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

[Mitchell Madness]

Our worst 4 games of the last 20 odd have been at Adelaide Oval and that cow paddock down the highway. Both very narrow grounds.

Thank god our style is built for the G.

Just a quick calculation, there is 13% more width at the MCG than Adelaide Oval. I think we need to get the old line markers out at Bunjil Bagora next time we play in SA

Our worst games have also come off an extended break. The sports psychologist/sports science staff don't seem to be able to prepare the players when they come off those longer breaks

 

[unitedhawk2]

I don’t get the hatred towards Rioli’s post. We hate teams for much less… and we also tend to celebrate it if our players come out with some passion like that. And look, given some of our clubs history, I’m not surprised we have drawn the ire of an indigenous player.

Well said!

It's sad - but even more sadly, not surprising - to hear that Rioli has had racist comments directed towards him in the sewer known as 'social' media.

Last year, when one of our players received similar comments from people who were supposedly Hawthorn fans, Sam was very strong in a post-match presser, saying such fans were neither wanted nor welcome at our club.

I'd really like Sam (or Klein or Gowers) to make a similar statement now. If any Hawthorn fan participated in any kind of racial abuse directed at Rioli, we do not want them to be part of our club. Our club doesn't tolerate that any more - not even when it's directed at an opposition player.

 

[spudmaster]

We'll enjoy being back on the wider G against the cats. A bit easier to find an outside option and get the quick ball movement gameplan happening through the defensive gaps.

That first half was really tough watching - seemed to be getting smacked all over the park. Even the defenders were caught out of position relative to their opponent on numerous occasions which was a concern. Perhaps the speed at which is was coming down there was the issue?

Pleased we 'kept' it to 30 points, not 30 goals, as our percentage will thank us later down the track.

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

Well said!

It's sad - but even more sadly, not surprising - to hear that Rioli has had racist comments directed towards him in the sewer known as 'social' media.

Last year, when one of our players received similar comments from people who were supposedly Hawthorn fans, Sam was very strong in a post-match presser, saying such fans were neither wanted nor welcome at our club.

I'd really like Sam (or Klein or Gowers) to make a similar statement now. If any Hawthorn fan participated in any kind of racial abuse directed at Rioli, we do not want them to be part of our club. Our club doesn't tolerate that any more - not even when it's directed at an opposition player.

Surely players have two sets of social media accounts one for private and one for media.

You only have to look at poor Toby Pinks wife Chole, she comes across very sincere and genuine. Yet she’s bullied online about her weight on her wedding day ( she looked beautiful). * Disgraceful posters

I am sure the Hawks will reach out via the appropriate channels in private to Port and Willie Rioli.

 

[Johnnyhawk]

Gary Lyon ripped Sicily a new one.

I'm willing to bet he had nothing to say about any Melbourne player. Dear Gary, clown.

 

[flamin_heck]

I'm willing to bet he had nothing to say about any Melbourne player. Dear Gary, clown.

He deserves it IMO.. Sicily infuriated me early on when the tone was being set. Lazy kick straight into the middle of the ground straight onto a Port chest, fumbles, hospital handballs. We know how good he is but holy **** he looks half arsed at times- it’s crazy the difference between his good and bad.

 

[CHUBBSS]

Our worst 4 games of the last 20 odd have been at Adelaide Oval and that cow paddock down the highway. Both very narrow grounds.

Thank god our style is built for the G.

Just a quick calculation, there is 13% more width at the MCG than Adelaide Oval. I think we need to get the old line markers out at Bunjil Bagora next time we play in SA

Definitely a factor but it’s still our inability to drive the ball and create separation when it’s not working for us that will be the difference in close finals, if we can only play our best on one size ground it means we have to finish top 2 or its all up to luck.

I think Lewis and dear offer something we don’t have that can help this but it won’t be up to them to move the ball.

I actually think this was a good loss in a lot of ways, we don’t get to hide and we know exactly what we need.

Day, Scrimshaw, McDonald, dear are more important then ever, funny how much on field leadership they all create.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[RCAB]

Oh cool where did I say that

You said:

"Teams have really gone to work on us and Mitchell will need to figure it out and adapt".

Did you mean, based on the new gameplan for 2025?

 

[SSSSSS]

Would honestly love for our club to invite Willie Jr and family down after the conclusion of the season.

 

[Brownbird]

Huss and McDonald

yes and he always plays very well v the cats.

 

[rdhopkins2]

I find it really strange, I've never seen anything like it in sports.

I think people misconstrued the selfies and goal celebrations last year for disrespecting the opposition or something.

It's all just very odd.

I'm glad we finally get them in Tassie in R19.

Hawks supporters go fancy dress
ASADA uniform

 

[Fluro Boots]

Would honestly love for our club to invite Willie Jr and family down after the conclusion of the season.

Yeah nah

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

Would honestly love for our club to invite Willie Jr and family down after the conclusion of the season.

Cyril and Willie

 

[Elhawko]

Would honestly love for our club to invite Willie Jr and family down after the conclusion of the season.

Well, I for one would honestly hate it!

For one thing, it would do us no good because he's no chance to accept given his family have a poisoned view of the club which he clearly has bought into. He's not going to want anything to do with us.

And what exactly would we do in the highly unlikely event that he did accept?! Take him on a tour of Dingley? Show him Jeff's life membership plaque and tell him his family are all wrong about us and we are really very nice people and he shouldn't listen to them?!!

We don't need this guy's approval. Who is he to us? I wouldn't even have recognised him before this incident. Let him hate. He pulled his tweet. Best just let it go and everyone move on, I reckon.

 

[kenneje]

At least we're a CLUB bud your piss pot little franchise was a creation in a supreme court and that will never change

I've already seen more success in my lifetime than your family will in generations. Piss off dickhead.

 

[Paul Kersey]

That’s a SA shit fight that has nothing to do with Hawthorn.

 

[Smooth Banana]

Just been reading the autopsy, mostly accurate but geez there are some deluded people here. Take it easy, what did you expect a flawless season? I'll give my 2 cents. Let's put things into perspective.

Firstly we have some big outs, scrimshaw, MacDonald and Day. Then Nash gets injured. These are major outs for us structurally. Who have they got out? A couple maybe. Our synergy, our cohesion was all over the place. The energy was lacking. By the time we clicked it was too late. Also Port were ready for a battle, kudos to them. We were not. We needed that belting.

Read many posts how scary Port were and we are terrible and scared etc. Amm what have Port done, have they won anything ? So what if they have had the better of us in recent times? They haven't won shit. Didn't the tigers have it over us all those years we were winning flags? Pretty sure they beat us every year we won those 4 flags. What did they win? A moral victory. This happens in professional sports all the time, top teams will have bogey teams. Get used to it and save yourself the heart ache.

Port will lose to a shit team next week or week after that. They are an emotional team led by an emotional man. Emotions can only get you so far. Not bitter at all, I don't think Port will win a flag with Hinkley. Too inconsistent. We will win a flag before them, and another. History doesn't lie. Bookmark this.

I can't remember watching a game where I wanted to smash the TV, I was cursing and could not stay seated. Sicily, for example, what the actual f was he doing? That was vintage Sicily from back in the days. Surprised he didn't get suspended, that would have topped it off. Missing targets, messy. But do we blame him? Most were poor. We got jumped and spooked, just couldn't stop the bleeding. We move on.

One thing I learnt, we need some key players. A power forward. A competent man in the forward line to nullify their talls taking marks. Even the contest at worst. We need another gun midfielder. Help for Newcombe and Day. i.e Butters. Basically, we don't want Day to be the target every week. We probably need one or two more but those two positions are crucial for us and Sam will address those no doubt.

I will be laughing my ass off when we win a flag and Port are still in the mud. Oh but but they are so brave. So so brave. Hey dickheads, the whole point is to win flags. So let's see which group wins more shall we?

As for Willie's comments, bad choice by him to go public like that. What's worse is the racial comments directed at him, absolutely pathetic. What Willie says will never change how we feel about Cyril and what he has done for this club. Don't forget that. You might see a drug cheat or a bitch or whatever makes you feel better about yourself, I see a man who is traumatised looking for help. He's got his own issues, don't we all? I can understand sending a.message to Willie saying oi you haven't won shit, but calling him a monkey or whatever is disgusting.

I've read countless comments about Ginnivan. Guy is clearly injured or off the pace. Reality is coach keeps picking him. Deal with it. If there was a better option don't you think Sam would choose that option? Is Sam stupid? I don't think so.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, this is a forum. But ffs have a think before you talk nonsense. We lost a game and its all over ?
This comment here is specifically for those talking Port up like they are something. Hello, where the fk have you been over last 10 years? They are a joke . Just ask their fans. Maybe don't talk about them until they actually win something. I thought for a second you followed Port and not the Hawks.

We have some big outs and now face a powerful Geelong. Don't go crying like a bitch if we lose that also. It can happen, probably will if I'm honest. Lets just hope we regroup, stay in touch of the 8 and go from there.

I hope somebody enjoyed reading this because I sure enjoyed writing it . Very therapeutic for me. Take care folks. If you need help, there is always someone there to listen, remember that

 

[Jables]

This club is full of deadset ****ing morons if it was our fans sending him DMs. I don't give a shit about that plastic club (getting into a feud with Port is the saddest thing imaginable and people really wanna get into this again?), it's what we are doing that disappoints me more than anything.

You wanna pat yourself in the back and say you'll boo him next game, I've never seen a fan so proud as to drag their clubs name through the dirt, besides with the drug saga.

 

[Hawkk]

I've already seen more success in my lifetime than your family will in generations. Piss off dickhead.

Isn’t Port Power - one of the smallest clubs in the AFL with a tiny fan bases propped up by Crow supporting SACA members - fully reliant on AFL handouts (taxed on profits from Hawthorn) to actually survive?

They couldn’t even fill a 50,000 seat stadium and fired up for one game a season…

Soon enough Kenny and his Pepsi Max will be given the arse and the little club will ponder why they’ve gone 30 years without a flag

 

[Steven Tyler]

It’s 2025, why does the heading say 2024?

Not the first time either

 

[tommyk72]

It’s 2025, why does the heading say 2024?

Not the first time either

Numbers are hard.

 

[AmericanHawk]

Just finished watching the replay:

Was a crap performance; of that, their is no doubt. From the off, we just did not look like we were ever going to be at the races. Ton of errors just compounded our issues. All said though, starting the season 4-1 is nothing to sniff at. I think we will be fine, though do need to change our style of play quicker and more fluidly when it is clear that it is not going to work.

I trust we will fix that going forward.

 

[Crankyhawk]

Spot on, at least we always played the Cats at the MCG, it seems like the last 6 or 7 games against Port have been at the Adelaide Oval with Port on an emotionally charged rebound after previous humiliation. I can't recall playing Port at the MCG since the 2014 Preliminary Final.

They likely still hold a grudge after we pantsed them on Russell Ebert tribute night - the game where donuts Hinkley said “we met all our kpis, I don’t understand how we lost” - they got done by about 9 goals..

 

[Crankyhawk]

I wouldn't stress about the fans. They'll forget all about it and put back up the "Sack Hinkley" banners at Alberton by next weekend.

One of the port BF posters still put one up even though they won