An alternative forward approach

[OldBlueFan]

I posted this in the "no more excuses thread" but it seems to have got lost in the "you're just venting" ... "no I'm not" arguments that see to inevitably follow a loss. So I thought I'd give it a thread of it's own to see what others think.

We repeatedly look dangerous when the ball is 20 - 30 metres out from goal and ON THE GROUND. Why oh why isn't the instruction to our guys that:

1. The smaller forwards lead toward the flanks
2. The bigger guys lead up the middle space that is left behind
3. The person kicking it inside 50 should NEVER honour the leads of the little guys
4. The ball is kicked 20 - 30 metres out toward the tall targets who go for the mark when they have the advantage, but bring it to ground if they don't
5. The small forwards sprint back to the marking contest heading toward or across goal ready to swoop on a loose ball or pressure the defender if they get there first

Kicking to a small guy who leads toward the pockets only guarantees 2 things:

1. An easy spoil over the boundary line, or;
2. A difficult shot at goal

I don't understand why - with arguably the best fleet of small forwards in the league - we insist on trying to pinpoint someone inside the 50. We have too few players coming through the middle who can do this with any sort of consistent accuracy, so the sooner they give up on it as a strategy, the better.

Oh and the other thing about not trying to pinpoint into the 50 is that you tend to bring it in MUCH faster, meaning that the opposition midfield doesn't have the time to get back and flood!

 

[HyperAgressiveDonk]

It sounds good in theory but I think not having a gun KPF really hurts Carlton. The mids seem to have no faith in kicking it to the big fellas in your side.

Your small forwards are pretty good and perhaps the blokes delivering the ball get seduced by that fact

 

[Stamos]

Given availability (ie no injuries or suspensions), we need to play Waite and Henderson and O'Hailpin.

Waite leads up the wings, Hendo plays CHF like last night, and O'Hailpin plays true full forward, out of the goal square. Too often, all our forwards get dragged all the way up the ground and we have nobody to kick to.

 

[OldBlueFan]

It sounds good in theory but I think not having a gun KPF really hurts Carlton. The mids seem to have no faith in kicking it to the big fellas in your side.

Your small forwards are pretty good and perhaps the blokes delivering the ball get seduced by that fact

Thanks for confirming my point. The lack of dominant KPFs is the exact reason for the strategy I'm suggesting. They may not dominate, but they certainly provide a contest and are rarely outmarked by their opponents, hence the need to kick it to them and let them bring it to ground if they can't mark.

And the seduction factor is exactly why it needs to be a team instruction.

 

[Azul]

Bring Austin in and plonk him at FF. He's a far better prospect that Thornton

Plus, he reads the play much better than Henderson, Hampson or o'hAilpin.

 

[pumped]

Great post. Think you have raised some great points. I believe that our best footy this year has followed what you are proposing here. Only problem being that our game plan switches back to a defensive and tentative one for the most part.

 

[Ricksta13]

At the beggining of the year we were touted as having an "unpredictable" forward line but 13 weeks in I think we have become far less unpredictale, Prior to 2010 we played the same gameplan every week "Kick it long to Fev" now it seems we have come back to the same game plan but now it is "Kick it long to who ever is in the pocket"

I think it is time to change it up and become unpredictable once again, Keep the 3 amigos down there but change up the tall forward options from week to week depending on the caliber of defender we are playing against,

B: Joseph, Jamison, Russell.
HB: Gibbs, Henderson, Bower.
C: Scotland, Simpson, Carrazzo.
HF: Houlihan, Waite, Thornton.
F: Betts, O'hAilpin, Garlett.
Foll: Jacobs, Judd, Murphy.

I/C: Hampson, Walker, Hadley, Yarran.

Emerg: Robinson, Fisher, Armfield.

Depending on the class of defender we are playing against we can afford to move Henderson forward and one of Thornton or Waite down back.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

You can't NEVER honour the lead of a small forward. That is what makes us predictable. The medium sized defenders on them can peel off and stand in the space in front of the tall forwards when they work out you are not going to kick it to the little guys.

More to the point, don't kick it to the little guys with pinpoint passing attempts. Very little margin for error. If they have cleared out into space though, kick it to them often enough to keep the opposition guessing.

 

[DamianBis]

and if we're kicking to the mediums don't bloody kick it up above their heads. keep the ball low.

I think we can't work with the 3 small guys forward... UNLESS ATLEAST 2 of Eddie, Yarran and Garlett can spend some more time in the middle.. we can't afford 5 dedicated forwards. 4 forwards and the other 2 spots in the forward line being resting ruckman/midfielders

 

[Monkey King]

It sounds good in theory but I think not having a gun KPF really hurts Carlton. The mids seem to have no faith in kicking it to the big fellas in your side.

You can see this time and time again and it hurts the side.