Are we going to be running with the football or chasing after Freo jumpers?
This is a possibility - its what happened a lot last year.
I think the first thing is to be hell bent on winning the clearances. Once you've got the ball you can use your speed but the first thing is to win the physical contests.
I dont think we have a problem getting a hold of the ball. I may be off mark but I thought our clearance work from centre bounces and stoppages was good even during our poor last year.
We seemed to run into problems once we had it and didn't really have players having smart, quick decisive disposals. And the disposals that we did have were average at best. I cant remember how many times we got hurt on the turnover last year.
I feel that this is where Choco has spent a heap of time and effort on during the preseason- once we have it use it quickly, whether by foot/hand or by running with - and making sure the disposal is quality even when under pressure.
Thats why I like the looks of a lot of our younger players. Guys like Boak, Krak, Bentley, Gray etc and along with the burgers x2, pearce appear to have the ability to send us in the right direction - take note Kane, Grew, Lonie, Surj - and with effective disposals. It is where we miss people like R James, Carr, Dew, Schofield and even the d*ck Stevens. Smart players who know how to get the ball downfiel effectively.
If we can get the majority of the side to be able to do this then I think many of our apparent problems with the forward line will be rectified.
We still need guys like Brett and Motlop making better decisions with their leading but that will come.