Davis, Thomas, Medhurst, Lockyer

[Nardz]

What do these players have in common?

none of them are key position players.

So why the hell did we think it would be wise to bomb it into our forward line where 1 or 2 of the aforementioned players were in there amongst 3-4 stkilda players? Did they think it was going to work?

i've just been watching the replay (watched the first half last night and watching the second half tonight) and i've lost count of how many times we did this. I'd say we did it alot in the previous week vs melbourne also.

That game plan is not gonna get us anywhere.

 

[Frankie23]

Give credit to St.Kilda, they fropped numbers back and in the middle and pressured us into kicking it long.

Ideally we would have been patient and picked through it with precise kicking but due to perceived pressure we just bombed it long to the 'top of the square'

 

[hellfire]

We're obsessed with the "play on at all costs" mindset, which doesn't seem to work all that well down the wings. When you play on through the corridor, you get the ball inside 50 quickly by playing direct, and you can get your forwards one out or even by themselves, and it works a treat when our players are disposing and handling the ball cleanly. We played down the wings, but weren't willing to slow the pace and actually hit a target once the Saints had their numbers back. Instead, we bombed in hope.

We need to know when to play fast and direct, and when to maintain possession. If they force us wide, we need to maintain possession and spot up targets. This means working hard to provide options. Otherwise we turn the ball over with our entry 9 times out of 10, and they rebound and score.

 

[SIDE BY SIDE]

Under pressure with a forward line like that we are better off just kicking it along the ground into space(which wouldn't be that hard for some of our players).

The ball on the deck with Medhurst Davis Didak and to a lesser extent Lockyer going at it would put the defenders under the pump more then just bombing it long and high. If they are one out then it's different but if the other team has players back lets not make it easy for them.

 

[hellfire]

Under pressure with a forward line like that we are better off just kicking it along the ground into space(which wouldn't be that hard for some of our players).

The ball on the deck with Medhurst Davis Didak and to a lesser extent Lockyer going at it would put the defenders under the pump more then just bombing it long and high. If they are one out then it's different but if the other team has players back lets not make it easy for them.

We could create a whole new game style. We line up with a forward line of:

HF: Didak, Thomas, Davis
FF: Dick, Medhurst, Lockyer.

Then we just get our midfielders to kick it hard and fast along the ground... hope for the best!

 

[SIDE BY SIDE]

Before this gets out of hand I'm not saying this is a game plan we use. This is if we are under pressure and have a small forward line that is out numbered with key defenders down there.

What I'm saying is instead of just bombing long and high to Davis vs Baker and either Fisher or King which hasn't worked for us in the past and will never work put it where Davis and co have more of a chance. If our forwards are putting on pressure then it's easier to do it if they aren't marking it and we could either get more ball ups in our fifty or even a shot on goal.

 

[jbuch9]

We could create a whole new game style. We line up with a forward line of:

HF: Didak, Thomas, Davis
FF: Dick, Medhurst, Lockyer.

Then we just get our midfielders to kick it hard and fast along the ground... hope for the best!

hahaha i like

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

We could create a whole new game style. We line up with a forward line of:

HF: Didak, Thomas, Davis
FF: Dick, Medhurst, Lockyer.

Then we just get our midfielders to kick it hard and fast along the ground... hope for the best!

Reading this post it actually depresses me that we have made no attempt to recruit a smash and bash monster full forward. We have the best smalls in the league by a country mile and noone to bring the ball to ground for them.

For those who follow soccer we are Portugal. Heaps of world class wide players and not one quality striker for them to feed off. Put a Drogba/Dzeko/Berbatov or even someone less talented but similar in style like Viduka in their team and they would win a world cup --> leave them as they are and they will lose to a less talented, more well structured team.

As much as I can't stand Leroy and I would actually drop him if he is to be used as a utility as MM uses him; if I was coaching this club he would stand in the goalsquare all game every game. Hurts players, won't be outmarked or spoiled easily and will cause heaps of spillages --> ala Barry Hall minus 99.99% of the talent. The fact that Cloke has never been tried in this role is a disgrace from our coaching staff considering the lack of influence he has most weeks. I've seen him there for 3 minute streaks at best, a quarter would be nice?

 

[kevind]

The fact that Cloke has never been tried in this role is a disgrace from our coaching staff considering the lack of influence he has most weeks. I've seen him there for 3 minute streaks at best, a quarter would be nice?

So you are suggesting putting Cloke in a position where he might have more shots on goal? One of the most innacurate kicks for goal that I have ever seen! Perhaps we could then score 4-17 every week.

It also takes Cloke's greatest strength out of the equation ie his mobility to keep leading up the wings.

The problem with our forward line is not that we bomb the ball long, the problem is that because we take the ball along the boundary, it takes so long to go forward that opposition teams can flood our forward 50 making it very difficult to spot up targets inside 50.

The problem is also compounded by the fact that we usually bomb the ball into the forward pockets, a tactic that actually eases the pressure on the defence. If we were to bomb the ball to the square and actually have a player to compete in the air and a player front and square for the crumbs we would put far more pressure on the opposition. And also be more likely to kick goals than points.

 

[Zahki]

[/b]
So you are suggesting putting Cloke in a position where he might have more shots on goal? One of the most innacurate kicks for goal that I have ever seen! Perhaps we could then score 4-17 every week.

If you're that worried about Clokes accuracy then he shouldn't be playing as a forward, period.

Forwards kick goals, if Cloke wants to play up there put him in a position where he can have more scoring opportunities. If he's skill kicking 50/50 then stick him in the backline, pretty simple.

We lack a power forward. We beat the Bulldogs with Didak and Medhurst kicking 4 each, they can't have that output every game so where do the goals come from? Evidently not Anthony or Cloke. Can our midfield kick 8+ goals between them? They havn't managed it yet.

 

[crackerss08]

Boot lockyer off the team and problem solved!

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

[/b]


So you are suggesting putting Cloke in a position where he might have more shots on goal? One of the most innacurate kicks for goal that I have ever seen! Perhaps we could then score 4-17 every week.

It also takes Cloke's greatest strength out of the equation ie his mobility to keep leading up the wings.

The problem with our forward line is not that we bomb the ball long, the problem is that because we take the ball along the boundary, it takes so long to go forward that opposition teams can flood our forward 50 making it very difficult to spot up targets inside 50.

The problem is also compounded by the fact that we usually bomb the ball into the forward pockets, a tactic that actually eases the pressure on the defence. If we were to bomb the ball to the square and actually have a player to compete in the air and a player front and square for the crumbs we would put far more pressure on the opposition. And also be more likely to kick goals than points.

His mobility strength is made irrelevant by the fact that he is the main offender when it comes to blazing away and causing turnovers. He simply never looks when he kicks it into the 50. He is one of the most impatient players in our team and that hurts us considering where he gets most of his possessions and our game plan.

On your other point about a player competing in the air; weren't you simply reiterating what I was saying? We haven't recruited any players who have the capacity to compete in the air other than Cloke and considering the plethora of smalls we have who could feed off such a player, it is a disgrace that we haven't recruited one. We have other players who at least have the tools to play that high mobile forward role in Dawes, Reid or even Fraser but noone other than Cloke who can be that goalsquare monster. As I said, Leroy is an option but the fact that he is a terrible player makes him a bad one.

If moving Cloke to the goalsquare means he kicks 15 more goals a season and we get a combined 25 more goals out of Davis, Didak, Thomas, Dick, Lockyer and Medhurst then I'm pretty sure it outweighs what we are losing.

I also never said it should be a long-term option or even that it would work but that it should be tried. It's not like Cloke has dominated even once in the last couple of years so we wouldn't have lost out too much by trying it for a quarter or so to see how we go?? We tried a hack there in Brown in round 1 and it straightened us up but the mistakes he makes are unforgivable. The handball over the top to Didak being a case in point. I think Cloke would do well in this role and having his shots closer to goal and not on the 50 arc out wide would certainly increase his conversion rate.

If you're that worried about Clokes accuracy then he shouldn't be playing as a forward, period.

Forwards kick goals, if Cloke wants to play up there put him in a position where he can have more scoring opportunities. If he's skill kicking 50/50 then stick him in the backline, pretty simple.

We lack a power forward. We beat the Bulldogs with Didak and Medhurst kicking 4 each, they can't have that output every game so where do the goals come from? Evidently not Anthony or Cloke. Can our midfield kick 8+ goals between them? They havn't managed it yet.

Didak and Medhurst kicked 4 each because there was a big guy in the forward 50 drawing defenders and causing spillages. We were brilliant in that game but for some reason the game plan has been abandoned.

 

[Mickaman]

Under pressure with a forward line like that we are better off just kicking it along the ground into space(which wouldn't be that hard for some of our players).

The ball on the deck with Medhurst Davis Didak and to a lesser extent Lockyer going at it would put the defenders under the pump more then just bombing it long and high. If they are one out then it's different but if the other team has players back lets not make it easy for them.

Thats a different game plan. It might actually work.

 

[Nardz]

Thats a different game plan. It might actually work.

well currently we have about a 1 in 8 hit rate (complete guess) of our crumbers getting the pill when the balls been pumped into a forward line - cant see this getting any worse if we played this different game plan. the only thing that will change is there'll be less uncontested marks by opposition defenders. so i'm all for it