How to implement a structure

[FavoriteSun]

Just short a sweet....give me some example structures you could put into place for a relatively new club with a 20-30 games played at junior level or amateur footy. Looking for potentially something involving 5 up forward with a loose man down back.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pack Specialist]

Just short a sweet....give me some example structures you could put into place for a relatively new club with a 20-30 games played at junior level or amateur footy. Looking for potentially something involving 5 up forward with a loose man down back.

Thanks in advance!

Is it 18 a side?

You could play 2 out of the square (a tall and a small) a 3 man HF line, the midfield setup as usual and the backline as usual, start your loose man on the wing before getting him to drop back after the bounce, this will enable you to effectively hide the fact you have a loose player, if you win the tap you will have an extra midfielder to win the clearance.

Considering the players seem to lack experience I'd have them play the ball down the line as playing the ball through the corridor with minimal skill is just asking to be beaten, make sure your loose man has football smarts as the player will need to be accountable despite not having a direct opponent.

 

[KrisTaz]

Just short a sweet....give me some example structures you could put into place for a relatively new club with a 20-30 games played at junior level or amateur footy. Looking for potentially something involving 5 up forward with a loose man down back.

Thanks in advance!

It really depends on the type of skill, fitness & experience levels of the individual players in the squad. Eg. If they are experienced players with good skills & fitness levels, but just lack the cohesion needed to 'gel' as a team, I would use a plain ''man on man'' formula to begin with & utilize the wings in order to minimize mistakes. Once they feel more comfortable with each other, then perhaps you can adopt a more technical approach & try to get them playing more direct through the corridor & utilizing an extra man around the ball or down back or wherever needed. Mistakes will be made early on, but hey, practice makes perfect!!

If they are inexperienced players, then I'd keep it simple. Maybe using a plain game plan that teaches them to be accountable and minimize risks with the ball. Eg. Everyone plays in their true positions. If you're CHB, then you play CHB & be accountable for direct opposition, not playing one or 2nd man loose or drifting up onto the wings. Once in possession, if the team is reasonably fit, they should utilize the wings & play the ball into space. However, If the team is lacking in fitness, then down the corridor or a more direct approach can be used to make the ground seem as short as possible. But obviously, you are more prone to costly mistakes. It's not called ''high risk'' for nothing.

Sorry about the long post, but as I said, you need to determine what type of players the squad consists of & determine the best structure from there.
Hope this helps!!

 

[UmpiringFooty]

Get your players to play their natural game and develop them into whatever role you want them to play in. For example you might have a couple of ruckmen that you think could be rested in either the backline or the forward line.
Or you could go small and have a pagan's paddock set up.
All of these take time. It mightn't work for you at the start but hey good luck FavoriteSun

 

[Michaels]

One that i tried with my team (will only work well if you have a good marking forward and a smart small player) was having 2 in the goal square / forward 50 (the strong marker and the smart forward) and then played with 4 across the HF line but pushed 2 of them higher up the ground when the ball was in our back line so it gave us a few more options when needing a bail out kick.

just got to make sure the forward 50 stays open.

Definitely go man on man. teaching zones is fancy and complicated but honestly i found that opposition teams got so caught up in setting up their zone that it caused chaos and was easily picked apart (helps that we had the best kick / longest kicker in the comp).

Slightly heading away from the initial topic, but if they are a new side id be doing as much competitive work as possible. try to steer away from doing heaps of non pressure drills as they will be in for a rude shock come game day.

Simple things like keepings off inside the 50m arc (even introduce a rule that if the ball hits the ground its a turn over) help promote the skills, running into space, marking all under proper pressure.

 

[City Search]

Yeah having two strong players with the 50 to themselves is a strategy that dominates junior footy

 

[Yelle]

Make sure you choose that loose man back wisely and it depends on what role you want him to play. They can either be used as;
1. A third man up; you must choose someone with decent height and athleticism to make contests and help with spoiling. This role is perfect if you're playing against a dominant forward.
Or
2. A running backman; they obviously need pace, fitness and good disposal. More suitable for counter attacking and fast breaks.

Don't just drop any player back because it can almost eliminate them from the game if they're not playing a role suitable to their strengths. Teach your midfielders to be accountable and run back twice as hard as they run forward because even when attacking, midfielders are best to be positioned behind the ball or on the spread. It's much more easier to create play when your runners are on the defensive side of the ball.

In regards to your forward line, if you want to play five men, play 3 marking options. I would have two marking options leading out of the goal square each way. The third marking option (presumably the CHF), I would have leading up the ground creating contests, taking grabs and crashing packs. Your two flankers will play up the ground also and must run hard to cover that extra space. Make sure they leave the forward line open for the two marking options. Their 6th defender can only block the lead of one marking option so the obvious play is to kick to your second marking option leading out of the square. If they have an extra man back, your forward line will not function with five men because it's literally five vs. seven so in the case, have your loose man back come forward and act as a decoy. Also make sure the flankers are at their feet ready to crumb as your forward pockets are non-existent. The flankers are going to be running as hard as midfielders so make sure they're prepared to work their backsides off to cover ground. Also when the opposition is taking a kick in, do not have a man on the mark, have two men (your two marking options on the FF line) positioned roughly 7m away from the points of the goal square on a 45 degree angle. This option covers three positions (FF, FP, FP) with two players. Have the rest flood your forward arcs.