Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn - Lachie Bramble - delisted 2023

[KermitJagger]

I think I would have Jarman as the best I have seen. Slightly ahead of Buckenara and Pritchard.

I wasn't around for most of their career, or at least cognisant of my surroundings for large parts at the end, but I've tried to watch as many highlights as possible of the older Hawks eras. Taking Pritchard as an example, he was a great kick and Dunstall was a great lead - but the difference between ball use in the 90s and ball use in the modern era is that Pritchard would struggle to see Dunstall leading through modern day congestion and defences, and when he did it would be far more likely to be intercepted.

What modern players have to deal with in terms of executing their skills, both from congestion and pressure on the ball carrier, is on another level compared to those guys. Pritchard might have needed to kick it past / through 3 opposition players to hit Dunstall on the lead, some of the better kicks in the modern game need to squeeze it past 10.

I hate comparing eras for that reason, because there's no way of definitively saying the guys you mentioned wouldn't have adapted to the modern game, but the nature of sport is that it continues to get more professional, more skilled, tougher, harder.

 

[kazzooka]

Sorry to derail further but my point about most skilled kick was specifically to exclude the "best kick title" I'd take Mitchell any day for knowing that he'd hit the target most times and his dual side meant he was able to get a kick away easier. But from point a to point b there isn't a target Mitchell can hit that suckling couldn't.

It's more a point that, if you need to hit a running player 55 meters away on an angle you need to kick it high enough to get over the guy 10 meters in front of him but low and fast enough that it gets there before the lose man can chop it off. Suckling could do that s**t, I got the chance to watch him up close when he was at Ormond and it was incredible.

It's hitting the difficult kicks that he was great at, but may other players like Birchall would just consistently make the right call and kick nice and straight to their teammates over and over again. The kicks would not be so impressive but the fact that they'd do it for 10 years in a row and barely ever miss is remarkable.

 

[The Chad and I]

I think we made an error with his development if he can walk into another club and improve 50%, while we continue our struggle for a competent wingman.

 

[tl92]

I think we made an error with his development if he can walk into another club and improve 50%, while we continue our struggle for a competent wingman.

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He’s playing half back at dogs. Was always a decent player, we just have too many that want to play that role.

 

[PenAndPaper]

I think we made an error with his development if he can walk into another club and improve 50%, while we continue our struggle for a competent wingman.

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He's not playing wing though.
Dogs supporters are loving him right now, but he is not relied on defensively at all. Once Dogs hit a rough patch he will absolutely cop it because he can't defend and will be exposed.

 

[HedgeFund]

I think we made an error with his development if he can walk into another club and improve 50%, while we continue our struggle for a competent wingman.

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He’s playing as a small backman.

They have Khamis and Jones as their clear stay at home KPDs with Johannison, Bramble, Richards/Dale and Williams as their medium / small brigade.

They have also played West Coast (which will skew the stats), and the week before hammered Gold Coast in a very open game at Ballarat.

So based on 3 games total where he hasn’t played as a wingman, we haven’t failed in his development as a wingman because the Dogs are playing him closer to the opposition goals, with good defensive players around him.

 

[SSSSSS]

A new environment was good for him. It's hard being a crap defensive player when the ball is flying into your D50 50x a game.

 

[Billyc]

He’s doing well and playing a lot better than he did last year, good on him.

 

[Nick the Pig]

Wish him all the best at the doggies but from what I've seen of D'Ambrosio is his first three games I don't miss Bramble in the slightest

 

[extractasam]

Feel like he’s been taking kick ins also whenever I’ve watched?
Credit where it’s due though he looks to have improved. Whether that’s due to system or not who knows. Can only judge him on his output while he was with us.. I think our desire to play Amon as a defender and Mitchell’s emergence (also recruitment of Dambrosio) probably made him surplus to needs

 

[Hawked Wings]

Thought his 2021 was very good and I had hopes for him but 22 and last year he always seemed to turn it over with his kicking and became very frustrating. Has talent though, glad to see him doing well.

 

[Bedi]

It was a hasty call to get rid of him, so not surprised one bit

 

[SSSSSS]

It was a hasty call to get rid of him, so not surprised one bit

He wouldn't be best 22 for us.

 

[burger09]

We gave him a decent go at it.
Not hitting targets regularly enough proved his death knell.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

It was a hasty call to get rid of him, so not surprised one bit

He turned it over off half back.

As a designated kicker, you have to hit targets.

 

[eldorado]

We gave him a decent go at it.
Not hitting targets regularly enough proved his death knell.

He turned it over off half back.

As a designated kicker, you have to hit targets.

Exactly this.

Good for him if he has improved, but what he showed with us wasn't enough at all.

As a 25 year old, not best 22 player (particularly with Seamus and Mass coming) he fell quickly into 'list-clogger' territory.

 

[eldorado]

Nek minnut...

 

[grumbleguts]

If you saw his shot at goal in the 1st quarter you'd be relieved.

 

[The Chad and I]

Fair enough.
Good context re:younger/better players coming through - which I agree, they are better.
I'd always back the club to make the right call, I just hate to see players improve elsewhere.

 

[Dewnior]

He was meh tonight

 

[toomanysquibs]

I wasn't around for most of their career, or at least cognisant of my surroundings for large parts at the end, but I've tried to watch as many highlights as possible of the older Hawks eras. Taking Pritchard as an example, he was a great kick and Dunstall was a great lead - but the difference between ball use in the 90s and ball use in the modern era is that Pritchard would struggle to see Dunstall leading through modern day congestion and defences, and when he did it would be far more likely to be intercepted.

What modern players have to deal with in terms of executing their skills, both from congestion and pressure on the ball carrier, is on another level compared to those guys. Pritchard might have needed to kick it past / through 3 opposition players to hit Dunstall on the lead, some of the better kicks in the modern game need to squeeze it past 10.

I hate comparing eras for that reason, because there's no way of definitively saying the guys you mentioned wouldn't have adapted to the modern game, but the nature of sport is that it continues to get more professional, more skilled, tougher, harder.

Spot on. Team defense vs. 1 on 1 all over the ground.

There's no comparing the time and space players have now to back then. It was an idealist era of positional play, and footy has evolved to the logical conclusion – with further room for an uptick in attacking skills.

When I think back the beginning of the end of that golden era of space and genuine one on ones was a game at Waverley where an almost Brisbane era Fitzroy used a triangle structure of 3 defenders to keep Dunstall goalless for the day, to secure a win against the odds.

Never really heard it spoken about since, but that was it imo. Then came the Dogs flood a few years later.

Back OT... it's embarrassing we're talking about Bramble now. He's gone, he's no longer part of the team or significant enough to our club history imo. Happy if he does well, ultimately not fussed.