Hawthorn

http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/Default.aspx

Very satisfactory start to the season with a win over Collingwood.

Hawks 20-17 (137), d. Collingwood 16-19 (115)

Buddy 5 goals.

I just heard Whitecross got a week suspension because Selwood ran into his arm. No wonder I rarely watch AFL these days. Players see someone in front of them, run into them, and get a free kick. It's a bit like America's Cup where you can ram an opponent and they get disqualified for being there.

Ah well, another narrow loss, this time to West Coast in Perth. Still, I guess when you start the season against the previous year's grand finalists and West Coast in Perth in your first 4 games, 2-2 isn't such a bad result. 3-1 would have been better

Bought a DVD titled "Great AFL Thrashings" and it features 5 Hawthorn wins where the Hawks won by large margins.

Last night I watched the round 20 fixture in 1992, Hawthorn v Essendon where the Hawks won by 160 points. Although it was a one sided game, the performance put on by the Hawks was sensational.

The brilliance of Darren Jarman, the courage of Tony Hall, the goalkicking legend Jason Dunstall, and the prolific ball gatherer John Platten. It is the way the game should be played.

Darren Jarman ... I need to watch an old game now and again to remind me of his unique skills. There's not a player today who even comes close to what that guy could do.

the sad thing about your above post AH is that 3 of those four gentlemen came from the SANFL & ventured over the border & funnily enough the other man is a Queenslander......so much for a Victorian competition, obviously the Victorians watched more players from other states than their own play for their respective vfl onto afl clubs

In the case of Hawthorn, as well as clever interstate recruitment, they also introduced many local players in the 1980s who went on to become champions of the game.

Hawthorn was actually the last VFL club to really get involved in recruitment from other states in a big way. In the 1978 GF, North Melbourne played Glendinning (WA), Sutton (Tas), Huppatz (SA), Blight (SA), Melrose (WA), and McCann (WA), whereas the only interstate recruit for Hawthorn that day was Rodney Eade (Tasmania). It was the last of the "home-grown" VFL premiership teams.

In the 1976 Grand Final (also won by the Hawks), North Melbourne's team comprised of 7 players from others states and several players from other VFL clubs, the Hawks had 1 player from interstate (Eade). 18 players of the 20 began their VFL careers with the Hawks, and only 1 came from another club (Bremner who played 1 game for Collingwood).

By the time the 80s came around, Hawthorn realised that in order to be competitive they had to explore recruitment options interstate. And didn't they find some beauties in that period (1980-89) -

Rick Davies
Andrew Bennett
Colin Robertson
Gary Buckenara
Ken Judge
Steve Malaxos
Rod Lester-Smith
Jason Dunstall
John Platten
Clinton Browning
Paul Harding
Darren Pritchard
Tony Hall
Paul Hudson

Add Ben Allan (1990) and Darren Jarman (1991) and it almost reads like a who's who of football.

What's the story with the Hawks this year?

Up and down like yoyo's. Many of their star players have been in ordinary form also. Shocking loss to Richmond yesterday, although the Tigers do seem to be on the rise at the moment.

Beaten by a team who wanted it more. Simple as that. I guess the problem we have at Hawthorn is the game is constantly changing, and we've been recruiting to suit a style of play that has been superseded.

This is why I can't go along with drafting too many 18 year olds, and 5 year plans. You structure yourself in accordance with a plan, and when you reach the point at which you were aiming, you find out it isn't good enough.

Richmond has a very good coach in Hardwick, he knows the score, and he also knows what is required to deal with the Hawks.

Big day for the Hawks today. A 115 point win and Buddy booted 13 goals, the highest by any AFL player since 2000.

Just a lazy 13! Find it amusing that barely a week after some articles are written about the lack of genuine big scoring forwards in modern football we have a bloke kick 8 and another 13 in the same round.

Gingernuts wrote:Just a lazy 13! Find it amusing that barely a week after some articles are written about the lack of genuine big scoring forwards in modern football we have a bloke kick 8 and another 13 in the same round.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Sometimes you get a premonition, and when I was watching Riewoldt kick his 8 last night I was thinking Buddy could get a 10, not realising for a minute I was on the money.

A very satisfying win over Port after enduring a week of the sa media telling me Port were almost certainities to win, that they had Buddy's measure, etc. I really think the media at times need to take a reality pill.

A lazy 27 goal victory over GWS. When I look at GWS I find it hard to think of the AFL as an "elite" competition.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:A lazy 27 goal victory over GWS. When I look at GWS I find it hard to think of the AFL as an "elite" competition.

I'm not being cheeky, but do you think Norwood could knock GWS off if they were to play tomorrow?

Buddy out for 3 weeks with hamstring injury. Looks like it was a bad move to risk him against the might of the GWS.

Normally, I would think an AFL team should defeat an SANFL team easily, but the Gold Coast and GWS aren't AFL standard. I think if they played at Norwood Oval, and Norwood were full strength, it would be an interesting match. I would go so far as to say some of the Central teams over the past decade would beat them.

People seem to think because they are full of low drafted kids, they will be a great side in 5 years' time, but there's some pretty ordinary kids in there as well.

Gotta say the Hawks are looking the goods at the moment, hammering everyone at the moment despite the absence of Buddy.

This weekends match should be a belter against their nemesis Geelong.

Clarko and Co would be spurred on by that lost Prelim Final I'd imagine.

Yes, it's looking good so far, but there's still a long way to go and a lot of hard work to be done. They really do appear to be a team on a mission at the moment and I'm hoping they can carry this hunger into the finals.

I haven't seen this intensity and hunger from the Hawks since 2008, and I honestly fee we are a better team than we were then. Only time will tell. Finger crossed

Their form can only be described as ominous, and I would say that at the moment they are the only side in the comp that is making a definitive case for themselves as a flag contender.

That said, if they lose to the Cats Friday night then things are wide open again.

Gingernuts wrote:Their form can only be described as ominous, and I would say that at the moment they are the only side in the comp that is making a definitive case for themselves as a flag contender.

That said, if they lose to the Cats Friday night then things are wide open again.

Its been very surprising to see how Geelong are reduced to a footnote in many discussions about finals this year. Not the dominant side they were, but a very, very ominous wildcard.