Analysis Our Midfield

[Jay-Z]

Against Melbourne...
Greenwood - 30 possessions, 8 marks, 4 tackles, 2 goals, 2 behinds
Ziebell - 24 possessions, 9 marks, 4 tackles, 2 goals, 1 behind (i'm counting the score review one)
Gibson - 25 possessions, 8 marks, 4 tackles
Harvey - 28 possessions, 5 marks, 3 tackles, 1 goal
Swallow - 17 possessions, 1 mark, 8 tackles, 1 goal
Dal Santo - 21 possessions, 3 marks, 4 tackles
Bastinac - 18 possesions, 6 marks, 2 tackles, 1 behind
Cunnington - 14 possesions, 4 marks, 5 tackles, 1 goal

Against Brisbane...
Greenwood - 20 possessions, 2 marks, 5 tackles, 2 behinds
Ziebell - 17 possessions, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 2 behinds
Gibson - 28 possessions, 6 marks, 6 tackles, 1 goal, 1 behind
Harvey - 23 possessions, 2 marks, 2 tackles, 1 goal, 2 behinds
Swallow - 23 possessions, 0 marks, 9 tackles, 2 goals
Dal Santo - 30 possessions, 4 marks, 6 tackles
Bastinac - 19 possessions, 3 marks, 2 tackles, 1 behind
Cunnington - 19 possessions, 0 marks, 6 tackles, 1 behind

Just based on the last 2 weeks it's clear we have a number of problems in this area:
1. Harvey is probably the only one who could claim to have played well in both games (Gibson finished strongly against Melbourne but was very quiet early). Most of our midfield are still far too inconsistent!
2. Cunnington has disappeared since Swallow came back
3. Bastinac is cooked. Has dropped his average possessions by 4 a game from last year and is kicking less goals (0.6 per game vs 0.9 per game in '13)
4. This is supposed to be the group that is driving us forward and right now, I can only see 1 of them (Swallow) being a true A grader in 2-3 years time

 

[archereleven]

Sorely missing Wells' skills in the guts, but i agree, something that was supposed to be a great strength going into the season has become a great weakness half way through it.

NDS was supposed to be the cherry on top, instead he is having to do the grunt work because we have blokes going missing every single week.

 

[Mordecai]

Its so frustrating having Goldstein play poorly because Hamish is playing, cunnington play poorly because swallow is back. We just struggle to get quality spread across the team.

 

[scottywiper]

SAid it earlier in season, each week we have six blokes who don't turn up and it usually changes from week to week. Until we get 22 turning up ready to go each week we can expect this inconsistency to continue.

 

[Moti]

Easy.

Footy today is about zoning and hard running. We have some players not built for gut busting (Cunnington, Zuebell) and those that are (Bastinac, Gibson) only one has any intent.

The other problem is it requires speed to close down space and defend and attack during transition. I think it is clear our issues there.

We beat defensive heavy teams because a slow game with crazy counterattacks suit us. Anything requiring hard running and defending pace is outside our team.

Watch the 2nd quarter, the Lions players just ran off us at every opportunity. Unless it was Atley, they knew they wouldn't be caught.

Pretty easy to pick our main midfield problem.

 

[Event Horizon]

Easy.

Footy today is about zoning and hard running. We have some players not built for gut busting (Cunnington, Zuebell) and those that are (Bastinac, Gibson) only one has any intent.

The other problem is it requires speed to close down space and defend and attack during transition. I think it is clear our issues there.

We beat defensive heavy teams because a slow game with crazy counterattacks suit us. Anything requiring hard running and defending pace is outside our team.

Watch the 2nd quarter, the Lions players just ran off us at every opportunity. Unless it was Atley, they knew they wouldn't be caught.

Pretty easy to pick our main midfield problem.

I'd say it was a lot more about work rate in the second quarter than speed.

 

[Devil Fish]

We have a midfield full of mid-paced, mid-sized, mid-skilled players.
Basti, JZ, Cunners, Adams, MacKenzie, Wright, Swallow, Greenwood......

Pace is so important, and with Wells out, we just have zero run. But hey, let's draft Dumont, another workmanlike inside midfielder.

 

[muttley45]

The meat grinder is so full of gristle and no lean meat it is grinding to halt

 

[Shagga is all Class]

The down the line kicks are the issue. Brisbane and Adelaide marked our kicks all day and cleared anything they did not mark easily.

This set up more uncontested ball movement and loss of territory where when we next defend the ball they have frontal pressure and we end up kicking down the line again. Rinse and repeat. Once they jag a couple of long range goals and get a couple over the back then there is some real scoreboard pressure.

If you watch the 3rd quarter against Richmond at the game we looked like a bunch of moths around a light globe which meant we had pressure and options.

Even late against Brisbane there was some run and release from behind and to the side of the ball carrier.

The team that works the angles by hand or foot is winning and the team that goes down the line blind or otherwise is losing.

Wells and JMAC might help and we may even get some cream from NDS next year but the real issue is that core group of 80-100 mids that do not do enough.

Unfortunately the next level down which has been Greenwood, Jacobs, Dumont are similar players.

Adams is the real odd man out. The 80s called and they want you back. We need Stokes/Motlop/B Hill/ I Smith types. Even Robinson *chuck* or Simpson from Carltank. FFS Port have about 4 blokes we could use.

BS refuses to drop Adams and he is just another slow short inside mid playing a high half forward role. How the hell does that help our ball movement?

 

[rooboy335]

I'm not sure if the players are just terrible at zone defending, or if some of them are just lazy but I'm gonna say it's the latter. Or maybe both. What really irks me is this:

The fastest and hardest time I saw McKenzie run was during a break in play due to a stoppage to run off and swap with someone else on the interchange. I actually thought "whoa, he's actually got another gear when he wants to use it".

The fastest and most determined I saw Bastinac run last night was when he was chasing an opponent running it out of their D50, in the fourth quarter. Where was that effort in the previous 3? He couldn't have been saving himself for the last. He's one of our best runners. Yet when he thinks the game isn't on the line or is in the bag he dawdles, he jogs, he front-runs, he doesn't worry about his own man.

Please note, there are a few more players in our 22 with the same mentality I believe, and I hate singling players out, but these boys don't have any runs on the board (Basti surely not after what he's dished up this season) and have to go for players who are actually desperate and more deserving.

When you have a zone defence type of game style, and you have players who not only lack pace, but also lack the will and intent to put in repeat sprint efforts off the ball, you are going to leave opponents running in acres of space, you are going to get cut up through the middle, give up a ton of I50's, and get done by any team in the league no matter their ladder position.

 

[rooboy335]

Easy.

Footy today is about zoning and hard running. We have some players not built for gut busting (Cunnington, Zuebell) and those that are (Bastinac, Gibson) only one has any intent.

The other problem is it requires speed to close down space and defend and attack during transition. I think it is clear our issues there.

We beat defensive heavy teams because a slow game with crazy counterattacks suit us. Anything requiring hard running and defending pace is outside our team.

Watch the 2nd quarter, the Lions players just ran off us at every opportunity. Unless it was Atley, they knew they wouldn't be caught.

Pretty easy to pick our main midfield problem.

Didn't read before I posted but that is exactly the problem with our midfield, we don't have players who can pull off this defensive zoning game style. Even just playing a simple man-on-man would've probably worked better last night.

 

[GarnerSmash]

We do have players capable of playing a strong defensive and zonal game, they have applied it successfully this season on a number of occasions. Why cant they do it consistently though?

A midfield containing a bunch of kids made us look pedestrian with our ball use in close and second rate on the spread. That's just disgraceful.

 

[Reginald0]

Easy.

Footy today is about zoning and hard running. We have some players not built for gut busting (Cunnington, Zuebell) and those that are (Bastinac, Gibson) only one has any intent.

The other problem is it requires speed to close down space and defend and attack during transition. I think it is clear our issues there.

We beat defensive heavy teams because a slow game with crazy counterattacks suit us. Anything requiring hard running and defending pace is outside our team.

Watch the 2nd quarter, the Lions players just ran off us at every opportunity. Unless it was Atley, they knew they wouldn't be caught.

Pretty easy to pick our main midfield problem.

good post
cant see your solution tho?

 

[scooby1279]

Anyone watch bulldogs games, bontempelli is exactly what we need hard mid with all class, gee we lack that type of player.

 

[Zondor]

It's about balance my friends. Inside Mids a plenty. Outside run at a minimum.

We are at our best offensively when we break the lines with run. Atley and Harvey carry the pill but that's about it. We miss Wells for this reason because he is the other guy capable of this. Isn't the list a touch lop sided?

But that's only part of the issue. If the effort to chase, if the effort to harass, if the effort to provide an option and spread isn't there then it doesn't matter who you have in the midfield. Yah gonna get beat. :stern look

 

[Ry009]

But that's only part of the issue. If the effort to chase, if the effort to harass, if the effort to provide an option and spread isn't there then it doesn't matter who you have in the midfield. Yah gonna get beat. :stern look

Bang on Z, we'd have better luck lifting Half Tonne Mom than the efforts of our mob at the moment :sternlook

 

[JZTIME!]

i thought Jacobs gave us something when he came on. Worth seeing if he can add to the group in a fully game. We actually missed Nahas last night for his forward pressure

 

[Groucho]

Anyone watch bulldogs games, bontempelli is exactly what we need hard mid with all class, gee we lack that type of player.

Saw him today,very impressive. That's the advantage of early picks I guess. Not sure I want to go through that kind of pain though. What we're going through is bad enough!

 

[Moti]

good post
cant see your solution tho?

Draft quicker players and players who have the under age form when it comes to work rate. No more HB/HF players as top picks, only midfield savvy, hard running quick players.

 

[benbanjo]

Can we get a look at Yarran or is he contracted?
being wasted at Carlton.....

 

[Jay-Z]

Can we get a look at Yarran or is he contracted?
being wasted at Carlton.....

Just signed an extension I believe

 

[ozzyoslo]

We will play different this week....we will play the kamikaze style this week.....we haven't done it all year and its been said the only way to beat the hawks.

 

[Psicosis]

As highlighted by Dermie and Thomo on SEN, for us to win, 100% of our players have to play well. We lack the star power to afford to go missing for a couple quarters, and still beat a good opposition. Unlike Geelong or Hawthorn.

 

[benbanjo]

As highlighted by Dermie and Thomo on SEN, for us to win, 100% of our players have to play well. We lack the star power to afford to go missing for a couple quarters, and still beat a good opposition. Unlike Geelong or Hawthorn.

Well this sounds logical, however most of our players have been missing all year.....

 

[Psicosis]

Well this sounds logical, however most of our players have been missing all year.....

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