Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn: Josh Ward. Extends to 2025!

[Davo-27]

i believe he played as a winger against Coll and so didnt have the ability to influence the game as much, but his first game as our #1 inside mid and he performs at a high standard, gotta love it, its still pre-season, but it is a great sign for whats to come.

 

[Hodginator]

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

From a non-Hawk supporter....

Against Richmond today, Josh Ward had 29 disposals (2nd-most on ground), 19 contested possessions (most on the ground by 6!), a game-high 9 intercept possessions, equal-game high 6 clearances, 6 score involvements and 421m-gained.

All from just 67% game time!

Looks like they’ve got a Walsh/Brayshaw type there.

 

[CHUBBSS]

Contemplate just how much he improved from game 1 to game 2, give him a season and his a arguably our best and most damaging mid

 

[hfc70]

Imagine Ward & Tsatas working together

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[grumbleguts]

0 hit outs and contested marks get rid of him.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

From a non-Hawk supporter....

I know it's only a pre season game but those are the kinds of numbers Chris Judd put up in his first couple of seasons!

Just shows you how valuable getting a top 5 pick is, you really get the absolute cream of the crop in terms of midfielders.

 

[eldorado]

He should never be put on the wing again.

Pure class mid in the making...never take him from the guts...

 

[Brishawk]

I know it's only a pre season game but those are the kinds of numbers Chris Judd put up in his first couple of seasons!

Just shows you how valuable getting a top 5 pick is, you really get the absolute cream of the crop in terms of midfielders.

Judd was electric in his first few seasons but it wasn’t until his second season where he started getting bigger numbers. Got 21 disposals twice in his first season but those were the only two games 20 or over. Did have a couple of games of 6 clearances and/or 10 cp in this first season though, if that was what you were referring to.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Judd was electric in his first few seasons but it wasn’t until his second season where he started getting bigger numbers. Got 21 disposals twice in his first season but those were the only two games 20 or over. Did have a couple of games of 6 clearances and/or 10 cp in this first season though, if that was what you were referring to.

I was just talking more about the vibe about how everyone could see that Judd was a serious player right from the get go.

Probably a better, and more recent comparison would be Sam Walsh.

Young midfielders that look like they belong to the top echelon from the very start.

 

[halfback dasher]

0 hit outs and contested marks get rid of him.

Yer thought he struggled

 

[grumbleguts]

Yer thought he struggled

ikr? isn't there someone younger who can play his role? lazy, and probably wants to go home.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[theiaofseed]

If he was able to play more on the ball last year and show his talents during the carnival he probably goes well before our pick.

 

[eldorado]

If he was able to play more on the ball last year and show his talents during the carnival he probably goes well before our pick.

Did he not do that last year?

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Did he not do that last year?

There was no carnival and limited NABleague games.

 

[chopflop]

He arguably got the better of Daicos in their one-on-one dual in the NAB league and was named by most draft watchers as best on ground in the Vic trial game when daicos had 40+ and 2 goals. He is a legit Tier 1 talent. Meaningful and impactful possessions and has a defensive side to his game.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

He arguably got the better of Daicos in their one-on-one dual in the NAB league and was named by most draft watchers as best on ground in the Vic trial game when daicos had 40+ and 2 goals. He is a legit Tier 1 talent. Meaningful and impactful possessions and has a defensive side to his game.

Watching the highlights of the tiges game it is striking to me that he takes that extra second to assess his options before disposing of the ball.

That's something we have been missing from our midfield mix the last three years and a sure sign of top tier talent.

 

[SSSSSS]

Getting some Crawford vibes.

 

[matey]

Watching that footage again so quick to pounce on the loose ball, clean ……. no fumbles and has lovely skills by foot or hand to get it to a teammate. Exactly what we need in the guts!

 

[Mojo]

Ward and McDonald will transform our midfield - we're crying, balling our eyes out crying, for elite disposal into our forwards.

 

[The Chad and I]

Getting some Crawford vibes.

that was my assessment when i had a good look at this draft highlights.
good all round midfielder.

 

[burner1]

Interested to see how we manage him - appears up to the level but we saw what happened with Rowell etc.

 

[KermitJagger]

Interested to see how we manage him - appears up to the level but we saw what happened with Rowell etc.

What happened with Rowell? He got driven into the turf and hurt his shoulder horribly, I'd love to see how we could possibly manage Ward to avoid that.