Still very disappointed about this, hell, I'm still disappointed that I didn't get to see Hogan last year! It's just not fair that's all- like almost literally the two things I've looked forward to before the season starts has now been taken away from me two years in a row, and after all the encouraging reports from training I couldn't wait to see what he would bring. Wasn't expecting game winning performances.

On a related note, if we have another season of less than 5 wins, with no youngsters showing improvement, where does the hope come from?

50 year rule will kick in after round 13, 2015? Here's hoping...

Just to split hairs, Norm was dismissed on Friday the 23rd of July, 1965 (round 13).

That would mean, if it's a 50 year curse, she'd lift after round 16.

Still very disappointed about this, hell, I'm still disappointed that I didn't get to see Hogan last year! It's just not fair that's all- like almost literally the two things I've looked forward to before the season starts has now been taken away from me two years in a row, and after all the encouraging reports from training I couldn't wait to see what he would bring. Wasn't expecting game winning performances.

On a related note, if we have another season of less than 5 wins, with no youngsters showing improvement, where does the hope come from?

Come on ssd spark up he is one player who has yet to play a game.

We will be better in 2015.

There were eight players added at the end of 2014.

Concentrate on them and the players that are likely to improve on their 2014 effort.

If we were waiting on Pat to provide all the improvement in 2015 we would have been in a large amount of trouble.

Still very disappointed about this, hell, I'm still disappointed that I didn't get to see Hogan last year! It's just not fair that's all- like almost literally the two things I've looked forward to before the season starts has now been taken away from me two years in a row, and after all the encouraging reports from training I couldn't wait to see what he would bring. Wasn't expecting game winning performances.

On a related note, if we have another season of less than 5 wins, with no youngsters showing improvement, where does the hope come from?

Wow, that's a dark hole your in. Just watch Dean Kent,JKH,Toumpas,Hogan,Brayshaw,Viney and Salem this year and you will get enough youthful excitement to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Not to mention big Maximus taking the league by the scruff of the neck and throwing his hand up for all australian selection

Wow, that's a dark hole your in. Just watch Dean Kent,JKH,Toumpas,Hogan,Brayshaw,Viney and Salem this year and you will get enough youthful excitement to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Not to mention big Maximus taking the league by the scruff of the neck and throwing his hand up for all australian selection

Definitely half full there tappy

Petracca has now lost a year of essential development. Yeah he can start again next year but his experience next year will be like a first year player and he is 12 months further away from getting those necessary games into him.

And a year less we get out of his contract, returns to fitness, gets some games under his belt then we are back into a Scully scenario......

And a year less we get out of his contract, returns to fitness, gets some games under his belt then we are back into a Scully scenario......

Really it is time to find another team / sport.

This one is too black for you.

There is still plenty look forward to, just sad for Christian and disappointed we have to put him on the shelf for a whole year just as I was warming to the idea that he would be the one to find early success. Bad timing and unfortunate luck, our lot. Tis football!

Only one thing surprised me when I heard the news about Christian Petracca........it wasn't Hogan.

Yet...........

Yeah I can understand the comments like he wouldn't have been a major factor for us this year, it's better doing it now than at 25, this year was more a development year for him, he will be fresh to go next pre-season, etc.

I'm sorry but this doesn't make me feel any better.

Let's face it, we've been a pathetic side for 8 years. At times it has been so painful to watch us play week in week out and seeing how poorly a team of professionals can perform. We've seen massive thumpings, games over by quarter time, seasons over by Round 1.

So when you do follow a struggling team, the one thing that keeps you going is seeing exciting talent - particularly young talent. Watching them develop, seeing the highlights and the signs for the future. This is one of the few things we can actually enjoy about the footy.

Yet obviously that small thing is too much to ask for - Hawthorn fans get to see premiership after premiership while we can't even enjoy the most fundamental thing like seeing exciting talent come through. And the sad thing is it's by no means the first time it has happened.

I'm 32 and have supported the Dees my whole life. Here is a list of players with a few things in common:

1) Allen Jakovich - probably the most exciting player to watch and on his day was unstoppable. Fastest first 50 goals in the history of football. Back injury in 1994 - never returns.

2) Sean Charles - cannot forget his QF performance against the Blues in 1994. Exciting, magical half forward. Serious wrist injury soon after - never the same.

3) Stephen Tingay - a brilliant, tough, courageous and skilful player. Had some great games but recurrent injuries brought an end to his time at the club.

4) Jeff Farmer - close to Jakovich as the most exciting player. His season in 2000 was one of the best by a small forward in recent times. Hamstring injuries strike in 2001 and he heads off to Freo. At least we did see a lot of his good years.

5) Paul Prymke - showed signs of being a dominant 10-year centre half back. Struck down by serious (groin?) injury and never returns.

6) Garry Lyon - back injury meant he missed a truckload of games in the latter few years of his career.

7) David Schwarz - one of my favourite Demons of all time. Carey-like season in 1994. Three knee recos later and while he was still a very good player, never allowed to hit the heights he could and would have.

8) Scott Thompson - shows signs of being the dominant midfielder we have needed for years. Goes home to Adelaide at a young age and becomes their star midfielder for a decade.

9) Liam Jurrah - most naturally talented footballing athlete I've seen. Unplayable when on. We all know what happened next.

10) Tom Scully - Chris Judd like first year at the club. Pisses off to GWS on the back of an unprecedented once-in-a-lifetime offer. At least he hasn't kicked on yet.

11) Jesse Hogan - you just know he has it. I was so excited to see him in 2014 and then a back injury ends his year in the pre-season.

12) Christian Petracca - touted as the best and most exciting youngster in the country. Knee injury ends his season.

Now I know the last two are still young and have plenty of time, but I've put them there to illustrate the exciting talent we have been prevented from watching over the years. It's just incredible that a team can cop so much bad luck over a long period of time in relation to its most exciting players and for fans of a struggling club who have little to enjoy at the footy it's just a real kick in the guts.

So while in no way is it the end of the world, excuse me for feeling gutted that once again an AFL season comes around and we are again deprived of seeing an exciting young player develop over the year.

That's quite a string of ridiculous statements there pal. While we are all devastated for the young man, even his own mother would not make such wild calls.

Bit harsh to call this is a ridiculous statement Moon. A big statement perhaps but not ridiculous. HH comments express an optimism and confidence that this kid was going to be something special this season. Perhaps he is right.

Incredibly disappointing and for many shattering that we will not get to see him play this year. Sure we expect injuries but seeing one of our young guns like Petracca play this year was an exciting prospect. He has great marketing potential and would have got supporters through the turnstiles. Exciting young players have an enormous impact on the psyche of supporters and the club. After the misery of past sessions we all need to feel that excitement again. Not only us oldies but also the kids who have never known what it's like to follow a club that actually wins games of football. Serious injuries have a very negative impact and already we see that negativity expressed by supporters and by non supporters a like. We do not need any more negativity. On a positive note, we do appear to have greater depth this year and perhaps a more realistic attitude in regard to player and team development. Perhaps there will be others who will step up and provide a reason for more supporters to turn up to watch an emerging footy team.

Yeah I can understand the comments like he wouldn't have been a major factor for us this year, it's better doing it now than at 25, this year was more a development year for him, he will be fresh to go next pre-season, etc.

I'm sorry but this doesn't make me feel any better.

Let's face it, we've been a pathetic side for 8 years. At times it has been so painful to watch us play week in week out and seeing how poorly a team of professionals can perform. We've seen massive thumpings, games over by quarter time, seasons over by Round 1.

So when you do follow a struggling team, the one thing that keeps you going is seeing exciting talent - particularly young talent. Watching them develop, seeing the highlights and the signs for the future. This is one of the few things we can actually enjoy about the footy.

Yet obviously that small thing is too much to ask for - Hawthorn fans get to see premiership after premiership while we can't even enjoy the most fundamental thing like seeing exciting talent come through. And the sad thing is it's by no means the first time it has happened.

I'm 32 and have supported the Dees my whole life. Here is a list of players with a few things in common:

1) Allen Jakovich - probably the most exciting player to watch and on his day was unstoppable. Fastest first 50 goals in the history of football. Back injury in 1994 - never returns.

2) Sean Charles - cannot forget his QF performance against the Blues in 1994. Exciting, magical half forward. Serious wrist injury soon after - never the same.

3) Stephen Tingay - a brilliant, tough, courageous and skilful player. Had some great games but recurrent injuries brought an end to his time at the club.

4) Jeff Farmer - close to Jakovich as the most exciting player. His season in 2000 was one of the best by a small forward in recent times. Hamstring injuries strike in 2001 and he heads off to Freo. At least we did see a lot of his good years.

5) Paul Prymke - showed signs of being a dominant 10-year centre half back. Struck down by serious (groin?) injury and never returns.

6) Garry Lyon - back injury meant he missed a truckload of games in the latter few years of his career.

7) David Schwarz - one of my favourite Demons of all time. Carey-like season in 1994. Three knee recos later and while he was still a very good player, never allowed to hit the heights he could and would have.

8) Scott Thompson - shows signs of being the dominant midfielder we have needed for years. Goes home to Adelaide at a young age and becomes their star midfielder for a decade.

9) Liam Jurrah - most naturally talented footballing athlete I've seen. Unplayable when on. We all know what happened next.

10) Tom Scully - Chris Judd like first year at the club. Pisses off to GWS on the back of an unprecedented once-in-a-lifetime offer. At least he hasn't kicked on yet.

11) Jesse Hogan - you just know he has it. I was so excited to see him in 2014 and then a back injury ends his year in the pre-season.

12) Christian Petracca - touted as the best and most exciting youngster in the country. Knee injury ends his season.

Now I know the last two are still young and have plenty of time, but I've put them there to illustrate the exciting talent we have been prevented from watching over the years. It's just incredible that a team can cop so much bad luck over a long period of time in relation to its most exciting players and for fans of a struggling club who have little to enjoy at the footy it's just a real kick in the guts.

So while in no way is it the end of the world, excuse me for feeling gutted that once again an AFL season comes around and we are again deprived of seeing an exciting young player develop over the year.

Great List and its all the same guys that I have on mine. Could maybe also add Wonna/Broadbridge to it as well.

Also pretty sure Prymke was a back. He showed great promise for a small period until injury struck him down.

...

10) Tom Scully - Chris Judd like first year at the club. Pisses off to GWS on the back of an unprecedented once-in-a-lifetime offer. At least he hasn't kicked on yet.

...

Really? In what way? My recollection of both players is that Judd dominated from his first game and never waned until about 10 years later whereas Scully played one excellent quarter and a few OK games (good for a first year player, but hardly dominant).

Bit harsh to call this is a ridiculous statement Moon. A big statement perhaps but not ridiculous. HH comments express an optimism and confidence that this kid was going to be something special this season. Perhaps he is right.

Incredibly disappointing and for many shattering that we will not get to see him play this year. Sure we expect injuries but seeing one of our young guns like Petracca play this year was an exciting prospect. He has great marketing potential and would have got supporters through the turnstiles. Exciting young players have an enormous impact on the psyche of supporters and the club. After the misery of past sessions we all need to feel that excitement again. Not only us oldies but also the kids who have never known what it's like to follow a club that actually wins games of football. Serious injuries have a very negative impact and already we see that negativity expressed by supporters and by non supporters a like. We do not need any more negativity. On a positive note, we do appear to have greater depth this year and perhaps a more realistic attitude in regard to player and team development. Perhaps there will be others who will step up and provide a reason for more supporters to turn up to watch an emerging footy team.

Im not prone to calling other peoples statements ridiculous - but I need to know where the line is between a big statement and a ridiculous statement when stating that a player with a first year draftee preseason who has never played a game of senior football is worth 1-3 wins for us in a season. When you arrive at the town of "big statements" for that post I think you may need to keep driving for a while longer.

Really? In what way? My recollection of both players is that Judd dominated from his first game and never waned until about 10 years later whereas Scully played one excellent quarter and a few OK games (good for a first year player, but hardly dominant).

I was going to jump on this too - when you look at the stats you will see that they are similar for the first season. The major difference being what the two players actually did with the ball once they had it - this is where the comparison falls flat.

Im not prone to calling other peoples statements ridiculous - but I need to know where the line is between a big statement and a ridiculous statement when stating that a player with a first year draftee preseason who has never played a game of senior football is worth 1-3 wins for us in a season. When you arrive at the town of "big statements" for that post I think you may need to keep driving for a while longer.

okay fair point. I guess I was not being as analytical as you regarding the specific comments by HH but rather as a positive expression of the kids potential to make an immediate impact this year.

Just to split hairs, Norm was dismissed on Friday the 23rd of July, 1965 (round 13).

That would mean, if it's a 50 year curse, she'd lift after round 16.

I think Smith was still coach until end of 1967.

I'm 32 and have supported the Dees my whole life. Here is a list of players with a few things in common:

Scoop - you could probably add G. Lovett to that list. Just when he had turned himself into a damaging player his effectiveness was severely cut back with recurring injuries.

Id add Warren Dean too. Was played out of position on bigger heavier opponents and was injured early. Came same year as Stretch IIRC and I thought he would be even better. But because he was taller he was played at CHB. Didnt last long.

Really? In what way? My recollection of both players is that Judd dominated from his first game and never waned until about 10 years later whereas Scully played one excellent quarter and a few OK games (good for a first year player, but hardly dominant).

Yeah you're probably right, Judd was definitely a step up in class.

I think the comparison is more coming out of the Under 18s - I watched some of Scully's games and he had that Judd-like ability to win the footy in close and the speed to burst away. His first year at Melbourne was excellent I though - didn't disappoint as a No. 1 pick. Not at the same level as Judd's impact in his first year but he definitely showed all the signs of being an elite midfielder.

A few articles have mentioned injuries to our recent first round picks (Strauss, Blease, Tapscott, Molan, etc). It would be interesting to know where these players would be today if not for their misfortunes...

That being said, I think that the club is now a much better environment for a young player going through a long rehab process than it was when the above players were injured, and I think that having Jack Trengove in rehab with him will be very beneficial for Petracca.

Just wish C-pet all the best for his treatment and recovery. He will be a fine player in 12-18 months time.

I don't think The Norm Smith curse has anything to do with it.

The problems started when we stopped sacrificing virgins.

With all due respect Sir WYL, perhaps the funeral may offer a little perspective on this issue?

I was spewing about this yesterday, but now that the dust has settled I'm just left with trace disappointment. I can't quite bring myself to take the silver lining view that others have, but I've come to terms with the fact that I have to wait another year to be amazed. It isn't a long time in the context of a career and it's not going to impact our flag chances this year (lol).

It's just a bummer for those of us that love a bit of instant gratification.

Just to pick a nit, Nasher, there is no silver lining here. It is a shocking thing to happen to a young man, and I can't see any good that will come of it. It is just that as a club, we take the hit on the chin and move on. I know that is more or less what you said above, but sometimes the pedant in me just has to be let out ...

Great List and its all the same guys that I have on mine. Could maybe also add Wonna/Broadbridge to it as well.

Also pretty sure Prymke was a back. He showed great promise for a small period until injury struck him down.

Also don't forget Darren Bennett who heade off to the States and became a super-star!