Frost to come on for Barass

Even if we got dragged down to their level we should still be able to do enough to win.My worry is their biggest strength is our current area of inexperience.

We're the second least experienced midfield group in the competition. Gawn is in ripping hot form. There is a world in which the likes of Hust & Ward get overwhelmed and we struggle to steady the ship if Worpel or Newcombe are off their game.Hawks and Dees are very similar in the ruck and clearance stats this season. Both among the top few for centre clearances, both among the bottom few for stoppage clearances. But we tend to setup with a spare behind the play at stoppages with the intent to win a lost clearance back and rebound from it.

Where Gawn has killed us in the past is intercept marks when we exit long from D50. Hawks had been bottom 4 for contested marks across 2023-24. In 2025 we are now top 4.

On Oliver returning:

Good. deadset battling & runs like he's towing a caravan

Oliver in is close to an advantage for us. Doesn't apply any defensive pressure, lacks a secondary position and has been struggling big time with both accumulation and impact.
...and now that I've written that he's going to have 30 and kick 2 lol

On the Hawks repeatedly kicking it to Gawn

Maybe we should imagine Gawn is standing 10 metres behind the middle of the goals whenever we kick for goals. Might help our accuracy.
You could have sworn Gawn was wearing a Hawks jumper.
If Meek can manage Max’s influence, we will win comfortably. Melbourne stink but Max is a superstar

Not much to disagree with there

Gawn standing ten metres behind the goals might help the Hawks' accuracy but chances are Gawn himself would still shank it left.

What I am looking out for is the magic moment Gawn takes a massive intercept mark and roosts it right back over the head of the defender. Ideally the defender would be Suckily who then loses the plot from Melksham sledging him and gives away a 50 from the restart.

Gawn has given Hawthorn countless servings for nearly 10 years so I'm not surprised that their supporters are singing his praises.

1 hour ago, jnrmac said:

Frost to come on for Barass

Even if we got dragged down to their level we should still be able to do enough to win.My worry is their biggest strength is our current area of inexperience.

We're the second least experienced midfield group in the competition. Gawn is in ripping hot form. There is a world in which the likes of Hust & Ward get overwhelmed and we struggle to steady the ship if Worpel or Newcombe are off their game.Hawks and Dees are very similar in the ruck and clearance stats this season. Both among the top few for centre clearances, both among the bottom few for stoppage clearances. But we tend to setup with a spare behind the play at stoppages with the intent to win a lost clearance back and rebound from it.

Where Gawn has killed us in the past is intercept marks when we exit long from D50. Hawks had been bottom 4 for contested marks across 2023-24. In 2025 we are now top 4.

On Oliver returning:

Good. deadset battling & runs like he's towing a caravan

Oliver in is close to an advantage for us. Doesn't apply any defensive pressure, lacks a secondary position and has been struggling big time with both accumulation and impact.
...and now that I've written that he's going to have 30 and kick 2 lol

On the Hawks repeatedly kicking it to Gawn

Maybe we should imagine Gawn is standing 10 metres behind the middle of the goals whenever we kick for goals. Might help our accuracy.
You could have sworn Gawn was wearing a Hawks jumper.
If Meek can manage Max’s influence, we will win comfortably. Melbourne stink but Max is a superstar

'Hawks and Dees are very similar in the ruck and clearance stats this season. Both among the top few for centre clearances, both among the bottom few for stoppage clearances.

But we tend to setup with a spare behind the play at stoppages with the intent to win a lost clearance back and rebound from it.'

I thought these comments were interesting. We also setup with a spare behind the play. Or at least we did in previous seasons - I think we have done so in the last few weeks but I reckon we were bringing extras to stoppages at different times before that.

6 minutes ago, binman said:

'Hawks and Dees are very similar in the ruck and clearance stats this season. Both among the top few for centre clearances, both among the bottom few for stoppage clearances.

But we tend to setup with a spare behind the play at stoppages with the intent to win a lost clearance back and rebound from it.'

I thought these comments were interesting. We also setup with a spare behind the play. Or at least we did in previous seasons - I think we have done so in the last few weeks but I reckon we were bringing extras to stoppages at different times before that.

It'll be an interesting tactical battle, won't it?

We'll have a plan, but I wonder if we'll change it up if it's not working...

We are the hunters in this game all the pressure and expectation is on the Dorks.

We have been quietly building for the past 3 weeks on all our phases of our game.

Quietly hoping this is the game where we expose them as flat track-false alamers, with all our strengths clicking and our full ground pressure systems kick into play.

Need a big one from our maestro Kozzie, show us you deserve the big coin in a big game on the G.

3 minutes ago, YesitwasaWin4theAges said:

We are the hunters in this game all the pressure and expectation is on the Dorks.

We have been quietly building for the past 3 weeks on all our phases of our game.

Quietly hoping this is the game where we expose them as flat track-false alamers, with all our strengths clicking and our full ground pressure systems kick into play.

Need a big one from our maestro Kozzie, show us you deserve the big coin in a big game on the G.

yep hawks are again becoming elite on the outside. we need to spread to stop their run. if we give them space we will pay.

We have the cattle to beat them. the one thing i see in difference is CONFIDENCE. if we get our mojo we will roll them. But thats the big 'IF'

We have to ramp up the pressure from the get go. Our mids and HHF's are going to need to run both ways like their lives depended on it. I actually think our defensive unit stacks up well against there smallish forwards. Lindsay, Windsor, Bowey and Rivers should be able to keep the likes of McDonald, Watson, Hardwick and Moore largely in check. TMac should easily subdue Chol and If Sicily plays forward May can cover. In the middle we've got Viney to go to Newcombe and then Peracca, Oliver and can go to work. Gawn can just keep doing what Gawn does. The million dollar question is can our forward line kick a winning score.

Edited May 8May 8 by Roost it far

Yes we must be The Hunters on Saturday

Hunt in Packs and starve them of space and air

No doubt the attitude to the game will be seen in the first 5 minutes

We can win, but the whole team has to be switched on and in alignment

Absolutely no weak links

1 hour ago, binman said:

'Hawks and Dees are very similar in the ruck and clearance stats this season. Both among the top few for centre clearances, both among the bottom few for stoppage clearances.

But we tend to setup with a spare behind the play at stoppages with the intent to win a lost clearance back and rebound from it.'

I thought these comments were interesting. We also setup with a spare behind the play. Or at least we did in previous seasons - I think we have done so in the last few weeks but I reckon we were bringing extras to stoppages at different times before that.

Just watched the Hawks Geelong game. The Hawks run and gun at every opportunity and cut back into the corridor but their defence is highly suspect. In particular they lose a lot of defensive 50 stoppages so it wont surprise me to see our fwd 50 tackle count go off the charts. Aerially they are OK so hopefully there is no bombing the ball in .

Also our ability to stop the overlap handball will be critical.

They're weren't great at centre clearance so Viney clamping Newcombe will be vital.

10 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes we must be The Hunters on Saturday

Hunt in Packs and starve them of space and air

No doubt the attitude to the game will be seen in the first 5 minutes

We can win, but the whole team has to be switched on and in alignment

Absolutely no weak links

You allow any good ball users time and space they will cut you to shreads.

The outlet kicks must be stopped in their defensive 1/3 of the ground otherwise this will create overlap with play ons and kicks on 45 degree angles so forth and then we are screwed.

It's imperative that we shut this main attacking source from them.

34 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Just watched the Hawks Geelong game. The Hawks run and gun at every opportunity and cut back into the corridor but their defence is highly suspect. In particular they lose a lot of defensive 50 stoppages so it wont surprise me to see our fwd 50 tackle count go off the charts. Aerially they are OK so hopefully there is no bombing the ball in .

Also our ability to stop the overlap handball will be critical.

They're weren't great at centre clearance so Viney clamping Newcombe will be vital.

And that's against a Geelong side that is pretty ordinary from stoppage themselves.