Center Clearances.

[sarah.13]

geelong_boy,

Prismall's clearance stats:

v Bulldogs - 3
v Carlton - 3
v Melbourne - 0
v Hawthorn - 1

Not outstanding by any stretch, but bear in mind he often plays off the edge of the square and has limited time at centre bounces.

Agree,comes mainly off the wing,but I've noticed his handball is crisp,decisive and creative and as I've mentioned earlier two or three clean clearances that result in goals can win you a game.Should be given more time at center bounces as should Stokes.

 

[geelong_boy]

Agree,comes mainly off the wing,but I've noticed his handball is crisp,decisive and creative and as I've mentioned earlier two or three clean clearances that result in goals can win you a game.Should be given more time at center bounces as should Stokes.

Prismall seems to know who's around him and has good poise when the pressure is on, so yeah, hopefully as the season goes on he gets more time in the middle of the stoppages.

 

[catswhiskers]

I think they play Prismall off the wing because they hope for him to receive and deliver to the forwards. This makes sense but only if we are getting the ball to him which we are not. Time to try him closer to the centre circle.

Also Fox showed 3 or 4 clips of clearances made by a young Richmond mid (name escapes me)who is doing well in the clearances. Each one showed him move quickly to the feet of the ruckmen where the ball fell after they nullified each other. His movement through that zone allowed him to gather and escape to kick or handball. Too often we take possession while not moving and get crunched.

 

[sarah.13]

Foley, his only a little bloke but because his on the move when he gets it he's hard to stop.
We need some different set-ups and strategy's than the one 's being used,even when we do win the clearances they are very rarely clean or effective.

 

[martyk]

Foley, his only a little bloke but because his on the move when he gets it he's hard to stop.
We need some different set-ups and strategy's than the one 's being used,even when we do win the clearances they are very rarely clean or effective.

Nathan Foley? Good call... I love watching that bloke play. He is the best example of a young midfielder that we desperately need!! Only small, but a good strong build and throws himself at absolutely everything, and is a great stoppage player. He will most likely develop into a Luke Ball type player I think, very good / tough but nothing but average disposal. We'll see...

Geelong need more of this type of player, less of the softies who can't even hit targets and dispose well anyway...

 

[sarah.13]

Nathan Foley? Good call... I love watching that bloke play. He is the best example of a young midfielder that we desperately need!! Only small, but a good strong build and throws himself at absolutely everything, and is a great stoppage player. He will most likely develop into a Luke Ball type player I think, very good / tough but nothing but average disposal. We'll see...

Geelong need more of this type of player, less of the softies who can't even hit targets and dispose well anyway...

Someone like Stokes perhaps?

 

[martyk]

Someone like Stokes perhaps?

Yes, maybe... He might be a little small, but it wouldn't hurt to give him a go in the midfield. He definately has the toughness and likes the contested stuff, not sure about his awareness around a pack though.
Tell you what, it's hard watching the likes of Judd and Kerr especially today. As far as quality clearancess and contested footy goes, these 2 are a county mile ahead of everyone.

 

[sarah.13]

Nathan Foley? Good call... I love watching that bloke play. He is the best example of a young midfielder that we desperately need!!g Only small, but a good strong build and throws himself at absolutely everything, and is a great stoppage player. He will most likely develop into a Luke Ball type player I think, very good / tough but nothing but average disposal. We'll see...

Geelong need more of this type of player, less of the softies who can't even hit targets and dispose well anyway...

Sounds like Stokes to me!

 

[WestCat]

Jordan Lewis ran rampant, clocking up an outstanding 10 clearances.

That doesn't surprise me considering how many times King tapped it straight down his throat. There were a few occasions in that game where Lewis didn't even move an inch and Kingy put it right in his lap. I think our ruckmen are a big part of the reason why we're struggling in the clearances, but perhaps, as has been mentioned, it's a relationship thing. I'd like to see Gaz spend more time in the middle, he's got the best hands in the team and his elusiveness and pace mean you can still have a Bartel/Selwood type in there as well.

 

[sarah.13]

Stats show we are one of the worst sides in getting the ball away from the center and I have a theory to put up for discussion .
From my observation our Ruckman seem to get their hands to the ball as much as the opposition but they seem to clear it more often
1. We rotate up to 8-9 players into the center bounces during a game.
2. Some of these players simply cannot extract the ball cleanly i.e. Kelly,Enright ,Byrnes and Ling.
3. Our best clearance players are Bartel, Chappy Ablett and sometimes Corey.
4.It's alright to rotate the midfield in general play but it's become such a problem that I believe we need to put our best extracters in there All the time thereby achieving more cohesion, understanding between players and pressure on the opposition.

This bloke really knows his stuff!!

 

[Bakes]

We did do well yesterday, but it was high-lighted in the fact that West Coke went in with no ruckman.
I do not want to take away from the games that Blake and Ottens had, but thier job was made easier because of this.

 

[thejester]

We did do well yesterday, but it was high-lighted in the fact that West Coke went in with no ruckman.
I do not want to take away from the games that Blake and Ottens had, but thier job was made easier because of this.

Yeah, exactly. When you have a forward rucking you know you've got problems.

 

[sarah.13]

Yeah, exactly. When you have a forward rucking you know you've got problems.

Do you mean Ottens?

 

[cat in sydney]

Yeah, exactly. When you have a forward rucking you know you've got problems.

Yeha, shows up a lak of depth if anything.
That's really been a big reason (on top of the talent they've got) why they've been in the past two GFs with Sydney. Their injury list for their key players has been exceptional.
Now that both Sydney and WCE lose a couple of key people, some lack of depth is shown when they can't cover them.

 

[a.f.k.a.y.o.p.]

I think Jester means when Lynch was rotated through for the Eagles.
Not Ottens.
He is ruckman who goes forward, not vice versa.
Should never be considered the other way around.......IMO.....

 

[Xcat]

We did do well yesterday, but it was high-lighted in the fact that West Coke went in with no ruckman.
I do not want to take away from the games that Blake and Ottens had, but thier job was made easier because of this.

How many teams in the league actually have a decent ruckman? Maybe 6 or 7? We're very lucky to have 3 good tap ruckmen.
I think you can only beat who you are put up against and tap it to your midfielder's advantage, which Blake and Ottens did very well yesterday.

 

[darren forssman]

good to see joel corey front and centre at stoppages and centre bounces instead of lining up in the back half. would still like to see Ling run off a flank/wing and pick his man up so that we can have maximum clearance ability!!!

 

[BlueBelle]

Stats show we are one of the worst sides in getting the ball away from the center and I have a theory to put up for discussion .
From my observation our Ruckman seem to get their hands to the ball as much as the opposition but they seem to clear it more often
1. We rotate up to 8-9 players into the center bounces during a game.
2. Some of these players simply cannot extract the ball cleanly i.e. Kelly,Enright ,Byrnes and Ling.
3. Our best clearance players are Bartel, Chappy Ablett and sometimes Corey.
4.It's alright to rotate the midfield in general play but it's become such a problem that I believe we need to put our best extracters in there All the time thereby achieving more cohesion, understanding between players and pressure on the opposition.

Seems to have worked. You guys absolutely smashed the best midfield in the competition yesterday. Congratulations!!

Thoroughly enjoyed watching the game yesterday. Geelong seem to have a very balanced side. Hopefully they can become consistent and really challenge this year! Good luck

 

[Bakes]

How many teams in the league actually have a decent ruckman? Maybe 6 or 7? We're very lucky to have 3 good tap ruckmen.
I think you can only beat who you are put up against and tap it to your midfielder's advantage, which Blake and Ottens did very well yesterday.

Echo Echo Echo.

Exactly what i said in my previous post. The only thing i view differently is that most teams have a ruckman that can at least create a contest. West Coke didnt have this yesterday

 

[thejester]

Do you mean Ottens?

I knew some smartarse would pull me up on that

And yeah, Ottens is clearly a ruckman who can go forward now, not vice-versa.

 

[GeeCat]

Nice to see Smithy back where he belongs.

And while we're on it, some of the direct palm downs from Blake to Bartel were things of beauty.

 

[Copernicus]

I knew some smartarse would pull me up on that

And yeah, Ottens is clearly a ruckman who can go forward now, not vice-versa.

This has always been his best role, though. He can take a contested grab and is generally a nice kick, but his rucking is the prime reason to have him in the sign. I saw he had 20 touches and a few marks (haven't seen the game yet). Not a bad effort.

Great to see Blake coming on so well - we were all worried at the start of the year about our rucking stocks, but I don't see any reason to be pessimistic now. Good stuff.

 

[catempire]

Thought this was interesting:

Clearances the secret to success
by: Paul Gough
Sportal

Geelong has been the AFL's highest scoring team so far in 2007 and the Kangaroos the most improved team with both clubs well on course for finals appearances this season after dismal 2006 seasons.

And there is a common thread behind the improvement of both clubs and it comes down to three words - winning the clearances.

In these highly-skilled days of possession football and players refusing to kick to contests, not only winning the clearances but generating scores from them has become even more important.

The AFL's bid to speed the game up at all costs means there are fewer and fewer stoppages - such as ball-ups and boundary throw-ins - where possession is up for grabs.

So the ability to win the ball from these stoppages - known in modern-day footy speak as clearances - becomes even more important.

And stats provided by the AFL's official stats supplier Champion Data reveal that when it comes to winning the clearances and more importantly making the most of that ability - it is the Cats and the Kangaroos who have dominated so far this season.

Champion Data's Glenn Luff told Sportal on Thursday it was not how many clearances a team wins that is important but how many they win compared to the opposition and how many scores they generate from these clearances compared to the opposition.

And on both measures it is the Cats and the Kangaroos who are dominating this year, in an area that Luff says nearly always translates into team success with Sydney, West Coast and Adelaide - three of the top four teams last year - leading this category in 2006.

The Kangaroos, who have won their past four matches to climb to seventh place after starting the season as favourites to win the wooden spoon, have won 32 more clearances than their opposition this year - the best record of any team.

Next comes the Eagles with 31, Carlton with 30, Sydney with 27 and Port with 24, with the Cats also up by 10 compared to their opposition.

But when it comes to setting up scores from a clearance, it is the Cats who are best in the AFL.

Geelong has scored an amazing 107 points more than the opposition from clearances this year - the equivalent of just under 18 goals.

The Eagles are next with 90 points but were outscored by the Cats by 31 points in this area last week when Mark Thompson's team handed the reigning premier its first loss of the season.

The Kangaroos are also doing well in this area as well, sitting in fifth place with 55 points more than their opposition.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson revealed after last week's win over the Eagles that the Cats had worked hard over the pre-season to improve their clearances, admitting the side had been down in this vital area for years.

"All summer we've been wanting to score more and improve our stoppage work," he said.

"For years now it hasn't been good enough to win a premiership but our stoppages have improved all year and our attack has improved and we're scoring more."

And when it comes to individual players who generate the most scores from clearances - that is the player who wins the initial clearance which then leads to a score for his team without the opposition touching the ball - it is Kangaroos and Geelong players that dominate.

Five of the top 10 players in the AFL come from these clubs with the number one player in the league being a little-known player who is in just his second season in the competition - Andrew Swallow.

Swallow has set up a total of 56 points from winning clearances this season, making the 19-year-old - who has played just 19 games - one of the most valuable players in the AFL.

Next comes his more experienced Kangaroos' team-mate Daniel Harris with 53 points while Brent Harvey is in ninth position with 43.

The Cats' two representatives in the top 10 - a list which also includes West Coast superstar Chris Judd, Collingwood hard man Scott Burns and underrated Bomber Jobe Watson - are James Bartel in fifth position with 45 points and Joel Corey in eighth with 43 points.

And in case footy fans are wondering if there is also a direct correlation between poor performances at the clearances and team performance - you bet there is.

Of the two teams yet to win a game this season - Melbourne and Richmond - the Tigers are last when it comes to scores from clearances compared to the opposition - at minus 144 points - while Melbourne is 11th at minus nine points with both clubs also in the bottom five with it comes to the amount of clearances won compared to the opposition.

 

[thejester]

This has always been his best role, though. He can take a contested grab and is generally a nice kick, but his rucking is the prime reason to have him in the sign. I saw he had 20 touches and a few marks (haven't seen the game yet). Not a bad effort.

The thing that most impressed me was not his efforts in the forward line or his rucking - which were both superb - it was his general around the ground stuff. I think we're used to seeing big, old, lumbering Otto - but on Sunday, while not looking speedy, he was certainly more willing to run with it, to close with the opposition, and to rove his own ball.

Great to see Blake coming on so well - we were all worried at the start of the year about our rucking stocks, but I don't see any reason to be pessimistic now. Good stuff.

Yeah, he's getting plenty of it and even then I think it's pretty clear he's still got a long way to go. Will be an absolute gun by next year.