Unacceptable

[HFC082]

Don't worry, we'll smash freo by 15 goals. They won't get anywhere near us. The last time I was this confident we played the tiges last year and bombers tonight. Free money

 

[happy_hawks]

just sat through that game with my housemate who is a mad bombers fan... painful!

I can handle losing but not like that. We were simply out worked, showed a lack of desire, arrogant like we expected to win. That is the worst performance I've seen from us possibly since clarko took over, big call i know, but I am failing to think of a worse loss as far as effort and hunger goes. Simply unacceptable. I don't want to single anyone out; however when 19 year kid in his second year ie rioli is the only bloke having a proper crack 21 other blokes need to have a look at themselves.

HOWEVER, lets all try and reserve judgement. How we respond to an effort like that is what counts. Lets get behind our boys, back them to pick themselves up off the canvas, show everyone we are the HAWKS!! Next week we will show our true character, its how you as a team and a club respond to nights like this that counts. Personally I'm backing us to put in a committed hungry desperate performance next week.

 

[zenmasterfu]

It's true that our players are not fit enough and lack match time since so many are coming back from injury ... but really I think we killed ourselves a bit in that first quarter. If it had been 5.4 or 6.3 rather than 1.8, the bombers would've fallen to pieces, and we could've smashed them for a while, just letting them win the last quarter.

With these fitness levels, we need to win the first half of the game, and by a bit. Quite sad in comparison to last year where we never (or almost never) lost the fourth quarter.

 

[TBoyleSuperstar]

Simple fact is, we made way to many errors, our skill level was down and our attack on the footy seemed down. We continued to make poor decisions. Thay played quick attacking footy, which is why they'll win as many as they lose. Things will work for them, things won't. But we just never looked like taking the game off them.

Really disappointed.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Just got back from the game.

Disappointed as hell.

Essendon were great - they were like a team of energizer bunnies - they just didn't stop running, kept it alive, kept moving at all times. You can't zone against movement like that!

We looked flat footed. It's fine to single out individuals if that's the way you roll but the whole side was flat. A bloke like Birch or Lewis would get it on the HBF and have NOTHING to kick to up the line and the corridor was too crowded.

We are out of touch. A lot of little slightly risky handballs are completely missing targets or landing at peoples' feet. The receiver is often fumbling the ball and turning an uncontested possession into a contested one.

All the people knocking buddy should take a step back, did some brilliant things and worked really bloody hard tonight. Roughead worked his arse off as well.

Cyril Rioli is something special. We all know it but **** man, to see that guy live at the ground is a rare treat. His goal of the year effort had me screaming. It's no random coincidence that he burst of possessions in the second quarter was when we played our best footy.

Give Essendon some credit - they played with heaps of spirit. They're a great side to watch, as much as I hate Lloyd and his mates.

We're still throwing our side around way too much:
How is Bob supposed to play his best when he's being thrown from ruck to FB?
Hodge played every possie tonight.
Dowler played rebounding HB (did really well) and then KPB

Aarrgghh very disappointed. Worried about when we'll come good. I'm thinking a 5-6 or 6-5 midseason w/l ratio is what we should expect.

 

[wallyt99]

Who deserves their spot? (In no particular order)

Tom Murphy
Gary Moss
Cyril Rioli.
Jarryd Roughhead
Brad Sewell.

Who will (without doubt) deserve their spot when fit -

Birchall
Gilham
Ellis.

The rest have been crap....

Buddy needs to stop watching that AFL ad where he does a dainty sidestep. Footy isn't dainty.

Sammy and Hodge?? I will give them the excuse of fitness.

Lewis... Showed glimpses, but no attack or second efforts tonight.

Dowler, Tuck, Whitecross - Ok...but every game make sloppy VFL mistakes....which almost always result in turnovers and goals.

Williams - Making bad decisions.

Dew Is a reciever.... and is not recieving shit... so he can't be blamed

Osborne.... undisciplined.

McGlynn.... Meh.

Taylor was SHIT in the ruck....won heaps of Taps.... NEVER to avantage!!! The centre was been bogged down. This is probably one of our most dissapointing areas.

Campbell.... Meh.

That said - This doesnt look too bad - In an ideal world.....

B:Thomas Murphy, Trent Croad, Grant Birchall
HB: Campbell Brown, Stephen Gilham, Xavier Ellis
C: Chance Bateman, Sam Mitchell, Clinton Young
HF: Cyril Rioli, Lance Franklin, Stuart Dew.
F: Mark Williams, Jarryd Roughead, Luke Hodge
Foll: Brent Renouf, Brad Sewell, Gary Moss
INT: Jordan Lewis, Michael Osborne, Robert Campbell.


Just need a decent gameplan.

 

[marklar]

Very disappointing performance. Every Essendon player outran his Hawthorn opponent and Hawthorn were completely ineffective in impeding their forward ball movement. Can't anyone lay a tackle? Add to that some very poor decision making (handballing to a guy with 3 defenders on him ), cheap turnovers and we were lucky to still be in with a chance at halftime.

It's round 7, the 'limited' preseason excuses should be long gone. We're easy-beats and everyone knows it now, we'll struggle next week and will need to be lucky (again) to scrape in a win.

m.

 

[HFC082]

Heads up. We will bounce back. Clarkson will have the boys on notice.

Expect fire.

 

[crawf_legend]

I would love to sit the team down myself and give them an earful and give a certain few a second helping. I would hammer Lance, Mitchell, Hodge, Lewis, Williams, Taylor and go and riot with Osborne. He needs to restart.

 

[Bosk]

Heads up. We will bounce back. Clarkson will have the boys on notice.

Expect fire.

After such a loss I will expect nothing less.
We made them look like the Premiers tonight, it was a shocking effort from a team that at times look disinterested.

 

[crawf_legend]

Heads up. We will bounce back. Clarkson will have the boys on notice.

Expect fire.

We've said that everyweek. If we lose next week and people come back and say that ^, they are in denial.

(Its 12.00am) The loss is in the past! Lets all start over!

 

[HFC082]

We've said that everyweek. If we lose next week and people come back and say that ^, they are in denial.

(Its 12.00am) The loss is in the past! Lets all start over!

Exactly. All we can do is move onto the next opponent. Sure we have to look at things to improve...but it's a young group and they will learn heaps from it.

Bad losses are better lessons than big wins!

 

[Bosk]

I would love to sit the team down myself and give them an earful and give a certain few a second helping. I would hammer Lance, Mitchell, Hodge, Lewis, Williams, Taylor and go and riot with Osborne. He needs to restart.

I thought one of the few positives tonight was that Franklin's level of effort and discipline had gone up a notch, and he was rewarded with 5 goals.

As for the rest you mentioned...
-Mitchell is probably either carrying an injury or heavily tagged or both.
-Hodge looks half-fit and should be rested until he has something to contribute to the side.
-Williams should be dropped, immediately.
-Taylor should be dropped or de-listed.
-Osborne has just come back into the side and is lacking match practice/fitness.

 

[Hotham Hawk]

I'm at a loss for words, so...

http://thumb.webstockpro.com/photo-choice/200368678-001.jpg

 

[crawf_legend]

I thought one of the few positives tonight was that Franklin's level of effort and discipline had gone up a notch, and he was rewarded with 5 goals.

As for the rest you mentioned...
-Mitchell is probably either carrying an injury or heavily tagged or both.
-Hodge looks half-fit and should be rested until he has something to contribute to the side.
-Williams should be dropped, immediately.
-Taylor should be dropped or de-listed.
-Osborne has just come back into the side and is lacking match practice/fitness.

With Lance, Im referring to his season as a whole. His accuracy must be below 50% easily this year.

Mitchell needs to be a leader. His precence and leadership should be seen and felt throughout the team and by the supporters, and that includes Hodgey as well.
Osborne might have just come back but silly decisions such as holding your opponent in front of an ump is stupid!

 

[PottSie2]

My observations from tonight.

Osborne needs to realise it's 2009 an the umps are cracking down on the shitty little things. I have no time for them.

We will struggle to make the finals if our 2 key backmen are Murphy and Brown

We continue to handball to flatfooted targets or handball to players who are not free in crunch situations.

We looked SLOOOOWWW tonight.

I understand why Taylor was dropped for the Grand Final. Ineffective at best.

Riloi is special. Unfortunately there is only 1 of him.

Buddy played well and battles hard.

We continued to bomb it in to our forward line but with no effective crumbers (Rioli playing more in the middle / defense tonight)

Sewell should be our captain.

Moss, Dowler and Whitecross are coming along well.

We need Bailey and Muston to come in and provide something.

Someone please tell our players that you do not need to try (key word try, because most of them ended up cutting grass) and stab pass kicks to our leading forwards. Just put the flipping thing in front of them like the bombers did.

I could go on and on.

 

[Lord_Espos]

Rubish, rubish, rubish, rubish.... was all we served up all night.

No co-hesion, no run, no skill. At least 8 players looked under done or injured. This is going to be a long season with the way the team is playing. Might just scrape into the 8 if we are lucky.

Oh its tough when you know how good they could be.....

 

[Lord_Espos]

Oh yeah and the umpires were bloody terrible. A fair bit against Essendon but consistently terrible. And posey...

Jeff was on the money... they are flogs.

 

[HFC082]

I can't wait for next week.

 

[raff23]

following players played like shit tonight:

hodge
mitchell
osborne
campbell
dew
birchall
williams
taylor

pathetic effort. makes me wonder how last year happened at all....

Ive singled out 2 players here because they are ones that stuck in my memory tonite, i agree with the others especially taylor, without doubt the worst player i have ever seen play AFL, he is a liability and the sooner we get rid of him the better. Hodge tonite as he has been all season was underdone and carrying an injury. Genuine excuse for his performance but u gotta wonder what the hell he was doing playing, he was actually a liability as well tonite. Dew was arguably the worst player on the ground and tbh if he cant kick the 50+m goals anymore he shouldnt be playing either.

 

[Off The Couch]

I really don't get what anybody gets from naming names. Does it make you feel better, because it certainly doesn't make me feel any different.

The fact of the matter is the bombers were better. They moved the ball faster, they took marks we dropped, they tackled harder than we did - they wanted to win more than we did.

They had the passion tonight that we had last year and until we find that again we can keep making excuses and keep naming names but we are also going to keep losing.

 

[mfhawk]

I spose we're all struggling with our performances this year because of high expectations due to last years successes....
We were all thinking we could only get better due to the youth in our side and that would see us dominate the comp... a new football dynasy perhaps??
That still may be .....although it just goes to show that the planets must be aligned and the footy gods must be shining upon you to bring home the big one.
everything must fall into place....
I heard Clinton Young interviewed on SEN and he said its posible the team has lost its hunger.... I wonder what Clarksons take on that would be. Itd be great to be a fly on the wall amongst the coaching staff just to see how worried they are. And whos's carrying injuries Hodge? Mitchel?
Carn Hawkers........ I'm patient

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Exactly. All we can do is move onto the next opponent. Sure we have to look at things to improve...but it's a young group and they will learn heaps from it.

Bad losses are better lessons than big wins!

Keep it up man, I like the positive attitude, not much of that about today....

The bit in bold is something we need to remember.

Don't forget how young our list is, we all conceded last year that the flag came a lot earlier than planned. We are still a team improving who played out of their skins last year.

We can still beat anyone on our day. Just gotta click...

 

[mookieb]

Geez to think we got a serious touch up by Essendon without McVeigh, Fletcher, Hille and co. Watching the game it felt like they had an extra player or two on the field.

Bet you Lucas was spewing - with the volume of ball and delivery would have been a perfect game for him.