Our backline tries its guts out but we dont have polish up forward.

[Ulittledipper]

I love our backline - have for a few years, always goes hard and tries its guts out. Our midfield however and forward line cannot kick or hand ball under pressure. We really look like a bunch of under twelves with turn over after turn over under pressure.
For a team of elite elite kickers if it wasnt for goo, Birch, Stratts and even Schoey (whos coming along nicely), believe me we would be an also run side.
FFS sake can our midfield kick low and flat with some penetration instead of hospital balls. Elite kicking my arse.

 

[Messenger]

The forwards need space to lead into; it's no surprise they are so inefficient with it being kick on their head constantly.

It should be Franklin and Gunston deep inside 50 with acres to lead.

 

[Baz_hawk]

It's really sad that we have the talent in Franklin, Roughead, Gunston, Rioli, Breust and Hale and yet seem to have very poorly organised and cluttered forward line all the time. The forward line from today's match was ridiculously dysfunctional.

 

[Roger Rogerson]

Swap the backline and midfield? Mids dont have to run the whole ground so wont get exposed and the backs can deliver lace out to the fwds?

In all seriousness the backline is a much easier gig than the midfield with the ball in hand.

 

[Noneedforaname]

OK, granted we can stop the ball, & the boys bust their guts.

But what is with the second kick out of defence. Out goes any plan and either
a) close your eyes and go the long bomb to nowhere
b) kick to a 1 on 2, or a situation where you know we're less than 50/50
c) go the 'Brad Sewell' and just hack it anywhere.

I know he's not a defender, but Sewell just hacking the ball here there and everywhere is symptomatic of our backline under pressure. Famously bombs to nowhere in our last game against the Cats, managed to pull of a winner against the Swans (had to happen for him eventually) and failed again with it in the GF. Opposition must almost lick its lips when Sewell gets it.

Why is it, that this panic and bomb it anywhere approach has crept into out backlines game? Is one reason why I don't mind seeing Mitch down there. Is a shame though that we've got to send a Hodge or a Burgoyne or Mitchell down back because they panic under pressure. These guys have all been playing together for years, and are experienced footballers besides, so what gives?

Yes, deserving of Kudos, but we've still got some massive problems down there

 

[Strong source]

We were too big, it made the players feel justified when blazing away with long bombs in to the 50. Buddy doesn't enjoy it, Roughy never looked like marking a ball and Hale had 2 against him in every contest. The first 20 minutes of the last quarter is something the midfield/half forward line should be forced to watch on replay.

We can analyse everything over and over again, but in the end wasted chances cost us the game again. Gunston hitting the post, Bruest's two shanks, Smith being tackled, Roughy's terrible desicion making up forward, Lewis' chip to a 1v1 in the pocket.. The list goes on..

Can't wait for next week to help forget this.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

When you don't have one forward that is pound for pound a top quality contested mark, you will always struggle to beat the quality sides that force you to kick long.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Bring back John Barker.

 

[NetworkNerd]

Changes need to be made. Burgoyne in a forward pocket and birchall on the wing would be a good start

 

[Agent Smith]

I've refrained from commenting on Monday's game until now, and thought this thread was actually the best place to vent as it touches on our major problem. For years, the talk has been about our brittle backline and midfielders with no pace but we've addressed these issues to some extent and they aren't our problem. What makes our team appear brittle is actually the forward line. It is our major problem and it will prove the difference between competing for a flag and being an also-ran.

I hope Hawk officials do peruse BigFooty for feedback, coz here's some observations for you to consider:

• We can't afford both Buddy and Roughie as key forwards. I don't care how accurate they are at training as it's about as relevant as how long they can hold their breath under water. The Roughead of 2008 is long dead and can't kick 75 goals in a year anymore. Either it's been coached out of him or he's got the most serious case of the yips I've ever seen, but this is nothing surprising... it's been obvious for a while. So why persist with him at FF?
• It's great to be able to manufacture goals from nowhere - it's not great when that's the only avenue of attack. We're bombing the ball into a forward line where nobody can take a contested mark. WTF? Seriously? I take it the hope is the ball hits the ground and we somehow arse a goal out of sharking the contested ball. This won't win you the tight games, as has been proven time after time.
• We have forwards who can't kick goals under pressure. This was obvious from the finals last year, yet still we persist with the same setup and expecting different results. This is madness. Perhaps Kennett is right - if the coach won't address the obvious, then maybe it's time to change the coach.

How do we change things from here? We've got to change the set up. This needs to be employed from next week onwards if we want to compete on the scoreboard:

1. Our key forwards are Buddy and Gunston (yes, bring back the 23 & 19 combo). Gunston is lost as a forward pocket player, chasing kicks when no one is kicking to him. What a waste of talent. He must be the most frustrated player on the field. Stick the kid at FF and tell the players to look for him. For Christ sake, he's the only tall who knows how to lead out, take a mark and kick accurately for goal.
2. Buddy stays as CHF as the guy is a freak. Yes, he's not necessarily accurate all the time but he takes the spotlight off everyone else up forward and makes their jobs easier. The problem is, we can't have him and others up forward who can't kick straight.
3. Luke Breust is a wonderful small forward but let's not beat around the bush - he's a bit of a choker. Sorry if that offends but facts are facts. In high pressure games, play him in the midfield in the last quarter as he become a deer in headlights when the game is on his kicking foot. Let me define pressure here - he could kick a goal after the siren against Richmond, say, to win us the game. But how much perceived pressure was on him? There is a difference. Could he do that in a final? I would suggest no.
4. So who replaces Breust up forward when the pressure is on? There is only one man on the team with such composure that you could trust to kick truly when everything is on the line. I said it last year and I'll say it again - Shaun Burgoyne has to play forward, at least in crunch times.
5. We have two forwards (?) who play ruck as a way of competing against this whole sub rule robbing us of midfield rotations. The resting ruck who is playing forward must not take a key role up forward. He should float forward and back but is not necessarily the focus to goal. Why? Just like Breust, neither Roughead or Hale can deliver in big games. If we are to persist with this ruck setup (and that is a topic for another thread) then they should be competing just outside the 50m arc rather than being the focal point up forward.
6. Cyril Rioli. I like Cyril. So does Hill. Notice how Hilly looks for Cyril when he carries the ball into the forward line? I really don't have anything critical to say about Junior, I just thought I'd mention him coz he can play forward and he's delicious.

There it is in a nutshell. Make of it what you will.

I'm not mad. My mother had me tested.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Not convinced Breust is a choker. He is one of our best kicks for goal in every condition - pressure or no pressure.

Could Lake swap with Rough and at least provide a target that can mark the ball in the air (assuming his calf tightness doesn't keep him out for another 6 - 8 weeks)?

 

[Agent Smith]

Not convinced Breust is a choker. He is one of our best kicks for goal in every condition - pressure or no pressure.

Could Lake swap with Rough and at least provide a target that can mark the ball in the air (assuming his calf tightness doesn't keep him out for another 6 - 8 weeks)?

Give him another year or two in the system and Breust might cure himself of the yips, who knows? A bit of maturity may do the world of wonders. Atm though, I wouldn't put my house on him kicking truly in a big pressure situation.

As for Lake going forward, that certainly is thinking outside the box a little. He's done it at the Doggies at times with success, but are we robbing peter to pay paul, just as we look like shoring up our backline? It's worth considering when our forward structure stops working, I'll give you that.

 

[Taskmaster]

Give him another year or two in the system and Breust might cure himself of the yips, who knows? A bit of maturity may do the world of wonders. Atm though, I wouldn't put my house on him kicking truly in a big pressure situation.

As for Lake going forward, that certainly is thinking outside the box a little. He's done it at the Doggies at times with success, but are we robbing peter to pay paul, just as we look like shoring up our backline? It's worth considering when our forward structure stops working, I'll give you that.

No AFL player should miss from 20 mtrs out! Should be at least a 90% hit rate. Thats what cost us in the GF and part of yesterday!

 

[THE EQUALIZER]

Looking at the stats over the last 3 games, you come to realize how dysfunctional the forward line has become.

The games against Adelaide, Sydney and Geelong show we've had 191 inside 50 meter entries for a return of 36.48 (264). Our opponents have had 138 inside 50 meter entries and we've conceded 41.30 (276).

If you can't score once with every two entries, something is seriously broken, never mind the appalling goal to inside 50 entry ratio.

 

[HawksonFire]

Looking at the stats over the last 3 games, you come to realize how dysfunctional the forward line has become.

The games against Adelaide, Sydney and Geelong show we've had 191 inside 50 meter entries for a return of 36.48 (264). Our opponents have had 138 inside 50 meter entries and we've conceded 41.30 (276).

If you can't score once with every two entries, something is seriously broken, never mind the appalling goal to inside 50 entry ratio.

WOW. That is a telling stat. Its the prelim, GF and round 1 v Cats (like a final)- pressure cooker stuff. But that's it in a nutshell. 53 more forward entries- takes a damn good side to do that- but the conversion to be out scored by 8 points with those opportunities is diabolical.

 

[burner1]

Looking at the stats over the last 3 games, you come to realize how dysfunctional the forward line has become.

The games against Adelaide, Sydney and Geelong show we've had 191 inside 50 meter entries for a return of 36.48 (264). Our opponents have had 138 inside 50 meter entries and we've conceded 41.30 (276).

If you can't score once with every two entries, something is seriously broken, never mind the appalling goal to inside 50 entry ratio.

Yes but it's not only our forwards fault. The quality of entry into the forward 50 is terrible - both the actual kicks and the fact our fwd line is almost always crowded due to our game plan. Due to their styles an adelaide/sydney inside 50 is worth > hawthorn inside 50.

 

[theonico]

can someone explain to me what Gunston's role was yesterday? the only time i noticed him was on the wing or half back line looking like he was playing his first game, AKA lost