essendons no.1 tag?

[TheDon35]

Was this post necessary?

Be a man and take it.

He's saying that we'll struggle if there's nobody at essendon worthy of tagging. On that point, he would be spot on.

 

[Pelkanet]

It was Stanton last year, but Winderlich started to get a lot of attention.

Teams don't tag Watson, they put a bloke on him that can hurt him the other way.

Like a Sam Mitchell that is going to beat him most times, thats why we have never been great at centre clearences. We don't have any top class midfielders.

 

[DaSawx]

But we have been good in clearances, we've been up there along with 1st possessions.

Our midfiled looks ordinary because we turn it over so much, if our skill level can improve it'll go form ordinary to under-rated.

 

[lemon chicken]

No one says it has to be a midfielder. Surely opposition coaches look at shutting down Lucas and Lloyd before any one else. Most defenders on these 2 are still tagging right?

 

[Longy413]

No one says it has to be a midfielder. Surely opposition coaches look at shutting down Lucas and Lloyd before any one else. Most defenders on these 2 are still tagging right?

A defender does that by default, midfielders don't.

 

[lemon chicken]

A defender does that by default, midfielders don't.

Say's who? Some defenders are attacking, some midfielders are defensive. To tag someone would be to be given a job of minding a player for that day. What position they play has little to do with it. When James Hird played forward he wasnt tagged?

 

[Longy413]

When James Hird played forward he wasnt tagged?

Yes, by the same person that tagged him when he went in the midfield or if he went to half back. But he's only tagged on the basis that he spends time in the midfield.

Defenders play in positions, Dustin Fletcher and Mal Michael rarely swap positions when the opposition FF and CHF swap. Dustin Fletcher doesn't go off the field when the opposition CHF goes off for a rest.

And an attacking defender is still a defender by default, he still has a opponent to look after. His core role is stop his opponent getting the footy, not winning it himself.

In fact, I don't think an attacking defender is a specific role. It's just some defenders have better attacking skills than others and you utilise those when you have the ball. IE Fletcher.

A defensive midfielder is again a different role altogether. Kane Cornes is a defensive midfielder, but not a tagger. He doesn't follow players out of the midfield.

 

[Bombfire]

Yes, by the same person that tagged him when he went in the midfield or if he went to half back. But he's only tagged on the basis that he spends time in the midfield.

Defenders play in positions, Dustin Fletcher and Mal Michael rarely swap positions when the opposition FF and CHF swap. Dustin Fletcher doesn't go off the field when the opposition CHF goes off for a rest.

And an attacking defender is still a defender by default, he still has a opponent to look after. His core role is stop his opponent getting the footy, not winning it himself.

In fact, I don't think an attacking defender is a specific role. It's just some defenders have better attacking skills than others and you utilise those when you have the ball. IE Fletcher.

A defensive midfielder is again a different role altogether. Kane Cornes is a defensive midfielder, but not a tagger. He doesn't follow players out of the midfield.

I can come up with a couple of players who didn't fit that bill at Essendon, Sean Wellman's role was primarily to get the ball, Mark Harvey used to wander around centre half back attacking the ball first, opponent minding second, and Paul Roos never defaulted to his opponent at any stage.

Don't agree about defenders having positions either, Mal Michael is a case in point at Essendon, he'll always go to a big body.

 

[lemon chicken]

Yes, by the same person that tagged him when he went in the midfield or if he went to half back. But he's only tagged on the basis that he spends time in the midfield.

Defenders play in positions, Dustin Fletcher and Mal Michael rarely swap positions when the opposition FF and CHF swap. Dustin Fletcher doesn't go off the field when the opposition CHF goes off for a rest.

And an attacking defender is still a defender by default, he still has a opponent to look after. His core role is stop his opponent getting the footy, not winning it himself.

In fact, I don't think an attacking defender is a specific role. It's just some defenders have better attacking skills than others and you utilise those when you have the ball. IE Fletcher.

A defensive midfielder is again a different role altogether. Kane Cornes is a defensive midfielder, but not a tagger. He doesn't follow players out of the midfield.

Key defenders play on their assigned opponent.

The best players are tagged no matter what position they play. We are now seeing coaches employ tactics of tagging running defenders that zone off and create attacking play.

 

[GoDons]

The best players are tagged no matter what position they play. We are now seeing coaches employ tactics of tagging running defenders that zone off and create attacking play.

The Andrew Welsh role of 2007.

Interesting that Knights labelled him as a defender in his press conference today, I quite liked him up around half forward.

Mind you, with Mark Johnson's departure, we're probably a small defender down if Henry Slattery's going to tag through the midfield.

 

[bomba4eva]

I don't think we actually have any players that are worthy of a tag at Essendon.

Watson or Stanton would be the most likely to recieve the #1 tag though.

This is probably the sad truth at this stage. Looking forward to seeing Dempsey, Houli, Reimers and Monfries requiring hard tags in a couple of years

 

[Longy413]

I can come up with a couple of players who didn't fit that bill at Essendon, Sean Wellman's role was primarily to get the ball, Mark Harvey used to wander around centre half back attacking the ball first, opponent minding second, and Paul Roos never defaulted to his opponent at any stage.

That's because all three of them read the play so well.
Which is exactly what I was saying, it was a strength.

They backed themselves to beat their opponent by winning the ball.

Sean Wellman played on a lot of the best CHF's going around.

Don't agree about defenders having positions either, Mal Michael is a case in point at Essendon, he'll always go to a big body.

Mal Michael played FB, Dustin Fletcher played CHB.

Just like before Mal Michael, Dustin Fletcher always played at FB.
Regardless of whether he was playing on Jon Brown, Richo or Phil Matera.

The best players are tagged no matter what position they play. We are now seeing coaches employ tactics of tagging running defenders that zone off and create attacking play.

There is a difference between a tag and a defensive player.
A tag's sole objective is to stop his opponent getting the ball.

Welsh was a prime example of a defensive forward, but his sole objective wasn't to stop his opponent getting the ball. It was to get dangerous OR lead his oppoent out of the space.

Slattery is a tagger, Damien Peverill (circa 2006-2007) isn't but he is a defensive midfielder, but he rotates off different players. Ala Kane Cornes.

A defensive player stands on the defensive side of his opponent, but doesn't necessarily follow his opponent to the ball. A tagger will.

 

[stander]

That's because all three of them read the play so well.
Which is exactly what I was saying, it was a strength.

Now Longy413, from my cursory analysis of this thread, you were saying the core role of an attacking defender is to beat his opponent. Nonsense, the other guy mentioned Roos, great attacking defender, but never had an opponent. Lift your game son.

 

[Longy413]

Now Longy413, from my cursory analysis of this thread, you were saying the core role of an attacking defender is to beat his opponent. Nonsense, the other guy mentioned Roos, great attacking defender, but never had an opponent. Lift your game son.

Wasn't playing as a defender then was he.
If you're playing without an opponent, you can't be an attacking defender by default. You're just playing in the back third of the ground.

Just like Fletcher wasn't playing as a defender against West Coast the first time around.

Big difference between the role he played that game and most other weeks last season.

 

[stander]

Wasn't playing as a defender then was he.
If you're playing without an opponent, you can't be an attacking defender by default. You're just playing in the back third of the ground.

Just like Fletcher wasn't playing as a defender against West Coast the first time around.

Big difference between the role he played that game and most other weeks last season.

I'm starting to get your drift now. We have now added new descriptions of players positions on the ground - back third players for defenders without an opponent, midfielders without an opponent are mid third players, and forwards without an opponent ( not likely ) are front third players. You should patent those Longy. Unfortunately they wouldn't roll off the tounge too well on radio.

I still reckon the other guy was right about Roos.

 

[Longy413]

Probably because commentators have to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

 

[Eccles]

Wasn't playing as a defender then was he.
If you're playing without an opponent, you can't be an attacking defender by default. You're just playing in the back third of the ground.

Just like Fletcher wasn't playing as a defender against West Coast the first time around.

Big difference between the role he played that game and most other weeks last season.

Too clever by half, and bollocks.

The role of all players in the "defensive third" is to repel attacks and rebound the ball in a wholistic sense. Some will be tasked to play more of a lockdown role, where some will be encouraged to run off and create. But ultimately they're all repelling the oppositions attack. Fletch may not always play on an opponent, but that doesnt mean he isnt a defender. If the ball is kicked in long he will attempt to cover the contest, spoil or mark if possible then run and carry to repel the attack. This is one of the very many definitions of a defender in aussie rules footy.

 

[Longy413]

The role of all players in the "defensive third" is to repel attacks and rebound the ball in a wholistic sense.

No, that's just palying footy.
Stop the opposition going forward and get the ball going your way.

Some will be tasked to play more of a lockdown role, where some will be encouraged to run off and create.

Yes, those that have the skill set to do it.
You don't encourage blokes to do it for the sake of it, you encourage those that are up to it. That's exactly what I said.

But ultimately they're all repelling the oppositions attack.

Didn't I say defenders defend by default?

Fletch may not always play on an opponent, but that doesnt mean he isnt a defender. If the ball is kicked in long he will attempt to cover the contest, spoil or mark if possible then run and carry to repel the attack.

All players have to spoil, mark, cover a contest where possible. If you are playing seven players in your backline, like we did with Fletcher against the West Coast Eagles you aren't playing as a defender, you aren't tagging.

 

[Eccles]

No, that's just palying footy.
Stop the opposition going forward and get the ball going your way.



Yes, those that have the skill set to do it.
You don't encourage blokes to do it for the sake of it, you encourage those that are up to it. That's exactly what I said.



Didn't I say defenders defend by default?




All players have to spoil, mark, cover a contest where possible. If you are playing seven players in your backline, like we did with Fletcher against the West Coast Eagles you aren't playing as a defender, you aren't tagging.

But its all semantics Longy... in popular AFL vernacular a defender is someone who plays in the back third of the ground.

Now, I can agree that the definition you've just laid out makes sense but it doesnt matter two figs what I or you think, everyone else will go on referring to Fletcher as a defender whenever he's playing in the back third.

Mob rules.

 

[Slattery_20]

All players have to spoil, mark, cover a contest where possible. If you are playing seven players in your backline, like we did with Fletcher against the West Coast Eagles you aren't playing as a defender, you aren't tagging.

Then what would you call it?
Most people would just call him a loose defender

 

[saladin]

with the great man retired, stants is going to cop lots of attention. he will be target number 1. hopefully the others realise this and give him a chop out on occassions.

watson isn't really taggable (is that a word?), because the congested clearance specialist isn't trying to get out by themselves and receive - they win the footy in close. hard to stop that. they'll try to run off him instead.

jason johnson may attract a tag if he can get back to some form from earlier in the decade. winderlich probably won't as a winger, likewise lovett.

Mcveigh might need to be minded if released from defensive roles himself.

monfries is also more of an inside player. plus, he's likely to have a defensive task himself.

after that, you come to the young and untried. who knows what the likes of hislop / hocking/ myers/ reimers/ jetta / davey will be like ( although i suspect anyone trying to tag hislop and reimers may cop some punishment!!)?
these guys are unknowns, but hopefully some will require tagging next year.

 

[evs05]

unless someone steps up i can't really see anyone getting a tag at essendon.

stanton doesn't hurt the opposition enough imo - although i wouldn't be surprised to see him step up with a bit more game time this year. watson gets a shitload of the ball but his poor disposal means he is not worth tagging. he's also pretty sloppy running the other way and a lot of midfielders would back themselves to get the better of him over the course of a game.

 

[#1 Dogs Fan]

To be honest their wont be much tags at the bombers. It will be more like man on man and try to beat your opponent bombers midfield.

Their most consistent player in the middle is Stanton but i think McVeigh will get tagged on most occasions.

 

[Longy413]

stanton doesn't hurt the opposition enough imo - although i wouldn't be surprised to see him step up with a bit more game time this year. watson gets a shitload of the ball but his poor disposal means he is not worth tagging.

He's been getting tagged for the best part of two years...