Cast your mind back 12 months, round 5 2017.
We’d started the season well - 3-1 in fact.
We’d fallen short against Richmond at the G in round 3, but weren’t awful (got to within 11 at the finish) and coming into Round 5, it looked like Hawthorn were ripe for the picking, coming off 2 shocking 80 point losses.
The general feeling was that this was the day to break through for a big win on the G - play inspiring footy and put a team to the sword.
And then on the day, the team shat the bed in epic style. 2015 GF style. Crushed by a seemingly out of form and over the hill Hawthorn side by 50 points.
The wind came out of everyone’s sails and basically, we knew no matter what - this team was not going to contend in 2017.
We were still capable of simply not showing up. Unable to fire a shot on the big stage - it brought back all that negative talk the club has had to cop since that horrible day in 2015 that may well still define the careers of this generation of players (a plucky win over Carlton on the G in 2016 hadn’t really erased those memories).
We haven’t played the on the MCG since Round 5 2017.
Has anything changed or could we yet again be ambushed by a team seemingly on its knees, waiting for the axe to fall?
This Carlton team are no Hawthorn - not even the 2017 version of Hawthorn - but I can’t help but feel that familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach that it could be a diasterous day at the office if the team hasn’t turned something of a corner.
It’s the elephant in the room, so let’s grab it by the tusks - are we better placed now than this time last year to avoid the capitulation?
Huge game for the team.
We’d started the season well - 3-1 in fact.
We’d fallen short against Richmond at the G in round 3, but weren’t awful (got to within 11 at the finish) and coming into Round 5, it looked like Hawthorn were ripe for the picking, coming off 2 shocking 80 point losses.
The general feeling was that this was the day to break through for a big win on the G - play inspiring footy and put a team to the sword.
And then on the day, the team shat the bed in epic style. 2015 GF style. Crushed by a seemingly out of form and over the hill Hawthorn side by 50 points.
The wind came out of everyone’s sails and basically, we knew no matter what - this team was not going to contend in 2017.
We were still capable of simply not showing up. Unable to fire a shot on the big stage - it brought back all that negative talk the club has had to cop since that horrible day in 2015 that may well still define the careers of this generation of players (a plucky win over Carlton on the G in 2016 hadn’t really erased those memories).
We haven’t played the on the MCG since Round 5 2017.
Has anything changed or could we yet again be ambushed by a team seemingly on its knees, waiting for the axe to fall?
This Carlton team are no Hawthorn - not even the 2017 version of Hawthorn - but I can’t help but feel that familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach that it could be a diasterous day at the office if the team hasn’t turned something of a corner.
It’s the elephant in the room, so let’s grab it by the tusks - are we better placed now than this time last year to avoid the capitulation?
Huge game for the team.