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Midfield Bodies

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Angelus512

Angelus512

All Australian
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Aug 28, 2006
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Sydney
AFL Club
Collingwood
I dont normally start my own threads but this time I felt it necessary. Watching the game last night I had a few very strong thoughts that I've seen time and time again.

1) We've come a long way since last year where we would always drop games we were supposed to win.....however last night has given me concerns it might be cropping up again.

2) How did we get so carved up in the midfield last night and LEFT THE CORRIDOR WIDE OPEN...TIME AND TIME AGAIN.

3) I just noticed our midfielders seem to get bullied around by bigger bodies very easily. Don't seem to go hard at the ball when they should and get pushed off far too easily.

After reading many opposition comments over weeks I have to say I'm actually concerned now about high pressure games and the SIZE of our midfielders/body strength.

Seriously whom have we beat this year? Bulldogs yes but given what happened to them on Friday I'd submitt he dogs are simply not as good as everybody things but then again i've held that view for a while.

Everybody else we've beaten has been not up to our standard.

Those we want to beat, those on our level, saints, geelong, even brisbane to a certain extent based on their remaining talent. We've failed that task.
In my opinion it comes down to the hardness of midfielder bodies and the clear as daylight fact MM appears to just leave the corridor wide open...for reasons that defy logic
I'm worried if we don't fix the size of their bodies and their hardness at it (the hardness is easier because we know we can go hard at it from time to time....just please a little more often ok?) I fear a flag is difficult/impossible to achieve without those 2 elements.

Discuss.
 
We were lazy last night. Some players had a penchant for turning the ball over. Main culprits were Ball, Shaw, Johnson and O'Bree of the top of my head.

If Davis (prey to the heavans) can ever regain 2009 form, than that will make a huge difference as he used to slip through packs he didn't need a big body.

Luke Ball hopefully won't mkae as many attrocious turn overs next week. Barham should come in for O'Bree. It should be another 'tough' decision at the selection panel Mick.
 
When Didak is allowed to as a senior player blatantly pull up in contests how do you expect the younger less hardened bodies to not follow.
Johnson also does it.

Mick has tolerated soft fairy step since the 03 team which was full of them.

Is it the good guy policy? do we need to recruit some cnuts for the midfield?

Thomas who is slighter then Dids throws himself into every contest like a man possessed.


On didak there was a 50/50 ball to be won in the last quarter when were up by 3 points, Didak did his usual pull up and allowed the lions player (who threw himself at the footy) to take possesion, he then tackled but the player absorbed it and got the hands off to a lion player breaking at pace the lions then got a goal out of it, game over.


Soft efforts lose you games as much as courage and aggression can win you games.
 
Accept for Jolly and Ball Big Bodies there are still a Few Small Bodies on the Kids. Still think we are a season or 2 off from being a main threat at the flag
 

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Jaxson Barham throws his body around and has blistering pace. There is nothing O'Bree can do that he can't but plenty vice versa. He should be in the side instead of O'Bree.

Didak i can tolerate. KPP are the most important players, but you don't have 22kpp. Didak is an outside player with elite skills. Sure there are times when he should put his head over the ball but he is no hard nut.

It's the players with limitations that need to play like this. Some of our more experienced players in Johnson and O'Bree annoy me alot more.

Again, Barham in for O'Bree. I am probably sounding like a broken record now.
 
Paddywackers said:
Jaxson Barham throws his body around and has blistering pace. There is nothing O'Bree can do that he can't but plenty vice versa. He should be in the side instead of O'Bree.

Didak i can tolerate. KPP are the most important players, but you don't have 22kpp. Didak is an outside player with elite skills. Sure there are times when he should put his head over the ball but he is no hard nut.

It's the players with limitations that need to play like this. Some of our more experienced players in Johnson and O'Bree annoy me alot more.

Again, Barham in for O'Bree. I am probably sounding like a broken record now.
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He doesn't have to be a Ball type but he should have to go when its his time, his efforts are insipid at times.

Agree O'bree should not have been recalled at all.
 
loki04 said:
He doesn't have to be a Ball type but he should have to go when its his time, his efforts are insipid at times.

Agree O'bree should not have been recalled at all.
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I agree re Didak to an extent. However, he has elite skills, and a big hurt factor around goals. It's the other players mentioned that annoys me alot more when they shirk a contest. These things are often relative to who the player is...
 
Should we go for a trade at years end? Grab another hard nut midfielder. I'll give that Balls hard at it and I love him at the pies. Just his skills aren't as silky as I wish they could be but definitely adds grunt. We need another Thomas style midfielder....except bigger.
 
Angelus512 said:
Should we go for a trade at years end? Grab another hard nut midfielder. I'll give that Balls hard at it and I love him at the pies. Just his skills aren't as silky as I wish they could be but definitely adds grunt. We need another Thomas style midfielder....except bigger.
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We should traded for Moloney from Geelong when the Dees ended up getting him.
 
I don't think the bigger bodies was such an issue last night.Our midfield thrashed the same Lions midfield twice last year,so i don't think that size was an issue at all.The problem last night was that our midfield just didn't work hard enough,was second to the ball all night,and was made to look second rate by a pretty average Lions midfield.
 
In fairness the lions had as many young mids, we just played lazy stupid football (similar to the melbourne game)

even in terns of coaching apart from the selection of reid who was just too small I'm not sure what else he could have done, moved presti to the dangerous brown, next best in Maxwell to fev, alternated Harry and Heath (who just burnt the ball the odd occassion he got it) to provide rebound. Tried to isolate all of our big forwards on smaller opponents.

Players just let us down with major lack of effort, heart desire whatever eord you want to use. Credit too Thomas, penders, swan and Harry who got us anywhere near them
 
Don't you think Mick should've realised we were in trouble in the clearances after they were winning stoppage after stoppage and were getting the ball out and running straight down the guts.Then he should've blocked up the centre so they had to go down the wings. He doesn't react enough while games are going on and once the opposition get on top there's no coming back. Bloody annoying stuff :(
 
danielnajdek said:
Don't you think Mick should've realised we were in trouble in the clearances after they were winning stoppage after stoppage and were getting the ball out and running straight down the guts.Then he should've blocked up the centre so they had to go down the wings. He doesn't react enough while games are going on and once the opposition get on top there's no coming back. Bloody annoying stuff :(
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We play zone football, which means we should have been blocking the corridor (which we've done all year) our players were reactive and the lions burnt us, if our zone is breaking down that's an on field issue. It also didn't help there half backs ran unpressured (credit they were smart enough to flood across half back and not deep, also the plan to isolate Jack as the weak link) meant we hardly if ever had time to set up right, not sure if you've played zone football but if youre team mate has the ball abd charging clear forward, the zone pressers up a bad decision or turn over means your opponents are free waltzing back to goal. See how this is almost impossible to fix except on field?

On the cleareances we had our best kids in their the majority of the night, once again they were reactive and black, power, and rich who and this will sting were matched up too swan penders Thomas and wellers for the most part, plain beat us.

In terms of coaching mistakes playing Reid on brown, then when the selection backfired shuffling our back 6 so he fit in hurt us.
 

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danielnajdek said:
also isn't that why we got Jolly to get clearances? definitely didn't see that last night.
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without looking at the stats ge at worst broke even as a pure ruck, my feelings are known on wood so I wong touch that, but and I'm sure mdc will back me up here if our best mids are being cleanly beaten, hitout or no hitout you'll lose the clearances
 

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