Is the Hawthorn this year same as the Hawthorn of 2002.?

I can understand what your saying mate, as a Hawks fan who remembers that year too well but the plain truth is the Hawks side we have now is way, WAY more talented than the 2001 team. With that Preliminary loss, Hawthorn were lucky to even get that close to the Bombers as they had been trailing all day.

The way I see it, the team back then of Simon Cox, Jade Rawlings, Mark Graham, Kris Barlow, Daniel Harford, Rayden Tallis, Ben Dixon, Jon Hay, Adrian Cox, Angelo Lekkas, Glen Bowyer, Aaron Lord etc though servicable players, dont stack up against Hodge, Mitchell, Franklin, Roughead, Birchall, Young, Campbell, Croad, Bateman, Riolo, Stokes, Lewis, Sewell, McGlynn and so on.

At least nine senior players are out of the side. A few have had limited or no preseasons so come mid season the side will have peaked and will be back on track.

Perhaps the glare of the spotlight as reigning Premiers is effecting them.Winning the Flag makes you Public Enemy No.1 as far as the rest of the AFL is concerned, so other teams are bound to raise their game v Hawks.I can't think of another sport anywhere, only 2 games into the season,the media really got on the back of the reigning champs so much.The injuries don't help,nor the ruckman situation, and Hawthorn list doesn't really look that deep.

Still, they have some good players when everyone's available, so should make the 8 comfortably - if they can handle the pressure.

I think your team are doing (for four weeks running) what my team did in the Grand Final last year. They are assuming that they're better than the other teams and expecting other players to stand up and be counted.

It's like the classic high ball cricket catch falling between five players all yelling "YOURS".

Hawks are a better side than that and Clarkson's a good mentor much like Bomber. I think he'll break them out of it and he may well use 2002 as ammo in the process.

I'm a mad Cats fan and I still rate Hawks as our biggest danger for the year. We're not looking perfect so far this year either but Gazza's effort last night and the team's effort repelling serious challenges is heartening.

Remember one of your losses was a narrow one against last years vanquished Grand Finalists.

Hawks haven't got their best team out there at the moment so they will make the finals once the players return

Wow, you make some very good points that are true. They may just be going through that faze again...but I dont want you to forget, Geelong lost their first 3 matches in 2007 and they went on to win the premiership! So never give up hope just yet.

hawks will make finals and should be fine. They have plenty of players out at the moment but once they get a side together they will be ok. Port are a decent side so losing to them is no shame.

If they going to make a move then they better NOW,i have seen this premiership 'flag lag' from the boyz in yrs past,they're certainly under the pump defending a fluky win!!

I dunno mate but I tipped them on my radio show to go back-to-back. So I'm hoping I don't have to be eating that disgustingly sour humble pie.

Two words for ya!

"PREMIERSHIP HANGOVER"!