Autopsy Round 21, 2025: Hawks can’t get it done against the Crows

[AlwaysHawks15]

So incredibly disappointing to be up by 5 goals, lose the lead, come back again and then lose the lead again in the last by butchering shots.

We aren't there yet. To win the flag we would need to be undefeated for the rest of the season. Without reading the fallout on here, I'll give my opinion below

. Like Mass as a player but could tell he wasn't kicking that goal in the last . For someone as pure of a shot as him , he is a shocking set shot, especially close in. Crows waltz down the other end and kick a dealer, bang 18 points and the game. An absolute coach killer.

. Hard to say whether the 4 talls worked. Don't think it had an impact on the game tbh. Would like to see it again before I make a judgement.

. The umpires didn't decide the game but they also had some absolute shockers.
That Rankine one in the last was just typical incompetence where the end decision doesn't pass the pub test. Was touched and everyone knows that but because the umpire didn't say and paid the mark they think they need to pay 50 meters because of their initially incompetence and refusal to admit wrongdoing.

. CMac may need a spell at Box Hill. He's been down for a while while still providing impact at times but those moments had been few and far between the last month

. Between this game the Fremantle game and the Gold Coast game there are three interstate matches that we could have won and we're up but ended up losing. Great teams don't do that. Sam has got some work to do on mindset

. Wiz isn't a high disposal winner so he needs to make his disposals count when he gets a chance. His poor kicking really can be the difference at times

. Really hope that Day is not injured again when he came off in the last quarter. Would be typical if he is though he is made of glass

. Along with A grade midfielder, we desperately need a competent yet fast small defender. That type of indigenous quick agile smart footballer such as a Rankine , Cameron and Hill absolute torches us. Hardwick isn't a bad player although he had an off-night tonight but he isn't suited to that type of player.

. Sicily looked like he had another decent game and it's close to being back to a competent player.

. I'm not sure if Adelaide are just really good at spreading the ball or we are slow but as soon as they got the ball on the half back flank the seas just parted for them and we had no answer


All in all we are a five to eight team this year. Because of the tough competition we may not even finish that but if we want to be a contender next year we really have some work to do on mental toughness and being able to stop the other teams momentum when they get on a run

Impey in hindsight should have gone to Rankine and he and Hardwick swapped roles. Quickest most agile small defender we have. Up until the last quarter I thought Hardwick was doing a good job but when it mattered Rankine turned it on and Dimma couldn't control him. Sometimes you sacrifice offensive run to neutralise match winners for the opposition. That may have been an opportunity tonight.

 

[Walshawk]

We needed to rest Meek last week or the week before. Or the week before that when Ramma was in the team. He is struggling.

Four talls did not work. We bombed long too often and were constantly out marked. Meek needs help so I would drop Lewis before Chol or Dear (even though his second half was ok).

I would consider dropping Worpel as well so a big opportunity for two of McKenzie, Butler and Bmac tomorrow on the Gold Coast.

Also, watching Curtain tonight and Mason Wood

32

Mason Wood

Age

32

Ht

192cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.2

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.2

4star

CL

0.3

2star

D

8.3

2star

K

2.7

1star

HB

5.7

3star

M

1.7

2star

T

1.3

2star

CL

0.0

1star

D

15.8

4star

K

8.6

4star

HB

7.2

5star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

last week (and the headband guy from Geelong) should make it obvious that tall wingers are back and that is Weddle’s spot once he returns,

 

[Dewnior]

Close but we ain't there yet.
The 4 talls didnt work argument is strange. We scored 87 points in essentially 3 quarters. You dont put those numbers up against a solid defense if it isnt working. Might want to look at the midfield and leaky defense for the reasons we lost. Had nothing to do with our forward structure

The 4 talls experiment ended at half time. By then we had scored 33 points in literally 1 quarter.

 

[Harper_Hawk]

Positives
I thought Josh Battle

24

Josh Battle

Age

27

Ht

193cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.9

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.9

3star

M

5.0

5star

T

2.4

4star

MG

196.8

3star

D

11.0

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.8

3star

MG

142.8

3star

D

10.8

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

4.6

4star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

175.6

3star

had an outstanding game.
James Sicily

6

James Sicily

Age

30

Ht

188cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

12.7

5star

HB

5.7

4star

M

6.3

5star

T

1.5

3star

MG

365.0

5star

D

19.4

4star

K

14.3

5star

HB

5.1

3star

M

5.9

5star

T

1.0

2star

MG

437.4

5star

D

10.0

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

4.2

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

173.8

3star

as well.
Jack Gunston

19

Jack Gunston

Age

34

Ht

193cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.5

4star

K

10.5

4star

HB

5.0

4star

M

5.7

5star

T

2.2

4star

G

1.9

5star

D

10.6

3star

K

8.0

3star

HB

2.6

2star

M

4.3

4star

T

1.7

3star

G

1.6

5star

D

11.2

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

4.2

4star

M

3.2

4star

T

2.6

4star

G

0.6

3star

say no more.
Our effort in the third to get back into it as a whole was awesome to see.

Negatives
Our second quarter. Disgraceful as a whole. 0:0
Connor MacDonald needs to find an identity in this team again. Foremost his physicality.
Three away games leading in the last and not to put teams away. As much on the players as it is in the coaches box.

Will be a fair effort to make finals now. Painful if we don’t.

 

[eldorado]

The 4 talls experiment ended at half time. By then we had scored 33 points in literally 1 quarter.

One could just as easily call it the "one less mid" experiment..

Hard to quantify, but I reckon we were more negatively affected by having one less mid than four talls in that second quarter.

As for the last...even with a larger mid rotation, we couldn't get it together...overuse, poor decisions, and Worpel completely out of sorts

 

[Cursed Cat]

If Geelong were watching that last quarter, we may be stuck with Worpel going forward….

We were watching.

 

[SA HAWK]

We were watching.

Take him please.

 

[Baz_hawk]

We are about 90% there in my mind, but that last 10% is the most difficult part to pull together and with our fixture we can't really afford to spend the next few weeks finding it.

Our consistency is a concern, we get on a roll but when the momentum shifts we leak goals, we are ball watching and our structures crumble as the opposition pushes forward and our defence are then forced to push up to cover and it's a nice easy chip over the top.

The forward line didn't work tonight, felt like they were constantly not making any space for one another but hard to gauge exactly what was going on without being at the ground to see it unfolds. I think it can work and I'd be surprised if we gave up on it after tonight's experiment. We left a few goals out there by taking one two many disposals instead of just finishing off the work. I'm all for unselfish plays but felt we overdue it tonight.

Mass missing tonight summed up where we are at currently. I'm not potting the guy, thought he was one of our better players tonight but his miss and then the end to end goal is something we've watched plenty of times before this year. It's those little moments that we just always fail to take this season which we somehow need to address very quickly.

Weddle will be a very handy inclusion for us if we can get him back soon, we really miss his run and carry and it's most evident when we try set plays out of kick ins. He usually is the link up player and has the height and athleticism to be a reliable option. We tried battle who is great one on one but then it is either Impey or no one so the opposition easily shit it down.

Not the end of the world by any stretch, but we have a lot of work ahead if we want to feature in september.

 

[offtherails9]

We’re not good enough. Good teams don’t not score for a whole quarter. Good teams don’t have no midfielders in their top 5 disposal counts. Mitch needs to lift and we need to recruit. I tell people we never claimed to be premiership chances but that’s what everyone thinks we thought we would be after last year and our attitude. It is what it is, we’re mid.

 

[SA HAWK]

We’re not good enough. Good teams don’t not score for a whole quarter. Good teams don’t have no midfielders in their top 5 disposal counts. Mitch needs to lift and we need to recruit. I tell people we never claimed to be premiership chances but that’s what everyone thinks we thought we would be after last year and our attitude. It is what it is, we’re mid.

We have ended up with one of the tougher draws of any team shit happens.

If we miss the finals this year it will be dissapointing if we miss next year would be a disaster.

 

[Nick the Pig]

Fell into the trap of picking our best 23 players and not our best team

 

[Elhawko]

Someone was arguing the other week daicos isn't good cause he doesn't do contested marks, then someone said well Nash has barely taken any he's whole career either. Yeah but Nash is 198 that's about 10cms taller than most mids, hmm apart from tackle and get the occasional goal every 3 games what else does he do?

I have to admit I have been thinking the same thing. Nash has no offensive weapons and honestly, if I read another post referring to his height think I'll do a Terry Wallace! He never marks the ball! In fact, his height might be a disadvantage given he's not actually using it. He can be a useful stopper sometimes but his output is low and just puts more pressure on Newc and Day to lead the charge.

 

[seysearles]

Na

I have to admit I have been thinking the same thing. Nash has no offensive weapons and honestly, if I read another post referring to his height think I'll do a Terry Wallace! He never marks the ball! In fact, his height might be a disadvantage given he's not actually using it. He can be a useful stopper sometimes but his output is low and just puts more pressure on Newc and Day to lead the charge.

Nash should be a role player that you deploy when necessary not a central figure in the midfield structure.

 

[Sprint Artisan]

A lot of doom and gloom comments, but there were so many positives from the game, even though there were negatives.

The Hawks had a big assignment to travel to Adelaide and play against a hot side that is regarded as the premiership favourites. I think it's a credit to the team that we were able to get into a winning position several times.

I think that having Day, Lewis and Dear short of match fitness cost us in the last quarter. With each passing week, those players will get better at maintaining the high intensity required for such games.

Ultimately, very disappointing that we faltered at key moments and couldn't get over the line, but with Collingwood and Brisbane ahead of us, I think we saw enough to suggest that we can win one or both of those games...

 

[SA HAWK]

A lot of doom and gloom comments, but there were so many positives from the game, even though there were negatives.

The Hawks had a big assignment to travel to Adelaide and play against a hot side that is regarded as the premiership favourites. I think it's a credit to the team that we were able to get into a winning position several times.

I think that having Day, Lewis and Dear short of match fitness cost us in the last quarter. With each passing week, those players will get better at maintaining the high intensity required for such games.

Ultimately, very disappointing that we faltered at key moments and couldn't get over the line, but with Collingwood and Brisbane ahead of us, I think we saw enough to suggest that we can win one or both of those games...

It did and we hope it does get better but is it too late is the ?

If we get in we will have decent form behind us and who knows what can happen.

Tonight the same as the games against Geelong, Gold Coast & Freo a chance late in the game but ultimately 0-4 in those games.

 

[MasterSamurai]

Nash and Worpel have space and just needed to look up to see Gunston, Lewis , Chol, Watson in the frwd 50 , yet they both **** around for God knows what reason instead of kicking it to the hot spot and get caught !
A midfield of
Day
Newcombe
Ward
A grade trade in ( Walsh)
Mackenzie
İs the way frwd. Too top heavy in the middle , been saying for two months .

 

[DearJai]

Great to see Sicily back to his best, Day was incredible early

4 talls never again please

4 Talls could work if they were all match fit and in touch.

But there was some ring rust out there tonight.

Day definitely huge, Sic also.

We looked a runner or two down.

 

[DearJai]

Fair effort.
Our lack of midfield class continues to bite us against the best teams.

Was it midfield class, or that we were down a midfielder or two in rotations?

Fatigue is going to affect ball use and smarts.

 

[DearJai]

Newk's regression the last six weeks is alarming.

Lot of weight on his back all year, he is carrying something I reckon.

 

[DearJai]

Fell into the trap of picking our best 23 players and not our best team

It still could have worked, but two of our talls are still a little rusty after so much time away.

Felt like Dear looked threatening, just didn't hold on to a couple of marks that might have made a difference.

Lewis is just a step or two off the pace for now.

 

[DearJai]

A lot of doom and gloom comments, but there were so many positives from the game, even though there were negatives.

The Hawks had a big assignment to travel to Adelaide and play against a hot side that is regarded as the premiership favourites. I think it's a credit to the team that we were able to get into a winning position several times.

I think that having Day, Lewis and Dear short of match fitness cost us in the last quarter. With each passing week, those players will get better at maintaining the high intensity required for such games.

Ultimately, very disappointing that we faltered at key moments and couldn't get over the line, but with Collingwood and Brisbane ahead of us, I think we saw enough to suggest that we can win one or both of those games...

Spot on imo. There were a few moments that might have gone differently, and the result could have changed.

We were in it midway through the last quarter. Our forward line never really gelled, and we still could have won.

Our sails went limp after Mass' miss. He was huge at times, and that stuff happens. I'd put money on it not happening again.

We went in with 3 players who had missed a bunch of games and were underdone, and still could have gotten across the line.

The doom and gloom is ridiculous imo. Going in with one less rusty tall might have been enough to snag us the win.

 

[MasterSamurai]

Keep the four talls for mine. Dear , Lewis and even mabs have missed games and need gelling. Maybe a bit too late but I'd be as concerned about the form of Moore and croc , particularly in the big games. Moore surely has runs on the board but, not in finals last year and awful in bigger games this year. You'd think for someone who is a leader, talks tough and stern that he'd be relishing these big games.

 

[Cyril says]

Close but no cigar.

Composure under pressure cost us - not sure we can get it done from here.

Was that cramp or the foot reinjuring itself?

Joe Pebbles can’t come back soon enough.

 

[ImCheatingToWin]

Cmac is a real worry for me, i just keep waiting for it to click and it just hasn't. He really he is just a bobs up a few times a night and unless he takes all his chances he really is not offering much.

Someone will mention he got 4 tackles or sonething.
I am over the performances in big games, the talent he clearly has, there no doubt about that.
The guy fails every test in hard competitive games
That goal where he was running straight at goal then big brain moved and decided to kick across his body
Definitley a piece of the trade puzzle for an upgraded midfielder

 

[ImCheatingToWin]

lol double teamed he is horrible - gives us nothing.

Gunston is amazing - Chol had to play out of position all night and still influenced. And we completely gave dear nothing to work with.

LEWIS is not in our best 23 this year deal with it mate.

Ramsdan outplayed him at box hill.

This is the most delusional post I have read all year - I won’t call you dumb in case you have a few problems up there

Who could've predicted you'd show up to rag on Lewis. Imagine freely showing how little you know about football.
Dear was the obvious sub last night. Thankfully, Sammy is in the box and not you

Can't take a contested mark, that's is some next level stupidity, please continue on though. Need a laugh after we collectively shot ourselves in the foot in the last quarter