So how do we beat Hawthorn?

[bigred]

Being competitive is not enough.

So how the hell do we do it?

[Jacks Back]

Make sure they are knackered from a hard fought game that they win (therefore feeling good about themselves - like they don't already) and give them a 6 day break while we have 7. Done! You can thank me next week.

[BigMart]

Stop Sam Mitchell

And their Wingers/HBs

[The Recruit]

Without Hodge and Rhead they are vulnerable and their best players ie. Mitchell and Lewis are not overly quick.

Stop Rioli and Mitchell and move the ball quickly. If we can win clearances and our young fellas up forward put pressure on at ground level we have a chance......but if they are able to rebound of their defensive 50 through uncontested marks we will be beaten well. I am backing Dempster and fisher to stop Breust and Gunstan....just need a big game from either Mav or Geary on Rioli. Geary makes me nervous on him I would start with Mav.

To win however Roo will have to play, he doesn't play we don't win.

[st.byron]

Stop Sam Mitchell

And their Wingers/HBs

And Sicliy. And Gunston. And Breust. And Rioli. And Lewis. Easy.

[The Recruit]

Stop Sam Mitchell

And their Wingers/HBs

And Sicliy. And Gunston. And Breust. And Rioli. And Lewis. Easy.

Said Gunston and Breust

Lewis isn't as dangerous as Mitchell and both Sicily and Lewis can't use the footy if we have it....doggies showed how Lewis will struggle if made to be the no 1 midfielder.....Sicily no better than Josh Bruce...

And I never suggested it would be easy.

[Enrico_Misso]

It can be done via the following one-off gameplan ....

From the start we initiate one on one contests all over the field and give them all a short (low contact) tap to the nose so they have to go off under the blood rule which counts as an interchange.
We repeat that three more times per player as they rotate back with bandaged noses, meaning they have used up 88 interchanges.

Then we hit them all again meaning they are left with just 2 players on the ground and 20 on the bench looking like cast members from a zombie film.
Those twenty can't come back on as they have used up their 90 interchanges not to mention two kilometres of tape.

If we can really really focus on blowing their 90 IC limit early enough in the game before they score toooo much, then we just have to hope we are good enough to beat the remaining two players (so make sure the two aren't Mitchell and Rioli).

[skeptic]

It can be done via the following one-off gameplan ....

From the start we initiate one on one contests all over the field and give them all a short (low contact) tap to the nose so they have to go off under the blood rule which counts as an interchange.
We repeat that three more times per player as they rotate back with bandaged noses, meaning they have used up 88 interchanges.

Then we hit them all again meaning they are left with just 2 players on the ground and 20 on the bench looking like cast members from a zombie film.
Those twenty can't come back on as they have used up their 90 interchanges not to mention two kilometres of tape.

If we can really really focus on blowing their 90 IC limit early enough in the game before they score toooo much, then we just have to hope we are good enough to beat the remaining two players (so make sure the two aren't Mitchell and Rioli).

I like it...
Let me add to it though.

Bring in Josh Saunders... start him on the ground and tell him he has one job. To draw blood from as many players as possible in the first 1/4... don't worry about the play at all, just go around drawing blood.
Offer him a three year contract if he gets it done... we'll weather the suspension

[st.byron]

Stop Sam Mitchell

And their Wingers/HBs

And Sicliy. And Gunston. And Breust. And Rioli. And Lewis. Easy.

Said Gunston and Breust

Lewis isn't as dangerous as Mitchell and both Sicily and Lewis can't use the footy if we have it....doggies showed how Lewis will struggle if made to be the no 1 midfielder.....Sicily no better than Josh Bruce...

And I never suggested it would be easy.

Yeah I was just taking the piss a bit. They're so good all over the ground....

[bigcarl]

Being competitive is not enough.

So how the hell do we do it?

Our father, which art in heaven ...

[desertsaint]

invite them out the night before for some south african pizza?

[Jacks Back]

It can be done via the following one-off gameplan ....

From the start we initiate one on one contests all over the field and give them all a short (low contact) tap to the nose so they have to go off under the blood rule which counts as an interchange.
We repeat that three more times per player as they rotate back with bandaged noses, meaning they have used up 88 interchanges.

Then we hit them all again meaning they are left with just 2 players on the ground and 20 on the bench looking like cast members from a zombie film.
Those twenty can't come back on as they have used up their 90 interchanges not to mention two kilometres of tape.

If we can really really focus on blowing their 90 IC limit early enough in the game before they score toooo much, then we just have to hope we are good enough to beat the remaining two players (so make sure the two aren't Mitchell and Rioli).

That's a good plan. The only problem I can see is that we won't have a team for the next few weeks due to suspension. But a good plan nonetheless.

[Bluthy]

Put all their premiership cups on the other side of the banner and hope they trip over them and sprain their ankles.

Our mosquito fleet might be interesting for their backs - Frawley is a bit clunky although Gibson can play small or tall. We need to be brave and keep attacking and running at all costs - if you go too defensive they love it. Dogs after quarter time were able to keep the ball off them and that makes such a difference but dogs have much more skill than us at the moment. On a windy tassie oval under hawks pressure I'm really worried about our ability to keep the footy. Once they get it they keep if off you.

Pressure, pressure, pressure on the halfbacks. A left field selection would be using Shenton almost purely as a defensive forward they tried him out in in the praccie games - or maybe Minchington in that role who's got a bit of zip - almost like a Pupilo role. Our midfield has a bit of depth compared to them with their injuries so maybe we can rotate strongly through the middle and try to get an edge in the contested ball which gives us vital first use - another big test for Armo, Ross and Dunny.

We used the whole G brilliantly against Collingwood with switches of play and players gut running out to the wings. Could we try and test some of those old Hawks legs by using the wings a lot and working the ball around. It's a shame if we don't have Paddy and/or Roo as our big forwards might be able to stretch them a bit and keep their backs busy while our small gusy go to work

Also try and get Billings up to 50 possessions.

[Griggsy]

I'll be happy if we don't get stuck in our defensive half for most the game. We tend to fall back on the clearing kick against good teams, which 80% of the time just comes straight back.

[The Fireman]

a semi automatic weapon ?

[Bunk_Moreland]

Sugar in the planes fuel?

[markp]

What would Sun Tzu do?

[felix]

All warfare is based on deception hence when able to attack we must seem unable , when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away, when far away we must make him believe we are near ...hold out baits to entice the enemy , feign disorder and crush him . Regards ST

[Bluthy]

a semi automatic weapon ?

That's not even in the slightest bit funny

[The Fireman]

a semi automatic weapon ?

That's not even in the slightest bit funny

fully automatic ?

[The Fireman]

All warfare is based on deception hence when able to attack we must seem unable , when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away, when far away we must make him believe we are near ...hold out baits to entice the enemy , feign disorder and crush him . Regards ST

I like that.

[Bluthy]

a semi automatic weapon ?

That's not even in the slightest bit funny

fully automatic ?

8:00 tonight funny guy (not) http://www.abc.net.au/austory/

[Sobraz]

What would Sun Tzu do?

Play for Hawthorn.

[saintsRrising]

Also try and get Billings up to 50 possessions.

And there is the rub and one reason why we need a few more genuine stars. At present it will be too easy for the opposition to target say Billings for his ball use and say Steven for his run.

[Sobraz]

Webster to Rioli?

Mitchell gets under 20 possessions and we're half way there. He gets 30+ like he's Nathan Freeman playing VFL 2's... just ridiculous form at the moment and arguably the best player in the comp right now..

Can he be tagged? Who sacrifices their game to stop him? Head to head with Steven? Add to that he is uninjurable, so the idea floated earlier of sending them all off with the blood rule would fail as I can't remember the last time this bloke missed a game through injury.