Game Day Round 9, 2021: Hawks v North, 2:10pm 15th May @ UTAS

[Mercy Seat]

On paper, we win this by 10 goals. But we are super low in confidence and north would have had this one circled in the diary for weeks. I expect them to come for us hard. Hawks by 15.

 

[The hands of stone]

Think we grind a 2-3 goal win out .
Its their GF and they will throw everything at us.

Goldstein and Cunnington the 2 concerns for us . If they have average games we probably win pretty comfortable.
They play well , its game on .

 

[Billyc]

It might be “their grand final” but it should equally be ours. This is as good a chance for a win as we are going to get too. And they are terrible and decimated. I think we win by 4 goals in a game befitting 17th v 18th in Tassie.

 

[savagelunchbox]

Don't care if it's a W or L. It's all about how we play.

Playing slow down the wings and bombing it to the top of the square but winning is of no long term benefit. Half decent teams will eat that up and spit us out.
Playing fast down the wings and bombing it to the top of the square but winning is of no long term benefit, either.

Playing fast down the middle and giving up a few goals on the rebound from turnover, etc and winning or losing a close one will be where the learning can occur to get better and thus there is long term benefit.

Despite what the cultists will say, the players aren't robots and a win here won't change anything. The players are well aware of how trash they and their opposition are at this point in time.

 

[Brishawk]

It might be “their grand final” but it should equally be ours. This is as good a chance for a win as we are going to get too. And they are terrible and decimated. I think we win by 4 goals in a game befitting 17th v 18th in Tassie.

They are decimated but so are we...battle of the depth!

 

[Jazzfan]

It might be “their grand final” but it should equally be ours. This is as good a chance for a win as we are going to get too. And they are terrible and decimated. I think we win by 4 goals in a game befitting 17th v 18th in Tassie.

Team selection certainly tell us its a massive game in the minds of the selection committee.

 

[Accipiter]

Well, confidence is down and the media is locked on target after running 'under the radar' for most of the year. If we loose this the media focus will be horrific to say the least, and the good old confidence levels will go sub zero. I think the selection strategy definitely centres around winning this one. For North, as mentioned in this forum, it is one that they have put a circle around as well. Lots of scrutiny for the looser today so I'm treating it like a final and strapping myself in for a great contest.

 

[Agent Smith]

We really should win this easily but we have recent history of playing really bad teams into form. Either way, Clarko can be counted on to say after the game: 'North Melbourne are a good team.' It's a mindset thing. Clarko will always talk up the opposition after a game. Compare that with Chris Scott who will always find ways to talk up his own team (thus giving himself backhanded compliments by implying how well coached they are). Which is why we should never consider bringing a Scott brother to the club in any form of coaching capacity, but that's a whole other can of worms.

What was I talking about again? Oh yeah... Go Hawks.

 

[Gene Simmons]

I think the only thing that saves us from a loss is that this is being played at UTAS.

North are edging closer to their 1st win, they have played OK in patches - all it takes is Hawks to come out like we did against Saints and it could be a long afternoon.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

This is a game where we need to throw caution to the wind and play a much more direct game, moving the ball quickly down the middle. North are a poor team playing an under strength line up and shouldn’t be able to hurt us too badly on the rebound.

if we play our pensive, indirect style, we should still win, but it will make the result a lot closer.

direct - Hawks by 30
Indirect - hawks by 10

 

[SpanishBrowne]

Which is why we should never consider bringing a Scott brother to the club in any form of coaching capacity, but that's a whole other can of worms.

I wholeheartedly endorse the tangent this post went off on

 

[HODGEYROAD]

We really should win this easily but we have recent history of playing really bad teams into form. Either way, Clarko can be counted on to say after the game: 'North Melbourne are a good team.' It's a mindset thing. Clarko will always talk up the opposition after a game. Compare that with Chris Scott who will always find ways to talk up his own team (thus giving himself backhanded compliments by implying how well coached they are). Which is why we should never consider bringing a Scott brother to the club in any form of coaching capacity, but that's a whole other can of worms.

What was I talking about again? Oh yeah... Go Hawks.

I'm not sure why Clarkson should be credited for talking up the opposition even when it's a load of s**t but anyways.

 

[Lickmesocks]

Any chance we can get Wingard on the score board today?

 

[MinerBoy]

On paper, we win this by 10 goals. But we are super low in confidence and north would have had this one circled in the diary for weeks. I expect them to come for us hard. Hawks by 15.

On paper our list isn't good enough to beat anyone by 10 goals. Even North.

We should win, and we might even smack 'em if it goes our way, but way too over rated to think we are 10 goals better than anyone on paper.

 

[Snake_Baker]

On paper our list isn't good enough to beat anyone by 10 goals. Even North.

Wait until you see us.

26 of 27 available players have been named in the team (including emergencies).

If they take them all, then North has effectively 1 listed player to take on Box Hill in the VFL.

 

[TylerDurden]

Wait until you see us.

26 of 27 available players have been named in the team (including emergencies).

If they take them all, then North has effectively 1 listed player to take on Box Hill in the VFL.

WC were missing their entire backline last week and we still got mauled.

 

[The Spirit of Cricket]

WC were missing their entire backline last week and we still got mauled.

they could've had literally nobody playing in their back 6 and we still woulda lost with the amount of times we got it in there

 

[MinerBoy]

Wait until you see us.

26 of 27 available players have been named in the team (including emergencies).

If they take them all, then North has effectively 1 listed player to take on Box Hill in the VFL.

Well I'll back Box Hill in by 10 goals then lol. Still not doing it with Hawthorn

 

[Snake_Baker]

Well I'll back Box Hill in by 10 goals then lol. Still not doing it with Hawthorn

Box Hill could be 100+ and the Hawks are too well coached & represented with mature players to not win comfortably.

It will be a bad day for them if they can't put 25+ on us.

 

[Roddy]

I'm hoping for a huge wake up call at the club, something that actually stuns them into an actual full and proper rebuild. Cut away the dead flesh, jettison the oldies and the players who clearly won't be a part of our next flag side (O'Brien, Nash, Howe, Sheils etc) like we did in 05-06, and get games into the kids. All of them.

I wonder if a loss today could provide that....

 

[Snake_Baker]

I'm hoping for a huge wake up call at the club, something that actually stuns them into an actual full and proper rebuild. Cut away the dead flesh, jettison the oldies and the players who clearly won't be a part of our next flag side (O'Brien, Nash, Howe, Sheils etc) like we did in 05-06, and get games into the kids. All of them.

I wonder if a loss today could provide that....

The advent of free agency set the respective Geelong & Hawthorn rebuild strategies in motion, but the Hawks just didn't catch the breaks the Cats did.

Personally, I reckon it's a flawed strategy, and my view is that no consistent top up club has won a flag in the AFL era once it's initial era burnt out, with Adelaide (2017) & Geelong (2020-assisted by playing in a swamp) getting close.

 

[Billyc]

WC were missing their entire backline last week and we still got mauled.

WC aren’t North. North have the worst list to begin with and are ravaged by injury on top of that. No sugar coating, if we lose this game, we are truly in the deepest of s**t.

 

[Jazzfan]

WC aren’t North. North have the worst list to begin with and are ravaged by injury on top of that. No sugar coating, if we lose this game, we are truly in the deepest of sh*t.

I suspect if we lose plenty in here might regret going so hard on David King...

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I think the thing I'm finding hardest at the moment is, I don't see many of the players that run out today playing a big role for the next successful Hawthorn sides. Just lots of uninspiring list Cloggers.

 

[Sicily]

I suspect if we lose plenty in here might regret going so hard on David King...

Nah - guy will still be flog