We also can't run it back with the same midfield that has been non competitive for years. Mitchell is a good on baller but he can not fit in elsewhere, we have enough mature bodies on the list to protect the younger players.
Autopsy Round 23, 2022: Dogs beat Hawks
- Thread starter Strapping Young Lad
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Agree wholeheartedly. Can’t wait for next season. Lots to work with and get excited about our future.
HedgeFund
Premiership Player
They kick straight and they win by 10 goals. Everyone knows that.
A lot easier to improve your inside 50 conversion than improve the midfield and get a pressure forward.
Our scoring efficiency was the shining light today which masked how (understandably) we were absolutely hammered by a deep and mature midfield group.
No shame in that performance given the line up we put out there.
SSSSSS
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Players under 24 who I think have shown enough in the last 2 seasons to be bullish about as being part of our next Premiership side.
KPF: Lewis
Forwards: Butler, CMac
KPD: Blanck, DGB
Backs: Day, Scrimshaw, CJ
Ruck: Reeves
Mids: Newcombe, Moore, Ward, Finn, Morrison
Still some question marks on the likes of Nash, Kosi, Worpel, Jeka, Morris etc. but I will put my faith in them.
The real improvement will come when we start to bring in guys who can push the likes of Newcombe out from being our #1 mid to being our #2 or even #3. The key forward who comes out from the stars who can challenge Lewis as the #1. The guys who can push the likes of Morrison and Finn from being established best 18 players to relegating them on to form a strong bench.
We only got to threepeat territory when the likes of Lewis improving pushed Hodge out from being the big dog in the middle, and the likes of Breust challenged Cyril to being the best small forward in the comp.
We obviously need a lot more quality and a lot more depth (a strong bottom 6 is the difference between a finals side and a Premiership side) but 14 players under 24 to build around is a very good start (including what looks to be a very strong spine).
KPF: Lewis
Forwards: Butler, CMac
KPD: Blanck, DGB
Backs: Day, Scrimshaw, CJ
Ruck: Reeves
Mids: Newcombe, Moore, Ward, Finn, Morrison
Still some question marks on the likes of Nash, Kosi, Worpel, Jeka, Morris etc. but I will put my faith in them.
The real improvement will come when we start to bring in guys who can push the likes of Newcombe out from being our #1 mid to being our #2 or even #3. The key forward who comes out from the stars who can challenge Lewis as the #1. The guys who can push the likes of Morrison and Finn from being established best 18 players to relegating them on to form a strong bench.
We only got to threepeat territory when the likes of Lewis improving pushed Hodge out from being the big dog in the middle, and the likes of Breust challenged Cyril to being the best small forward in the comp.
We obviously need a lot more quality and a lot more depth (a strong bottom 6 is the difference between a finals side and a Premiership side) but 14 players under 24 to build around is a very good start (including what looks to be a very strong spine).
H00t
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We’ve got a really strong amount of depth on our list this year. And it was certainly tested with injuries.
I agree it’s the absolute top end we need now. The guys who can match it with the best week in week out.
Our depth will improve naturally as we add top line players.
Love your analysis SSSSSS. Slim pickings in that age group on our forward line.
I was speaking to someone who spoke to Sam Mitchell recently and Sam told him he wants to recruit a full forward.
Yeah that's what I thought. Who knows. Maybe Sam was just playing with him.
TassieGrown
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Agree we need to find those 2 or 3 match winners in this group or in the next 2 draft periods
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Jack Gunston is one of my all-time favourites, but I really thought the lower-back injury would end his career and we wouldn't see this kind of form from him again! I hope he can stay in good health bc he could play for another 3-4 seasons.
Hawthorn2023
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Of the 3, Wingard would easily be in most demand and clubs would offer a top 20 pick.
Hawthorn2023
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Which makes you wonder what you would get for TOM or JOM..
Brant
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Naughton has all the tools to be the best key defender in the game.
Can’t believe he hasn’t been sent back yet. Surely with Darcy, Ugle-Hagan and Bruce all playing he becomes a permanent defender.
Loved Ward, Day and DGBs games today. Our recent top end draft picks all showing us why we invested so heavily in them
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Naughton has all the tools to be the best key defender in the game.
Can’t believe he hasn’t been sent back yet. Surely with Darcy, Ugle-Hagan and Bruce all playing he becomes a permanent defender.
Loved Ward, Day and DGBs games today. Our recent top end draft picks all showing us why we invested so heavily in them
Naughton is too good as a forward surely.
Darcy will be a nightmare in a few years time - unstoppable at times with that height. Let's pray the Dogs midfield drops off before he peaks.
extractasam
Club Legend
Was a pretty difficult watch today.
The backline would’ve got plenty of practice today with all those inside 50’s getting sent in all day. They’ll breathe a sigh of relief when our midfield can find a way to concede 50 inside 50’s rather than the 70 odd that got sent in today.
Pretty happy with our season though we became a lot more enjoyable to watch when we are on song. We got 20 odd extra games into guys like Newc/CMac. Exposed a shitload of players to AFL footy and found out a lot about our list. Not a lot of players got worse or stagnated in their development which is what you always want.
I’m really happy with the direction of our rebuild so far - hopefully next year we can start to pinch a couple more wins!
The backline would’ve got plenty of practice today with all those inside 50’s getting sent in all day. They’ll breathe a sigh of relief when our midfield can find a way to concede 50 inside 50’s rather than the 70 odd that got sent in today.
Pretty happy with our season though we became a lot more enjoyable to watch when we are on song. We got 20 odd extra games into guys like Newc/CMac. Exposed a shitload of players to AFL footy and found out a lot about our list. Not a lot of players got worse or stagnated in their development which is what you always want.
I’m really happy with the direction of our rebuild so far - hopefully next year we can start to pinch a couple more wins!
How many sides have ever had free kicks that gave them a JUH and Darcy?
That's Roughead and Franklin level drafting, having Naughton as well is just taking the piss. He will go back at a guess, if the younger pair come on. He's too good to potentially play 3rd fiddle to them.
That is a monster forward line though, we did really well not to let them get off the chain much.
You figure when JUH and Darcy get to 100 games each it's not going to be much fun playing the Dogs.
WillowSF
All Australian
I thought we dialed in the last couple of weeks of the season by experimenting with positional changes & effectively not playing players who were potentially available. (I’m not a fan of that approach. There is nothing like winning to build momentum!) I’m not as optimistic as others about where we are. Our team minus McEvoy & possibly Gunston/Breust next year is going to struggle. We desperately need some A-grade talent injected onto the list. Maybe the club tries to get Grundy if we can secure his services at a discount. I saw marginal improvement from last year. Another D grade season.
Tassie Cryptik
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They grow on clover.
Nash!
Tassie Cryptik
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Why has this turned into a hypothetical trade thread?
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Lots of positives yesterday, to an overwhelmingly positive year one of a rebuild.
DGB played easily his best game, that should give him plenty of confidence to attack a massive pre-season.
Will Day has had a good final month, playing half-back. Yesterday he looked every bit close to the most talented prospect on our list... please just leave him at half-back for the entirety of 2023. He's had a rough few years getting on the park, but I don't think shuffling him around so much this year has helped either...
Ward continued a fantastic block since returning to the side. Such a good hit up kick. He's going to be such a consistent player for HFC. No doubt Sam will teach him a few tricks too.
The debutants. Neither looked out of place. Saunders pace in the forward half is something we desperately need in 2023.
Finn. Another scalp. Smith had no impact on the game.
Sicily. If he's not an AA lock, we'll, duck me.
Congratulations to a fantastic career for Big Boy also. What a pickup he was.
DGB played easily his best game, that should give him plenty of confidence to attack a massive pre-season.
Will Day has had a good final month, playing half-back. Yesterday he looked every bit close to the most talented prospect on our list... please just leave him at half-back for the entirety of 2023. He's had a rough few years getting on the park, but I don't think shuffling him around so much this year has helped either...
Ward continued a fantastic block since returning to the side. Such a good hit up kick. He's going to be such a consistent player for HFC. No doubt Sam will teach him a few tricks too.
The debutants. Neither looked out of place. Saunders pace in the forward half is something we desperately need in 2023.
Finn. Another scalp. Smith had no impact on the game.
Sicily. If he's not an AA lock, we'll, duck me.
Congratulations to a fantastic career for Big Boy also. What a pickup he was.
I thought the positioning / cohesion of our mids was off. Tom would get to drop of ball / win the ball with someone right on his hammer and the mids would be 4-5m away and running away expecting him to hit them to get some easy outside ball. When he didn’t (which is fair enough under heavy pressure) the dogs had numbers closer to ball and got easy clearences.
Two questions from at the match and having seen no footage
I kept seeing Sicily lying on the ground while Bulldogs talls were marking in front of him.
My guess was that there was some heavy blocking going on, can anyone clarify for me
Naughton got a free kick in the second quarter, from a long way away it looked like a candidate for the Hawkins shooting star treatment
Would like to see the footage
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they took him out of every contest they could, elbows, shoves etc.
Yardie
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Shout out to Crazy Eyes. Probably his last games for us.
Always gives 110% even though his decision making can sometimes be infuriating.
Always gives 110% even though his decision making can sometimes be infuriating.
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