Strategy 2016 Forward Line

[Flynndasher]

I think having competition for places in the forwardline is vital. All successful teams have guys pushing from the twos. If Vardy/Clarke spend time in the twos it means they'll fight to get back into the seniors. It might also push Hawkins to go to the next level.

If all goes well, I see the msin forward 6 being - Gregson, Hawkins, Menzel.

Bartel, Clarke, Lang.

IMO this six is balance, we have mid size marking options in Menzel and Bartel, we can play two to three talls in Hawkins, Clarke and Stanley (resting ruck) and two crumbing smalls in Lang and Gregson.

Add resting elite mids in Joel Selwood and Dangerfield and we've a dangerous attack.

Sent from my SM-T330 using Tapatalk

 

[supahoops]

You need to stipulate your Selwoods now.

Yeah nah. Check out my backline..

B Guthrie Henderson Thurlow

HB Selwood Taylor Dangerfield

 

[geelong_crazy26]

One of our biggest unaddressed problems/weaknesses over the last few years has been our forward line.

Bombing it on Hawkins' head whilst being double teamed, or kicking it to stationary targets (sound familiar?) will just not cut it in the modern game, especially against good defences. The brown and yellow flogs have really mastered how it should be done, with more precise forward 50 entries to moving leading players as well as permanent forwards who have defined forward roles.

- We need to lower our eyes and hit up short 15m chip passes (like Hawks do) to free players, rather than bomb it every time to a double teamed Hawkins. The top of the goal square kick should still be used but only at the opportune moment. We just need to be less predictable and smarter.

The point of this thread is to discuss ideas as to how to make our forward work better and be more dangerous. Are there any other ideas?

It is not a strategy to keep on bombing the ball long to a double teamed Hawkins .Do you really think the coaches tell the players to kick it long to an outnumbered Hawkins rather than a short précised pass to a loose player ?

Our players have been bombing it long to Hawkins over the past few years because we have not had a midfield that is good enough to move the ball with the efficiency required to hit up targets with short passes .

The best thing we can do to improve our forward line is too drastically improve our midfield.

A good midfield = good delivery into the forward line
A bad midfield = bad delivery into the forward line

 

[Cronin]

Yeah nah. Check out my backline..

B Guthrie Henderson Thurlow

HB Selwood Taylor Dangerfield

Yep and this was your Forward Line;

HF Dangerfield Clark Duncan

F Selwood Hawkins Motlop

So you've got Dangerfield in two positions and you haven't identified which Selwood is which

 

[Lana]

Yep and this was your Forward Line;

HF Dangerfield Clark Duncan

F Selwood Hawkins Motlop

So you've got Dangerfield in two positions and you haven't identified which Selwood is which

It's obvious, P.Dangerfield is down back and his younger clone H.Dangerfield is up front, he should be good for 3 goals a game.

 

[Cronin]

It's obvious, P.Dangerfield is down back and his younger clone H.Dangerfield is up front, he should be good for 3 goals a game.

I knew we payed unders for him

 

[Teriyakicat]

I'd be happy for Menz just to have a bit of a SJ role. Make trouble for the opposition and let everyone else clean up your mess

SJ the mod or SJ the player?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

One of our biggest unaddressed problems/weaknesses over the last few years has been our forward line.

We have lacked a dangerous medium forward since chappy left and SJ on final legs as well as a CHF that can get on the park. But IMO it is more to do with strategy and our lack of roles given to our forwards.

Bombing it on Hawkins' head whilst being double teamed, or kicking it to stationary targets (sound familiar?) will just not cut it in the modern game, especially against good defences. The brown and yellow flogs have really mastered how it should be done, with more precise forward 50 entries to moving leading players as well as permanent forwards who have defined forward roles.

STRATEGY

- We need our forwards to be constantly moving with space being opened up to lead in to.

- We need to lower our eyes and hit up short 15m chip passes (like Hawks do) to free players, rather than bomb it every time to a double teamed Hawkins. The top of the goal square kick should still be used but only at the opportune moment. We just need to be less predictable and smarter.

PERSONNEL ROLES

The last few years our forwards have not had any defined roles (from where I sit). Each player needs a different role from the next in order to make the forward line work as a cohesive unit.

My ideal forward line and accompanying roles:

HF: resting mid - Clark or Vardy - Bartel
FF: Lang/Gregson - Hawkins - Menzel

- Resting mids (caddy, Motlop, Duncan, Selwood, danger). Role: to have a break from the mid and capitalise on opportunities.

- CHF can only be one of Clark or vardy. Unless vardy is playing as a second ruck and rotating forward (on the assumption Stanley is not there) both cannot fit. It shouldn't be an issue as one will probably be injured anyway. Role: to take that second defender from Hawkins and compete in the air and be a target up the ground therefore opening space in the forward 50.

- Bartel: my role for him would be a defensive hff that tags the best hbf and thus stopping teams running out of our attack at ease (a real weakness for us). Rooke mastered this role in our glory days and jimmy has the attributes to do the same, he tagged hayes out of the gf so can do this, the great man will have no issue sacrificing himself for the team in this new role and can contribute with a goal or 2 with some good leadership and tackling pressure and aerial presence in the forward 50.

- Gregson/Lang: as a result of having no specialist medium forward (bar menzel) we are forced to keep one of these players here. It's not ideal as they are both better mids, it shows we need to target one in the draft and trade next year. Role: to be CONSTANTLY moving when we are on the attack (running up and down the ground and repeat, constantly leading into space making an option) like poupolo or bruest do. They also need to be dangerous at ground level. When we do not have the ball, they need to bring relentless tackling pressure that causes inside 50 turnovers.

- Hawkins: Needs to move more. Our motto next year needs to be "keep moving". He is so much more dangerous on the lead marking at the ball and if our above players keep moving, space opens up for Hawkins to lead into. His secondary role will still always be that power foward get out of jail kick card but I would like to see it used less. If he's one out, good kick it to him at his advantage. But when double teamed, we need to lower our eyes and be unpredictable.

- Menzel: assuming stays fit, menzels role is that lurking smart medium forward that we lack and crave so much. To create opportunities from nothing and be an aerial target (third tall almost).

Overall we need to be less predictable going forward (by not kicking to Hawkins every single time). They need to work together as one cohesive moving unpredictable unit, by fulfilling smaller individual roles.

The point of this thread is to discuss ideas as to how to make our forward work better and be more dangerous. Are there any other ideas?

Good OP.

Bump!

So how do we all see our forwardline functioning next season? Who's in there and what strategic changes would like see change?

 

[meto]

Good OP.

Bump!

So how do we all see our forwardline functioning next season? Who's in there and what strategic changes would like see change?

McCarthy come on down.....let's hope the little blighter's got himself right by now, I wonder?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

McCarthy come on down.....let's hope the little blighter's got himself right by now, I wonder?

Who's this McCarthy you speak of?

Akin to Nessy atm. Most claim to have seen him but can't actually prove it

I agree though, hope he at least can be fit this year in what is likely his last chance, he's acknowledged that he was lucky he was contracted so I hope he can show us what he's capable of, good enough or otherwise, just hope he's at least judged on his ability by being able to play some footy!

 

[JD Tomahawk]

Yeh as mentioned above Hawkins has to be playing out of the goal score. Then if we can add sel and danger resting forward with menzel and bartel around it will make the opposition backline more accountable instead of tag teaming Hawkins.
Gee it'd be nice to see linc McCarthy not injured. He is a gun when he's up and about

 

[meto]

Who's this McCarthy you speak of?

Akin to Nessy atm. Most claim to have seen him but can't actually prove it

I agree though, hope he at least can be fit this year in what is likely his last chance, he's acknowledged that he was lucky he was contracted so I hope he can show us what he's capable of, good enough or otherwise, just hope he's at least judged on his ability by being able to play some footy!

Thought he was going to be our Stephen Milne, he looked the goods for a few fleeting moments but I don't think it'll happen unfortunately.
Forget the game, but he ran rings around defenders that day, never goaled but looked very dangerous, it's really stiff for the bloke.

 

[manboob]

Yeh as mentioned above Hawkins has to be playing out of the goal score. Then if we can add sel and danger resting forward with menzel and bartel around it will make the opposition backline more accountable instead of tag teaming Hawkins.
Gee it'd be nice to see linc McCarthy not injured. He is a gun when he's up and about

I really like Vardy around the goal square too he is very good at poaching them. But we have bigger fish to fry you can't be expecting a bloke of Hawkins' build to be running up to the wing and back every second play.


For what it's worth I think we will have a pretty dynamic forward line next year.

Bartel - Clark/Stanley - Motlop/Duncan/Dangerfield/Selwood/Caddy

Menzel - Hawkins - Lang/****/Gregson

 

[catempire]

This is the hardest zone on the ground to pick I reckon. Apart from Hawkins the other five spots are arguable.

 

[manboob]

This is the hardest zone on the ground to pick I reckon. Apart from Hawkins the other five spots are arguable.

And it will be interesting to see how much of an impact the limit on rotations has on team structure. Looking out at mids I think we'd be one of the better placed teams to rest our mids forward rather than on the bench. I could see Danger spending 5-10 minutes a quarter at full-forward. Fun times.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

This is the hardest zone on the ground to pick I reckon. Apart from Hawkins the other five spots are arguable.

Put all the forwards in a room......

 

[catempire]

And it will be interesting to see how much of an impact the limit on rotations has on team structure. Looking out at mids I think we'd be one of the better placed teams to rest our mids forward rather than on the bench. I could see Danger spending 5-10 minutes a quarter at full-forward. Fun times.

Yep. And because we only have Menzel and Kersten as medium forward options, each with their own unique question marks, and no small forwards demanding selection, our mids might well have to play a key role.

 

[catempire]

Put all the forwards in a room......

I'm not sure we need the extra strain on the medical room that approach would result in!

 

[Lana]

I'm not too worried on who is selected, we have plenty of depth in all positions in the forwardline it just depends on who is fit on any given day. I'm more concerned on how we setup

 

[manboob]

I'm not too worried on who is selected, we have plenty of depth in all positions in the forwardline it just depends on who is fit on any given day. I'm more concerned on how we setup

There are so many permutations going on.

Clark, Vardy, Stanley and Smith are all ruck/forwards and I think a lot of how profitable they are as rucks will depend on Blicavs as their wing man.
Do you pick Smith on the bench as the true ruck then go with Stanley as R2 and then one of Clark and Vardy.

Where does Henderson fit in also?

Cockatoo/Lang/Gregson.

Just musing but yeah - gonna be complicated.

 

[catempire]

I'm not too worried on who is selected, we have plenty of depth in all positions in the forwardline it just depends on who is fit on any given day. I'm more concerned on how we setup

What do you mean setup?

I agree about the depth. I'm also not to concerned because I think if the midfield fires and gets the ball in enough we have the talent to kick winning scores.

 

[manboob]

I guess he means positions. Who plays where - height, pace etc?

And more than that - Extra players behind the ball. Approach to clearances etc. Stanley-Blicavs-Danger v Smith-Danger-Selwood - How inside or outside are Moltop/Duncan/Guthrie?

 

[Lana]

What do you mean setup?

The tall-small balance, the leading patterns of the various players(how we plan to nullify any third tall defenders) . How we aim to deliver the ball (fast/slow, long/short etc). Do we use a strong forward press or not.

 

[catempire]

The tall-small balance, the leading patterns of the various players(how we plan to nullify any third tall defenders) . How we aim to deliver the ball (fast/slow, long/short etc). Do we use a strong forward press or not.

What are you hoping/thinking we will do in those respects?

 

[manboob]

All our mids have good penetration on their kicks. So somewhat counter intuitively I hope we play a high half forward line with lots of space in front of Hawkins and kick it long to the goal square - so that Tom is 1-on-1 and/or Motlop etc have space to run and work back into.