Zac Dawson - thoughts

[crackers35]

I was watching the Rookie Draft as it happened on my computer.
When it said that we had taken Zac Dawson with our first pick my immediate reaction was "Not this guy. He's the one who got beaten easily in almost every game he played for the Hawks"
Then when i read the back page of the Herald Sun a week out from Round 1 and found out that he would play on Barry Hall my thought was "Oh no he's going to get smashed"
I was getting nervous when i saw him line up on Barry Hall but early in the game Big Zac flattened Bazza in the middle of the ground. That was when i knew he was something.
After the game he quickly became my new favourite player and I am now proud to have him in my side.

What were other people's thoughts when we drafted him?

[milney044]

Honestly i thought it was a big mistake. My immediate thoughts were "great he's going to be another rejected dud". I had little hopes. Boy was i wrong. Like you, when i saw the way Zac without any hesitation, flattened Barry Hall in the first few minutes i felt there could be something there. In my eyes Zac hasn't been beaten yet this year and has progressed with every game. I have him in my Dream Team and his scores have gradually gone up. What i love is he has this sort of arrogance about him and a belief within himself and i think it's great. I'm really glad we picked him up, he's really steadied our backline and he'd be up there with my favourite players.

[crackers35]

Honestly i thought it was a big mistake. My immediate thoughts were "great he's going to be another rejected dud". I had little hopes. Boy was i wrong. Like you, when i saw the way Zac without any hesitation, flattened Barry Hall in the first few minutes i felt there could be something there. In my eyes Zac hasn't been beaten yet this year and has progressed with every game. I have him in my Dream Team and his scores have gradually gone up. What i love is he has this sort of arrogance about him and a belief within himself and i think it's great. I'm really glad we picked him up, he's really steadied our backline and he'd be up there with my favourite players.

agreed. i have realised that arrogance he has. it's not the "i'm so great, look at me everybody" arrogance which Lance Franklin shows but the "gee, i can really play footy" arrogance which Clint Jones showed after his first game
( this is actually a good arrogance to have). good for his confidence.

I thought the same with Farren Ray but my thoughts of him were slightly better than of Zac Dawson. Again i was proved wrong in only Round 1.

Congratulations to our recruiters for securing these two absolute guns

[Stillwaiting]

I dont usually get these thing right, but I did think he was worth a shot, particuarly using a lat draft choice. He was poorly treated in the press and I thought poorly handled by Hawks. Was not sure how he would go, but for his sake I am really pleased for him and his family after the way he was bagged after the roccas game

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

As soon as last season ended I started wondering about Zac's availability. Considering where Goose was at and that Max wouldn't be around for much longer, I thought he was someone we might really go after. I was hoping that we'd try to trade for him, or at least take him late in the national draft (if he got delisted) and was very glad we got him in the rookie draft. What a bargain! Hawthorn letting him go could end up right up there on the "stupid move" scale with us delisting Shane Wakelin, earlier in the decade. I just hope Zac lasts much longer here than Luke Penny did.
His confidence has seemingly grown by the week this season and it's been fantastic to see him starting to take guys on (when he has the ball) and some of the marks he took early on Sunday were terrific. He can seriously play the game and having S.O.S. and Max there to teach him will help him no end. I hope he plays for us for a very long time and continues to improve. I really like watching him play already.

[Moods]

Do you reckon the hawks are regretting that decision, particularly in light of Croad and Gilham going down for long term injuries? In fairness, most hawks fans were happy for the hawks to release him last year, as he'd shown he was a good VFL player but not much else. Amazing what confidence can do to a bloke.

[reincarnated]

What is most impressive about Zac is he ability to do NDS-esque things. For instance the tap on's to advantage or when he is on all fours/ground he decides to push the ball in the direction of a player instead of trying to handball it

very clever and releases men

[bigcarl]

What is most impressive about Zac is he ability to do NDS-esque things.

moves a bit like him at times, too, i've sometimes thought. great skills for a big guy.

[Eastern]

His kicking for goal is a bit of a MEATLOAF;














Two out three aint bad !!

[Batnoe]

195cm and very fast- top 6 or 7 at the club, yet he is out biggest defender.

He now has the wait to muscle it in many ways but could still have another 5kg on his frame. He still needs to get his mind up that he is a man- not a boy, like he acts sometimes (body language, hands on hips etc. real men dont do that the way he does)

[sainta]

I was coping it all pre-season from my boyfriend about how bad we would be having Dawson and Ray. He has certainly shut up since about round 3 or so and has even complimented them. It's been great proving him wrong

[evertonfc]

First thought:

"Glad he's with us but why so early in the rookie draft when other good players were around? Hawks fans quite liked him as a forward too, but nobody else would have touched him. We could have got him later and gone in for de Boer as well."

Whilst all that is probably true, I certainly don't regret taking him where we did.

It would bit VERY greedy to be disappointed...I'm thrilled with how Zac has gone.

[G-Lads]

I like the guy.

I shared his lollies with him after the Demons game up here while we checked his supercoach scores on the mobile phone.

I think we are best mates now haha

Batnoe, How the hell did we get into where we were haha

[Batnoe]

I like the guy.

I shared his lollies with him after the Demons game up here while we checked his supercoach scores on the mobile phone.

I think we are best mates now haha

Batnoe, How the hell did we get into where we were haha

we fluked it, hahah it was good fun

[SaintHomer]

i was surprised we took him

i'm glad he's played well for us

i'm not getting carried away. i want to see him against an inform quality forward. looked a little suss early against the tigers and then after the first quarter and the amount of ball going forward, i'd say most would look good.

hope his form continues, but just not getting carried away. needs to keep it going. max, fish and blake still ahead for me. (but its fantastic he's putting them under pressure)

[White Winmar]

No doubt he's been one of the all-time pinches in the rookie draft. I must admit I was also skeptical, but a mate of mine (kangas supporter) who follows Box Hill as his local team told me he was a bargain. Apparently his form at Box Hill last year was more than solid, but he was often used as a forward. A couple of 8 goal bags showed he could play, but maybe the hawks felt his future was as a forward and they weren't exactly struggling in that department !

So for once a bit of good fortune fell our way. No doubt our excellent development set up has also added a bit in terms of his performance. Still puzzled why the hawks wouldn't take a further punt on a guy whose 195 cm, mobile, quick and agile for his size, can mark and kick and seems to make good decisions most of the time.

[Iceman234]

Initial thoughts were as a back-up for Max, and thought Zac would play most of the season at Sandringham.

Was happier after I read he was 20kg heavier than when he got Rocca'd.

Am absolutely over the moon about his performance for us now.

[meher baba]

I wasn't surprised we took him. He was highly thought of by junior football watchers when the Hawks got him.

A bit like Raph at our club in the 2004-07 period, Zac was victimised by his own supporters and even the mainstream media for making a few costly mistakes in big games and, worse still, looking to be a tad "soft" when playing on the likes of A Rocca.

I remember thinking at the time that the targeting of Zac was cruel and unfair. A player's longer term potential is usually best assessed by looking at the things they are able to do on a football field and at their attitude: competitiveness, perfectionism, commitment to training, coachability, etc.

Footballers should never be condemned to the scrap heap on the basis of making a few mistakes, no matter how big the occasion nor how costly the mistakes.

So I assumed that Zac probably still had a lot to offer and, if the club could help him get his confidence back, he would turn out to be a steal.

However, I had no idea of just how big a steal he would turn out to be!!!

Over the past 5 or so years the Hawks have recruited and traded/delisted players on something of a revolving door basis. This has worked well for them in some respects, but there is always the risk of releasing a player who turns out to be better elsewhere than some of those you have hung on to.

In this respect, I see Zac as fair and just compensation for Guerra.

[Otiman]

my thoughts were "thank f'k it's not Carrol"

[claystreet]

my thoughts were "thank f'k it's not Carrol"

Me too lol