Analysis Mitch Duncan to HB.

Jan 13, 2006
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played off the back square running from half back to set up play and penetrate the lines for us. Was absolutely brilliant at it and played the role with twice as much effect on the game as any other player in the back half has done at all this season for us.

We have greatly lacked a play setting general down back who can dictate and set up attacks with the ball aka Luke hodge style. Duncan can do exactly this.

Tuoey and bews simply don’t do this, tuoey is always caught playing defensively too deep in the back half and gives nothing in terms of setting up attacks, and bews doesn’t read the play well enough or accumulate.

This is what we need to balance our team and give something we have sorely missed against quality sides.

When Guthrie comes back, move him to midfield and shift Duncan to his defensive role.

Others thoughts??
 
Jan 13, 2006
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You what?!?!

Probably a bit harsh, but he is very often out of probably his defensive match up caught playing very deep and defending a lot more than I would like him to. Doesn’t get loose to set up play as Much as I would always like to see.

Will put it like this Fred, how often this year have you seen tuoey breaking the lines with his speed and penetration off the flanks this season?? Not an awful lot
 

kingcod

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Probably a bit harsh, but he is very often out of probably his defensive match up caught playing very deep and defending a lot more than I would like him to. Doesn’t get loose to set up play as Much as I would always like to see.

Will put it like this Fred, how often this year have you seen tuoey breaking the lines with his speed and penetration off the flanks this season?? Not an awful lot
I don't disagree but think he is getting a defensive fwd to limit his impact this season
 

Daniel McL

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Only if Duncan plays as a spare man as he did against the Suns. Otherwise I don’t want to lose his attacking play while he follows a forward around playing as an actual defender.

So if he’s spare at half back, or on the wing I’m not too fussed.
 
Its a tactic that worked this week.

Everyone has seen it now.

Put it back in the bag of tricks and bring it out again in a few weeks.

The gag only works when its not expected - try it maybe V Tigers 1/2 thru the 2nd 1/4 or something. But not this week.

North will be looking for it and ready for it. And we should be ready for it too. Its a copy cat league.
GO Catters
 
Jan 13, 2006
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Its a tactic that worked this week.

Everyone has seen it now.

Put it back in the bag of tricks and bring it out again in a few weeks.

The gag only works when its not expected - try it maybe V Tigers 1/2 thru the 2nd 1/4 or something. But not this week.

North will be looking for it and ready for it. And we should be ready for it too. Its a copy cat league.
GO Catters

Teams can know about it and will try to stop it, whether they are good enough to stop Duncan off the back flank is the actual question.

Knowing and stopping it are very different.

What I know is that the way he set us up from the defensive side of the field was elite, and has not been done by any other defender this season even half as effective.

Truth is we need to try something different and out of the bag to swing things in our favour against the top sides.

Do you have confidence that we will be able to transition and run the ball from our back half against Richmond at the MCG with our current back six?? I definitely have question marks over it.

The back six needs an elite play setting general down there. We don’t have that at present.
 
Jan 13, 2006
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Only if Duncan plays as a spare man as he did against the Suns. Otherwise I don’t want to lose his attacking play while he follows a forward around playing as an actual defender.

So if he’s spare at half back, or on the wing I’m not too fussed.

Daniel,

My concern is just who is it from our defensive trio that is elite at setting up attacks and movements??

Besides tuoey none of the defensive mix have an ability to attack and penetrate the game with high possessions.

Our defence has been great and done it’s job, but it lacks class and polish in terms of A grade talent and damage the other direction.

If not Duncan, then who would you like to see swing down there to provide it??
 
Apr 20, 2008
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Its a tactic that worked this week.

Everyone has seen it now.

Put it back in the bag of tricks and bring it out again in a few weeks.

The gag only works when its not expected - try it maybe V Tigers 1/2 thru the 2nd 1/4 or something. But not this week.

North will be looking for it and ready for it. And we should be ready for it too. Its a copy cat league.
GO Catters

Excellent post. Seeing Danger go forward at the start of last years prelim after we did it the week before still haunts me. It Was never going to work.
 
Jan 13, 2006
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Excellent post. Seeing Danger go forward at the start of last years prelim after we did it the week before still haunts me. It Was never going to work.

What??

Are you trying to say that Dangerfield can only have an impact as a forward if the opposition aren’t prepared for it??

He has an impact because he is a great forward period.

Little bit like saying the opposition are prepared for Garry Ablett in the midfield or Lance Franklin up forward so it won’t work.
 
Teams can know about it and will try to stop it, whether they are good enough to stop Duncan off the back flank is the actual question.

Knowing and stopping it are very different.

What I know is that the way he set us up from the defensive side of the field was elite, and has not been done by any other defender this season even half as effective.

Truth is we need to try something different and out of the bag to swing things in our favour against the top sides.

Do you have confidence that we will be able to transition and run the ball from our back half against Richmond at the MCG with our current back six?? I definitely have question marks over it.

The back six needs an elite play setting general down there. We don’t have that at present.

Duncan got away with it as he was unopposed. It wont happen like that again in the short term. Like all gimmicks, it can be damn effective short term. And it was. But when the oppo players are 12 minutes old and dont recognise it, it keeps having success.

Brad Scott will have said to Cunnington, Zieball et al to watch him - or anyone for that matter.

And Norths players arent on average 15 game players. They will see it and react faster to nullify it.

Im not against the concept just against flogging it too much too soon.

GO Catters
 
Jan 13, 2006
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Duncan got away with it as he was unopposed. It wont happen like that again in the short term. Like all gimmicks, it can be damn effective short term. And it was. But when the oppo players are 12 minutes old and dont recognise it, it keeps having success.

Brad Scott will have said to Cunnington, Zieball et al to watch him - or anyone for that matter.

And Norths players arent on average 15 game players. They will see it and react faster to nullify it.

Im not against the concept just against flogging it too much too soon.

GO Catters

I think he could easily be a 20-30 possession play setting defender if given a hodge style floating defender role to dictate the play down there.

Who do we really have down there that is an elite play maker?? After tuoey we don’t have anyone from our back six who can really cause damage and rack up big numbers.

Something needs to give a little.

If not Duncan, then who else??

Or do you think the back six is premiership quality as it is?
 

kingcod

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I think he could easily be a 20-30 possession play setting defender if given a hodge style floating defender role to dictate the play down there.

Who do we really have down there that is an elite play maker?? After tuoey we don’t have anyone from our back six who can really cause damage and rack up big numbers.

Something needs to give a little.

If not Duncan, then who else??

Or do you think the back six is premiership quality as it is?
Agree that the back six needs someone to be more pro-active to help our transition. At the start of the year I hoped Cam Guthrie would be the man, but injury and form made this impossible. In answer to your question if not Duncan then who, NFI
 
Everything you say is sound, except that BS will have seen that Duncan was our playmaker, and we know historically, when Duncan is heavily tagged, he handles it poorly. We do need a Mackie-like playmaker, and I've felt for a long time he would be very difficult to replace, as was Boris.
Thurlow was the hope, but he has not recovered form, confidence since the ACL.
CGuthrie also could be that player.
But rather than have one designated player, which worked against the listless GC team, we can have many players to share the load, on a week to week basis, and that's what we're doing well this year.
 
Apr 20, 2008
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What??

Are you trying to say that Dangerfield can only have an impact as a forward if the opposition aren’t prepared for it??

He has an impact because he is a great forward period.

Little bit like saying the opposition are prepared for Garry Ablett in the midfield or Lance Franklin up forward so it won’t work.

Not at all. Stupid thing to assume to be honest. And it’s absolutely nothing like your examples. Anyway this isn’t about Danger, it’s about Duncan.
 
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Daniel McL

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Daniel,

My concern is just who is it from our defensive trio that is elite at setting up attacks and movements??

Besides tuoey none of the defensive mix have an ability to attack and penetrate the game with high possessions.

Our defence has been great and done it’s job, but it lacks class and polish in terms of A grade talent and damage the other direction.

If not Duncan, then who would you like to see swing down there to provide it??

Geelong_crazy26,

Okay if we take Tuohy out of it, there’s a guy named Tom Stewart who’s currently in the All Australian team who’s averaging 21.5 touches (as a defender), 402 metres gained, 7 intercept possessions and 6 rebound 50’s a game.

As I said, if Duncan is playing as a spare man in defence I have no issues with it, but I don’t want him playing on an opposition forward and actually having to try to defend in 1-on-1 contests & on the lead etc.

Leave Duncan spare in defence to help set up an attacking play alongside Stewart & Tuohy, or leave him on the wing to do some pinpoint passes inside 50 to a teammate.

I’m not too worried about it. Blicavs, Kolodjashnij & Henry know what they need to do, stop their opponent & take as many intercept marks as they can. Then when they have the ball they either give it to the more attacking defenders in Tuohy, Stewart, Bews, or do a safe short pass outside defensive 50 to someone like a Duncan, Menegola, Parfitt etc who’ve worked hard pushing up the field to provide an option, or if they can’t do any of that they go long down the line to Hawkins / Stanley / Buzza / Esava etc :thumbsu:
 
Sep 28, 2014
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Geelong_crazy26,

Okay if we take Tuohy out of it, there’s a guy named Tom Stewart who’s currently in the All Australian team who’s averaging 21.5 touches (as a defender), 402 metres gained, 7 intercept possessions and 6 rebound 50’s a game.

As I said, if Duncan is playing as a spare man in defence I have no issues with it, but I don’t want him playing on an opposition forward and actually having to try to defend in 1-on-1 contests & on the lead etc.

Leave Duncan spare in defence to help set up an attacking play alongside Stewart & Tuohy, or leave him on the wing to do some pinpoint passes inside 50 to a teammate.

I’m not too worried about it. Blicavs, Kolodjashnij & Henry know what they need to do, stop their opponent & take as many intercept marks as they can. Then when they have the ball they either give it to the more attacking defenders in Tuohy, Stewart, Bews, or do a safe short pass outside defensive 50 to someone like a Duncan, Menegola, Parfitt etc who’ve worked hard pushing up the field to provide an option, or if they can’t do any of that they go long down the line to Hawkins / Stanley / Buzza / Esava etc :thumbsu:
This us the best proposal here, Stewart is the one leading the way from the back 6 and setting up play. Duncan was very effective setting up as a spare but as we saw it was only effective for 1 quarter then shut down, bring it out every now and then as an extra option
 
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Duncan got away with it as he was unopposed. It wont happen like that again in the short term. Like all gimmicks, it can be damn effective short term. And it was. But when the oppo players are 12 minutes old and dont recognise it, it keeps having success.

Brad Scott will have said to Cunnington, Zieball et al to watch him - or anyone for that matter.

And Norths players arent on average 15 game players. They will see it and react faster to nullify it.

Im not against the concept just against flogging it too much too soon.

GO Catters
Unopposed! the Suns were putting everything into him coming off the back of the square,he should have got a dozen free kicks even before the ball was bounced,he was just to good for his opponents,you wouldn't have been able to see that on the TV I guess.
 
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Tony Barber

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I think he could easily be a 20-30 possession play setting defender if given a hodge style floating defender role to dictate the play down there.

Who do we really have down there that is an elite play maker?? After tuoey we don’t have anyone from our back six who can really cause damage and rack up big numbers.

Something needs to give a little.

If not Duncan, then who else??

Or do you think the back six is premiership quality as it is?
I've said it for ages. Id give cockatoo a crack down there.
Has the pace to limit damage when the ball gets out the back.
Could provide good offensive run.
Loves a tackle. He's a hunter. I reckon it would work.
 
Nov 24, 2008
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He wasn't playing at half back... he was playing off the wing but started centre clearances off the back of the square.
Nothing more.

Yeah, that's how I saw it too. It will only really work if our mids are on top at the centre bounces, because Duncan starting off the back of the square means his direct opponent is also free somewhere to carve us up if their mids are winning it in the middle.
 
Nov 18, 2015
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I've said it for ages. Id give cockatoo a crack down there.
Has the pace to limit damage when the ball gets out the back.
Could provide good offensive run.
Loves a tackle. He's a hunter. I reckon it would work.

I just dont see the utensil as an elite set up player, He is more of a chaos/pressure player on exposed form.
 

JohnZ

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As I said, if Duncan is playing as a spare man in defence I have no issues with it, but I don’t want him playing on an opposition forward and actually having to try to defend in 1-on-1 contests & on the lead etc.

Leave Duncan spare in defence to help set up an attacking play alongside Stewart & Tuohy, or leave him on the wing to do some pinpoint passes inside 50 to a teammate.

Just send a forward down back to defend, and leave Duncan unmanned. Force the opposition coach to flood his F50 or leave Duncan unmanned. Rinse and Repeat with a stubborn coach, and we can have Hawkins parked in the F50 unopposed.
 

Tony Barber

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I just dont see the utensil as an elite set up player, He is more of a chaos/pressure player on exposed form.
A chaos pressure player who doesn't kick goals.
Let's try him off half back. It's all I'm suggesting.

It may round him off. And he definately has that offensive gene.
 
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