I was always confident that Neita would kick the goals from 50-55m out. But from 30m out ? Not so much.

Its all mental

The difference being looked at here, imho are players who under most circumstances would kick a goal and sometimes missed....as compared serial offenders who just cant kick for shlt !!

I was always confident that Neita would kick the goals from 50-55m out. But from 30m out ? Not so much.

Its all mental

The trouble is we all talk about but there is myriad of footballers (not just at our club) who just can't kick.

This is what make Hawthorn stand apart from other clubs. They have quite a few footballer who I consider average but these footballers can all kick which means they get full value for money every time the ball in their hands.

Priddis of WCE - although he has slightly improved, I still say the best way to win against the Eagles is give the ball to Priddis 40 times and you can throw Masten in there as well.

This is it Nut...Players who CAN kick, who can move the ball on effectively. Its not about stars, or elite etc. We're talkig bread and butter footy. Basic skills applied under game day pressure. We are attrocious

. We are attrocious

We are actually atrocious when it really counts.

We can chip the ball from side to side with precision ( especially in the backline) - that's why our disposal efficiency % looks so good.

( that's another issue - I have no problem with the chipping the ball and switching play but the key with the switch is to do it quickly enough that you open up the other side of the ground. We tend to switch the ball but then hold and allow the opposition to man up over the side we have just switched to. - net gain = zero)

But when we bring the ball through the centre we are poor by foot and we are poor by foot going into the forward 50 and we miss far too many easy shots at goal.

That is why Jack Watts frustrates me - he will deliver the ball with precision and his decisions on many occasions leads to play opening for us. I love the ball in his hands - Unfortunately with him, you also get Sundays luke warm efforts at getting to contests and applying any sort of pressure. (trying to be semi polite !)

We are actually atrocious when it really counts.

We can chip the ball from side to side with precision ( especially in the backline) - that's why our disposal efficiency % looks so good.

( that's another issue - I have no problem with the chipping the ball and switching play but the key with the switch is to do it quickly enough that you open up the other side of the ground. We tend to switch the ball but then hold and allow the opposition to man up over the side we have just switched to. - net gain = zero)

But when we bring the ball through the centre we are poor by foot and we are poor by foot going into the forward 50 and we miss far too many easy shots at goal.

That is why Jack Watts frustrates me - he will deliver the ball with precision and his decisions on many occasions leads to play opening for us. I love the ball in his hands - Unfortunately with him, you also get Sundays luke warm efforts at getting to contests and applying any sort of pressure. (trying to be semi polite !)

agree 100%..esp re JW.. The irony is annoying. we have the makings of about 12 decent players.....unfortunately it takes parts of ALL 40 to get them !!

Ben Holland from the square in the last game at Optus Oval.

Simon Eishold's 1987 Prelim Final miss is the worst ive seen

Ditto. It still gives me nightmares. I imagine poor Simon has had to undergo counselling all his life. I hope he's not bouncing around a rubber room somewhere.

agree 100%..esp re JW.. The irony is annoying. we have the makings of about 12 decent players.....unfortunately it takes parts of ALL 40 to get them !!

What an interesting thread that would make - clone the hands of Howe, the decision making and disposal of Watts, and the desire and heart to impact of Viney/Dawes.

Conversely the hands of Dawes, the desire and heart of Watts and the decision making and disposal of Nicholson - ewww.

Ditto. It still gives me nightmares. I imagine poor Simon has had to undergo counselling all his life. I hope he's not bouncing around a rubber room somewhere.

That was the shank of all shanks.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to kick the ball like he did ???

In the aftermath of the game we tried to replicate the Eishold shank and it is near on impossible to kick a ball like that.

I don't know if anyone is watching the Fox8 show "The Recruit" but it's interesting to see how much they keep going on about skills and attitude being able to hold up under pressure. There aren't a whole lot of guys at the club that I'd feel confident about being able to kick a simple 25-30m directly in front goal, something the show keeps harping on about.

Is there anyone on the list you'd have confidence in nailing a shot like that every time? Maybe Salem but he's still just a kid.

As someone said above, I think most of it is a mental barrier when they get into that position.

I was 5 at the time - what stage of the game was this and what was the score?

It was the last quarter. We were up 10.12 to 7.8 at 3/4 time. We had at least three goes to ice the game and missed them all. I can't remember exactly when in the last quarter this one happened or which of the misses it was. I'm guessing it was about 2/3rd's in the quarter. I'm pretty sure Yeater missed the first one, then probably this one, then Tony Campbell had a shot and missed when Robbie was on the goal line on his own. It was the kick out from one of these misses and passage of play that went all the way down to Buckenara on the siren. The footy Gods had smiled on us. We had the wind in the first quarter and then it swung 180o and we got it in the second. Then it swung back and we got it in the third. Then they finally had it in the fourth. We still didn't capitalise.

Can we PLLLLEAAASE stop Mentioning "Shanks Eishold"

Otherwise I might have to go back on medication!!