2017 AFL season discussion thread

BLOWN8 · Mar 12, 2017

Use this thread for all 2017 Premiership season discussion.

So thats the JLT Community challenge over with, we can look forward to round 1.
How did you think your club went? Did you win, did you blood young guys, did you look fitter, sharper, stronger???
And the big question, did you get through injury free?

Matty76 · Mar 13, 2017

Darren, I think our boys are just about where we thought they might be after the off-season trade/recruiting period: on every media commentator's "watch" list. It is difficult to say where the Hawks will end up, anywhere from 6th to 9th is my guess.

Hawthorn's best 18 still features Hodge, Rioli, Gunston, Roughead, Burgoyne, Gibson, Birchall, Smith and Breust - the impact of recruits Mitchell, O'Meara and Vickery will be crucial. There is a lot of inexperience outside that core group in the squad though.

Do you agree with all that mate?

BLOWN8 · Mar 13, 2017

Matty76 said:
Darren, I think our boys are just about where we thought they might be after the off-season trade/recruiting period: on every media commentator's "watch" list. It is difficult to say where the Hawks will end up, anywhere from 6th to 9th is my guess.

Hawthorn's best 18 still features Hodge, Rioli, Gunston, Roughead, Burgoyne, Gibson, Birchall, Smith and Breust - the impact of recruits Mitchell, O'Meara and Vickery will be crucial. There is a lot of inexperience outside that core group in the squad though.

Do you agree with all that mate?

100% mate. Of coarse we want our teams to win, but seeing O'Meara not only get through games but hsv a real impact was fantastic. And after 2 years out will only improve. We know what Tom Mitchell brings, and we just hope we can get more consistency out of Vickery. But your right, put our best 15 or so aside from our best 22 and there's not a lot of experience there. Let's just hope 2 or 3 young guys really step up this year. Watching some of the other game I think Melbourne and St Kila are ones to watch, both should seriously be aiming to play finals. And if Sam Mitchell isn't the biggest trade bargain ever then I don't know who is.

Matty76 · Mar 22, 2017

Hi all!

Well, the start of the 2017 Premiership season is just one sleep away!

I am going to try and come up with a quirky bit of trivia before each round, or as I call it (thanks to a free banner template!), a:

In the last twenty seasons, the eventual premiers have won their first round game on 15 occasions.
Teams to have won the flag but lost their first game of that year: Adelaide (1998), North Melbourne (1999), Brisbane (2001), Geelong (2007) and Hawthorn (2013).

Thank you, thank you! More next week....

Scotty_WCE · Mar 22, 2017

Matty76 said:
Hi all!

Well, the start of the 2017 Premiership season is just one sleep away!

I am going to try and come up with a quirky bit of trivia before each round, or as I call it (thanks to a free banner template!), a:

In the last twenty seasons, the eventual premiers have won their first round game on 15 occasions.
Teams to have won the flag but lost their first game of that year: Adelaide (1998), North Melbourne (1999), Brisbane (2001), Geelong (2007) and Hawthorn (2013).

Thank you, thank you! More next week....

Ooh yes, I LOVE stats! Can't wait for the weekly Matt Stat

So it's a good idea to win in Round 1, eh? Well, I'm glad we're playing North, and not GWS!

Scotty_WCE · Mar 22, 2017

To answer your questions in the first post, @BLOWN8...

We went OK in the JLT - won two games and lost one when we sent a very young team over to play GWS. For a few of the young guys that was their only chance, as we sort of progressed over the next two games towards a full-strength side. Of course we looked fitter, sharper and stronger - doesn't everyone in the pre-season?

The main injuries we suffered were to Willie "Better Than Cyril" Rioli (did a hammy at training) and Scott Lycett (injured shoulder in a WAFL pre-season game, out for three months). The Lycett one in particular hurts as obviously we are also missing Nic Nat for most of the season. On the bright side, it means we'll get to blood young Drew Petrie, who I think looks a great long-term prospect for the Eagles...

Matty76 · Mar 25, 2017

Good luck to the Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows teams in the inaugural (I think it's the first one, too! ) AFLW Grand Final this afternoon.

Unfortunately, the advent of the AFLW competition has brought out the very worst of society on social media. I have read some truly appalling comments about the competition and players - embarrassingly, 90% or more have been from men. Thankfully we on the AFL forum are a class above the rabble!

BLOWN8 · Mar 25, 2017

Matty76 said:
Good luck to the Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows teams in the inaugural (I think it's the first one, too! ) AFLW Grand Final this afternoon.

Unfortunately, the advent of the AFLW competition has brought out the very worst of society on social media. I have read some truly appalling comments about the competition and players - embarrassingly, 90% or more have been from men. Thankfully we on the AFL forum are a class above the rabble!

I can't wait for the AFLW grand final, I'm real keen to watch it. I've been watching games here and there over the past 8 or so weeks and although skills at times can be poor, we need to understand we are watching the birth of something that will only get better. Over time they will be fitter, faster and more skilful. Also can't wait for the Hawks v Bombers tonight. It's just a shame I've got a 40th to go to but will be watching as much as I can while there.
Sorry to the Collingwood supporters here but it was truly magnificent to see Trav Cloke sail that goal right through the middle and shut the booing fans up. When a player doesn't have a place in the best 22 anymore I don't understand fans booing them at another team. I don't boo Suckling, Lewis or Mitchell, I say good luck to them and thanks for the memories.

.norlanian. · Mar 25, 2017

Was at the game last night and I don't think cloke was actually booed, the massive reaction came as we should of been having a shot at goal but umps as they do get themselves involve for the dogs and the ball goes coast to coast. Happened atleast 3 times.
Crowd was dead silent when he marked one along the boundary defensive half.

Matty76 · Mar 29, 2017

@Scotty_WCE

Time for another....

This week, we travel back to round 2, 1978. Fitzroy kicked 23.19 (157) against Melbourne...yet it was a LOSING score. The Demons booted 24.23 (167). Fitzroy's score is the third-highest losing score in AFL/VFL history, behind the two modern classics: Hawthorn vs Geelong in round 6, 1989 and Essendon vs North Melbourne in round 16, 2001.

It is always good to see how footy has changed though the decades: Fitzroy had 42 scores from only 288 possessions, whilst Melbourne had 47 scores from 276 possessions. It was the era of "bang it on ya boot and hope for the best!"

Scotty_WCE · Mar 30, 2017

Matty76 said:
@Scotty_WCE

Time for another....

This week, we travel back to round 2, 1978. Fitzroy kicked 23.19 (157) against Melbourne...yet it was a LOSING score. The Demons booted 24.23 (167). Fitzroy's score is the third-highest losing score in AFL/VFL history, behind the two modern classics: Hawthorn vs Geelong in round 6, 1989 and Essendon vs North Melbourne in round 16, 2001.

It is always good to see how footy has changed though the decades: Fitzroy had 42 scores from only 288 possessions, whilst Melbourne had 47 scores from 276 possessions. It was the era of "bang it on ya boot and hope for the best!"

Wow, you'd feel pretty stiff to score 157 points and still lose! The only game I can think of in recent memory that even comes close to that is the game last year between Melbourne and North, where I think both teams scored over 130. I kind of wish there were more old-fashioned shootouts - there's something about them that just captures the imagination!

BLOWN8 · Mar 31, 2017

The umpiring in this Dogs v Swans game has been extremely poor.

.norlanian. · Mar 31, 2017

BLOWN8 said:
The umpiring in this Dogs v Swans game has been extremely poor.

That's because the dogs were playing. Handed the game tonight, last week, grand final and prelim. There's a reason it's #freekickbulldogs

Matty76 · Apr 4, 2017

This week's

takes us back to one of the greatest individual games played by arguably the game's greatest player, "Lethal" Leigh Matthews. In the Round 3, 1973 clash against Essendon, Matthews recorded 41 disposals and kicked eleven goals!! Now that's a stat!

BLOWN8 · Apr 9, 2017

A round for upsets this one. And how about what the Suns are doing to the Hawks right now, it's embarrassing stuff. Hurts me to say but finals are out of the question, we need to drop Gibbo and a few others and play the young guys ready for next year.

Matty76 · Apr 9, 2017

The next 19 weeks will be an enormous test of character for the Hawthorn-supporting faithful. I fear that many of those who happily swung on the coattails of premiership success - and shoved it gleefully down the throats of opposition supporters - will now just as readily jump off the team. It is the supporter base that I will watch with enormous interest, perhaps more so than the team and club itself, which has brought me so many wonderful recent memories.

Think of the long-suffering Western Bulldogs supporters who never wavered and have remained steadfast through thick and thin. I have been a member of the Hawthorn Football Club since I cobbled enough pocket money together in 1990 - and by crikey, we've been worse than this at times during the last 27 years.

Onward and upward, I say!!

Just like Jason Dunstall......he's taken the loss in the right spirit!

Matty76 · Apr 12, 2017

This week's
...
is one of those glorious "what the?" moments that footy occasionally delivers.

@Scotty_WCE this one comes with the added bonus of vision!!

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LGI4x9Cp-IM

In the round 4 game between West Coast and Hawthorn in 2012, the teams combined for a peculiar half time score of 2.19! West Coast would eventually win by five points - 5.21 (51) to 5.16 (46).

The quarter by quarter scores:
WCE 0.8 (8) 0.12 (12) 2.16 (28) 5.21 (51)
HAW 0.4 (4) 2.7 (19) 3.13 (31) 5.16 (46)

Scotty_WCE · Apr 12, 2017

Matty76 said:
This week's
...
is one of those glorious "what the?" moments that footy occasionally delivers.

@Scotty_WCE this one comes with the added bonus of vision!!
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LGI4x9Cp-IM

In the round 4 game between West Coast and Hawthorn in 2012, the teams combined for a peculiar half time score of 2.19! West Coast would eventually win by five points - 5.21 (51) to 5.16 (46).

The quarter by quarter scores:
WCE 0.8 (8) 0.12 (12) 2.16 (28) 5.21 (51)
HAW 0.4 (4) 2.7 (19) 3.13 (31) 5.16 (46)

My goodness that was a bizarre game. Can't be too many occasions in recent memory where a team was goalless at half time and still won. Nothing beats a good old slog in the wet! (Except when you support a team who now seemingly forgets how to play football in said conditions )

BLOWN8 · Apr 17, 2017

I am a true Hawthorn supporter and have been my whole life, and I'm also a realist and understand we couldn't possibly remain at the top the way we have for 5 years. But I truely didn't see this dramatic drop coming, it's hard to watch. To make it worse someone reminded me after our loss to the Suns last week that we have traded our first round pick to St Kilda this year, that's like a dagger through the heart!

Matty76 · Apr 17, 2017

I've gone early with next week's

as it seems eerily fitting (no offence @Scotty_WCE!!)

In rounds 2,3 and 4 in 1994, Hawthorn lost by a combined total of 268 points! The run started with a loss to Melbourne (54 points), then came a Carey-inspired Friday night massacre at the hands of North Melbourne (127 points), and culminated in an 87 point defeat to Carlton.

In round 5, however, the Hawks travelled across to Subiaco Oval to take on the rampant West Coast Eagles (who had won their previous three games by 19, 96 and 76 points)....and promptly beat THEM by 71 points!! The Hawks and the Eagles meet next week at the MCG.

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