Review Callan Ward and physically targeting opposition players

[Elder van Berlo]

Obviously the Dougy incident has attracted a lot of attention and discussion but I thought it was really the culmination of a pretty clear tactic to get stuck into Ward physically.

Three or four times prior to him going off our players seemed to go out of their way to give Ward a bit extra off the ball, or after he got rid of it.

Dougy obviously saw the opportunity to further the plan by lining him up and gave him a good whack. I have no doubt Dougy intended it to be legal but it was a big bit and might cost him a week or 3.

Getting after a particular player like that is really uncharacteristic of us. I'm interested to know what we as fans think of it as a tactic.

Good old fashioned aggression? A touch unsporting? Crossing the line?

Personally I like it and think we could do with a bit of a meaner edge to our game. I don't want our blokes getting suspended all over the place but I hope that whatever Dougy has coming doesn't dissuade us. He was a touch unlucky and I like the idea of the Selwoods and Abletts of the world looking nervously at what's coming the other way when they're chasing or giving off a handball.

What do you think bigfooty?

 

[little graham]

What do you think bigfooty?

 

[DD#23]

Personally I like it and think we could do with a bit of a meaner edge to our game. I don't want our blokes getting suspended all over the place but I hope that whatever Dougy has coming doesn't dissuade us. He was a touch unlucky and I like the idea of the Selwoods and Abletts of the world looking nervously at what's coming the other way when they're chasing or giving off a handball.

What do you think bigfooty?

absolutely, too bad it's 4 weeks late... might have been useful to use some authority in the first 3 games rather than beat up on Junior

 

[Mike Smyth]

Little Graham doesn't like aggressive footy, it frightens him.

 

[little graham]

Little Graham doesn't like aggressive footy, it frightens him.

Little graham likes flowers and butterflies and reading books in the park.

 

[Elder van Berlo]

Thanks for your contribution

 

[ruscy002]

Take any edge you can within the rules. Can't recall us targeting a player since going Wingard in 2012.

 

[mattymac]

Love it. Its a strategic element we've underutilised. I'm always a little jealous when teams target us like Freo brawling with our captain pre-game or Geelong mauling Danger. We could use a whole lot more of it.

 

[Wallace]

Ferocious, take no prisoners attack at the ball, absolutely love it. Danger, sloane and even junior are brilliant at this.

Cheap, high shots off the ball that injure opposition players, can't stand it.

 

[ltdamn]

Ward was on Dangerfield at the time and was guarding him pretty close at the stoppages after they moved that kid off him because he couldn't hold him at the clearances.

Nek minnit;

Danger finishes with 5 goals.

 

[Elite Crow]

Like it, keep of legal and do it to whoever tags Danger

 

[Elite Crow]

Like it, keep of legal and do it to whoever tags Danger

 

[Bicks]

Nothing new, the Hawks have been doing it for years under Clarkson.....he calls it "unsociable" footy, go for it I say!!

 

[bickley26]

Aggression is something every successful footy club has on different levels.
We have aggression on a minor level but a lot of that is directed at the ball not the man.
Geelong is a classic example of a team with controlled aggression towards the man ie: Making opposition players earn a kick.
The problem we have right now is the tribunal.... Going on previous dealings with the AFL things have not gone well for us.

Glass gets a week and Dougy goes straight to the tribunal

 

[cammo84]

Other sides target Dangerfield when they play us, so why shouldn't we do the same to the opposition's best mid?

 

[JP Sauce]

Our side has lacked a certain "campaigner" element for... almost ever. A desire to hurt the opposition is sorely needed.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

We've been on the end of some gamesmanship from oppositions for years now, without much retaliation or giving others a dose of their own medicine. So to see some competitiveness and physicality off the ball to rattle our opponents is great to see.

 

[footy4ever]

Absolutely. Have been to nice for way too long. I watched the Collingwood Sydney game a couple of weeks back. Collingwood were on the ropes early then started to physically monster Sydney, Cloke in particular. I think it was the single most important factor in turning the game.

 

[Ramify]

Ferocious, take no prisoners attack at the ball, absolutely love it. Danger, sloane and even junior are brilliant at this.

Cheap, high shots off the ball that injure opposition players, can't stand it.

So when did we even start to implement this strategy?

Last cheap shot I have seen from a Crow was that McKernen love tap.
Before that a generation had passed.
Thought that was going to be a turning point in his career. Oh the pain.

Fair hip and shoulder to a blind sided player has been a part of this game for as long as even the 18 year old debutaunts have been playing. s**t, you can even give a kid a decent whack in under 9`s without copping games. Cant lay a decent tackle though.

Dont feed the recent concussion hysteria! Its a joke born of greed and nothing else.

Enough of the pussifying of our once great game!

 

[Wallace]

So when did we even start to implement this strategy?

Last cheap shot I have seen from a Crow was that McKernen love tap.
Before that a generation had passed.
Thought that was going to be a turning point in his career. Oh the pain.

Fair hip and shoulder to a blind sided player has been a part of this game for as long as even the 18 year old debutaunts have been playing. s**t, you can even give a kid a decent whack in under 9`s without copping games. Cant lay a decent tackle though.

Dont feed the recent concussion hysteria! Its a joke born of greed and nothing else.

Enough of the pussifying of our once great game![/quot

I didn't see it as a fair hip and shoulder, blind side hit for sure. Cheap shot against a bloke not in the play. I was sitting 25 meters away from it so had a good view.

Would rather watch our blokes show some true aggression at the ball and ball carrier. Crows have a great history of those types of players.

I guess we have different ideas of what toughness is on a footy field.

 

[Coopers]

You don't have to go at a bloke with the intention to injure. Just rough him up. Give him a horrible day on the park.

Nothing wrong with that, you just have to get it right. I think we had it right, and Douglas shouldn't have much to worry about.

 

[JP Sauce]

I didn't see it as a fair hip and shoulder, blind side hit for sure. Cheap shot against a bloke not in the play. I was sitting 25 meters away from it so had a good view.

Would rather watch our blokes show some true aggression at the ball and ball carrier. Crows have a great history of those types of players.

I guess we have different ideas of what toughness is on a footy field.

If you were 25m away from it then Douglas and Ward were only 2m from Smith and it was a brilliant shepherd.

 

[Big Gazoongas]

I didn't see it as a fair hip and shoulder, blind side hit for sure. Cheap shot against a bloke not in the play. I was sitting 25 meters away from it so had a good view.

Would rather watch our blokes show some true aggression at the ball and ball carrier. Crows have a great history of those types of players.

I guess we have different ideas of what toughness is on a footy field.

Neil Craig is that you???
Cheap shot really!!!. Dougie could have sent him to the back row of the top tier in the Riverbank stand but didn't.

Ward needs to have awareness of what's around him.

 

[DD#23]

with all this "the bump is dead" talk I was wondering about what you might be able to get away with...

what do people think of maybe giving a "don't argue" style armbar to the chest? Could easily put someone on their arse without killing them and it would still count as a valid shepherd wouldn't it?

 

[fabs33]

Dougy doesn't know what tough footy is, time for a DVD.