Opinion Scrap the Press??

[cfx_1]

The Press, or the zone defense that we employ from a behind scored simply isn't working, or rather, isn't working as well as it has in the past. The simple fact is, teams have worked out that if you push numbers to one side you can usually clear the ball quite easily by hand and find open targets in an open forward line over the press.

Hawthorn and Geelong did it with ease, Carlton too (though they didn't have many opportunities to prove it) So it would seem the better teams have the skills to get through it.

Which poses a question.... Against these lets say top 8 teams, why don't we try something amazingly revolutionary.. Man on Man.

With our list we should be able to compete 1 on 1 with every team in the AFL. I know we have injuries but I would back us in 90% of the contests.

What are the problems with switching to this?? Are there other viable structures we could employ?? What benefits does the press bring to our structure?? Why do we persist with something that is completely being over run??

Discuss

 

[Pie eyed]

WE have implemented "the press: for all of one quarter that I can see this season.

 

[cfx_1]

Well whatever our set up is, its terrible. If we get a chance to set up the ball just goes to unmarked players in space and then fast movement out the back of our zone.. If its not "the press" then what is it? Cause it has been a real downfall and I would love to see some facts regarding our retention rate from opposition kick ins, or the score in relation to opposition kick ins. Also "time in fwd half" would be an interesting stat.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

It worked in the first quarter against Hawthorn.

It still works most of the time, when implemented properly, I'm just not sure why we're not doing it. Especially with all our injuries. It seems the perfect plan to cover for missing players.

But hey, whatever we're doing is half working because despite losing players at a rate of knots, we're 6-2.

 

[Collingwoodity]

Well whatever our set up is, its terrible. If we get a chance to set up the ball just goes to unmarked players in space and then fast movement out the back of our zone.. If its not "the press" then what is it? Cause it has been a real downfall and I would love to see some facts regarding our retention rate from opposition kick ins, or the score in relation to opposition kick ins. Also "time in fwd half" would be an interesting stat.

probably smashed in both those stats

 

[jonbe54]

Transition is where we are losing out, good clubs have made transitioning a priority because of our press. Far too many coast to coast opportunities to the opposition atm but we too are in transition, give it some time for the players to become accustomed to the new fluid play style.

 

[mavcib]

Not sure why bucks doesn't play man on man, you guys have one of the best lists in the comp..Zoning is a load of crap also its for basketball players not footballers....Crows ,bombers and the hawks play man on man attacking footy for the good teams ..

 

[rhys_22]

It worked in the first quarter against Hawthorn.

It still works most of the time, when implemented properly, I'm just not sure why we're not doing it. Especially with all our injuries. It seems the perfect plan to cover for missing players.

But hey, whatever we're doing is half working because despite losing players at a rate of knots, we're 6-2.

You'll see in the 2nd half of the season.If we play it to its full potential all year we will tire easy.Kinda reminds me of 2010.Didnt really see the press played properly until the 2nd half of the year.

 

[HeavyPop]

We should be looking to reinvent, rather than use a press.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

We'll use the press from time to time as appropriate. It might have been revolutionary around 2009 but now it's just part of the "set plays" that we run. There aren't many opportunities to run set plays in a game like Aussie Rules because the game is too continuous, but kicking out from a behind is one time at which we can employ the zone press when it's to our advantage to do so. It's better to be able to give the opposition different setups to keep them off balance.

 

[magicpants]

I think we have been caught a bit in between due to various factors, injuries to many players and therefore younger players coming in and importantly the lack of our gun key backs ie taz and browny all year and Reid for a few games too. Heath also to an extent and BJ.

This means maxy, and Harry have to worry about their man a bit more than committing to the zone for fear of the ball getting through without the security of the big boys back there. Kudos has to go to keefe however for the job he has done but the lack of the experienced key backs has unsettled our structures massively and not just in the back half.

All in all, with our outs so far, this first part of the season is all about getting the 4 points and we have done well in this regard..also 2 losses to hawks and blues is not a big worry relatively speaking although would have been great to meet blues this week instead of rd 3

 

[jabbers]

The Press, or the zone defense that we employ from a behind scored simply isn't working, or rather, isn't working as well as it has in the past. The simple fact is, teams have worked out that if you push numbers to one side you can usually clear the ball quite easily by hand and find open targets in an open forward line over the press.

Hawthorn and Geelong did it with ease, Carlton too (though they didn't have many opportunities to prove it) So it would seem the better teams have the skills to get through it.

Which poses a question.... Against these lets say top 8 teams, why don't we try something amazingly revolutionary.. Man on Man.

With our list we should be able to compete 1 on 1 with every team in the AFL. I know we have injuries but I would back us in 90% of the contests.

What are the problems with switching to this?? Are there other viable structures we could employ?? What benefits does the press bring to our structure?? Why do we persist with something that is completely being over run??

Discuss

Man on man gets murdered when teams have time to set up set plays. THey can run multiple screens which effectively creates free man which can be transferred to cast to coast goals. THis is why ALL sides employ some type of zone deffence. After the initial few possessions you can revert to one on one, but not at kickouts.

 

[SuperSub17]

You'll see in the 2nd half of the season.If we play it to its full potential all year we will tire easy.Kinda reminds me of 2010.Didnt really see the press played properly until the 2nd half of the year.

That is very true, not sure we will re-implement it to that scale in 2012 but we certainly didn't do it for the entire 2010.

 

[Pie eyed]

We should be looking to reinvent, rather than use a press.

The Squeeze?
The Crush. Next level up from the press.

 

[HeavyPop]

The Squeeze?
The Crush. Next level up from the press.

Not sure what we could do, but if the press was invented to hide the weaknesses of Maxwell and O'Brien, then something similar should work.

 

[Pie eyed]

Not sure what we could do, but if the press was invented to hide the weaknesses of Maxwell and O'Brien, then something similar should work.

You really think that the press was the evolution of weakness in two players?

That reads like a foundationless dig.

 

[HeavyPop]

Nah, I didn't mean it was based around them but it certainly helped hide the weaker aspects of their games.

I find it odd that most teams are trying to use a press. Only West Coast have done it well IMO.

Geelong in 2007 had a new gameplan, same with the Hawks in 08, Saints in 09, Pies in 2010 and Geelong reinvented themselves in 2011.

 

[Pie eyed]

Nah, I didn't mean it was based around them but it certainly helped hide the weaker aspects of their games.

I find it odd that most teams are trying to use a press. Only West Coast have done it well IMO.

Geelong in 2007 had a new gameplan, same with the Hawks in 08, Saints in 09, Pies in 2010 and Geelong reinvented themselves in 2011.

For mine our press evolved from Geelong's get it forward at all costs and in any manner possible, then kill yourself to keep it in range until someone got a shot on goal strategy.

WE started to unravel our own press for other sides when Davis and Goldsack kicked a few torps straight up the middle when a few othersides tried early implementations of the press against us.

The sides which get through the press easiest have the tallest players on average.

The sides which can still implement the press and combat the kick up the middle are also the sides with the tallest players on average as they can use these players to combat any opposition side with plenty of talls taking the ball away. They can totally dominate sides with little to no talls altogether.

Does that make sense?

 

[HeavyPop]

Yeah, I understand what you mean and you're right.

Leigh Matthews wrote a good article on it back at the start of the 2011 season.

http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=109604

 

[Pie eyed]

Yeah, I understand what you mean and you're right.

Leigh Matthews wrote a good article on it back at the start of the 2011 season.

http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=109604

Shit and here I was thinking I may just be an idiot savant.