21 minutes ago, Fanatique Demon said:

Yes we did beat them early in the year.

But you’re saying that Port and Dogs can’t defend. Even so, they both beat us. 

Actually, with both those teams it was 1-1 for the season.  With Geelong and Hawthorn it was 1-0 - we played those two teams only once each.

 

17 minutes ago, BW511 said:

Surely Watson and Dear convince everyone that the draft is the only way to go with pick 5. 
Couple of first year blokes with a very solid impact

And recruit decent players on the upwards trajectory from other clubs … not wage stackers on the decline like Hunter, Billings and McAdam.  Tim Lamb 🤮🤮🤮🤮

We're facing an unpalatable grand final, folks: Geelong v Hawthorn.

I'll be washing my hair that day.

And I have very little to wash...

Tom morris should go to bevos presser just to make before more madder

 

As long as Hawthorn beat the SA filth. They can lose the following week.

I was at the match hoping for a close contest.

Bulldogs were terrible. So many of their players contributed virtually nothing. Bont, Darcy, JUH, Naughton .... Even Bont.

Hawks ran them off their feet. Their spread was great ... always giving the player with the ball a relatively easy option. Conversely the Dogs didn't work hard enough. 

And their skills (Bulldogs) were terrible ... fumbling, handballing to players under pressure, dropping marks, slipping over. You're almost better missing out finals if that's the best you can do.

Big crowd, big occasion, great atmosphere. Shame only one side turned up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just checked the flight prices next week to Adelaide.  Holy hell it's cheaper to drive.

30 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Bont ???? 
 

JAMARRA ??!!!!

They played Bont as if they were conserving him for next week!  Seriously what was Bevo doing.  He's their best by a mile and needed to be on the ball from about half way through the second when the game was up for grabs.

One of the worst games you'll ever see from JUH, let alone in a finals sense.

English not much better for such an experienced coveted ruckman.

Ditto Darcy.

Libba had a shocker as well and he's their go to extractor.

Good luck winning with most of their best having such an off night.

Dog day for the Dogs. Their women's percentage now 12.7...

Bulldogs and Port both looked terrible. 

The premiership is up for grabs, it's such an open field left (except Carlton)

If only we had no major injuries and got our friggin act together. And no off field dramas. And if we....

Fair dinkum, we are our own worst enemies

Our best list in 60 years has been Melbournised

3 hours ago, Dingo said:

Commentator used the word sweepers - a soccer word?

Yes it is, most of the ball movement patterns and defensive zoning systems are derived from Football.

Can you remember the ball movement in the 70's, 80's and 90's?

Can anyone imagine a world where Bont is gettable? Could we convince him that he would have backup here?

4 hours ago, layzie said:

If this were tipping I'd be 0-2

I’ve got both correct so far.

6 hours ago, DiscoStu17 said:

Can anyone imagine a world where Bont is gettable? Could we convince him that he would have backup here?

Straight swap for certain 'brand' ?

Flogball lives for another week.

48 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Straight swap for certain 'brand' ?

I would throw in pick 5 too, such is my admiration for the Bont. 
But unlike the brand, he’s as loyal as they come. He won’t leave. 

I remember Scott Pendlebury saying something along the lines of how AFL football is a much simpler game than many seem to think. He said at Collingwood they see it mostly as an 'effort' sport.

The Hawks just seemed to do everything at a higher intensity than the Dogs last night. It's hard to believe that could happen in a final, but it just seems to keep happening. Hawks have a history of finding ways to win...starting with high effort like that. You can honestly play any style you like and if you do it with that intensity you'll hit the scoreboard...and if you do it with the Dogs' intensity of last night you'll struggle to create chances to score.

Maybe it's the coaches who are responsible for getting the players to go at the required level, but I put it on the players. This is the same area in which we've been let down too many times over the last few years. Hopefully our players come back next year with a hunger to compete at that higher intensity level...if they do everything will look completely different for us.

2 minutes ago, rufus said:

 

Maybe it's the coaches who are responsible for getting the players to go at the required level, but I put it on the players. This is the same area in which we've been let down too many times over the last few years. Hopefully our players come back next year with a hunger to compete at that higher intensity level...if they do everything will look completely different for us.

Agree pretty well.  But the players need to enjoy their work and workplace 

hawks players certainly seemed to enjoy their football.  We need that as well 

3 minutes ago, rufus said:

I remember Scott Pendlebury saying something along the lines of how AFL football is a much simpler game than many seem to think. He said at Collingwood they see it mostly as an 'effort' sport.

The Hawks just seemed to do everything at a higher intensity than the Dogs last night. It's hard to believe that could happen in a final, but it just seems to keep happening. Hawks have a history of finding ways to win...starting with high effort like that. You can honestly play any style you like and if you do it with that intensity you'll hit the scoreboard...and if you do it with the Dogs' intensity of last night you'll struggle to create chances to score.

Maybe it's the coaches who are responsible for getting the players to go at the required level, but I put it on the players. This is the same area in which we've been let down too many times over the last few years. Hopefully our players come back next year with a hunger to compete at that higher intensity level...if they do everything will look completely different for us.

I agree that this year there were a number of games where we fell down badly in that area (effort) but generally it has been our hallmark for 4-5 years now, and we have been the best at it. Is what made ANB so valuable and good. It is another word for" contest and defence ". I hope and believe we will get it back in 2025.

15 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

Port losing to Geelong at home, who were missing arguably their most important player in Stewart, was an all time great choke. 

Port has a great midfield on paper. In reality, their midfield has proven not to do much in finals. I know Butters was injured, so I'll give him a pass, but Rozee their captain with just 16 touches and JHF with 18 is very uninspiring.

When a 36 year old is your best midfielder, you have to worry. 

Yet the same two served it up to us last month! I NOW I REMEMBER Horne Francis not being tagged by our 'master coach' getting freebie after freebie🤢

In Europe. The different football clubs play far more games in the season than we do 

They manage their players games throughout the different levels of competition .  None play every game.

we need to do some thing similar.

we have failed to peak at the right times and “not turned up to play” on other occasions.

 

Big danger of wasting a serious good list of players.   Bring on 2025. ( loud sigh) !

12 minutes ago, 640MD said:

In Europe. The different football clubs play far more games in the season than we do 

They manage their players games throughout the different levels of competition .  None play every game.

we need to do some thing similar.

we have failed to peak at the right times and “not turned up to play” on other occasions.

 

Big danger of wasting a serious good list of players.   Bring on 2025. ( loud sigh) !

Not entirely true, I am sure there are always the 2 or 3 players that play 95% of the games.

Someone like Messi would play almost every single game.

The only exceptions would be the first couple of rounds of the league cup.

Messi only plays Each game in  30 second bursts,  his opponents on the other hand play 110% concentration for the whole game. 
And he still either kicks a goal or sets up the goal . 

but the point is to manage the players workload and still get the points over “weaker” clubs.  Are there any ? 

Hawks playing very well and are the flavour of the month...doesn't necessarily mean it ends in a flag. Although it is a particularly weak year. 

Reminds me a lot of us 2018 - we were fun to watch, young, having fun, stormed through the first two finals. 

That year certainly put us on the path to a flag though we had a few more bumps to navigate first. Hawks may be similar.