Autopsy Loss to Adelaide by 33 pts

[darkshines]

I wasn't intending this to be yet another boring Dawson conversation/argument/debate - I think we've exhausted that ten times over already. What I am interested in is what happens in 1-3 years time when guys like Johnson and Dawson are unlikely to be playing with us? Do we just give up because they're the only ones on our list "strong enough"?

I just wanted to challenge some of the thinking here... The new defensive strategy seems to have shifted away from the traditional "we need to match the forwards in size and strength" to "we need to put pressure on down field, have smart defenders that can intercept, and then speedy defenders to run and carry and/or elite kicks to rebound quickly out of defence and turn defence into attack". WB, GWS and most top teams don't have as many big guys nor (relatively) strong ones these days - but they are very good at pressure o the ball carrier, at intercepting, and then rebounding before their opposition has time to get back to defend. Sure they give up losing one-on-ones against the monsters when the ball comes in too cleanly but if you are outscoring them from rebounds and matching scoring from clearances, then you're still going to win on the scoreboard more often than not.

If that is the direction we want to go (and that's the rhetoric that's been coming from our coaches) then we probably need to start filling our back line with good interceptors, good runners, elite kicks more so than big strong bodies just to negate or create stoppages in D50s. For the purposes of this conversation I don't care so much who the personnel are but I think atm we are effectively trying to do both the traditional and the new and have ended up doing neither particularly well. I suspect we need to choose one or the other like most of the good teams seemed to have done.

Which is exactly why i thought Bootsma would be given a chance. He's a poor mans McGovern. See that laser he kicked to Darling on the weekend? We have no one on our list who could do that.

I'm beginning to feel that Sheridan doesnt kick it far enough to be playing the role they've fashioned for him. He is very very similar to Brodie Smith, v avg defender but pretty quick and has a grouse side step. Key difference is Smith can kick 65 off a step. Not enough penetration when Sheridan goes long IMO.

If his weapon is his running ability, should be playing outside mid reciever.