Round Table on Foxtel

[IanG]

You can't be serious given all the quality Hawks players that were not playing.

wheres the emote for <whoosh>

 

[MB78]

I think it was Healy who pointed out we don't have a lot in the 21-24 age bracket to help us take the next step. That's the drafts 2010-13:
Conca
Batch
Brando
Elton
Floss
KMac
Beanie
Lennon

plus Miles, Lambert (turns 25 in November), Townsend, Marcon, Soldo, Broad.

Other than Miles, no A-graders. Flossy probably the best chance to get there, unless Beanie suddenly finds himself in favour. But we do have 19-year-olds Cellis and Menadue, both of whom I will back to get to A-grade, and Rioli, who will be a star.

Of course, 24 is an arbitrary cut-off point. Astbury just turned 25 but because of the footy he's missed is a couple of years behind development-wise. Ditto Griff, who doesn't turn 25 until September. Moore, Martin and Grimes are 24 until mid-season.

These are the blokes who need to improve if we are. The good news is, they all can.

Very good posting. Brando, Lennon and KMac must have better seasons. I feel that they are three keys for our improvement. Lennon is the real wildcard in our search for more goals.

 

[Sintiger]

Ignore button for me.

Virtually noone had West Coast in the 8 pre season last year and they played off for a flag. How many had the dogs in the 8 ?

 

[Sir]

It was a reasonably balanced explanation of where we sit (as high as fourth - as low as twelve)

Even Gerard Healy was restrained and made some fair points.

What seems to always be missed when people trot out statistics (King most notably) is the context behind a win/loss ratio during the home and away season.

It's all well and good to say we won 15 games in this season and won 12 games in that season - but - the unbalanced draw (and where you finish the year prior) greatly influences how you might bias the win/loss ratio. Injuries on the day - margins - a bounce here a tackle there..........

Let's face it - we have been shown up three years in a row - most embarrassingly when the 9th team (Carlton) ended up smashing us when they only made the finals by default (Essendon).

The critics have it right.

If we don't see improvement from our so called A List (Cotchin, Deledio, Jack, Rance) with even greater improvement from the B list (Vickery?? Ellis, Conca, Vlastuin, Grimes, Houli, Grigg etc) then rightly we will not make the eight.

That people talk up Edwards, Conca, Astbury, Ellis - and others - is a great concern.

The occasional cameo when downhill skiing does not an AFL star make - and these guys are simply above average at best - and regularly non contributors (effective!!) at worst.

And how a team that gets repeatedly beaten by Melbourne, Footscray and even Gold Coast can be talked up because we have a good record against the Hawks - never ceases to amaze me.

Even our recent victories against Swans needs to remember that Buddy didn't play in two of them!

All well and good for the TV shows/media to build hype (clubs build membership) - but - if the players trot out the same crap as 2013-2015 - then I have no doubt whatsoever that we will be overtaken.

More concerning - if we don't do well this year - then some of our truly skilled players - will likely leave (Jack, Dusty, Cotch)

Eat em alive Tigers - and stop reading your own press!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DLR]

Fair enough kind Sir.

I thing we serve up an embarrassment of mediocrity at times - too many times really. When we win we fall in. I hope we get a few nice kills this year to build some real belief, not the real relief that we have survived on.

 

[22nd Man]

I did state somewhere else on here, a request for PREnders to tell me and others where are our goals going to come from this year.

Can't rely on Jack to do it all, and have reservations about Vickery and Griffiths to supply a heap of goals. Edwards, if fit can help, plus Deledio if not in the midfield or back, but otherwise we seem bereft of talent up forward. Goals win games.

If we expect our mids to do the job, then that also is pretty iffy.

This is my worry. Just not enough genuine reliable options. Not even pinch hitters. The recurring nightmare of long kicks being cut off by loose north defenders could be repeated against any of the better coached and staffed teams this year. Try Vickery must get 40, a small something like 30 and a couple of mids into the 1.5 plus a game, and that doesn't account for any drop in Jacks output if he goes upfield even more often. Griffiths. Let's see if he can stay on the park first.