Hawthorn 2017
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 3:20 pmAfter a reasonable fist of defending the 3 peat we fell down late, a lack of ball winning and winning big forward probably the main reasons, and a lack of pace through the midfield as some of the champs of the past 5 years started to slow.
The loss of Ceglar on the eve of finals certainly didnt help.
Now the list for 2017 is finalised:
Outs:
I'm still pissed about Sam Mitchell leaving, reckon he had 18 months of decent footy left. By all reports a 5-6 year deal at WCE for playing/coaching, if true you cant pass that sort of offer up. Absolute champ.
Jordy Lewis off to the Dees- While sad to see another champ leave, there is no way he has 3 years of top footy left. He looked almost done toward the tail of this year before pulling out a special effort v the cats in the first final. If he is still racking up 30 half way through 2018 I'll eat my words.
Hill off to Freo- we knew this was happening early in the year, his run will be missed, and his skills hitting targets at pace cant be undersold.
While surprised to see Litherland delisted- he hasnt grabbed an opportunity, and the fact he wasnt picked up by anyone else means maybe I saw more there than there is. Most of the other delistings weren't real shocks.
Ins:
Jaeger O'Meara- No pressure son. If he gets back anywhere near his best its boom. If not, a mighty bust. I wont be looking for much from him until at least June.
Tom Mitchell- Great pickup. If he embraces being one of the main men in the midfield he could improve again on his output the past 18 months/2 years. We sorely needed a younger contested beast.
Ty Vickery- If he competes hard, clunks a few and kicks straight I'll be happy. Wont hold my breath.
Ricky Henderson- Never liked him at the cows, thought he was very average. But maybe that was because he was a crow. Solid depth for the Wing/Half back spots.
Big Rough- If he gets back on the park its a win. Anything near what he is capable of and we have 'recruit' of the year.
Overall- looking to O'Rourke, Brand, Lovell and Hartung to play a lot more this year and show if they have what it takes. Not to mention Burton, who if he stays fit will certainly play most if not all of the season.
Certainly back in the pack this year I feel, but if we are anywhere near the top half as we come through winter and the new heads start to gel we could make a decent run at the 3-6 spots.
Funnily enough if we look out of calculations with 8 or so rounds to go it may actually assist our development for the following season.
Interesting times!
The loss of Ceglar on the eve of finals certainly didnt help.
Now the list for 2017 is finalised:
Outs:
I'm still pissed about Sam Mitchell leaving, reckon he had 18 months of decent footy left. By all reports a 5-6 year deal at WCE for playing/coaching, if true you cant pass that sort of offer up. Absolute champ.
Jordy Lewis off to the Dees- While sad to see another champ leave, there is no way he has 3 years of top footy left. He looked almost done toward the tail of this year before pulling out a special effort v the cats in the first final. If he is still racking up 30 half way through 2018 I'll eat my words.
Hill off to Freo- we knew this was happening early in the year, his run will be missed, and his skills hitting targets at pace cant be undersold.
While surprised to see Litherland delisted- he hasnt grabbed an opportunity, and the fact he wasnt picked up by anyone else means maybe I saw more there than there is. Most of the other delistings weren't real shocks.
Ins:
Jaeger O'Meara- No pressure son. If he gets back anywhere near his best its boom. If not, a mighty bust. I wont be looking for much from him until at least June.
Tom Mitchell- Great pickup. If he embraces being one of the main men in the midfield he could improve again on his output the past 18 months/2 years. We sorely needed a younger contested beast.
Ty Vickery- If he competes hard, clunks a few and kicks straight I'll be happy. Wont hold my breath.
Ricky Henderson- Never liked him at the cows, thought he was very average. But maybe that was because he was a crow. Solid depth for the Wing/Half back spots.
Big Rough- If he gets back on the park its a win. Anything near what he is capable of and we have 'recruit' of the year.
Overall- looking to O'Rourke, Brand, Lovell and Hartung to play a lot more this year and show if they have what it takes. Not to mention Burton, who if he stays fit will certainly play most if not all of the season.
Certainly back in the pack this year I feel, but if we are anywhere near the top half as we come through winter and the new heads start to gel we could make a decent run at the 3-6 spots.
Funnily enough if we look out of calculations with 8 or so rounds to go it may actually assist our development for the following season.
Interesting times!
