Autopsy Round 5, 2025: Hawks refuse to join Gather Round

[TheFourPillars]

Worps was fine and running twisting turning all week did all the contests was good to go. It's like impey getting injured in the same leg sometimes ure unlucky. It doesn't look like its serious anyway

 

[killerspud]

Ginnivan always has about a dozen more touches than I think when I look at the stats. He hasnt looked anywhere near it all year. Bruest has to play ahead of him

Connor Mac could take his spot

 

[Port_Girl_92]

Pathetic performance, would expect a bounce back next week.

Love you Gunston! Absolute Hawthorn legend through and through!

What flipping classy guy he is. His interview after the game with Mitch Clearly shows his class.

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

My biggest frustrations in the first half are summarised in a few dot points

1. Continual Horrible fumbling and kicking
2. No body work on opposition or intensity for a contest
3. Midfielders all running in to the same honeypot and getting murdered on the outside
4. Multiple defenders flying for the high ball and getting hurt on the ground
5. Everything just seemed to be going to a Port chest no matter how it got there

Good wake up call, despite having to see that smug face again. Will probably gone before our next battle in Launceston.

I’ll leave any commentary about those Geelong supporting commentators to next week

 

[extractasam]

I'll call a spade a spade, love mitchell but he was out coached. his pride wouldn't allow tags on rozzee or butters or any of the ones causing all the damage early. How many times after losing the inside at stopages did port have a player behind receiving the easy handball the set up all the forward thrusts into their forward line!!

I think it’ll be part of his evolution as a coach in dealing with stuff like this going forward.

Port do all the cheese tactics against us and I’m surprised more don’t. Play a negating defensive forward on Sicily that loves to niggle and he gets panicky, gets goals kicked on him, gets rushed and caught HTB a lot. He’s been beaten like this many times now. Then full man on man defence and aggressively cover the switch. If you do this combined with max effort you’ll trouble us most times.

 

[chiefy1]

Many issues with that performance. None directly affected the outcome but;
Moore - better player than running into contact
CJ - over commits to every contest and the opposition targets him to open us up.
Meek - more goals this season but needs to get into the opposition ruck physically.

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

Next time we play Port, I want unsociable Hawks back.

We looked so meek all night, acting with zero ferocity or trying to give back what Port were doing to us. Butters, SPP, Rioli etc were needling and whacking us all night, and barely anyone flew the flag back. Was just weak.

Yep this.
Weak effort

 

[MrBeefSeven]

Two things we need:

• Genuinely competitive marking targets. Pure small ball up forward is not sustainable.
• Much much more physicality. Teams will inevitably put pressure and cut off ball movement options. We need to bring the heat at ground level and we were miles off the pace today. Cannot play keepings off 100%, we need some hard nuts.

If we play like today Cats will make mince meat of us, but if we can win that game it will put us in a very sweet position. Got to be up for the contest.

 

[extractasam]

Many issues with that performance. None directly affected the outcome but;
Moore - better player than running into contact
CJ - over commits to every contest and the opposition targets him to open us up.
Meek - more goals this season but needs to get into the opposition ruck

The fumbles is what kills CJ’s game imo. Forces his teammates to help out then often leaves us exposed out the back. Not that many of his mates were any better tonight.

 

[Tall poppy Syndrome]

Damn that 19 day break! I remember well that last game vs GWS in Tassie on a Tuesday night…I’m sure it was a Tuesday. Wasn’t it?

 

[Bedi]

Just got back from the pub, and from an enlightened/inebriated point of view I am feeling fairly philosophical about tonight. Sure it's our worst loss in 12 months, sure we got our pants pulled down in that first half (to say the least!), but the fact we wrested back a 7 goal deficit, i thought it was a fair effort given how how poor we played. Unfortunately, as many here predicted, it was a carbon copy of the final last year where Port saved their best for us and played out of their skins. They really were pretty unstoppable, taking the game on and making the most of their opportunities in front of goal, all while we crumbled under pressure. Thought Meek, Newk and Worpel were very good in our comeback, while Sicily and Gunston were bloody fantasic up forward.

Concerning about injuries to Nash and Worplel but hoping a jab will have them right. Can't wait for the Cats next week at the G and supremely confident we will get the job done.

 

[Bedi]

That sucked.

But we've got 4 wins in the bank. It's the right time of the season to learn a lesson.

First half was so bad I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
The team definitely pushed right to the end though which was great to see.

Moore, Worpel, Newcombe, Meek - instrumental in the fight back.

It is what it is. Not the worst game I've ever seen.

makes you wonder how much of that first quarter against GWS last round was in fact wind assisted.

 

[Bedi]

Gunners is such class and an absolute champion. But can't help feel a bit annoyed that a 33 year old veteran almost single handely held together our forward line.

Faiir call, but look at Dangerfield and Cameron, both a similar age, who single handledly won Geel the game this round. Wont happen every game, but bloody handy when you have an old hand who does chip in

 

[chiefy1]

Many issues with that performance. None directly affected the outcome but;
Moore - better player than running into contact
CJ - over commits to every contest and the opposition targets him to open us up.
Meek - more goals this season but needs to get into the opposition ruck physically.

In addition, our captan is not a full time forward and shouldn’t need to be moved there to get a kick. Will get moved off the ball too easily when there for extended periods.
Hard when he looks disinterested in the backline though.

 

[2008wasoverDEW!]

The difference in intensity between the two teams was clear from the opening bounce, as we allowed Port to chip the ball around uncontested for their first goal of the night.
In reality we were ball watching throughout the first half, constantly second to the ball, too many numbers drawn to the contest, leaving defenders out of position, and Port Adelaide strolling into the easiest of goals.

We did show improvement in the second half, but victory was too far gone to be realistic.

Gunston was back to his absolute best tonight, maximising every opportunity he got.
Weddle played with a more attacking flair tonight, which I hope to see more of from now on.
Moore into the middle was another tick.

But as others have stated, our bottom 6 were poor tonight.
I was extremely disappointed in some undisciplined acts by Morrison, giving away some crucial free kicks and a 50 metre penalty. Someone fighting to keep his spot in the team should know better.

Maginness was poor tonight. Same with Ginnivan and Chol. We will wait and see the extent of Nash and Worpel's injuries, but it certainly opens the door for Hustwaite to get some opportunities.

Next week will be a huge test against Geelong. If our intensity is down, they will blow us away early. Here's hoping we just had an off night tonight.

 

[Bedi]

Longest night at the football since the night we lost to Port Adelaide by 117 points at Football Park in 2005. Just like then, I never thought this game was going to end. I am so fed up with playing like shit against Port Adelaide. You have to live in Adelaide to understand. Is it too much to ask for a 50% effort at least? Apparently, it is. We just lost to a team St.Kilda ripped apart just last week. I asked for one thing for 2025 ... to defeat Port Adelaide. Thanks Hawks. Too many over-rated players.

Oh ... and shove the Hollywood Hawks bullshit where the sun doesn't shine. We're not that good.

in reference to that last line, so fickle to be bringing that up at after, what 18 wins, 5 losses in the past 12 months? Yeah, we're not that good at all

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

I still support Kenny every second week. Go Paer

Are you lost or just f**ked in the head

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Next time we play Port, I want unsociable Hawks back.

Someone needs to show Roughie's tackle on Hannebery from the '14 final over and over. Literally needs to be the first thing done at the first bounce, is to absolutely nail them.

We looked so meek all night, acting with zero ferocity or trying to give back what Port were doing to us. Butters, SPP, Rioli etc were needling and whacking us all night, and barely anyone flew the flag back. Was just weak.

The hope is that this embarrasing loss burns deep in the gut, as fuel for next time ... although the last two should have been sufficient fuel you would have thought

I want the opposite.

I want to hear nothing from the players about how much they’re looking forward to the next game between us, or whether they might have a celly up their sleeve.

I want it to be pure business. I want disciplined and precise football. I want them to be switched on from the first bounce, and I want them to be calculated in every facet of the game.

 

[Philhawk]

Some perspective is needed.

We kicked 11.5 in the second half.

Port kicked 12 in the first.

Minor tweaks are needed - and an investigation internally as to what the hell happened to our resolve in the first half.

We’ll be better for this.

 

[killerspud]

So I missed seeing the game being in Marseille. But some observations from listening to the game and the reading the peanut gallery here.

1. Will Day is our best player - take Butters, Daicos, Cripps Neale etc out of their sides and they struggle. We missed everything he brings


2. Lost at selection not bringing in Husthwaite as well as Worpel. We needed to bat deeper in the middle with our best mid out not just try a like for like replacement.

3. Finn Maginness' strongest position/only position is as a tagger. I dont mind taggers so long as they are tagging. I dont care what else they do -rack up 40 touches or play tiddlywinks. But if you are a tagger and you arent keeping the most dangerous opposition player silent then what are you doing in the side.

4. Looking ahead I dont think we can play Watson, Ginnivan, Moore and McDonald all in the same side. At some point Dear and Lewis come back and that pushes one of those guys out. Ginni is on the thinnest ice here. He would want to be impacting games on the field and keeping away from bullshit off it.

5. Another thought is if Chol is getting beaten as a forward swap him and Meek. Meek is a good mark and big size might make the key defender more accountable, also might help bring Chol into the gane more.

6. Cos I didnt see the game can someone tell me if Amon and Impey had any impact and did we shift either of them up the ground or into the middle.also how was Hardwick's game .

7. More than team selection next week I hope players and coaching staff have a change of mindset, are more switched on from the start and change up quickly is things arent going to plan early . I hate the thought of losing to the cats who are up and about. I'll be flying back from Valencia to Paris when its on but will be tuning in

 

[Lickmesocks]

I want the opposite.

I want to hear nothing from the players about how much they’re looking forward to the next game between us, or whether they might have a celly up their sleeve.

I want it to be pure business. I want disciplined and precise football. I want them to be switched on from the first bounce, and I want them to be calculated in every facet of the game.

100% this.

 

[earthworms]

Round 19. We have to win.

 

[SSSSSS]

Finn was trash ball in hand but at least he flew the flag from time to time .

We got beat physically. Shit the bed as a collective.

Ah well I'm happy being 4-1.

 

[RX Hawk]

What I noticed with Finn is that some players who aren't great with disposal play the percentages and kick long down the line to a 50/50 contest. Brad Sewell was someone who did this and still had a great career and won a club B&F.

Finn on the other hand takes on kicks / handballs that just aren't in his capacity to enact and they end up in really bad turnovers.

He should play within his limitations and take the least risky / first option and he'd be a much more effective player IMHO.

I don't think he should play unless there is a serious tagging role.

 

[killerspud]

I want the opposite.

I want to hear nothing from the players about how much they’re looking forward to the next game between us, or whether they might have a celly up their sleeve.

I want it to be pure business. I want disciplined and precise football. I want them to be switched on from the first bounce, and I want them to be calculated in every facet of the game.

We definitely need a business mode. A switch to flick off all the fun and the socials and all that other stuff which is fine but we need to be able to just focus and bring it to big games. This post sums up that gear we need to have if we are going deep into September