contests

[stefoid]

Im just worried that after a number of years spent avoiding being in a contest and avoiding kicking to a contest, that our guys have a LOT of adjusting to do.

We are probably in the worst possible situation right now... Rhodes wants the boys to play more direct and accountable -- a style that puts a premium on a players ability to win contested ball -- but we dont have the skills to back up his plan.

This is worse than under Wallet where our style minimized the contests so at least we werent being beaten in them so often, and we had more free options to kick to going forward.

We are going to have to get worse before we get better. I see a few real beltings in the first half of the season.

If you look at it that way, we should be putting players who have good abilities at the contest in the midfield and forward areas, while training up our more 'contest weak' players in the bees.

For me, Id play Murph upfield, perhaps on a wing.
Id playing dimma on the ball.
Id be playing Hahn on the ball more often, and maybe HBF.
Id be thinking about playing Hargreave on a HFF.
Id have johno spending a lot more time on the ball than forward.

 

[stefoid]

You can add Crofty to FP to that list.

 

[stefoid]

This is fun, hows this for a team with a more even spread of 'contest strong' players ?

FB Robbo, Basset, Kritter
HBF Hargs, Grant, Smith
C Murph, Westy, Dimma
HFF KMac, Bandy, Guido
FF: Croft, Wigster, Brown

R: Darce, Johno, Hahn

Int: MaMahon, Alvey, Harris, Garlic

I think Darce, Murph, Westy, Dimma, Hahn and Johno is about the toughest middle we can come up with, although the disposal is ordinary. But we should be relying more on kicking to numbers and space rather than pinpointing anyway.

The backline looks a bit undersized, but whats new? The point is to stop the ball being pumped in there so often and so precisely by being tougher and smarter through the midfield and up forward.

 

[LondonBulldog]

You could throw Robbo to the rover position. Give him a chance to make it his position. Hard, fast and long kicking what more could you ask for. Maybe not the most accountable but who is? Have you ever seen Johno for all his good points lay a tackle?

 

[stefoid]

Originally posted by LondonBulldog
You could throw Robbo to the rover position. Give him a chance to make it his position. Hard, fast and long kicking what more could you ask for. Maybe not the most accountable but who is? Have you ever seen Johno for all his good points lay a tackle?

Dont know about Robbo. He has all the physical attributes, but to play on ball I reckon you need a certain awareness and poise in heavy traffic. The most effective midfields work as a team to get the ball out cleanly. Remember the passages of play the combination of Westy, Jose, Dimma and Libba could work in 97/98? They were all capable of playing inside or outside, and could team up in a series of handballs to extract the ball from a pack like magic.

I have my doubts whether Robbo has those skills. For that matter, Johno isnt exactly setting the world on fire in that department either. I guess he just needs more time on the ball, he has been played a lot on the wing and also forward.