beat Port next week.

Especially when we let the opposition best players cut loose every week
Rozee, Butters and JHF incoming

 

[rei154]

My concerns:

On-field leaders have been off for a very long time, Sic and Moore both doing too much and not enough at the same time and neither have lifted in the moments where we have needed leadership the most (fourth quarter in general tonight)

Finn played his role well, I would prefer him to start than be the sub and I have no clue why we aren't having high impact players being subbed in to have... a high impact.

Worps playing like a man who knows he's getting a lot more money elsewhere next season.

Moore going at 29% is abysmal and he needs to lift significantly, a spell in the 2's will genuinely help him.

Shammy should be livid at being dropped then seeing some of our defensive efforts in that one. Straight back in please.

Switta torched us with serious forward craft tonight. BHH factory strikes again

Frenchie needed to be given more time and should not have been subbed imo. Not a good night from him for sure, but he is a player that can read the play and pick a target out under pressure.

My positives:

Ginni is having a real impact around the ground, backing up others when the shoving starts and plays like a player who wants others to succeed around him

Calsher take a bow, and please never leave the side again. His physicality was immense tonight, rag-dolled a few players in the scrum and similar to Ginni was always keen to fly the flag

Newc and Amon have been incredible this year for us, both struggling due to the lack of support around them. Give me Scrim and watch Amon explode. Give me Day and see Newc win a brownlow

Meek was a man mountain and his pressure was elite. Up against two genuine gun rucks, seeing him do what he did tonight I hope we do throw four years on big dollars at him, he has earned it

Harry still battling along and succeeding. Another who flew the flag tonight


Umpiring was terrible tonight, and played a part in the fourth. But that doesn't come in to play if we don't lose our composure and if we maintain the rage we had shown earlier in the night.

Out: Cj, Moore, Worpel/Frenchie
in: Shammy, Lewis, Scrim

I don't mind playing tall, especially with Ginni now eating up midfield minutes.

 

[killerspud]

Sicily has been mind****ed by Barrass and Battle... where he used to establish body position and just melt back and take the mark with soft hands, Barrass and Battle just come in and bash the pack and clean the ball out now. Sicily must be anticipating that at pretty much every contest. LOVE Barrass and Battle in the team, but this has killed Sicily's game.

They need to develop that synch between each other... ie, if Sicily's in position, maybe dont go the bash every time...

CJ - love your energy. Don't love your footy. Sorry.

Then its time to reinvent him

 

[chippie]

Sicily out for Scrimshaw. And CJ should have been the sub.

That’s the most important move we need to make I believe. As a Queenslander watched QLD drop their Capt after game one of SOO and it was a huge factor in them coming back to win the series. We need to make a hard call because unfortunately Sis is now a liability to have in. If he can bang the door down at Box Hill he comes back in. Not completely writing off the season but we MUST recruit a mid in pre season.

 

[SA HAWK]

So many players just haven’t reached last years level.

Day & Weddle are probably the last 2 players we could afford to lose also.

Still optimistic for the future but i think this year is a step back from last years euphoria.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Have a listen to Jay Clark the rat campaigner

 

[hawkman]

Was trying to work out how Dear kicked 3. Didn't realise they gave Macdonald's soccer off the ground as Dear's goal

 

[CobberRodgers]

A luck win in shocking conditions in Tasmania.

Play like we have the last 2 weeks and it won’t even be close.

Expecting Day to come back and dominate is very unrealistic too.

Possibly, but expecting him to come back in and direct traffic in the middle and set us up on field as a leader around the ball which will completely change us is not unrealistic at all.