Shepherding...

[Lach72]

or lack there of...

I'm wondering what the instructions are regarding this: our efforts at this skill are disgraceful, and the technique employed seems to be to waft past in front of the chasing man and allow him to keep the chase going.

Exception, for some reason, being Ibbotson and Tarrant, who actually makes body contact.

Yesterday, I lost count of the times where we had 3 guys in the vicinity of the ball...one receives it, while the other two peel off for the hand ball...hardly any of them look to put the chaser on their arse

Is this a result of the new netball rules and our shoddy record aat the tribunal?

 

[Ripper]

You can add your man Keps & Solly to that list.

 

[Alfonz]

I think its been this way for a long time. Mayne also has a crack at laying a shepherd. Solomon too. And Bradley I saw do it. Basically players from other clubs, or rookies.

Another problem is the "shepherd" when the other team has the ball. If you are committed to an opponent who then disposes of the ball, you should at least run up and bump him (without giving a free kick down the ground) to stop his momentum. Often our players make no contact and just turn around to follow the ball, which allows opposition players to keep running and maybe provide another option, mainly for a one-two.

 

[Slacker]

This has been an ongoing problem IMO.

Here is a thread from 2005:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180494
Read Doms reply and be depressed.

 

[freocynic]

I don't think it is a result of the rules changing, it has been this way at Freo for a long time. Our players play selfish football, looking to get the stats up and kicks and handballs look better than shepherds on the stats sheet. Most stats sheets don't even include shepherds

 

[chook2734]

Schammer was quite good yesterday too - perhaps one of the reasons he continues to get a game?

I think our tackling has also gone. In the pre-season, it looked to be a major change, but in the last month or so it's been a big effort for some players to even throw out a limp arm as they watch the opposition run by.

 

[Goat 53]

This has been an ongoing problem IMO.

Here is a thread from 2005:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180494
Read Doms reply and be depressed.

Good point re talking. Yet it is STILL going on.

How many times is a player run down when one of his team mates could have told him. FFS.

 

[Clay Davis]

Peake last week against Carlton is a case in point.

 

[DOCKERZ]

Yesterday was my first time at a game for about 18 months, and I must have shouted out 'SHEPHERD!!!" at least half a dozen times. Surely when non footballers can see something this glaring the coaching staff must be addressing it.

Also our use of the corridor was non existent, which I guess comes from a lack of confidence.