How many teams still use the forward press

Xhoquelin

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G'day guys, against Adelaide the Dees setup in a pretty noticeable forward press after any behind/kick out on the full, with two rows of 3 inside forward 50 defending kick-ins.
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Honestly I was not a huge fan of the tactic; any time the Crows got it to Milera they basically ran right through it, and given the dimensions of the footy ground, covering that 50m circle with only 6 guys seems quite tough for me. However, let's be honest ball use is pretty abysmal at AFL level these days, and most defenders will take the conservative kick long down the line vs a stoppage, rather than try thread the needle(although I believe Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney in particular have the weaponry coming out of defence to dissect the forward press. It certainly worked vs Adelaide as long as Milera wasn't kicking(and in a H&A season game we would 100% send a tagger to Milera he is too good with ball in hand anyway).

Are there any other teams that still use the forward press? Iirc Richmond used it quite well in 2017; most teams these days really value forward 50 pressure, but I was more under the assumption you setup the forward press once you have a stoppage inside 50, not so much vs kick ins where the first kick is uncontested.

And from any teams that have used it in the past, what are the strengths/weaknesses of the system? I'm guessing you need a fair bit of forward 6 mobility to apply a press; Dees probably are about middle of the road there.TMac, Jacko, Brown are all fairly mobile talls, and Kozzy is a pest, but Fritsch Hannan don't lay a whole lot of F50 tackles. As for weaknesses I am worried about us burning out if we try this system for a whole season; I guess that's where a guy like Tom Mcdonald, Alex Neal Bullen, Ed Langdon and Adam Tomlinson really come into play with their running capacity.
 

NoobPie

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G'day guys, against Adelaide the Dees setup in a pretty noticeable forward press after any behind/kick out on the full, with two rows of 3 inside forward 50 defending kick-ins.
View attachment 829090

Honestly I was not a huge fan of the tactic; any time the Crows got it to Milera they basically ran right through it, and given the dimensions of the footy ground, covering that 50m circle with only 6 guys seems quite tough for me. However, let's be honest ball use is pretty abysmal at AFL level these days, and most defenders will take the conservative kick long down the line vs a stoppage, rather than try thread the needle(although I believe Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney in particular have the weaponry coming out of defence to dissect the forward press. It certainly worked vs Adelaide as long as Milera wasn't kicking(and in a H&A season game we would 100% send a tagger to Milera he is too good with ball in hand anyway).

Are there any other teams that still use the forward press? Iirc Richmond used it quite well in 2017; most teams these days really value forward 50 pressure, but I was more under the assumption you setup the forward press once you have a stoppage inside 50, not so much vs kick ins where the first kick is uncontested.

And from any teams that have used it in the past, what are the strengths/weaknesses of the system? I'm guessing you need a fair bit of forward 6 mobility to apply a press; Dees probably are about middle of the road there.TMac, Jacko, Brown are all fairly mobile talls, and Kozzy is a pest, but Fritsch Hannan don't lay a whole lot of F50 tackles. As for weaknesses I am worried about us burning out if we try this system for a whole season; I guess that's where a guy like Tom Mcdonald, Alex Neal Bullen, Ed Langdon and Adam Tomlinson really come into play with their running capacity.


Pretty much every team has used a kick in zone since the 90s. It is a dominant tactic to defend a kick in.

A zone relates to the positioning of the team without the ball (i.e. that it is focused on space being occupied more than players being "manned"). A press relates to the pressure the defensive team applies to the team with the ball. They are very different things but they are not mutually exclusive

I can't tell from that still whether Melbourne is applying a press or whether it is just a conventional kick in zone
 
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Pretty much every team has used a kick in zone since the 90s. It is a dominant tactic to defend a kick in.

A zone relates to the positioning of the team without the ball (i.e. that it is focused on space being occupied more than players being "manned"). A press relates to the pressure the defensive team applies to the team with the ball. They are very different things but they are not mutually exclusive

I can't tell from that still whether Melbourne is applying a press or whether it is just a conventional kick in zone
You can never quite tell what melbourne are doing. Ever. I should know. And when you do think on the odd occasion that whatever they are doing seems to be working, odds are it’s pure accident and you won’t see it again
 
I feel like I'm qualified to speak on this.

Was employed successfully by the Eagles of 2011 all the way to a prelim (inspiration for my username) until picked apart. Eagles 2018 had nothing similar to a forward press in it's armory.

I think in the end like most novel tactics it took some by surprise at first, led to unexpected success, then other teams worked it out and it was discarded. Might be revived by Melbourne this year if that pre-season game is an indication so I guess it's all a cycle. Who knows, Clarko Cluster Mk II might be deployed again.
 

bombard

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I feel like I'm qualified to speak on this.

Was employed successfully by the Eagles of 2011 all the way to a prelim (inspiration for my username) until picked apart. Eagles 2018 had nothing similar to a forward press in it's armory.

I think in the end like most novel tactics it took some by surprise at first, led to unexpected success, then other teams worked it out and it was discarded. Might be revived by Melbourne this year if that pre-season game is an indication so I guess it's all a cycle. Who knows, Clarko Cluster Mk II might be deployed again.

Maybe you can change your name to "Informative Post" and find some utility in the post forward press world? :cool:
 

Yojimbo

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Another good version of this tactic is to give the opponent an easy out in the pocket and then set up the zone
tighter behind the obvious out, if you defend the switch back this effectively narrows the ground. We had
some vision from our Queensland camp and it was like a chess board the pieces were so well placed, there
was not one obvious match up they were all guarding grass.
 
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My perception of the forward press was always more focused on the defenders pushing up the ground on the back end of the zone (across the centreline) rather than concentrating on how the forwards set up within their forward 50m arc.

i.e. a forward press from all 18 players rather than a forward press from the six forwards.

I could be wrong, but I haven’t noticed any change to this league-wide tactic. All teams still try to lock the ball in their front half by pushing their mids and defenders high up the ground in a defensive zone.

I can’t see it going away anytime soon. A well-organised zone is the the best form of defence (in any sport.) Why would you give ground to the opposition?
 
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Literally everyone. A different version of it sure, but the same fundamental of using most of your 18 to defend space in the forward half of the ground when the opposition has it there.

Wasn't employed by us though in recent times. Was a source of frustration during Woosha years though, as if/when a team breaks through the forward press it resulted in loads of space for the opposition to run into. Coast to coast goals were common much to the annoyance of fans.

You still set up for kick ins, sure, but not desirable for all 18 to be within 50-60m of the goal any more.
 

mouncey2franklin

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These are the kinds of discussions which still bring me back to the main board every now and then.

Over the last 15 years or so we have witnessed a phenomenal shift in strategy and tactics in the AFL world.

It is still ongoing.

And we'd be lucky if even 5% of the 'football public' has any appreciation for it.

Australia is a backwater in so many ways.
 

NoobPie

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These are the kinds of discussions which still bring me back to the main board every now and then.

Over the last 15 years or so we have witnessed a phenomenal shift in strategy and tactics in the AFL world.

It is still ongoing.

And we'd be lucky if even 5% of the 'football public' has any appreciation for it.

Australia is a backwater in so many ways.


Channel 7 subject us to commentary teams who don't understand the holding the ball rule. You can watch a whole game where 3 special comments people (particularly if they include Richo, Lingy and Darcy) will not provide one bit of strategic or tactical insight

I think a big problem is that this process has been so recent. I think in 20 years there will be a lot more accessible insight into what is going on
 

mouncey2franklin

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I think a big problem is that this process has been so recent. I think in 20 years there will be a lot more accessible insight into what is going on
I hope you are proven correct but I doubt this will be the case.

The masses do not care for anything which requires thought, patience, or close observation.

And our game does not translate well on TV when it comes to discussing zones, presses, etc, because the field is too large.

Most of the game is displayed with the camera on the ball in what is effectively a zoom.

We can't even see what is in front of the kicking player until he kicks it. It is madness, really.
 

NoobPie

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I hope you are proven correct but I doubt this will be the case.

The masses do not care for anything which requires thought, patience, or close observation.

And our game does not translate well on TV when it comes to discussing zones, presses, etc, because the field is too large.

Most of the game is displayed with the camera on the ball in what is effectively a zoom.

We can't even see what is in front of the kicking player until he kicks it. It is madness, really.

I was going to say on the previous comment that I think there will also be substantial advancement in how the game is broadcast / presented

I think a growing minority of fans will engage at that level. The "kick it up the guts" generation are getting older and are replaced by younger folk who have only known the modern game
 
I was going to say on the previous comment that I think there will also be substantial advancement in how the game is broadcast / presented

I think a growing minority of fans will engage at that level. The "kick it up the guts" generation are getting older and are replaced by younger folk who have only known the modern game

Player pauses to assess options:
"Just kick it!"

Player turns it over with a long kick:
"Who was that to?"

Yes, Eagles fans are often known for this, not going to deny it. Gets mildly annoying.
 

Topkent

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I hope you are proven correct but I doubt this will be the case.

The masses do not care for anything which requires thought, patience, or close observation.

And our game does not translate well on TV when it comes to discussing zones, presses, etc, because the field is too large.

Most of the game is displayed with the camera on the ball in what is effectively a zoom.

We can't even see what is in front of the kicking player until he kicks it. It is madness, really.
The extent of tactical insight on broadcasts can be summed up in 2 sentences.

When a team is playing well 'their pressure was through the roof'

When a team is playing poorly ' they need to take more risks and move it quickly '
 
Everyone tries to pressure the ball in their forward area. The problem with any press strategy is that it must leave space open if the opposition breaks through the press.

So I guess what the OP means is how many teams have a full press in the forward area. What I see is that basically all teams leave a defensive structure outside 50 ready for the kick to space. Often it's a defensive set up outside the 'forward press'. Teams that over commit don't gain much and create space for coast to coast goals.

Teams learn from what others do and develop tactics to stop/exploit the situation. The full on forward press is an example of that. However, all teams do press in their forward zone, just in a smarter way.
 
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Another good version of this tactic is to give the opponent an easy out in the pocket and then set up the zone
tighter behind the obvious out, if you defend the switch back this effectively narrows the ground. We had
some vision from our Queensland camp and it was like a chess board the pieces were so well placed, there
was not one obvious match up they were all guarding grass.
The easy possession from kick in to the backpocket - who “wins” from that?
 

coniglio_number1

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Channel 7 subject us to commentary teams who don't understand the holding the ball rule. You can watch a whole game where 3 special comments people (particularly if they include Richo, Lingy and Darcy) will not provide one bit of strategic or tactical insight

I think a big problem is that this process has been so recent. I think in 20 years there will be a lot more accessible insight into what is going on
Bartel was quite good at reading the tactics being employed an explaining it in his commentary. A good footy brain
 
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Every team will set up a zone from a slow play kick out.

The changes of late have been keeping at least one defender deeper to stop the fast break.

There's been little change in kick out strategies. North have used Cunnington and Ziebell as big marking mids for corridor kicks and the Eagles have done the same with Yeo. But a lot of teams remain happy to go long and deep to a spot 60-70 out on the boundary and then try to halve a contest.
 
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