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It all comes down to this |
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Written by Andrew Clark
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Friday, 26 September 2008 08:18 |
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 Tomorrow is Grand Final day. The one day in September which makes the last 20 odd weeks of hard work all worthwhile for fans and players alike. All of the stress, injuries, highs and lows of the 2008 afl season boils down to this one final match. There are no two teams are more deserved to play off in front of 100,000 fans at the MCG this year than Geelong and Hawthorn. The teams secured first and second spot on the AFL ladder, Geelong securing the 'minor premiership', and it's the rematch that real fans of AFL football are looking forward to.
In the last 4 encounters between the two teams Hawthorn has won 3. The game they lost, was one of those that got away, with the Hawks ruing missed opportunities, eventually going down to the Cats by 11 points. DOn't expect a repeat of last years farce of a Grand Final. Not to take anything awa y from Geelong, they were deserved winners, but it was not a good game for spectators, unless of course you were a staunch Geelong supporter. This match is far from a forgone conclusion. The Hawks are a real chance of taking the cup to Glenferrie to join the other 9 on display, the latest being that from the 1991 grand final - which was the last time the Hawks appeared in a grand final. The Hawks go into this match with an unchanged lineup from the side that gave St Kilda a drumming last week. This means that young Thomas Murphy and Simon Taylor are the unfortunate ones to miss out of a Grand Final after playing the majority of games for the season. Another interesting stat is that the Hawks have had 4 players appear in a grand final in their debut year after playing every game for the season, Cyril Rioli will make it 5. Of those 4 Grand Final appearances, Hawthorn has won all 4. Let's hope it's a trend that continues. Hawthorn will need to keep a level head to beat Geelong, this is not to say that the side will go into the match 'soft', you won't see that from the Hawks' line-up, but it's important not to get carried away either. Stuart Dew has been educating the younger players at the club of the best way to approach the physicality of tomorrow's match, having been a part of the side which stopped Brisbane in the 2004 Grand Final. There is so much whcih can be said about the game tomorrow, so why not have your say on the match? Write and submit your very own article by clickiing this link. The Hawks by 15 and Chance Bateman to take home the Norm Smith Medal! |
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Last Updated on Friday, 26 September 2008 08:21 |
Discuss (2 posts)
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It all comes down to this
Sep 26 2008 10:12:40
This thread discusses the Content article: It all comes down to this
So who's going to the game tomorrow???
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#123 |
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Re:It all comes down to this
Sep 27 2008 11:00:57
What a win. 17 years in the making. 'Crawf's' gets his medal, and is probably all but retired. I still can't believe it. Well done boys, you've made every fan proud 
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#124 |
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Hawks vs Saints - Second Preliminary Final |
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Written by Andrew
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Friday, 19 September 2008 08:07 |
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 Saturday night sees the Hawks take on the Saints in the second preliminary final of the 2008 AFL season. The winner of this match will face either Geelong or the Western Bulldogs in the Grand Final next weekend.
In recent times the Saints have had the wood over the Hawks, with Hawthorn only winning one of their last seven games against the club. Most recently the Hawks lost from a commanding half time position earlier this year to eventually lose by 5 goals. Historically, the Hawks have seemed to struggle against the St Kilda tall forwards, but this time, rather than focusing on shutting down the tall men in defence, the hawks will focus on preventing delivery. Size doesn't help when the ball doesn't make it inside 50. Expect Hodge to play a sweeping defensve role early in the match as well as some fierce body contact in the middle of the ground. Guerra was brutal in the match against the Bulldogs and should continue to put physical pressure on his opponents this weekend. The Hawks certainly have the firepower to shut down the Saints, but will need to be accurate to guarantee a win this weekend. Of course I'm tipping the Hawks to win this one; the Hawks by 20. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 19 September 2008 08:16 |
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Saints vs Pies - Winner to face the Hawks |
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Written by Andrew
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Saturday, 13 September 2008 09:29 |
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Tonight, St Kilda take on Collingwood in the second semi final to decide who will play Hawthorn for a spot in the 2008 AFL Grand Final. Last night, the Western Bulldogs knocked Sydney out of the competition and must now play Geeling for the last spot in the Grand Final. Hawthorn has pleyed collingwood twice this season, and has won both games by close to 10 goals. Conversely, Hawthorn played St Kilda only once, and after a promising start, end up losing the match by more than 5 goals. I would much prefer Collingwood to win this one tonight, I think we match up against them so much better then the Saints. This is also partially due to Malthouse's one on one approach which has netted Buddy a bag full of goals each time we have played so far. I for one will be barraking for the pies tonight, a win from them tonight will give the Hawks a very good chance of making the 2008 Grand final. The first time they have been there since 1991 when the beat the Eagles to win their 9th Premiership. Who do you want to win? Do you think we paly better against the Pies or Saints? |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 13 September 2008 09:30 |
Discuss (1 posts)
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Saints vs Pies - Winner to face the Hawks
Sep 13 2008 23:29:21
This thread discusses the Content article: Saints vs Pies - Winner to face the Hawks
So, the Hawks will be taking on the Saints next week for a spot in the 2008 Grand Final. I watched the game last night and I can't say I was impressed by the saints, Collingwood made them look good.
If our team is fit, and we don't have a melt down like last time we played them, we should be able to account for them. Bring it on.
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#111 |
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Written by Andrew Clark
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 21:15 |
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 It's standing room only for those that are yet to get their tickets for this Saturday's clash against Carlton at the Telstra Dome.
All but 1500 standing room only tickets are remaining, making it the largest anticipated crowd at the venue since it opened. The previous record of 53,459 was set back in round 12 last year, ironically with these two sides playing against each other. What's the drawcard? THe 'chance' to see two great forwards kick 100 goals in a season. There is little doubt that Lance Buddy Franklin will reach his 100 milestone, the first player to do it in 10 years. But what is not certain is whether Big Fev will kick the required 8 goals to reach the same milestone. With Craod and Brown ready in the back line I cant see him doing it. It should be a great game to watch, even though one of the teams playing wasn't fortunate enough to progress to the finals this year. I've got my tickets, and I can't wait! |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 August 2008 21:23 |
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Round 21 : Hawthorn Versus West Coast |
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Written by Andrew Clark
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Saturday, 23 August 2008 06:51 |
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 VENUE & TIME: Subiaco Oval, Sunday 24 August, 4:40pm AEST
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 32: West Coast 21, Hawthorn 11
LAST TIME: Hawthorn 18.18 (126) def West Coast 9.15 (69) Round 4, 2008 at the MCG.
A sellout. 44,000 fans are tuning up to Sundays match at Subiaco oval for one of two reasons. To see one of the AFL's most exciting players attempt to achieve a feat no seen in 10 years, or to farewell a seasoned opposition player in Michael Braun. Hawthorn and West Coast both come intot his watch on the back of a loss, perhaps only one of them was a real shock though. Hawthorn were downed by Richmond and their touted 'cluster buster' by a handful of goals at the MCG last Sunday, whereas the Eagles were downed by a committed Melbourne outfit the day before. The Eagles will be out to p[rove their loss to Melbourne was genuine as the issue of tanking gains momentum in the Western Australian media. Expect to see a lot of running from the young Eagles side, who go into this match having little to lose. Both Luke Hodge(Suspension) and Robbie Campbell (illness) will miss this match. They are being replaced by Clinton Young and Brent Renouf respectively.The Eagles will welcome back Ashleigh Hanson. The Hawks will need to look for a variety of options up for this week if they are to avoid a similar situation last weekend. Buddy was targeted far too often and it cost the Hawks the match. I expect to see Mark Williams get plenty of the ball when it goes to ground as well as Roughead. Clinton Young had a fantastic match against Fremantle here in round 3, lets hope his previous form carries over to the match this weekend. The Hawks by 42 points. |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 23 August 2008 07:13 |
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Round 20 :Hawthorn vs Richmond |
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Written by Andrew Clark
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Saturday, 16 August 2008 09:10 |
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VENUE & TIME: MCG, 1.10pm, Sunday August 17
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 145: Richmond 81, Hawthorn 64
LAST TIME: Hawthorn 14.22 (106) d Richmond 15.4 (94) at the MCG, Round 6, 2008 9 Goals. That's what Buddy needs to kick today to reach 100 goals for the season. The first time the feat has been achieved in a decade. But as Buddy will tell you, as he told Gary Lion on the footy show, it's team glory first and personal achievement second. That being said, the Hawks take on Richmond today at the MCG. The last time these two teams met, Hawthorn let Richmond stay in the hunt due to wayward kicking; The Hawks had 17 more scoring shots, yet only managed to win by 12 points. This time it's different. The Hawks are well settled and the Tigers are coming to the realisation that hopes of playing in September are all but over. The Hawks come into this match after a big win over Brisbane in Tassie, whilst the Tigers are coming off a similar defeat to Adelaide. With the rejuvinated midfield, and the return of Osborne (in for Stokes) it's hard to see Richmond posing much of a challenge today. The Hawks will be treating this as a finals game, after seeing the Bulldogs drop a game to Brisbane yesterday. A win today will almost ensure a home final for the Hawks, who are already guananteed a second chance in September should they need it. This will be a fast game with plenty of delivey in therespected forward lines. It will be interesting to see how the man who let 'Clarko's Cluster' out of the bag responds to the challenge put forward to his team today. The Hawks by 38. |
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Round 18 Hawks vs Magpies |
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Written by Andrew Clark
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Friday, 01 August 2008 07:53 |
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 VENUE & TIME: MCG, Friday 1 August, 7.40pm AEST.
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 146, Collingwood 93, Hawthorn 53
LAST TIME: Hawthorn 24.10 (154) def. Collingwood 13.11 (89), Round 7, 2008 at the MCG.
Round 18 sees the Hawks take on the Magpies for the second time this season. The last time the two teams met was in round 7 at the same venue, a match which the Hawks won by 65 points. There has been much talk of Collingwood Coach Mick Malthouse being perhaps too old for the job at collingwood after they have been exposed by fast running teams in the last few weeks. No doubt Mick will be out to prove a point tonight. The hawks come into this match off a gutsy loss to Geelong, perhaps a match they should have won, save for some untimely skill errors. The Magpies too come into this match off a loss, Essendon easily accounting for the pies last Saturday. Hawthorn will all but secure a spot in the top 4 with a win tonight, where the Magpies join 4 other teams in the race to snatch 4th spot and a second chance in the finals come september. Hawthorn are almost back to full strength after welcoming back Stuart Dew, Clinton Young and Shane Crawford for tonights match. The Hawks should have too much run for the Magpies tonight and should account for them easily in the midfield. With the amount of scoring shots the Hawthorn forwards are taking it's hard to see them losing this match. The Hawks by 23. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 01 August 2008 08:07 |
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