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

[Jethro!]

If/when Worpel comes back this year bring him in for Amon.

Amon is a decent kick but when he doesn’t have the ball he is a liability and we can’t have a liability especially in the back half.

Sometimes Amon calls for it and gets himself into trouble. And we seem to give it too him when he's running on his right side or to the boundary.
He's obviously a very good player. I think most of our troubles are above the shoulders.

 

[SSSSSS]

TB should run some tackling sessions for the group. Completely bodylined the ball. Was awesome to watch.

We must be the worst comp in the league for one armed nothing tackles that get broken time after time. Especially during moments that matter.

I'm exaggerating but **** me it feels that way.

 

[Mitch75]

That was arguably the toughest game in the run home out of the way. We gave it a good crack but just couldn't get over the line.

The four talls experiment was going okay at quarter time. They all got involved, with 13 disposals and three goals combined. Then in the second, when our whole team went to sleep, they had just the one touch. We simply can't afford to let our pressure drop like that against good teams. We were lucky the Crows didn't drop 10 on us in that quarter.

In the end they had more polish than us - they took their chances, whereas we didn't. The 50/50 ball also seemed to bounce their way, but as long as this game is played with an oval-shaped ball, that'll sometimes happen. And as someone else said, you make your own luck. They dared to take the game on more, and it came off. Their good players were clutch when it mattered - Dawson and Thilthorpe in the second, then Rankine and Walker who between them kicked their last four goals.

Even our better players on the night had moments they'd like to take back. The Mass miss has been done to death - instead of his natural left to right kicking arc, he tried a last split-second inside-out arc on the kick that sent the ball drifting left of the goal post.

Battle too, as good as he was, had a couple of iffy moments in the last quarter. Especially the contest at CHB at the 50 where he nicely worked Fogarty under the ball, but dropped the defensive intercept mark, saw the ball drop into Fog's hands, who popped it over the top for an easy run in goal. Moments like that completely turn a game.

Our season isn't done yet. We just have to go hard again next week for four quarters against Collingwood and hope this time we can take our chances.

 

[Sprint Artisan]

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.

Yes, very similar. Getting into the winning position then dropping the bundle at the start of the last quarter.

I feel as though this could be related to their conditioning focus...

 

[Sprint Artisan]

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

Calf, apparently...

 

[Sprint Artisan]

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.

Moore has been awesome since he took the captaincy. Last night was his first quiet game for a while...

 

[twentythree]

mass, Ginnivan, day, Meek in the second half, Sicily huge.

Seriously the ****ing idiots on this forum I have had to deal with for saying Chol is ahead of Lewis.

Lewis offers nothing we need at all. He can’t take a mark - I don’t care that he gets up the ground - he is useless up forward

I love Sammy but subbing off Dear was such a bad call. Lewis cannot take a contested mark for shit. I have watched every game at Box Hill this game. And the audacity of idiots on this forum to call me out for saying Lewis is not good enough is ****ing laughable.

Secondly Worpel again said it for about 20 weeks now he is absolutely putrid with the call.

At the end of the day our midfield is not good enough. Day and Newcombe are very very good but we need one more elite player. I said this about 15 weeks ago and again got called out:

Mackenzie losing confidence post injury has cost us this season.

Above points - I think we played well. Proud of the team / never thought we could have won it this year but want a preliminary final appearance so bad. Still possible if we win 2 games.

Just never want to see Worpel play for hawthorn again and Lewis should not play again in 2025

Agree on Lewis .. is he even that good?
I remember when we weren't sure who was better out of him and Kosi.
At least Chol brings the defensive pressure and has proved himself able to team up with Dear and Gunston.

I don't trust in Lewis' abilities, he's too much of an old fashioned one dimensional player.
Just sayin

 

[TassieGrown]

If/when Worpel comes back this year bring him in for Amon.

Amon is a decent kick but when he doesn’t have the ball he is a liability and we can’t have a liability especially in the back half.

Harsh on Amon would be a our most consistent player all season probs leading the PCM

 

[Newmo89]

Hawks' finals prospects made tougher after squandering another late lead

Hawthorn have now lost three games against top eight sides despite leading at the final break.

www.zerohanger.com

 

[H00t]

I don’t know why people keep bringing up us being short of good midfielders. The fact is we beat their midfield. Dawson played well but Soligo, Berry and Peatling hardly touched it (38 disposals combined).

We have more pressing problems which show themselves against good teams.

Our defence is error prone especially with repeat inside 50’s. Letting players get goal side, dropping easy marks, leaving players unguarded and spoiling each other. They all want to do the hero play and while it looks great when it comes off it, when it doesn’t we give up goals. Defenders aren’t like forwards one good play doesn’t cancel out a bad play.

Another problem is our inability to transition the ball from our backline once the opponent gets set up. It’s just a long kick to the same spot that keeps coming back until we give up a goal. We have nothing else. If it’s not a quick break from our backline we aren’t getting it out.

On the flip side to this as much as we can’t move the ball we often let the opposition move the ball straight through the corridor freely on the rebound with zero pressure.

All three have been a problem this year and our worst quarters all follow this same pattern. Something needs to change.

 

[TassieGrown]

In the cold light of day we ran the premiership favourite ( in my opinion) to a narrow loss with opportunities in the last to get the win. We are actually playing well but we just can’t do it for a full game, games are won and lost in the midfield and just about the whole midfield got beat after qtr time but still only just lost.

Chol was great in the ruck should have played more minutes in there.

We missed chances, crows nailed there’s.

Re set for the pies.

 

[offtherails9]

Worried for Day. Cue the vision of him in a moon boot at the airport today

 

[parsons nose]

Some pathetic comments in here regarding our players, but I can’t say I’m surprised. ‘Sicily apparently should be dropped or at least lose the captaincy’ levels of observation. No we don’t fold under pressure, if that was the case Adelaide would have run away with it in third. And no Worpel hasn’t ‘checked out’, it wasn’t a lack of effort that let him down it was a lack of polish. He’s been a great servant of the club and we should get behind him rather than through him under bus, as too many are willing to do.

 

[westhawk]

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 .

Yep, Worpel and Nash too slow and don’t have a football brain between them to be damaging mids. Don’t get enough of the footy, and you nearly don’t want them too, as they continue to take poor options.

 

[westhawk]

We didn’t take ground when we needed to. Amon needs to stop running pass for a handball that puts him on his right foot. Stupid decisions and a poor second quarter was the difference.

Amon does it all the time, so does Mass, poor of them to call for it and poor from the players who give it to them.

 

[westhawk]

Not sure why people are saying that Lewis is our monster forward.

Thilthorpe is what a monster forward looks like and was probably the difference on the night.

Lewis is built like a monster forward,just like Meek is built like a monster ruck, but they don’t throw their size around at all.

 

[Mrzohs]

2 mids short

Worpel checked out
Newcombe and day not 100%

Need 1 elite mid to complement day
1 more very good mid to do the same for newk


Yes dambrossio miss cost us, but smashed in centre in q2 and first half of last quarter which is why we LOST

Spot on surprising as the 4th quarter in Perth was the same.

Get Frenchie in and I like Butler attributes as a mid / fwd role player for a tall fwd.

 

[RoughysMullet]

Haven’t been able to get it done against the top sides this season - in the big 4th qtr moments, we flounder… should’ve won at least 2 of the Geelong, Gold Coast, Freo, Adelaide games…

Unfortunately now we’re middle of the pack 6-10 range until we find out how to win these kind of games…

• We’re too partial to letting the oppositions best players get ahold of us- Rowell/Anderson, Serong/Brayshaw, Dawson/Rankine- need to put some work into restricting them
• Backline mix finally seems about right - great to see Sicily returning to form
• 4 tall forwards is too many- one of them will need to be the odd one out…
• Midfield mix isn’t right we need another dynamic player- seems we are searching for a Worpel replacement… too much left to Newcombe when Day gets injured…
• Connor Mac has been poor all season - needed to be dropped weeks ago similar to Ginni and get a response at Box Hill before bringing him back…
• Love Dylan Moore
  13

  Dylan Moore

  Age

  26

  Ht

  177cm

  Wt

  77kg

  Pos.

  Fwd

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  11.9

  3star

  K

  5.1

  2star

  HB

  6.7

  4star

  M

  4.4

  4star

  T

  2.9

  4star

  G

  0.3

  3star

  No current season stats available

  D

  12.2

  3star

  K

  6.0

  3star

  HB

  6.2

  4star

  M

  5.4

  5star

  T

  2.8

  5star

  G

  0.4

  3star

  but geez he’s been inconsistent this season… need him back to consistent AA form, have a feeling he’s been carrying an injury

We need to beat Collingwood next week or it’s curtains for the season…

 

[Sprint Artisan]

Dunstall is a hard listen

Sometimes it seems like Dunstall and Dermie are deliberately trying to be negative towards the Hawks to appear unbiased. Unfortunately, it comes across that they don't have eyes in their heads.

Why can't they favour their own side just a little? There are already plenty of other past player commentators who are extremely biased towards their playing team in their commentary...

 

[Laurie Bingham]

I'm a bit baffled about the use of Conor Mac. I swear I've read that he spent his junior career as an inside mid and that's what got him drafted at pick 26, yet we've rarely, if ever, used him there (I saw him at one centre bounce last night which surprised me). Can anyone who watched him in juniors shed light on this ?

 

[rdhopkins2]

Can we get a BF Hawks call of the game and dub the sound over the vision? Judging by our posters passion it would be a great laugh.

 

[Sonny Hayes]

Also the Curtin Watson debate has heated up SIGNIFICANTLY.
Wingers all throughout the league would be terrified of him one on one.

Curtin looks a ripper but I’m not at all worried about the debate, 2 very talented players and you can’t lose with either.

 

[Rookie Error]

Will Day potential injury?

 

[Hong Kong Hawk]

Time to assess what we have, what we need and what we need to move past in order to get where we want to be. We need a classy mid, we need to move on from a few guys who aren’t up to the grade in order to get one. Maybe not our year but a lot to look forward to

 

[Sprint Artisan]

Yeah that was a strange one...
Does anyone have any idea why we gave him a 5 year deal...
I know he was recruited under Clarko and he tried to turn him into a half back flanker, realising that wasn't going to work cos of his kicking...
He also tried him in the ruck...
Other than a negative role in the midfield I don't know what else he offers....
Sammy loves his size....
More like an enforcer...

Is Sam giving players longer deals for less dollars? A way to keep the players together without busting the cap...