Our delivery to the forward line

[lacrow]

Can someone tell me why we constantly bomb the ball into the forward line to a full forward (Carey) who can't raise his arms above his head?

All the games I have watched since beating West Coast, all we have done is get the ball from the center square, take a few steps and then bomb away into the forward line. What is the point of that? Especially when many times - against Port, for example - we had guys running out of the square with plenty of time and space to make better decisions.

I feel like everyone is thinking "ok, we've got Carey down there now, all we need to do is bang it in there and he'll take care of it somehow". I mean, that might work if somebody actually CRUMBED once in a while.

How many uncontested marks did Port take in defence because nobody was looking to hit a target?

In my opinion, that is the real problem with the side lately. We haen't scored sh*t in our past few games. Look at Port, when they don't see an option in the forward line, they chip around the ground until they find one, but the point is that they keep the ball in their half of the ground instead of watching it sail right back over their heads as the result of poor delivery.

Any ideas?

 

[macca23]

Good post lacrow.

Our game plan is sh*t for the very reasons that you mentioned.

We just bomb the ball into our forward line and as you quite rightly say, Carey can't raise his arms above his head. Our ability to take contested marks up forward has actually gone backwards this year and not forward, due to Stevens' prolonged absence with injury.

In some ways I feel cheated in respect of Carey's recruitment. Not by Carey who has played pretty well given this limitation. By the club, who told us all that in Carey we had the answer to our lack of ability to take a contested mark up forward, so that we could capitalize on our forward 50 entries.

If we are going to persist with this dumb high bombing style of entry into our forward line, then where in f*ck are the crumbers.

To be a genuine premiership chance then we have to unearth from somewhere by trading or drafting a forward that can take contested marks a la Tredrea or Cornes, or tailor our style of play to what we do have, not what we haven't.

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by macca23
To be a genuine premiership chance then we have to unearth from somewhere by trading or drafting a forward that can take contested marks a la Tredrea or Cornes

But even those two are made to look good by the delivery they get.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by macca23
To be a genuine premiership chance then we have to unearth from somewhere by trading or drafting a forward that can take contested marks a la Tredrea or Cornes, or tailor our style of play to what we do have, not what we haven't.

I hear bloke by the name of Fergus Watts goes alright All we need to do now is trade up in the draft so we have a crack at this fella. A Jonathan Brown type!!!!!!

 

[macca23]

Originally posted by DaveW
But even those two are made to look good by the delivery they get.

Correct. But they can still mark a ball if it's not centimetre perfect, unlike our forwards. They are right at the very top of the AFL comp for contested marks, and we are right at the other end.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by DaveW
But even those two are made to look good by the delivery they get.

I agree with this. I said in one of the other threads that Tredrea wouldn't be half the player he is now if he was with the Crows.

 

[macca23]

Originally posted by Stiffy_18
I hear bloke by the name of Fergus Watts goes alright All we need to do now is trade up in the draft so we have a crack at this fella. A Jonathan Brown type!!!!!!

I totally agree stiffy. Somewhere along the line this club has to actually draft a tall key forward who can take contested marks.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by macca23
I totally agree stiffy. Somewhere along the line this club has to actually draft a tall key forward who can take contested marks.

Doughty and our 1st round pick for a pick in top 8??????

 

[macca23]

Originally posted by Stiffy_18
Doughty and our 1st round pick for a pick in top 8??????

I'd do the trade BUT

If we beat the Eagles and lose the week after we would finish 6th which would give us draft pick #13.

To get a pick in the top 8, and ignoring the priority picks, we would have to trade with Bulldogs, Melbourne, Richmond, Geelong, St Kilda.

Of these Melbourne and Richmond are the 2 that need midfielders that might trade. But would you give up pick 5 or 6 for Doughty and pick 13??

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by macca23
Of these Melbourne and Richmond are the 2 that need midfielders that might trade. But would you give up pick 5 or 6 for Doughty and pick 13??

NO!!!!!!

There is a bloke that goes by the name of Bill Morrison from Tassie. He is about 195 cm CHF and part tiem ruckman. Apparently last year he was considered to be a top 10 pick in 2003 draft but he dislocated his shoulder playing for SA against Ireland earlier in the year.

He could slip to pick 13 but would we take a punt and take a player that no doubt has potenital but also has a reconstructed shoulder. If it was a reconstructed knee I would go for it but I am just uncertain whether a KPP that has alredy had a full shoulder reco is worth a pick 13??????

 

[macca23]

Has he played at all this year Stiffy, and if so, how's he been going?

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by macca23
Has he played at all this year Stiffy, and if so, how's he been going?

I think he has managed to play a couple of senior games this year for Tassie in VFL. Did OK. He then went with the Australian U17 side to Ireland for INternational Rules series and injured his shoulder in one of the matches. He hasn't played a game since and will miss all of this year.

As I said he was considered a great prospect prior to his injury. Do you think that a CHF, who is expected to mark overhead more often than not, who has had a total shoulder reco is worth a punt with pick 13??????

If he was a midfielder then I would say take a punt but I am not really sure whether same rules apply to KPPs and Ruckmen??????

 

[macca23]

Originally posted by Stiffy_18
I think he has managed to play a couple of senior games this year for Tassie in VFL. Did OK. He then went with the Australian U17 side to Ireland for INternational Rules series and injured his shoulder in one of the matches. He hasn't played a game since and will miss all of this year.

As I said he was considered a great prospect prior to his injury. Do you think that a CHF, who is expected to mark overhead more often than not, who has had a total shoulder reco is worth a punt with pick 13??????

If he was a midfielder then I would say take a punt but I am not really sure whether same rules apply to KPPs and Ruckmen??????

That'd be one for the medicos Stiffy.

Maybe - maybe not.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by macca23
That'd be one for the medicos Stiffy.

Maybe - maybe not.

I have a feeling that he will be the only decent KPP available at pick 13. If you look at the teams before us most of them are after talls. Doggies, Geelong, Richmond, Hawthorn?, Kangaroos etc.

But hey look on the bright side, we could pick up a GUN midfielder

 

[Nige_Bix]

Originally posted by macca23
In some ways I feel cheated in respect of Carey's recruitment. Not by Carey who has played pretty well given this limitation. By the club, who told us all that in Carey we had the answer to our lack of ability to take a contested mark up forward, so that we could capitalize on our forward 50 entries.

I tend to agree - I wasnt aware it was such a problem when he was signed up - how much did the club know about this problem?

 

[macca23]

Originally posted by jfb313
I tend to agree - I wasnt aware it was such a problem when he was signed up - how much did the club know about this problem?

I've no idea. If they did know they certainly kept it from their members and supporters.

 

[lacrow]

So, why don't we move Carey to center half-forward instead of full forward? Maybe that will work better since the ball is usually closer to the ground at that point?

Maybe center half back, with McGregor moved to full-forward?

Any thoughts?

 

[noddy]

Originally posted by lacrow
So, why don't we move Carey to center half-forward instead of full forward? Maybe that will work better since the ball is usually closer to the ground at that point?

Maybe center half back, with McGregor moved to full-forward?

Any thoughts?

Agree all the way with you guys on the topic of our poor delivery into the forward lines & if there is one part of our game that needs a complete overall then that is it,
but how do you teach experienced players that have been around for a while to deliver the ball at a reasonable level ??

As for Carey well i have changed my earlier thoughts on what position would best suit him from FF where i thought that would prolong his season to now opting for CHF where he seems to enjoy the freedom of space, maybe he can't take those overhead contested marks of yesta year on a regular basis but at least he will give a contest & use his nous to keep the ball in the area,

I would go with Carey at chf, Welsh as our leading ff with Stevens floating around from out of a pocket, unfortunately i can't find a spot for Perrie & would start him on the bench.

 

[naughty monkey]

Originally posted by noddy
Agree all the way with you guys on the topic of our poor delivery into the forward lines & if there is one part of our game that needs a complete overall then that is it,
but how do you teach experienced players that have been around for a while to deliver the ball at a reasonable level ??

It's partly skill, very few of Adelaide's famous midfield can kick consistently good stab passes, with McLeod the only possible exception. Watch how high the ball travels when going inside 50, especially fom Bickley and Burton. This is easy to fix, bloody practice!!

It's partly gameplan. We're all aware of how good Adelaide are at stoppages, but this is part of the problem, we choose to play a style of game that has a lot of players around the ball and that invariably leads to possession under pressure. When was the last time you saw you saw a Crow midfield that had time to execute a decent kick into the forward 50? Compare this with the ease the Power seemed to go forward.

The other thing is that too often the forwards are "rewarded" for leading to the pockets. If nothing else, the reason Blight was so successful was that he straightened Adelaide up. Anyone who lead to pockets sat on the pine for a while, along with the bloke who kicked it to him. imo, Perrie should be FF and told to lead to CHF and take a contested mark, he is one of the few who can.

Originally posted by noddy
maybe he can't take those overhead contested marks of yesta year on a regular basis but at least he will give a contest & use his nous to keep the ball in the area
...<snip>

yes to the contest, and maybe at best to the second part. He's not too bad at keeping it in the area when it's one on one and is very good at getting the ball to a crumber, but when the opposition double team him he's not much chop. Look at the last 3 weeks. Stevens is/was much better at this. He's also prepared to chase a lot more than Carey (bad knees and groinds), and this helps keep the pressure on the oppositon midfield.

FWIW, I think Carey should be a decoy CHF and lead to the wings, drawing his defender out of the contest. Let Stevens play on a flank and drift into the hole left by Carey, at worst he can be a step ladder for Perrie. At best he'll grab it himself.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by naughty monkey
It's partly skill, very few of Adelaide's famous midfield can kick consistently good stab passes, with McLeod the only possible exception.

I might be the odd one out but I reckon Tyson Edwards delivers it a lot better than McLeod

 

[Jerome]

Originally posted by naughty monkey

The other thing is that too often the forwards are "rewarded" for leading to the pockets. If nothing else, the reason Blight was so successful was that he straightened Adelaide up. Anyone who lead to pockets sat on the pine for a while, along with the bloke who kicked it to him. imo, Perrie should be FF and told to lead to CHF and take a contested mark, he is one of the few who can.

Spot on!

The leading to the pockets is part of the gameplan. I sit in the members in the northern pocket. If we get the ball at half back, Crows players run straight out to the members wing just about every time, and then they kick it to the half forward flank.

Its predictable, ineffective and should be eliminated from the gameplan.

Jerome