Our underrated defense

[bungholes_premiers]

Yes it would be nice to have one more big monster to join Trent back there, but lets put the lid on the forward line and midfields and acknowledge just how good our backmen have worked as a unit this year :thumbsu:

Trent Croad comes back after injury and shuts down big JB then rapes Anzac superstar Cloke ...

Even more so, Brown dog destroys all things Anzac medalist ...

Gilly and Goo continue to do some magnificent jobs mopping up the leftovers ..

All in all, highly underrated and part of a superbly running machine ...
CMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN :D

[Leather Poisoning]

Ranked 4th in points against.

Geelong, Adelaide and Sydney letting less score get through than we are.

We are averaging just 86 points against per match. The shootout against Brisbane seemed to have cost us (only match until now that the opposition has scored over 100 points). Last year we averaged just 82 points against per match.

Very happy with the development of Gilham and Murphy. Goo's defensive skills seem to have improved a lot and the guys work well together with Birch, Goo and Ladson clearing the ball out.

Gilham is Mr Professionalism. Not flashy at all but gives everything. Solid disposal and always gives a contest.

Was great to see Collingwood's 2 best goalkickers silenced on the weekend.

[FatBoy's Wombats]

Don't forget Birch and the run he provides and also the cool calm way X-man goes about things

[Mojo]

I don't know if we need a 'monster' backman. A lot of great defensive sides don't have them anymore.

Perhaps someone who is a natural talent playing defence like, Scarlett or Hudgeton who know how to read the play and the ball.

Atm, were ok because we have above average midfielder's who assist at all times and a stunning forward line. I think we do lack that totally competant backman though, ala Scarlett, who would complement our side so well.

[bungholes_premiers]

bugger .. how could i forget The Birch !

[Boyler_Room]

I won't forget the Birch, the quiet achiever.

http://www.madras.net/keith/trees/birch.jpg


In Autumn the Birch tree looks brown and gold. In Footy the Brown and Gold look to Birch.

[Henry Jr]

Don't let the points against fool you too much.

The reason the defense is so good is because it never gets in there in the first place. Think we are conceeding the least amount of inside 50's in the comp.

We have a 22 player defence now (without flooding our defence with players) and other teams are having real problems in breaking it down.

[Mojo]

I won't forget the Birch, the quiet achiever.

http://www.madras.net/keith/trees/birch.jpg


In Autumn the Birch tree looks brown and gold. In Footy the Brown and Gold look to Birch.

Awww.. that was so beautiful and poetic, BR...

GET THAT FEMININE CRAP OFF THIS BOARD! :mad: :p

[#6 Mark Williams]

If any opposition questions our defense just say: 2 All Australians and a premiership player, that being Croad/Brown and Dew. Just remember guys that our defense is one of the best on the counter-attack and although we are conceding a fair few goals, people like Guerra, Birchall abd Ladson are driving it through the back flank/midfield setting up a fair few of our goals in the meantime. But I have no doubt once we get the elusive tall defender we will go straight to equal best if not better than Geelongs and will have the perfect team possible!

[Boyler_Room]

Sorry. :o.

[play2win]

Awww.. that was so beautiful and poetic, BR...

GET THAT FEMININE CRAP OFF THIS BOARD! :mad: :p
mojo, i didn't know you were so sexist.

the world would be a very lonely place without girls.

[Roughie]

mojo, i didn't know you were so sexist.

the world would be a very lonely place without girls.

Mojo currently lives in that world

[Splash]

That was funny Boiler Room.Silver Birch isn't it?Aren't the boys down back doing well.Just getting the job done.

[edar 07]

paddy ryder would complete our defence, and take one of the potentially suitable opponents for franklin away from an opposing team

young, quick, reads the play well, enourmous leap and skilled.
very good player of the future.

[#6 Mark Williams]

He's had 2 ordinary games in a row, played against Travis Cloke, according to Robert Walls similar to Franklin, but guess what happened kicked 5.4 on him, plus racked up he's of marks and goal assists. I could be wrong but Paddy Ryder seems to be a bit overated.

[Mojo]

mojo, i didn't know you were so sexist.

the world would be a very lonely place without girls.

I'm not. :)

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Yeah, our midfielders are pretty good at stopping inside 50s. We still lack a key defender for mine. We'd get flogged if our forwards got to play on our defenders.

[RickMylox]

I would challenge anyone to show me a back 6 that's better offensively than ours, and that fits with the way we play.

Ladson, Guerra and Birch have those long, deadly left boots and for a fullback, Gilly has to have the best foot skills I've ever seen.

You need guys like this down back when you do the stop, switch side, launch up the middle thing that the Hawks do. God bless Trent, but if we were relying on him to pinpoint midfielders all game we'd be in a spot of bother.

[Boyler_Room]

That was funny Boiler Room.Silver Birch isn't it?Aren't the boys down back doing well.Just getting the job done.

Thanks for that, sometimes I try and raise the average intelligence of posts on Big Footy, I have tried it in Bay13 as well but it's like Idiocracy in there.

You're right, there are some brown Birch trees which would look the part in autumn.

[Mervyn Beasley]

Don't let the points against fool you too much.

The reason the defense is so good is because it never gets in there in the first place. Think we are conceeding the least amount of inside 50's in the comp.

We have a 22 player defence now (without flooding our defence with players) and other teams are having real problems in breaking it down.
Spot on.
Our defence looks better than it is due to the 'Cluster'.
It's just not getting in there too often or very well.
I think u might find that for the amount of times it goes in the opposition are scoring reasonably efficiently.

[Hawk-in-syd]

Spot on.
Our defence looks better than it is due to the 'Cluster'.
It's just not getting in there too often or very well.
I think u might find that for the amount of times it goes in the opposition are scoring reasonably efficiently.
Yea first for opposition inside 50's by a fair way, IIRC an avg of 41 but only 4th for points against. That means that our oppositions efficiency at scoring per inside 50 is actualy quite high which would indicate
(A) our back six aren't that good
or
(B) when the ball does get thru the zone we get caught out

IMO it probably a combination of the two. The back 6 aren't in the top 4 but the teams defensive effort gets us there.

i think we are still a big back short but have been saved buy the opposition coaches a couple of times with them keeping a big fella away from goal. Brown thanks leigh and Pav thanks harvey:thumbsu:

geelong will test us with Hawkins, Mooney and Ottens dropping back

[Animosity1989]

Croad and Brown are stars, Birchall and Ellis are possible future stars. Gilham, Ladson and Guerra are just serviable.

It's a solid defence with no loose ends. However, it's being helped out by a great midfield. Geelong will win it out of the middle as much as we do in Rnd17. We'll get a good indication of where our defence is at then.

[GoBuddy]

I actually don't think our defence is bad. It does it job, and thats wat a care about as a hawthorn supportor. We probably need one more key defender that can take croads position. If you really think that our backline was so underrated that Clarkson wouldnt have drafted a defender. He had a chance to bring in a defender, but instead he went for different positions. Our defence suits our game plan, which is based on running out of the backline. Dont forget we also have Murphy who is good defender.

This year Clarkson will look for a few defenders and midfielders as this draft would probably be the last good one.