Hawthorn

[Sedat]

Re: Hawthorn

Intellectual property is big business - the players created this Hokball brand and in a free and fair market they and the club should be able to profit from it (especially seeing as Hawthorn did what the useless AFEL should have done and formally trademarked the phrase). Of course, the AFEL hates this sort of rogue entrepreneurial spirit from players/clubs, and much like the pseudo dictatorship/govt overlord that they are, want to control/derive maximum revenue out all aspects of their commercial operation. Just as well Port knocked them off in the SF - if they made a run to the GF and a premiership, Hokball would have been a multi-million dollar money spinner and the lawyers on both sides would have had a field day.

Anyone who had/has young children knows the power of licensed merchandise - kids TV shows now are basically created to sell enormous amounts of merch at the back end, and the actual TV show is little more than a marketing/PR tool for brand owners to sell millions of $$ of merch globally.

[jeemak]

Re: Hawthorn

The "most marketable" players get most of the marketing money. Read that as the most inline with the vanilla and sanitised image the AFL can conjure, to which Hokball is diametrically opposed (if you understand its origin - how many parents want their kids spittin' on that thang?).

The AFLPA will eventually have its way here. Either the players will be given more freedom to appropriate their own images/ likeness outside of the AFL, or more AFL funds will be distributed to more players over time.

[GVGjr]

This is how Code Sports sees the Hawks for the 2025 season. What are your thoughts? Sicily was a forward?

Hawthorn surged back to relevancy in 2024 in a captivating run to the semi finals.

The three-point defeat to the Power that ultimately ended their season will no doubt burn away at the club until the new campaign begins.

After adding some handy recruits in the off-season, can the Hawks pick up where they left off and go a few steps further in 2025?

Matthew Forrest analyses where Hawthorn are at, where they’re headed and everything in between.

SURPRISE PACKET OF 2024

Not even the most passionate Hawthorn fans saw the rise of Calsher Dear after the Hawks recruited the father-son key forward prospect in the fourth round of last year’s draft. The 195cm high flyer was seen as a project with a skinny frame, but after Mitch Lewis went down with injury he was parachuted into the senior side after showing promosing signs in the VFL. Dear went on to play almost every game after his debut in round 8, kicking 25 goals from 17 games which included 3.4 against the Western Bulldogs in the elimination final. He had nine games with at least two goals and kicked a goal in each of the games he was not subbed out of.

INS AND OUTS


IN: Cody Anderson (No.64 draft pick, Academy), Josh Battle (free agent, St Kilda), Tom Barrass (trade, West Coast), Matt Hill (Category B rookie), Noah Mraz (No.35 draft pick), Jaime Uhr-Henry (Category B rookie)

OUT: Josh Bennetts (delisted), Denver Grainger-Barras (delisted), Cooper Stephens (delisted), Jack O’Sullivan (delisted), Ethan Phillips (delisted), Clay Tucker (delisted), Chad Wingard (retired)


FB: Blake Hardwick, Tom Barrass, Jarman Impey
HB: Karl Amon, Josh Battle, Jack Scrimshaw
C: Massimo D’Ambrosio, Jai Newcombe, Josh Weddle
HF: Dylan Moore, James Sicily, Connor Macdonald
FF: Jack Ginnivan, Calsher Dear, Nick Watson
FOLL: Lloyd Meek, Will Day, James Worpel
INT: Conor Nash, Jai Serong, Changkuoth Jiath, Cam McKenzie, Luke Breust

[Uninformed]

This is how Code Sports sees the Hawks for the 2025 season. What are your thoughts? Sicily was a forward?

Hawthorn surged back to relevancy in 2024 in a captivating run to the semi finals.

The three-point defeat to the Power that ultimately ended their season will no doubt burn away at the club until the new campaign begins.

After adding some handy recruits in the off-season, can the Hawks pick up where they left off and go a few steps further in 2025?

Matthew Forrest analyses where Hawthorn are at, where they’re headed and everything in between.

SURPRISE PACKET OF 2024

Not even the most passionate Hawthorn fans saw the rise of Calsher Dear after the Hawks recruited the father-son key forward prospect in the fourth round of last year’s draft. The 195cm high flyer was seen as a project with a skinny frame, but after Mitch Lewis went down with injury he was parachuted into the senior side after showing promosing signs in the VFL. Dear went on to play almost every game after his debut in round 8, kicking 25 goals from 17 games which included 3.4 against the Western Bulldogs in the elimination final. He had nine games with at least two goals and kicked a goal in each of the games he was not subbed out of.

INS AND OUTS


IN: Cody Anderson (No.64 draft pick, Academy), Josh Battle (free agent, St Kilda), Tom Barrass (trade, West Coast), Matt Hill (Category B rookie), Noah Mraz (No.35 draft pick), Jaime Uhr-Henry (Category B rookie)

OUT: Josh Bennetts (delisted), Denver Grainger-Barras (delisted), Cooper Stephens (delisted), Jack O’Sullivan (delisted), Ethan Phillips (delisted), Clay Tucker (delisted), Chad Wingard (retired)


FB: Blake Hardwick, Tom Barrass, Jarman Impey
HB: Karl Amon, Josh Battle, Jack Scrimshaw
C: Massimo D’Ambrosio, Jai Newcombe, Josh Weddle
HF: Dylan Moore, James Sicily, Connor Macdonald
FF: Jack Ginnivan, Calsher Dear, Nick Watson
FOLL: Lloyd Meek, Will Day, James Worpel
INT: Conor Nash, Jai Serong, Changkuoth Jiath, Cam McKenzie, Luke Breust

Looks strong.

Can't squeeze Mitch Lewis in? Or is he still injured?

[mjp]

This team - and all the Hawthorn supporters - pushing Sicily to the forward line...

Umm - we've seen that. He is an absolutely elite defender. He's an OK forward who works best down there in short bursts.

Put him into that backline with Barrass and Scrimshaw (neither of whom play on anyone) - neither does Sicily - and let's just see what happens.

Great looking runners both in-front and behind the footy...bring your track shoes but if you can break even in the middle (I think most teams can) and catch the footy inside forward 50m (this is the test) I don't think Hawthorn have the tall forwards to kick a score.

[Happy Days]

Us getting sniped on Wizard at the draft has changed the trajectory of my entire life

[ledge]

A bit like Carlton in 2023 .. was it a one year wonder , this year is a big year for them.

[Jasper]

I agree with Ledge. They have a bit of a one year wonder stench about them...or is that just wishful thinking?

[jeemak]

I wonder what bringing in a couple of highly paid bigs does to their playing group's attitudes. Could be fine, might not be.

Sides will put a lot more planning into them this year.

[azabob]

This team - and all the Hawthorn supporters - pushing Sicily to the forward line...

Umm - we've seen that. He is an absolutely elite defender. He's an OK forward who works best down there in short bursts.

Put him into that backline with Barrass and Scrimshaw (neither of whom play on anyone) - neither does Sicily - and let's just see what happens.

Great looking runners both in-front and behind the footy...bring your track shoes but if you can break even in the middle (I think most teams can) and catch the footy inside forward 50m (this is the test) I don't think Hawthorn have the tall forwards to kick a score.

What are you doing with Josh Battle?

[azabob]

I wonder what bringing in a couple of highly paid bigs does to their playing group's attitudes. Could be fine, might not be.

Sides will put a lot more planning into them this year.

Coupled with expectations and plenty of time to drink their own bath water.

[mjp]

What are you doing with Josh Battle?

He'll be down there but to be fair to Battle he does play on someone...that's why I left him out of that little synopsis.

[Stevo]

I really hope the Hawks fall down this year. One year of their arrogant supporters was more than enough