Coach Sam Mitchell's direction for the club and 2025 news

[VandoHawk]

While it isn't guaranteed we'll find another gear, I think we're in a fantastic position considering some of the issues we're facing. We have a lot of strengths (e.g. number one forward pressure team, number two for marks inside 50) and there is time to work on the weaknesses like defensive 50 transition and conceding scores from d50 stoppage.

Worth noting we have always played better in the second half of the year under Peter Burge.

 

[kazzooka]

I don't think we're tinkering as much as trying to find ways to play/win without KPF.

I agree with ramping it up after the bye.

It's gonna headf**k a few in here but I see us hitting the break about 7-7, then probably not losing another game for the remainder of the season (maybe ever!).

I would be devastated if we go from 5-2 coming up to a young tigers team in the biggest Home and Away game in our history then a struggling Melbourne. We are a good chance to go 7-2 and you think we lose 5 straight?

I Richmond and Melbourne will play us into form and I don't think we lose another 5 this year. If you lose 7 games for the year you struggle to make top 4.

We should be finishing the year 21-2.

 

[Roddy]

Apparently GCS have had the easiest opening run of any club, making them look pretty good. Better than they actually are? Time will tell.

But I wouldn't write off our game against them up north.

 

[Nugett]

While it isn't guaranteed we'll find another gear, I think we're in a fantastic position considering some of the issues we're facing. We have a lot of strengths (e.g. number one forward pressure team, number two for marks inside 50) and there is time to work on the weaknesses like defensive 50 transition and conceding scores from d50 stoppage.

Worth noting we have always played better in the second half of the year under Peter Burge.

Considering where we were this time last year, I think we are in a good position. Last year we were very slow to start, was mostly competitive while being ordinary, without getting the results. We then started to improve, got some scrappy wins, started to gain confidence. Our last 6/7 games was when we really started to play well and looked like a genuine contender.

At the moment we are mostly winning, while being ordinary in patches, if our trajectory is anything like last year, we will keep seeing improvement, where towards the end, we are looking unstoppable. So I’m not really concerned about percentage, as it’s currently about getting as many wins on the board, to set us up for the last third of the season, which is where premierships are won.

 

[Hawkspot]

I reckon it’s pretty clear the coaches are juggling a few changes to start the year, adding two key defenders and having 1 key forward who also has to play second ruck will do that.

We’ve changed our defensive set up too, and the way our wingers are used. This is taking a while to click due to injuries.

Sam has been very clear that we’re a long way off where he expects us to end up. No reason to think we won’t continue to improve across the season.

This is us after being ‘exposed’, and had our game plan shut down.

 

[Middle Pocket]

Apparently GCS have had the easiest opening run of any club, making them look pretty good. Better than they actually are? Time will tell.

But I wouldn't write off our game against them up north.

They looked the goods against the swans

 

[VandoHawk]

Apparently GCS have had the easiest opening run of any club, making them look pretty good. Better than they actually are? Time will tell.

But I wouldn't write off our game against them up north.

Bogey club at bogey ground off a 5 day break. AFL were twirling their moustache and cackling when they gave us that game.

 

[Bugs1977]

The fact that we're sitting inside the so called 'premiership window' and we're no even playing that well shows you the massive scope for improvement the Hawks still have.

I would assume that once we get Dear back soon and then Lewis + hopefully Day later in the season then we'll sit just above where Geelong sit in the graph below.

In a perfect world we really just want our season to peak right as we're rolling into finals.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Had the most intercept marks on the ground with 3.

It was a weird day though. Stewart was running under the ball plenty too. Took zero intercept marks. Sicily continually misjudged the flight as did TB.

Theres a reason Stewart was a bit off Easter Monday as we know what's happened since. It was part of the reason we were able to get through their zones alot more than we have in the past, we bypassed Stewart because he couldn't get to the drop zones quick enough as he was hampered.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

We're not scoring as heavily ATM but outside the Port debacle neither are the opposition. Only Geelong scored over 80 points on top of Port kicking the ton and that's only because we gifted them 3 quarters of their scores via turnovers. That's why I was perplexed at the carry on over the Eagles scoring a few goals on Sunday.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Apparently GCS have had the easiest opening run of any club, making them look pretty good. Better than they actually are? Time will tell.

But I wouldn't write off our game against them up north.

Not apparently it is by a mile. Have not played a team currently in the 8 and only Sydney from last year who are struggling @ the Gold Coast. It was a very impressive win on the weekend but a real big test for them will be the Q clash. Real deal or made to look good by the draw we will see.

 

[MasterSamurai]

We also had quite a lot of very average games. It's part of the reason why a lot of people didn't rate the 3peat at the time

Not sure who you're hanging around with but, get rid of them as they know NEXT TO NOTHING about football. We smashed the **** out of sides like you wouldn't believe. YouTube threepeat era seasons and you'll get accustomed to how awesome we were.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Not sure who you're hanging around with but, get rid of them as they know NEXT TO NOTHING about football. We smashed the **** out of sides like you wouldn't believe. YouTube threepeat era seasons and you'll get accustomed to how awesome we were.

We smashed teams for a quarter/half,then spent the rest of the tine experimenting

 

[OnTheRocks]

We also had quite a lot of very average games. It's part of the reason why a lot of people didn't rate the 3peat at the time

If they're not Hawthorn people then their opinion/rating doesn't bloody matter.

 

[badgrill]

"Chol's not quite there" lol

 

[OnTheRocks]

We should be finishing the year 21-2.

Yay!

 

[MasterSamurai]

We smashed teams for a quarter/half,then spent the rest of the tine experimenting

Which allowed us to win 80% of our games between 2012-2015. Which other clubs around that time went full throttle and won premierships? We were by far the best team in that period as the grand finals in 2014 and 2015 showed. Hell, we lost just 3 games in all of 2013 and two of those were to our hemeroid , Geelong! Don't worry about what others say, that threepeat side was a thing beauty.

 

[jenniferHAWKinS]

Lot easy to go to school on us without our best and most important/dynamic player in Day. His absence makes it easy for opposition coaches to put a lot of time into nullifying Newk knowing the remainder of our midfield whilst being good players don’t have that hurt factor. The Day/Newcombe combo was fast becoming the best midfield duo in the AFL. Looking forward to seeing Daysy on 360 tomorrow night to see how the operation went.

 

[jenniferHAWKinS]

Lot easy to go to school on us without our best and most important/dynamic player in Day. His absence makes it easy for opposition coaches to put a lot of time into nullifying Newk knowing the remainder of our midfield whilst being good players don’t have that hurt factor. The Day/Newcombe combo was fast becoming the best midfield duo in the AFL. Looking forward to seeing Daysy on 360 tomorrow night to see how the operation went.

Correction Daysy is on tonight.

 

[OnTheRocks]

Apparently GCS have had the easiest opening run of any club, making them look pretty good. Better than they actually are? Time will tell.

But I wouldn't write off our game against them up north.

Hopefully we play to the conditions, could be humid

 

[tommyk72]

Essentially saying teams have "gone to school" on us. But then saying we're missing Day, Dear, etc.

Make up your mind!

 

[tommyk72]

Apparently GCS have had the easiest opening run of any club, making them look pretty good. Better than they actually are? Time will tell.

But I wouldn't write off our game against them up north.

What's their humidity rating?

 

[Oisin_the_Goat]

Which allowed us to win 80% of our games between 2012-2015. Which other clubs around that time went full throttle and won premierships? We were by far the best team in that period as the grand finals in 2014 and 2015 showed. Hell, we lost just 3 games in all of 2013 and two of those were to our hemeroid , Geelong! Don't worry about what others say, that threepeat side was a thing beauty.

Oh well you swallowed your hemeroid in the 2008 grand final. Hodgey and Dew gives me nightmares. Still waiting for a gf rematch. Maybe this year if we fix our midfield. You guys r flying atm and have a couple easy games coming up.

 

[Bugs1977]

Oh well you swallowed your hemeroid in the 2008 grand final. Hodgey and Dew gives me nightmares. Still waiting for a gf rematch. Maybe this year if we fix our midfield. You guys r flying atm and have a couple easy games coming up.

Last time you beat us in a GF was 63 years ago with us winning the last 2. We hate you guys but sure as hell respect you. Best rivalry in the game hands down.

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

Lot easy to go to school on us without our best and most important/dynamic player in Day. His absence makes it easy for opposition coaches to put a lot of time into nullifying Newk knowing the remainder of our midfield whilst being good players don’t have that hurt factor. The Day/Newcombe combo was fast becoming the best midfield duo in the AFL. Looking forward to seeing Daysy on 360 tomorrow night to see how the operation went.

Without our best mid and best KPF x2