Preview Round 2, 2024: Hawthorn v Melbourne, MCG 4.35pm 23rd March

[Walshawk]

Raise you Chol. 27 year old who’s spent last 2 years on Gold Coast and can’t run out a game on a warm day - think was cramping so bad they had to sub him off.

Gunston and Breust still generate a lot of our scores and we don’t have obvious replacements.

Chol and Gunston are both very slow. It’s not the future, but for now, it is the best we have.

If we are not going to give Serong a run as a tallish backman (we need one of those too), then he should be playing forward this season at BHH. He looked like the ‘new Gunston’ two years ago. Smart player.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

I didn't miss your point at all.

Your point was that Frost had no real value.

And it is an utterly idiotic point, when he had an excellent game, defending.

Do defenders as a whole not have value when they defend...or is it just Frost that isn't judged on doing what he was supposed to do?

It's 2024.
Stoppers don't have value unless there's a second string to their bow.

 

[eldorado]

It's 2024.
Stoppers don't have value unless there's a second string to their bow.

And you want Phillips to replace him because his second string is...what exactly?

 

[Billyc]

Nash was poor yesterday and during both pre season games. Query whether he makes room for Hustwaite whose form in pre season was much better or whether his 2023 credits are enough to hold off for a while. Yesterday Nash contributed little at the stoppages where we were killed and that’s what he’s in the team for. Didn’t offer protection for Newcombe from the Setterfield tag either.

McKenzie the other id consider replacing with Hustwaite. Otherwise I’d play him (or Nash) sub and start Finn on Oliver.

Ward provided valuable defensive running yesterday. Wasn’t the best offensively and that’s still a developing part of his game but did some of the unheralded work other midfielders didn’t do. McKenzie didn’t.

I’d give Watson another run. Don’t like dropping a first gamer. I wouldn’t tinker with the forward line at all this week. Just hope for better conversion and Lewis to put in a better effort

 

[phlogiston]

Raise you Chol. 27 year old who’s spent last 2 years on Gold Coast and can’t run out a game on a warm day - think was cramping so bad they had to sub him off.

Gunston and Breust still generate a lot of our scores and we don’t have obvious replacements.

FWIW, Weddle was cramping too… (along with a good half dozen others)

 

[eldorado]

Nash was poor yesterday and during both pre season games. Query whether he makes room for Hustwaite whose form in pre season was much better or whether his 2023 credits are enough to hold off for a while.

Good question.

The creativity when Hustwaite has the ball is something we need more of. We absolutely missed Day's class in the middle yesterday.

 

[Slainte]

Agree with the call for Hustwaite to be given an opportunity. We know that our best mid is going to be heavily tagged and our next best may be injured but this is just a fact of football. As well as Worpel played it wasn't enough to fill the void and Nash had zero impact on the game. I hope Mitchell is pushing the youngsters who have been around a few years now to step up and take the game on more. This needs to start happening this year. I feel we still have too many players looking to other players to lead. I see this with some of the more experienced players too. Which is a worry.

I thought Nash had a reasonable game. He created a lot of space for Worpel in the centre square and did some good things around the ground. Not a great game but it was serviceable and he had some impact.

 

[Strebi3]

We win this

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

I'd go in unchanged and swap Finn for Gunston or Finn for Watson.

Hustwaite can wait in the 2's as he isn't really defensively oriented.

Back our mids to respond after a poor showing. Especially Jai.

 

[Tony3163]

You totally missed the point I was making

I literally said he didn't really do anything wrong. It is just he had no real value


"If Finn could kick"
Finn kicked a couple directly to where gunston should have been able to make an easy mark. Gunston is slow.
As I said, no sure who's in front of him

Dig up!

 

[Suntory Boss Coffee]

You totally missed the point I was making

I literally said he didn't really do anything wrong. It is just he had no real value


"If Finn could kick"
Finn kicked a couple directly to where gunston should have been able to make an easy mark. Gunston is slow.
As I said, no sure who's in front of him

Watching Gunston bust a gut with a straight back trying to sprint but only moving at a jogging pace is sad to see. That Finn kick would have been marked if anyone other than Gunston was the target.

 

[PenAndPaper]

You totally missed the point I was making

I literally said he didn't really do anything wrong. It is just he had no real value


"If Finn could kick"
Finn kicked a couple directly to where gunston should have been able to make an easy mark. Gunston is slow.
As I said, no sure who's in front of him

A key defender who does nothing wrong is of super value.

Finn can't kick, he is quite possibly the worst kick in the competition and he could not hit an open Gunston. Gunston would have taken an easy mark if Finn actually hit the open man.

 

[kazzooka]

Raise you Chol. 27 year old who’s spent last 2 years on Gold Coast and can’t run out a game on a warm day - think was cramping so bad they had to sub him off.

Gunston and Breust still generate a lot of our scores and we don’t have obvious replacements.

I Chols defence he has missed a lot of pre-season after recovering from a PCL injury.

 

[TylerDurden]

Watching Gunston bust a gut with a straight back trying to sprint but only moving at a jogging pace is sad to see. That Finn kick would have been marked if anyone other than Gunston was the target.

The kick was way off. Let's face facts.

 

[MasterSamurai]

Our speed isn't a problem at all. We cover the ground really well. Sicily had a poor game , Lewis was ok at best and with Newk and Nash having relatively quiet games it meant too much left to too few.
Let this squad breath a bit, play some games together before we make wholesale changes. I mean , how often do teams lose when they have 23 scoring shots to 15 at three qtr time?? This is where a classy mid like Day is missed, make no mistake, he is definitely one of five or so players we can't afford to miss!!
What really sux is who we lost to..
McKenzie and ward need to keep developing at senior level so they learn in time, what it takes to make impact when the team needs it. We will in about 12 or so months move past some of these sides, it's just not now.

 

[VandoHawk]

Midfield was a big problem but I'd challenge them to perform.
Maginness comes in to tag Oliver with one of Watson/Mackenzie the sub.

 

[RoughysMullet]

Finn to tag Viney please

 

[hawkman]

The kick was way off. Let's face facts.

I think it was a bit of both. The kick was slightly off while Gunston also did have the pace to get there

 

[eldorado]

The kick was way off. Let's face facts.

A lot of people really are seeing what they expect, not what actually happened.

If Gunston has lost any pace, it is negligible to my eyes.

At least he had a few shots at goal, which has held the expected cries of 'he's cooked!' at bay...if only until his next less-than-brilliant game.

 

[blackheart]

The kick was way off. Let's face facts.

The defender was playing in front, Gunston would at best made it a 50/50 if the pass was to a lead out. All Finn had to do was pop it in the square. Why Finn cannot be sub is his kicking, it's a liability. He starts with a job or nothing.

 

[Billyc]

The defender was playing in front, Gunston would at best made it a 50/50 if the pass was to a lead out. All Finn had to do was pop it in the square. Why Finn cannot be sub is his kicking, it's a liability. He starts with a job or nothing.

Opposition sides would love Finn being the guy who finds space late in a game with fresh legs. He’s the worst ball user on the list. He tags and aims for a nil all draw against an opposing gun or he doesn’t play. It was a coaching howler yesterday

 

[Mrzohs]

I think most of the pieces are there (outside of the spine) we just need to shuffle the deck chairs around.

HH is a must he is specialist clearance player, had a awesome summer and makes the other players better around him by making good decisions. Nuke would really benefit with another ball winner and it will only help the others.

I think we have a few guys across the middle who are okay at a few roles but haven't nailed a specific position.

Weddle should be used across the wing his damaging! Best runner at the club and can be the extra number getting back. Let's use his traits he not suited when his dragged to defend on the last line.

 

[SSSSSS]

It's 2024.
Stoppers don't have value unless there's a second string to their bow.

For every Moore and Taylor there is a Murphy and Buckley. Dour stoppers.

I'd argue that Frost has the best weapon out of any dour stoppers in the league. He's lightning quick and can kick the leather off the ball.

The only problem is he's a weapon that often cuts both ways!

 

[rei154]

We won the first possession in the middle yesterday, so while we might think Huss might come in and be cleaner, we’re essentially bringing him in to do something we didn’t fail at yesterday.

If I was a betting man, I’d think Sam will put it on Nash, Worpel and Newk to improve their clearance work together rather than bringing in Huss to “fix” anything.

Devils advocate on this- from what I saw throughout the pre-season, HH was able to get first position, but also deliver it in a way that opened up the field and helped us have less hack kicks out. HH coming in means a player like Newc has to do less blocking and can do more delivering into 50 which I think would be a big improvement for us.

 

[kazzooka]

A little bit off topic but i'm just so excited. My Daughter will be playing in the auskick on the G at half time on saturday. Only going to be her 3 game she's gone to. Hasn't had seen a win yet, hopefully this week.