Our backline

[We want Moore]

Loving the way our gameplan is looking and bucks has the team well placed it seems.

But his biggest challenge is getting our defence right.

You can't play Williams Toovey Langdon Sinclair marsh brown frost all in same Team. They are all bad decision makers and poorly skilled battlers.

Brown/frost I can live with because they are key backs backs. But Williams Toovey Sinclair Langdon marsh are all terribly skilled

So what do we do ?

Well in my IMO we need to rob Peter to pay Paul. Reid getting fit and that's a big if will help of course.

I think we need to send Varcoe and
back there for large periods pendles too when required. Brown Williams Toovey Langdon Sinclair marsh can't do the kick ins Ever!

So I would have my line up like this round 1

Langdon brown Williams

varcoe Reid Ramsey

Sidebottom Adams crisp

Swan Cloke de goey

Fasolo Moore Gault

Foll: Grundy pendles treloar

Inter greenwood Blair aish Maccaffer

 

[nahnah]

Wouldn't call Williams a poorly skilled battler, but each to their own i suppose.

 

[Matt_352]

Williams far from horrible. Big impact player too he gets in imo

Williams Brown Ramsay
Varcoe Reid Pendlebury

 

[Dundalis]

One thing Williams does do, which the defense, and the team in general needs more of is run and carry. I think he would have easily had the most meterage gained with ball in hand last season of any of our players. He has somewhat taken over from Shaw in that regard. Unfortunately, despite Shaw's annoying habit of kicking it out on the full, Williams' delivery is generally nowhere near as reliable. One of the issues of simply putting a midfielder or forward down back, is that they need to be able to defend. In short bursts it is ok, anything longer and they can be exploited. It's just a band aid solution in any case. I don't think there's any way you would have Varcoe and Pendlebury playing permanent positions down back. Pendles in particular I don't ever see being a good 1v1 defender, nor is he above average overhead for his size. He's a good option to pinch hit down there every so often, or perhaps even just to take kickouts. Buckley did it from the midfield regularly.

I also am not sure what the deal is with Langdon. His kicking technique is very sound. I've seen him make very impressive and level headed decisions even under pressure. It's just all very inconsistent. He's our primary possession getter down back, and he has to play to his talent level, which is not the terrible user of the footy he was on the weekend.

 

[didaksrightfoot]

Wouldn't call Williams a poorly skilled battler, but each to their own i suppose.

And I think Maynard also spends a lot of time in that role and is pretty reliable getting it out of defence IMO.

The key is all about balance.
Of the talls Brown is a requirement at full back - he is the guy to play on gun full forwards. (although i would also trust Frost in this role).

Reid is earmarked as CHB, but i would much rather have him in that roaming "3rd tall" spot - the Gibson, Fletcher, Micheal Johnson role. Can defend 1-1 when needed, but ideally he's the guy who can peel off his man and cover space as the 3rd man to a contest... And then becomes the guy with the responsibility starting the chain out of defence. A healthy Reid would be perfect for this role and a huge bonus for the team.

Then you have one of Frost or Marsh as the CHB, based on requirements... And you rotate them (mostly Marsh) with the above Reid role based on opposition.
---

So thats the talls.
With the smalls there is a lot more rotation and a lot harder to pick.

I still think that one (but not both) of Sinclair or Toovey plays a tight defensive role in the back pocket... With Marley in the other pocket playing a defensive role but with a lot more responsibility, and freedom, attacking.

Then Langdon is a must on the HB line. If Reid is unfit, he is also probably best suited to the above Reid role, effectively playing as a 3rd tall.

For me our starting 6 defenders come from that group. In thay group you have a combination of skills/decision making getting it out (Reid, Langdon, and Marley), with some run (Marley, Marsh, Sinclair).

Ideally, guys like Langdon, Marsh and Marley continue improving that aspect of their games and become very talented on the rebound.

Scharenburg may fix this when healthy, as could also throwing Maynard or Ramsay into the backline in place of Sinclair or one of the talls - both guys appear just as comfortable in defense as they do running it through the midfield.

I would prefer that to sending talented mids back - would rather guys like Varcoe and Aish become the next cog in the line to get the ball efficiently into our forward line.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Injury permitting, the ideal backline would look like:

Williams Brown Sinclair
Scharenberg Reid Langdon/Marsh/Frost (needs permitting)

 

[Kirby]

I also am not sure what the deal is with Langdon. His kicking technique is very sound. I've seen him make very impressive and level headed decisions even under pressure. It's just all very inconsistent. He's our primary possession getter down back, and he has to play to his talent level, which is not the terrible user of the footy he was on the weekend.

He is a strange one with his kicking. The harder the difficulty the more likely he is to nail it but the more time he has to think about it the more likely he is to stuff it. You're right his technique is very sound so i just wonder if on those dinky little 20-25 meter passes under little pressure if he's making a small but important technical error like lifting his head too early and not watching the ball onto his boot? I need to watch a replay.

 

[MarkT2]

We need a fit Reid at CHB. Short of that we won't field a top 4 backline from this list. Brown is more than adequate as a FB and Frost is a decent 3rd tall but we are badly lacking a tall with class. We have a few small/medium options but they all have limitations. Williams is a lock but for all the heat he cops Toovey is still best 22 easily. Langdon lacks composure under pressure and makes too many mistakes. Sinclair is one who might keep improving and make it as a good defender. Marsh has potential but he is a long way off it at this point. Maynard could be a very good player in time but he has a way to go. Apart from Reid, we lack a really classy running half back that can deliver with precision. We might have to end up playing Treloar in that role.