The Hawks v Bulldogs was a very watchable game today and the Doggies were in it right to the last. Good on 'em.
But the Hawks showed that they are still the complete team, especially when the pressure is applied. No Hodge, but young blokes coming in who have been well-developed in the VFL. What would you give to have Shaun Burgoyne or Josh Gibson running the ball out of defence?
When a team has the right balance of attack/defence/midfield, they can engage in a bit of 'value-adding'. I think they have perfected the art of simply letting go of the ball if they are tackled ... on most occasions the umpires deem it to have been knocked on in general play. (I reckon I could pick at least six incidents in the R03 game). I'd be curious to know how many times they are penalised for holding the ball — i bet its not many. Years ago Shane Crawford was a superb exponent of this strategy.
I think we are a fair way off 'value-adding' at the moment. Just adding points on the board (and on the ladder) would be a start.
