View Full Version : The Bulldogs gameplan
On the weekend:
Our backline was left mainly to itself in one-on-one competitions ie Chaplin-Grant, Wilson-Johnson.
Our midfielders and half-forwards pressured the ballcarrier through the midfield rather than turning around and flooding back.
We had a forward (Thurstans) whose job was to lead from the goalsquare straight up the ground.
Now, my main query is, why the hell will we revert to a scrappy, flooding contest against Collingwood this week? Or will I be totally surprised and we will continue to pressure the oppositions ball movements and back our players in contests.
Count Zero
14 Aug 2006, 11:22
On the weekend:
Our backline was left mainly to itself in one-on-one competitions ie Chaplin-Grant, Wilson-Johnson.
Our midfielders and half-forwards pressured the ballcarrier through the midfield rather than turning around and flooding back.
We had a forward (Thurstans) whose job was to lead from the goalsquare straight up the ground.
Now, my main query is, why the hell will we revert to a scrappy, flooding contest against Collingwood this week? Or will I be totally surprised and we will continue to pressure the oppositions ball movements and back our players in contests.
I don't know that we will flood excessively against Collingwood, but I do not think that you can play the same against every side. We still did a fair amount of flooding against the Dogs. There were a number of times when they were caught chipping it around and backwards because all they could see in front of them was black, white and teal.
Toots Hibbert
14 Aug 2006, 11:57
Ford referred to our defensive action on Saturday night as a rolling flood or rolling wall (not sure which) and I think that was a very good description of our method of defending further out from goal. I assume Choco came up with this as a result of the debacle earlier in the year where the Dogs ran rings around us. As such it was extremely effective. What was really good was the smooth switch from defense into attack mode once we had possession.
As you said Count, we can't employ the same strategy against each team but it would be nice to see the attacking style through the middle wheeled out more often. Again Ford has told us that whenever he's been to training this is what he's observed the side practising so maybe the philosophy has changed but it's been hard for a young side to implement. We saw it against the Eagles and now against the Dogs. Does anyone else think that even when we went sideways on Saturday we most of the time kicked the ball with a forward direction rather than the predominance of backwards kicks we've tended to see in other games?
Ford referred to our defensive action on Saturday night as a rolling flood or rolling wall (not sure which) and I think that was a very good description of our method of defending further out from goal. I assume Choco came up with this as a result of the debacle earlier in the year where the Dogs ran rings around us. As such it was extremely effective. What was really good was the smooth switch from defense into attack mode once we had possession.
As you said Count, we can't employ the same strategy against each team but it would be nice to see the attacking style through the middle wheeled out more often. Again Ford has told us that whenever he's been to training this is what he's observed the side practising so maybe the philosophy has changed but it's been hard for a young side to implement. We saw it against the Eagles and now against the Dogs. Does anyone else think that even when we went sideways on Saturday we most of the time kicked the ball with a forward direction rather than the predominance of backwards kicks we've tended to see in other games?
Agree but as Choco says often - the style of play coming out of defence is more to do with what the opposition throw at you and what the players see immediately they get the ball - and then weigh it up with the game strategy. With the doggies it's pretty clear that didn't have any gorillas to place at CHB so we were able to kick long to our KPPs.
We won't be able to do this against Collingwood.
Malibu#27
14 Aug 2006, 12:53
Ford referred to our defensive action on Saturday night as a rolling flood or rolling wall (not sure which) and I think that was a very good description of our method of defending further out from goal. I assume Choco came up with this as a result of the debacle earlier in the year where the Dogs ran rings around us. As such it was extremely effective. What was really good was the smooth switch from defense into attack mode once we had possession.
I didnt watch the whole game closely as I was doing other things ... but I briefly watched a portion Sunday morning and at one point in the second half the commentary team mentioned our tactics and how it was made hard for the bulldogs to move forward.
I looked to the screen and there was a perfect line of port players forming a wall about a kick ahead of the bulldog with the ball who was trying to bring the ball out of defence. He had nowhere to go and it seemed to work well.
Previously our upfield defensive tactics have been described elsewhere as basketball zoning.... and IMO are always easy to get past.
Was I just taking an isolated case out of context - or was there a shift in how we defended further from goal ?