Remove this Banner Ad

Clearances

  • Thread starter Thread starter Freeeoo
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Freeeoo

Freeeoo

Club Legend
Veteran
Joined
May 7, 2006
Posts
2,414
Reaction score
3,270
Location
SOR
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
The Gooners
Last night we got belted 36-18 in clearances.
To me this is the perennial major issue for our team. Look I know we have won games having lost the clearances but geez..... it makes it MUCH tougher and I don't believe that you can win consistently unless you consistently break even in this area.
When we do win the clearance we get it down to our forward line quickly and that is when we score heavily. I know this sounds a bit simplistic and we do have other issues but if we can address this it will go a long way to turning our fortunes around.

Is it a personnel problem, structural or both?

I watched a pre season game in Mandurah a few years ago against North Melbourne. A kid named Riley Dunn won about four centre clearances in a row and tackled hard preventing North taking the ball out on another couple of occassions. I thought "at last" we've drafted to fill our defficiencies. Alas, Riley has been dogged with injury and the only other player recruited since then to address this problem is Josh.

What can we do? Who should we target?

In my opinion we need to trade aggressively to get some hard nosed ball getters and clearance specialists.

Your thoughts?
 
Freeeoo said:
In my opinion we need to trade aggressively to get some hard nosed ball getters and clearance specialists.
Click to expand...

Yes we do. We also need to get Dunn up and running and get him in the middle. It isnt the final solution but it is the single largest step in the right direction we can take. We need to have one of the top few mid fields in the comp, without it we will never challenge for a premiership.
 
FreoFury said:
Yes we do. We also need to get Dunn up and running and get him in the middle. It isnt the final solution but it is the single largest step in the right direction we can take. We need to have one of the top few mid fields in the comp, without it we will never challenge for a premiership.
Click to expand...

All the times I have seen Ryley Dunn play for East Freo, I have never seen him in the centre - he has always been playing either HBF or Wing.

When he was drafted, he was rated as a utility/Flanker:

Wiseby:
"DUNN, Ryley (10) [Fre] 184cm tough utility. Genuine footballer, plays tall, wide range of attributes. I’m assuming he will improve kicking accuracy. (Is otherwise plug ‘n play)."

AFL Draft Profile: "Medium, inside forward/defender who has great hardness around the contest. Likes it in tight, and has clean hands. All-Australian at both 2002 and 2003 National AFL U/18 Championships for Vic Country. From Shepparton FC. Year 12 student at Wanganui Park Secondary College."

He plays like Archer/Pickett. I don't think he is a midfielder - more a HFF/HBF. IMO He should be good for us if he can get fit, but isn't the answer in the middle.

As I have already said elsewhere we should go after one of Proud/Selwood/Hislop in the draft.

I also think we should go after Mitch Morton or even Steven Armstrong of the Eagles - they are a lot better than the games that they get. Both get the ball and have excellent kicking/handballing skills.

Watching the WAFL, A roughie would be Dennis Armsfield. The kid has been playing in the centre for Swans and after watching a few games I think is at least worth a Rookie position. Wiseby said this about him:

"ARMFIELD, Dennis - Is raw but a quick-thinking, hard-working, courageous dasher who is strong overhead, physical, and mentally tough. Ex rugby kid with plenty of upside. No-one else in AFL recruiting is on the same page as me re this kid but I see definite AFL potential. I hope he doesn't think his AFL chances are gone. He owes it to himself to aspire to play AFL. I believe he is THE kid who snuck under the radar and I expect him to have a big year in WAFL Seniors in 2006."
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

Ysaye said:
All the times I have seen Ryley Dunn play for East Freo, I have never seen him in the centre - he has always been playing either HBF or Wing.
Click to expand...

Yeah I hear ya mate but under the guise of utility he could certainly fill a mid field role given his size. His aggression and pace off the mark are needed in there. He does need time I agree, should be better if he gets a full pre-season. Check out his profile on the Freo web site where it says they are grooming him for a mid field role.
http://fremantlefc.com.au/default.asp?pg=players&spg=playerprofile&personid=288504
The question is can his motor be tuned to the mid-field ? Time will tell.
 
I have one enduring memory of Ryley Dunn. I one of his few appearances , He took the baa; from the middle barged through 2 tacklers and then passed the ball with precision.

That is only one moment , but it has had me convinced ever since that He will help our clearance problem once he is Match fit.
 
Ripper said:
I have one enduring memory of Ryley Dunn. I one of his few appearances , He took the baa; from the middle barged through 2 tacklers and then passed the ball with precision.

That is only one moment , but it has had me convinced ever since that He will help our clearance problem once he is Match fit.
Click to expand...

Any memories of his total lack of awareness or pace which resulted in him being caught holding the ball numerous times?
 
Ripp - you clearly need to watch him a bit more in the WAFL, where I've seen him regularly lack awareness (or interest!).

In another thread recently (I think about assistant coaches) you sugar coated the clearances issue - which is several seasons old - saying we were headed in the right direction. I'm sure you'll find some stat to support your view, but I'm watching Freo on the paddock and reckon we were crap at clearances and still are. Trend line looks flat to me.
 
Yes, it's a problem. But is it fair to highlight it after a game where JCarr was injured and Hase still suffering from the mystery ailment? Get these two guys firing and we won't see such a deficit.
 
Slacker said:
Yes, it's a problem. But is it fair to highlight it after a game where JCarr was injured and Hase still suffering from the mystery ailment? Get these two guys firing and we won't see such a deficit.
Click to expand...

Now that's just being naieve. The thinking that got us to this position
 
If it is naive to say that our clearances on Friday night were detrimentally effected by our two best clearance players being injured then colour me naive.

In regards to Freo's historic clearance problem, whether this can be attributed to poor ruckwork, not drafting bigger bodied midfielders, or just poor planning/set plays at the bounces, is something I am yet to be convinced on. The clearances didn't seem to be such a problem in the last quarter when Sandi was ramming it down our players throats FWIW.
 
Slacker said:
If it is naive to say that our clearances on Friday night were detrimentally effected by our two best clearance players being injured then colour me naive.

In regards to Freo's historic clearance problem, whether this can be attributed to poor ruckwork, not drafting bigger bodied midfielders, or just poor planning/set plays at the bounces, is something I am yet to be convinced on. The clearances didn't seem to be such a problem in the last quarter when Sandi was ramming it down our players throats FWIW.
Click to expand...

Clearance Problem = Michael Broadbridge
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Ryley Dunn has been playing in the forward pocket the last couple of weeks??

Anyone know why he never has got a gig in the EF midfield?
 
docker_azza said:
Whoever was in charge before Broadbridge, there was still a major clearance problem. As well evidenced in 2003 EF and 2004.
Click to expand...

True, however what i've noticed this year is that we generally start the game OK in clearances. Then at some point in the game, the opposition make some astute changes and we are gobsmacked in the middle and have a horrendous 10-0 deficit in clearances for the quarter.

That to me is coaching and the players dont know how to adjust and broadbridge is not sending in the right messages via the runner.
 
malpaso said:
True, however what i've noticed this year is that we generally start the game OK in clearances. Then at some point in the game, the opposition make some astute changes and we are gobsmacked in the middle and have a horrendous 10-0 deficit in clearances for the quarter.

That to me is coaching and the players dont know how to adjust and broadbridge is not sending in the right messages via the runner.
Click to expand...
I agree to a certain extent Malpaso.
We do generally get beaten in the clearances, but its the 5 to 10 minute bursts where we get absolutely smashed that is the real problem. When the opposition gets these run-ons we seem to have no answer, but after awhile we usually start to peg it back a bit. Whether its coaches not reacting to oppostion changes in the middle, or the players not being able to stem the flow until the message to restructure is delivered, I'm not sure.
One thing I am certain of is that Hase, when fit and firing, is our best clearance winner by far. If he can regain form/fitness and start playing on the ball for four quarters we are back in there with a chance of at least breaking even in the clearances.
 
docker_azza said:
Whoever was in charge before Broadbridge, there was still a major clearance problem. As well evidenced in 2003 EF and 2004.
Click to expand...

O'donnell 2003 & 2004, Malaxos 2005 and Broadbridge 2006. Lets not forget eastaugh as the ruck coach in the last 3 yrs.

Same old same old. Crowley and occasionaly Doddy are the newbies in the MF. We have the same people: macca, Haze(rumoured that his feet operation haven't been a total success) cookie, Josh, Blacky, DJ.

Ryley dunn should be given plently of Wafl time to get fit then trade him.

The football of now is that you can carry one/two slow midfielders provided the rest are quick. That where we fall down. Also our consistency of Skill execution is very ordinary.
 
wehavethepassion said:
Ryley dunn should be given plently of Wafl time to get fit then trade him.
Click to expand...

Given that the midfield is our problem area, I would have thought that if Ryley Dunn is worth trading, then he is worth keeping. Or at the very least worth giving him a decent crack at AFL level. Don't think he'll solve our "pace" issues (not convinced we have pace issues), but I thought clearances was what he was good at (hopefully).
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Slacker said:
Yes, it's a problem. But is it fair to highlight it after a game where JCarr was injured and Hase still suffering from the mystery ailment? Get these two guys firing and we won't see such a deficit.
Click to expand...

I hear from a reliable source that Hase has a back problem that he can't shake. The club don't want to divulge this for obvious reasons. As we all know 9 times out of 10, once you have a bad back you are stuck with it. Hope for his sake it comes good as he is a great player.
 
Seadog said:
I hear from a reliable source that Hase has a back problem that he can't shake. The club don't want to divulge this for obvious reasons. As we all know 9 times out of 10, once you have a bad back you are stuck with it. Hope for his sake it comes good as he is a great player.
Click to expand...
He's had a back problem for 5 years now! don't we have medical staff at Freo? Are the Martinovich Brothers still doing thier chiropractic magic in Sth Freo?
 
theGav56 said:
So, how many games has he played that you have seen? He has been injured for most of the time he has been on our list, so I am expecting that he has not played more than 20-25 WAFL games?
Click to expand...
Fair call, never was probably wrong choice of words. I've only seen half a dozen, none of which he's played midfield, plus the couple he's played in the firsts which he didn't play midfield. Also I know he spent little time in the midfield in his last year in the TAC Cup where he played half back.
Have you seen him play in the midfield for EF Gav? If so, how did he go?
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top Bottom