Autopsy Round 23, 2025: Hawks pump Dees

[Satchel]

great effort to make finals - only concern for me is the midfield

I could only watch the last quarter & my comment to my son was that they don't need to bounce the ball in the centre - just give it straight to Gawn to kick into their 50 as it seemed like it was waltzing out of there so easily

 

[Newmo89]

Naaah, that writer is a wally...and he doesn't do grammar good...

Thats how we do feedback, from one teacher to another

 

[unitedhawk2]

Just listened to Sammy press.
You can definitely tell he wasn’t happy.. and rightfully so. I would expect we will be right up to it next Sunday.

Sam sets high standards - and rightfully so.

 

[DearJai]

Dear had a team high 24 pressure acts.

Playing the tall, pressure forward role with aplomb.

Looked fitter this week.

 

[Maybloomer]

Kicked over the line. The ump telling how he had to do it.

Had a perfect view of his mark from Bay 26. Was way over the line when he marked it, boundary ump was 50m away.

 

[TONYC3163]

Had a perfect view of his mark from Bay 26. Was way over the line when he marked it, boundary ump was 50m away.

I was talking about is kick being ‘legal’ kicking over the line of the mark - see the post I was replying to, not whether the mark was in play, but I reckon I’ll go with the umpires rather than a supporter from Bay 26.

 

[HairyO]

Sam sets high standards - and rightfully so.

Yeah, I think the problem is our energy matched their energy. We werent pushing hard. Brisbane will have literally twice the intensity of Melbourne so we will get buried if we dont start hot.

They obliterated Freo, in WA. That is a huge effort.

 

[unitedhawk2]

Dear had a team high 24 pressure acts.

That stat alone ought to be educational for those who gloss over our four talls strategy without analysing how diverse their individual styles of play and strengths actually are.

I have one particular Fox Footy analyst, who's wont to make sweeping statements based on wafer-thin evidence and whose initials are DK, in mind when I say that.

 

[H00t]

Is that for the quarter or for the game?

I'm guessing for the quarter, as the AFL site has Newcombe at 72% and Ward at 80% for the game.

Yeah for the last quarter

 

[H00t]

Defensively we seem to be looking a lot more settled since the start of the year. The more games they’ve spent playing together the better they have gelled.

Just have to get those bad turnovers coming out of the back half out of our game. Dees didn’t look like scoring except when we gave the ball to them.

 

[Come back Cyril]

Playing the tall, pressure forward role with aplomb.

Looked fitter this week.

His agility is off the charts - so excited for what he can do once he builds his endurance and strength - potential to become a top 5 KPF within a few years.

 

[Slainte]

Dear had a team high 24 pressure acts.

He had a good game overall. Just needs to hold his chest marks and improve his set shots and we have a key forward of rare ability.

 

[FB19]

Very enjoyable day and yes should have been by quite a bit more they only scored from totally dumb turnovers or that last diabolical few minutes. Gunston just incredible moves like me last year what a turnaround! I thought Lewis competed well and tackled hard but not sure he should be playing finals. Dear much better today and Chol looked great in ruck so they have to play. Smashed in the midfield again so I think you drop a tall for another mid for finals which to me has to be Lewis.
Well done hawks for making finals in a ridiculous year for games needed and with a much tougher draw!

 

[Yardie]

Ask what?

They don’t owe you anything

We have locked in finals and can make top 4 next week whilst missing arguably our 2 best players

Searching for perfection in an imperfect scenario

They might owe their coach though........

 

[CD Xbow]

I didn't know a poster wrote it, lucky I didn't hang s...t on it

No wonder it read like it was written by someone who actually has more than a 1mm deep surface knowledge of the Hawks!

I thought you might not know it was by Newmo by the words in your post.

 

[StackedHunch]

Last year, if people remember that godawful game early in the season against Melbourne where we kept playing horizontally and Wiz kicked his first goal, I was seated next to two delightful older Dees supporting women, and we had a lovely afternoon chatting away. And typically, that's how I've found Melbourne supporters: pretty easy going, happy to have a chat, and enjoy their footy nearly as much as their aprés-ski drinks.

Today, we ended up sitting amongst a bunch of Melbourne supporters for this game. Was absolutely ghastly. The chap in front of me was rude. The two people sitting next to us moaned about the umpiring the whole game, when they were not making snide remarks about our players. The folks behind me had no idea who Punky was, why people were booing, and why everyone got around him after the goal. Another Hawthorn supporter in the area explained he was basically a three-time premiership legend of the game and Mr Rude sniffed, "Never even heard of him". Yeah, whatever mate.

I was explaining the finer nuances of the crowd aspects of the game to my girlfriend (her third game seen live, she has already picked up strategy etc amazingly well), and I said the booing was for a dodgy free kick for some kind of holding infringement to Melbourne (in the 3rd where they scored a goal), and Mr Rude turned around and said there was nothing dodgy about it.

None of the behaviour was antisocial, but most of it was unpleasant, and unnecessarily so.

To be fair there was a guy sitting with Mr Rude who we had some pleasant and polite chatting with during the breaks. And an older Hawthorn supporting gentleman came up and started speaking with the pleasant guy part way through the third quarter about the merger in 1996, had a few beers, and by mid-way through the last quarter was banging on about "f**king Geelong", so there's bad eggs in all supporter bases.

Social commentary over, I thought the game and our performance was fine. We did enough to win it comfortably, but as others have suggested, likely with an eye on next week. Would it have been better or nicer to win by more? Sure, especially given ladder positions, but I'll take the win with no injuries or suspensions.

Was awesome seeing Gunners turn back the clock. Excluding the last 10 minutes, the defence was great, but some of those dinky precision kicks, especially after the light shower, should be popped away in that closet which is visited once every few years to get the ugly vase out because Aunt Dottie is visiting and she gave it as a 21st present.

The one player who has been in the firing line with supporters this year is Macdonald, and I thought a lot of what he did off the ball was fabulous. Wayward kicking was the only blemish on an otherwise really good game. I thought Mass was excellent too; he's a lot harder at it this year, which is great. Ward too was really nice in the engine room. Was unlucky to mark a ball called not 15 40 out bang in front in the last. Both Mass and Ward need to spend the off-season developing right feet!

Some of the umpiring both ways was appalling. This is a theme this year, and needs to be cracked down on. Both 50m penalties, as far as I could tell, were not there (have not seen the replay). Some very weird free kicks given too.

Does anyone know why Wiz was subbed? Just a like-for-like?

Cheers,
P

Yeah, we had a literal whinging Pom a few rows away, whole game complaining about every free we got, and every free they didn't get. Was quite comical, and a good source of mirth with those sitting next to us, but I always imagined Demons fans to be a cut above that.

 

[Lotus]

Just finished watching the replay, finally saw why Gunston’s 7th was called a behind. From my seat it looked good, and we were all waiting for the score review on the big screen but it never came . Honestly, Gunners could’ve had 10 the way he was marking everything felt like vintage 2013-2015 again.

We missed a few gettable ones, but still great to get the win in the wet. Without commentators keep reminding us about the percentage, the game is very enjoyable .

Thought Mitch Lewis was huge, competed hard all day and gave us a real target. Gunston the finisher, Lewis the workhorse, love seeing that combo clicking.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Just finished watching the replay, finally saw why Gunston’s 7th was called a behind. From my seat it looked good, and we were all waiting for the score review on the big screen but it never came . Honestly, Gunners could’ve had 10 the way he was marking everything felt like vintage 2013-2015 again.

We missed a few gettable ones, but still great to get the win in the wet. Without commentators keep reminding us about the percentage, the game is very enjoyable .

Thought Mitch Lewis was huge, competed hard all day and gave us a real target. Gunston the finisher, Lewis the workhorse, love seeing that combo clicking.

Yeah not sure which Mitch Lewis the poster previously saw yesterday but I thought he was good and was moving very well. The reason Gawn didn't take alot of marks till the last quarter is because he parked himself a kick and a half away in between Gawn so he could engage him if it came towards them, it scared them off kicking it to him until we changed things around. Didn't get out marked either. More games he's playing the more confident he's feeling with his body from what I could see.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

The thing about the four talls is that Chol and Lewis are learning new roles.

It's workign well because Gunston is on fire - but it's like the backline early in the year. Where all the pieces are there, the roles are defined - it's just slowly coming together.

Lewis is really working hard in contests in the air and on the ground. It's awesome.
Dear getting his one or two big marks a game.
Chol looking like defensive leading and blocking isn't his natural game -but his confidence goes right up after a few mins in the ruck

It's coming together.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Just saw that Gunners had ten inside 50m marks yesterday!

Would have to have been a long time since a Hawks forward took that many marks inside the arc surely?

 

[CD Xbow]

The thing about the four talls is that Chol and Lewis are learning new roles.

It's workign well because Gunston is on fire - but it's like the backline early in the year. Where all the pieces are there, the roles are defined - it's just slowly coming together.

Lewis is really working hard in contests in the air and on the ground. It's awesome.
Dear getting his one or two big marks a game.
Chol looking like defensive leading and blocking isn't his natural game -but his confidence goes right up after a few mins in the ruck

It's coming together.

Yes I think it is, takes time though, probably longer than getting a backline to gel. Gunners is the biggest beneficiary so far, but in other games it will be someone else. Having a forward line full of talented forwards, big and small, who can all kick bags of goals is a wonderful thing. Hard for an opponent to keep them all down, all the time.

Compare the current forward crew to the 2023 side, here is the named forward line we opened the season with against Essendon in that year. Remember, too, they beat us by 59points and how bullish folks were about them.

Blake Hardwick, Jacob Koschitzke, Luke Breust
Chad Wingard, Fergus Greene, Dylan Moore

No comparison really.

 

[StackedHunch]

Kicked over the line. The ump telling how he had to do it.

I don't know when they changed the rules, but it's definitely a new 'interpretation' to allow players to kick after the siren and not have to kick in line, i.e. the run-up has to be in line.

 

[Atch]

Yes I think it is, takes time though, probably longer than getting a backline to gel. Gunners is the biggest beneficiary so far, but in other games it will be someone else. Having a forward line full of talented forwards, big and small, who can all kick bags of goals is a wonderful thing. Hard for an opponent to keep them all down, all the time.

Compare the current forward crew to the 2023 side, here is the named forward line we opened the season with against Essendon in that year. Remember, too, they beat us by 59points and how bullish folks were about them.

Blake Hardwick, Jacob Koschitzke, Luke Breust
Chad Wingard, Fergus Greene, Dylan Moore

No comparison really.

Hey! What are you trying to say about Fergus Greene?

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Another clear example of our backline and forwardline being our strengths and our midfield being not quite there.

Some absolutely vintage Breust moments, a real trip down memory lane.

Moore brilliant. If he can keep it up he might just be the shot in the arm our midfield is desperate for come finals.

Impey is at his peak and so reliable at the moment. Love the run down tackles.

Pray Watson is not injured or carrying. He lacked his usual spark. We need the magic starting next week.

Watson wont be injured. The sports science guys have a lot of data to optimise output and reduce injury risk. He'd probably have been reaching a peak speed that was slower than his usual so they didnt want to risk injury

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Yes I think it is, takes time though, probably longer than getting a backline to gel. Gunners is the biggest beneficiary so far, but in other games it will be someone else. Having a forward line full of talented forwards, big and small, who can all kick bags of goals is a wonderful thing. Hard for an opponent to keep them all down, all the time.

Compare the current forward crew to the 2023 side, here is the named forward line we opened the season with against Essendon in that year. Remember, too, they beat us by 59points and how bullish folks were about them.

Blake Hardwick, Jacob Koschitzke, Luke Breust
Chad Wingard, Fergus Greene, Dylan Moore

No comparison really.

The thing with having a bigger forward line is that yes they are easier to run off against but the Oppo defenders have to spend a heck of a lot more time and energy trying to negate a Mitch Lewis / Clashes Dear marking contest than a Fergus Greene one (no offense to the Ferg).

Especially in finals having the big boys up forward to mark the hack kick forward is so valuable.