CENTRE-BOUNCE DOMINATION IS A MUST IF DOCKERS ARE TO HAVE AN IMPACT WITHOUT THEIR SKIPPER
The words “centre bounce” must haunt Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir. Watching his post-match press conference on Saturday he was already weighed down with the words “Nat Fyfe” and “hamstring” but then his shoulders seemed to slump even more when he offered up the term “centre bounce” . “Centre bounce is an issue for us, it has been an issue for us all season,” he said. Even kicking a goal is a problem for Freo because after a major you go back to, yep, gulp, the centre bounce. The centre bounce is the integral stoppage in a match — when you win it you’re in your forward 50, and that means you’re going to score or you’re defending from the front half. But when you’re “broken” out of the centre instead of “bouncing” , it can be a nightmare as you quickly lose momentum. And confidence. This week the centre bounce clearance stats offer a glimmer of hope for Freo. The Dockers are ranked 15th in the comp, yet their rivals, Adelaide, come in 18th. I’m confident whoever wins this battle will help their team secure victory. So how do you improve the centre bounce stoppage? Well, the first rule is getting your best players in there for a start. You need players who read and react to the cues given by the game itself. Who is rucking? What hand is he? Who is the most likely target for the opposition? Where is the dangerous space? Those cues coupled with the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition help coaches and players work out strategies to win the centre bounce or minimise the impact of their losses. Freo were at a disadvantage last week because of the hit-out discrepancy. I believe in Rory Lobb but he was completely outpointed by a quality ruckman in Jarrod Witts and gave very little when the ball was in his area. The Dockers need a competitive ruckman, and in my opinion Lobb is running out of opportunities. He needs a big man’s game on Sunday. Centre bounce should be his one-wood , a running jump. That’s his go. Around the ground he too easily gives up front position and good ruckmen will dominate if you give that up easily. He might need to crack in a bit more and halve the fight. The other component of centre bounce that makes up a competent clearance team is the planning. There shouldn’t be any surprises. The midfield coach needs to have done his work and the players should be prepared. It will be interesting this week for the Freo midfield coach because the Crows threw it around a bit on the weekend with a few young players in Ben Keays, Chayce Jones and Myles Poholke going into the centre bounce in the third quarter and having an impact. Reilly O’Brien is a strong, aggressive young ruckman, so Lobb will once again need to stand up. In other areas of the ground there were some real positives for Fremantle. The backs defended the opposition entries well and early on Stephen Hill and Hayden Young provided drive and class off half-back . This week will be another challenge for them. Briefly last week I saw Tex Walker for the first time this year start to get going and believe in himself. I thought Griffin Logue did a good job last week. He needs to do it again on Sunday. Obviously no Nat Fyfe is an issue, but this provides the young players who promise so much a chance to stand up. One of those rookies is Caleb Serong who stepped in and had an impact, and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to develop.
The words “centre bounce” must haunt Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir. Watching his post-match press conference on Saturday he was already weighed down with the words “Nat Fyfe” and “hamstring” but then his shoulders seemed to slump even more when he offered up the term “centre bounce” . “Centre bounce is an issue for us, it has been an issue for us all season,” he said. Even kicking a goal is a problem for Freo because after a major you go back to, yep, gulp, the centre bounce. The centre bounce is the integral stoppage in a match — when you win it you’re in your forward 50, and that means you’re going to score or you’re defending from the front half. But when you’re “broken” out of the centre instead of “bouncing” , it can be a nightmare as you quickly lose momentum. And confidence. This week the centre bounce clearance stats offer a glimmer of hope for Freo. The Dockers are ranked 15th in the comp, yet their rivals, Adelaide, come in 18th. I’m confident whoever wins this battle will help their team secure victory. So how do you improve the centre bounce stoppage? Well, the first rule is getting your best players in there for a start. You need players who read and react to the cues given by the game itself. Who is rucking? What hand is he? Who is the most likely target for the opposition? Where is the dangerous space? Those cues coupled with the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition help coaches and players work out strategies to win the centre bounce or minimise the impact of their losses. Freo were at a disadvantage last week because of the hit-out discrepancy. I believe in Rory Lobb but he was completely outpointed by a quality ruckman in Jarrod Witts and gave very little when the ball was in his area. The Dockers need a competitive ruckman, and in my opinion Lobb is running out of opportunities. He needs a big man’s game on Sunday. Centre bounce should be his one-wood , a running jump. That’s his go. Around the ground he too easily gives up front position and good ruckmen will dominate if you give that up easily. He might need to crack in a bit more and halve the fight. The other component of centre bounce that makes up a competent clearance team is the planning. There shouldn’t be any surprises. The midfield coach needs to have done his work and the players should be prepared. It will be interesting this week for the Freo midfield coach because the Crows threw it around a bit on the weekend with a few young players in Ben Keays, Chayce Jones and Myles Poholke going into the centre bounce in the third quarter and having an impact. Reilly O’Brien is a strong, aggressive young ruckman, so Lobb will once again need to stand up. In other areas of the ground there were some real positives for Fremantle. The backs defended the opposition entries well and early on Stephen Hill and Hayden Young provided drive and class off half-back . This week will be another challenge for them. Briefly last week I saw Tex Walker for the first time this year start to get going and believe in himself. I thought Griffin Logue did a good job last week. He needs to do it again on Sunday. Obviously no Nat Fyfe is an issue, but this provides the young players who promise so much a chance to stand up. One of those rookies is Caleb Serong who stepped in and had an impact, and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to develop.
