A Pressing Question

[E Shed]

So some footy experts are saying that teams can't play the forward press style for the whole season as it's too taxing on players. Jason Dunstall apparently said on the weekend that those teams playing it heavily now (Essendon, West Coast notably) will be exhausted by Round 18.
Harvey is on record (he said it to me at training as saying we were basically gone by Rd 17 last year.
I have heard it said that he (Harvey) is very good at anticipating where the game is heading and tweaking the gameplan to stay ahead of the pack.
I thought we were one of the first teams (along with Collingwood) to really implement the press properly so given that & given Collingwood aren't really playing their press at this time of year I can hazard that we are quite deliberately building this year with a view to hitting our straps at the business end rather than shooting our load early.
It makes sense now!

 

[Clay Davis]

Collingwood barely started using it until halfway through the year last year. This year they apply it for a quarter at most in games, and then run over the top of them in the last.

I don't think it's something you can do the entire year. Having said that, I don't think it's something we can do to full effectiveness at the moment this year either - just don't have the full fitness of all the players who are able to do it.

 

[Memories]

Forward press... just another name for flooding invented by the media/coaches. The players are trying to play to last years game plan but with only 3 on the bench vs 4. It is why we are seeing blow outs this year in the last quarters... the fitter teams will just destroy teams that take their foot off it towards the end of the game. I feel we have been one of the weaker teams in the second half, and this is mostly due to our substandard midfield currently being fielded. Pavlich can't run as much as a real midfielder, Mundy was never known for his endurance (though he has improved it) and Barlow/Palmer haven't been played there. As we get players back we should be able to run out games harder.

As much as Collingwood can dominate other teams you know what I prefer watching? Individual performances which are excellent, like in the Hawks. Certainly more entertaining than watching teams strangle others like the Saints in 09/10 and Collingwood this year.

What coaches don't seem to have implemented yet is a way to save your own players stamina whilst wasting the others. I don't know why we don't always keep a back 4 in the D50, let their opponents run up the ground in a flood for half the game, run themselves into the ground. Then run over the top of them in the latter stages of game. Keep the defenders within 60m from goal, with one near the goal line to stop the long dribble goal over the top. Bam. Instead of playing full ground presses which is what is currently done, the defenders should always be merely defending the back 50. Too many goals are scored today with near no one in the defensive 50.

As teams have shown this year, if you have more in the tank than the other team by the end of the game you can pile on 10 goals and destroy them.

 

[BananaOnTheRun]

I don't know why we don't always keep a back 4 in the D50, let their opponents run up the ground in a flood for half the game, run themselves into the ground. Then run over the top of them in the latter stages of game. Keep the defenders within 60m from goal, with one near the goal line to stop the long dribble goal over the top. Bam. Instead of playing full ground presses which is what is currently done, the defenders should always be merely defending the back 50. Too many goals are scored today with near no one in the defensive 50.

As teams have shown this year, if you have more in the tank than the other team by the end of the game you can pile on 10 goals and destroy them.

It's too much of a risk, even if you had players

1. fit enough
2. discplined enough
3. mentally strong enough
to absorb the barrage, playing a waiting game while the opposition tires. Unless your team is comprised of 22 terminators, you run the risk of being burnt too easily. we don't have the players to do this, nor do most teams. Besides, we need those defenders to rebound up through midfield.