Forward line structure

[hayes]

Yep, what SS said.

 

[Sheeza69]

I hate it every time I see Milne get the ball behind the centre. He almost always tries something tricky. Fine when success means a goal and failure a turnover in their 50. Not when success mean the ball moves forward 30m and failure a goal to them.

I noted that On the Coach last night was saying the same thing. That we have too many forwards who can not play in the midfield and this means we get overrun due to the other side having more midfield rotations.

In hindsight..

If Maister was underdone (he was), why not keep him closer to goal & Milney at his feet.

Use Roo, Hickey & Siposs (why was he sub) forward of the centre & Saad & Milera could have also been used up the ground offering some run & carry through the midfield..Maister was often up the ground as a marking target..

My belief is Maister should be used strictly as a FF, similiar to Kossie's previous role..! Milne is lost up the ground, & often turns it over on a regular basis..He's a freak in the 50m arc, leave him there..!

Roo's strength is his gut running, let him burn his opponents off..! How often did we see Roo double or tripled teamed when close to goal..!

Probably the worst performance by the Saints under the Watters regime, & i was disgusted by the second half fade out against a bottom 8 side..!!

Maybe their just knackered..??

We must be the most travelled side in the AFL to date, incuding the NAB Cup..
Other than an 8 day break, we consistently play on the back of 6 day breaks...!!!

 

[bird_man]

I'd like to see Big Boy get a go in the goal square. Either way Siposs needs to start up forward to give us another option. If he is injured than it would be good to see Lee get another go.

Saad Reiwoldt Millera
Milne McEvoy Siposs/Lee

 

[The Punter]

I'd like to see Hickey and McEvoy spend equal time in the ruck and the forward line (that is, equal to each other).

 

[Saint Christopher]

If you can get the ball to his hands he's good. But he's not massive at getting it.
Milne got 17 disposals in his first game. TDL once got 11 against Gold Coast.

TDL plays best as a lead up forward, did so at times at Sydney and kicked a bag in the Neafl in that role. Swans supporters simply stopped expecting him to tackle any create forward pressure or win a contest! Main reason he was traded i believe, well, that's what the mad swans fan on my street tell me. Which makes you wonder why we traded him in.

We don't seem to rotate enough through FF, like others have said, we stick someone at FF and kick long, hoping for our out of form crumbers to pick off the scraps. In previous years we seemed to move players through the forward line in a kind of circle formation, either to isolate or to create a mismatch. This is why Sipposs (playing an entire game up front is so important) a third marking option means that defenders can't peel off and go to Roo. Our smalls don't seem to present enough or maybe they do and get ignored...perhaps this is all the domino effect of Milne being out of form.

I am all for one crumbing forward and a defensive forward who is capable of being a mid like the old McQ role (Curran?) If we are still playing with a plus one then the sixth forward must be pushing through the middle to create space and staying defensive side of our fifty for the shanked clearing kick.

 

[Persevering Saint]

You can't have 5 specialist forwards in this day and age. It limits midfield rotations, and it lacks versatility, flexibility and unpredictability. The fact that we as fans ever thought otherwise is naive. The fact that our coaching and selection staff did is the strangest kind of astonishing.

 

[Saint Christopher]

You can't have 5 specialist forwards in this day and age. It limits midfield rotations, and it lacks versatility, flexibility and unpredictability. The fact that we as fans ever thought otherwise is naive. The fact that our coaching and selection staff did is the strangest kind of astonishing.

Hi PS, not sure if your post was replying to mine...I actually agree with you if that be the case. I am trying to stress a balance of how we set up, not discussing selection which has been woeful. One position forwards ARE a liability, even Buddy and Roo can swing thru the midfield. I think part of the problem is that Watters thought/expected Saad and Milera to be able to (Milera) -play wing/half back, (Saad) - able to rove for parts of the game like Jarryd Blair. Reckon we are (strangely) 'missing' Markworth, who was earmarked to be a high HF and a winger I believe and has the pace to apply defensive pressure going out and break line going in.

Saad is trying hard I feel, but Milera seems lost and badly out of form.

 

[bird_man]

Unfortunately Milera doesn't do enough when he doesn't have the ball and tries to do too much when he does have the ball. He has a lot of talent, lets hope he can pull his finger out.

 

[Persevering Saint]

No worries, Chris. I was kinda building on your point.

Loss of form is about confidence or fitness. Neither of which are Milera's problem. Milera's is purely attitude.

 

[SaintLex]

Four talls is the same problem we had today though.

I still like, and don't know why we got away from two talls, one medium, two smalls and a resting mid like we had the past three weeks or four weeks. So for example:

Siposs Roo Saunders/Murdoch/Armo/you get the point
Milne Maister Saad

This is my ideal forward line as well.

Roo is the obvious choice. No explanation needed.
Maister provides us with a contested marking option. He competes directly with Kosi and Hickey.
Milne and Saad are obviously the small forwards, and compete with Milera.
Siposs is the mobile medium tall, who competes with TDL and Lee for a spot (possibly Dunell, although he seems to be playing off HB for the Zebs now?)
Rotating mid as mentioned

 

[Defacto]

saunders should be a permanent fixture in the fwd pocket. he reminds me of a gazza junior. will help him adjust to the speed of the AFL and give him a chance to get some run through the midfield

saad, milne, milera, hyphen should all be competing for the one spot IMO, unless their performance warrants a selection

 

[hayes]

^^I'm with you on that.

 

[Persevering Saint]

saad, milne, milera, hyphen should all be competing for the one spot IMO, unless their performance warrants a selection

Agree. One specialist small forward. Two specialist tall forwards. One specialist medium forward. Then ruck-forward, rotating mid.

 

[Half Back Pocket]

Agree. One specialist small forward. Two specialist tall forwards. One specialist medium forward. Then ruck-forward, rotating mid.

I'd even go so far as to say 2 rotating mids or ruck-forward/rotating mid depending on match-ups.

I liked Gearys play on Thompson at FF last week...ball was kicked to his advantage, protected the drop zone, drew the free kick & we kicked a goal (was it Milne?). Just goes to show that being unpredictable can be a real weapon.

 

[The Punter]

Milne's career is almost over, and perhaps the game has changed, and perhaps Saad won't be the same, but for the entirety of Milne's career (excluding 2002), he's always been more productive playing with another specialist small forward in the team, whether it has been Brent Guerra, Adam Schneider or Ahmed Saad.

 

[70s sainter]

U

This is my ideal forward line as well.

Roo is the obvious choice. No explanation needed.
Maister provides us with a contested marking option. He competes directly with Kosi and Hickey.
Milne and Saad are obviously the small forwards, and compete with Milera.
Siposs is the mobile medium tall, who competes with TDL and Lee for a spot (possibly Dunell, although he seems to be playing off HB for the Zebs now?)
Rotating mid as mentioned

Agree on this set up and would like to see it in place for a month or so . This structure is sound and we can trial different players ie lee tdl and others around it.

 

[Richter]

No worries, Chris. I was kinda building on your point.

Loss of form is about confidence or fitness. Neither of which are Milera's problem. Milera's is purely attitude.

I agree that Terry is not 'out of form' - in 2013 he is averaging 11.8 disp, 3.5 marks, 1.8 tackles and 1.0 goals compared with only marginally better numbers last year - 12.3 disp, 3.3 marks, 2.6 tackles, 1.3 goals. The problem is that he has not come on as we had hoped. In my view whilst that could be 'attitude', I simply think that he just is not as good as we had hoped. He's flashy, but his awareness of his teammates remains shocking. He looks like a classic frontrunner who just doesn't have what it takes to get any hard ball whatsoever. I don't think this will change so for mine, unless he does something terrific and sustained at Sandy then he'll languish there for the rest of the year and should be de-listed at year's end. He doesn't demand a spot over the likes of Siposs, and if he needs a spell I'd rather that spot be used for one or other of Murdoch/Saunders/Minchington/Curren. At present I'd even rather TDL got a gig in front of Terry.

 

[Richter]

saunders should be a permanent fixture in the fwd pocket. he reminds me of a gazza junior. will help him adjust to the speed of the AFL and give him a chance to get some run through the midfield

I disagree with this. Whilst I agree that Saunders looks a likely prospect, in his two games at AFL level (albeit that he's only averaged just over 50% TOG due to being sub for one of the games) he's only gathered 9 and 6 disposals. Compare with the game in the VFL where he picked up 28. He looked terrific taking the game on in that highlights package. IMO this season he's better off having more games this season at VFL level to gain the ongoing confidence, skill and physical toughness with the occasional taster at AFL level than being shoved in at forward pocket for an extended period without seeing anywhere near as much of the footy. Next season he'll be ready for more AFL games and by 2015 hopefully he'll be a regular for St Kilda.