Tackle Pressure Or Goal Pressure

[RegHickeyStand]

I laugh in the general direction of Motlop's six tackles against Richmond. What a pathetic stat that was for him.

And that is not an attack on Motlop. Thats an attack on whoever it is who is telling him how to play. By not playing his natural game, Motlop looks pathetic. He doesn't know whether he is Arthur or Martha and he is getting pilloried for it.

One of the things some posters here who were surprised about Menzel's omission said was "Yeah, but didn't he get 4 tackles last game?"

Stop and think about that for a moment. How hilarious is that?! What the ****ing hell do we have Menzel in the team for? No, I don't want Menzel second to the ball getting himself a tackle, and looking up to the coach's box for approval. I want him first to the ball kicking a goal. That is his strength.

Which gets me to the title. The biggest piece of pressure we put on Richmond was:

A. Those 2 goals before half time

B. Some cluster of 5 or 6 tackles you may remember in a passage of play.

You know the answer. I'm not saying we shouldn't pressure, I'm saying we should let first and foremost our most talented attacking players play their natural game.

If there is one thing Ross Lyon has taught us, its that negative defensive pressure play don't win the big ones.

I want someone to tell Hawkins it is ok to selfishly want to kick a frigging goal. Wanting to be the guy who kicks the goal is not a crime for a key forward.

I want someone to tell Dangerfield if he wants to run a further 25 metres and have a crack at goal himself, do so!

Danger: Why?
Me: because you are a shit inside 50 passer.


I want to see goal pressure, not tackle pressure. I want to see players going to their strengths and instincts. I want to see a bit of flair. If we go down, I don't want to see them capitulate like last week. Let them get beat on their own terms. Maybe they might win.

 

[Leeds17]

I laugh in the general direction of Motlop's six tackles against Richmond. What a pathetic stat that was for him.

And that is not an attack on Motlop. Thats an attack on whoever it is who is telling him how to play. By not playing his natural game, Motlop looks pathetic. He doesn't know whether he is Arthur or Martha and he is getting pilloried for it.

One of the things some posters here who were surprised about Menzel's omission said was "Yeah, but didn't he get 4 tackles last game?"

Stop and think about that for a moment. How hilarious is that?! What the ******* hell do we have Menzel in the team for? No, I don't want Menzel second to the ball getting himself a tackle, and looking up to the coach's box for approval. I want him first to the ball kicking a goal. That is his strength.

Which gets me to the title. The biggest piece of pressure we put on Richmond was:

A. Those 2 goals before half time

B. Some cluster of 5 or 6 tackles you may remember in a passage of play.

You know the answer. I'm not saying we shouldn't pressure, I'm saying we should let first and foremost our most talented attacking players play their natural game.

If there is one thing Ross Lyon has taught us, its that negative defensive pressure play don't win the big ones.

I want someone to tell Hawkins it is ok to selfishly want to kick a frigging goal. Wanting to be the guy who kicks the goal is not a crime for a key forward.

I want someone to tell Dangerfield if he wants to run a further 25 metres and have a crack at goal himself, do so!

Danger: Why?
Me: because you are a shit inside 50 passer.


I want to see goal pressure, not tackle pressure. I want to see players going to their strengths and instincts. I want to see a bit of flair. If we go down, I don't want to see them capitulate like last week. Let them get beat on their own terms. Maybe they might win.

After about Round 7 or 8 we have become one of the most defensive & dour teams in the comp, It's what got us to 2nd on the ladder.
In the future I'd love us to be more attacking, more concentrated on scoring but at this stage I don't think the list allows us to do that.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

After about Round 7 or 8 we have become one of the most defensive & dour teams in the comp, It's what got us to 2nd on the ladder.
In the future I'd love us to be more attacking, more concentrated on scoring but at this stage I don't think the list allows us to do that.

Dunno. I don't think we will win against a form attacking side. Lyon is supposed to be this great coach, and he couldn't make it happen. Also, its shit to watch.

 

[cats_09]

After about Round 7 or 8 we have become one of the most defensive & dour teams in the comp, It's what got us to 2nd on the ladder.
In the future I'd love us to be more attacking, more concentrated on scoring but at this stage I don't think the list allows us to do that.

During the h&a season we were the 4th highest scoring team - Essendon finished above us in 3rd by 1 point. So obviously scoring was still a focus otherwise we wouldn't have finished that high, and we didn't just stop attacking.

As for our defence, as fans we often look at that as being our strength, but we allowed the 6th least points this year. When you look at this years top 8, Essendon is the only team not ranked in the 8 defences in terms of points scored by the opposition - they actually finished 12th, with the other 7 sides all being ranked within the 7 best defences.

While it's good to be an attacking side, you still need to be able to clamp down on the opposition and stop them scoring - you can't just rely on outscoring the opposition in a shootout.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

......

While it's good to be an attacking side, you still need to be able to clamp down on the opposition and stop them scoring - you can't just rely on outscoring the opposition in a shootout.

With 5 goals to our name, we certainly didn't do that.

 

[Spazz Cat]

I think you have to work harder offensively than defenceley.
There is a lot of running involved in always making space to be a free target, or if you see your own player get the ball in congestion running quickly off your opponent to receive.
I always found this more tireing playing footy than tackling or running to the back 50 when the other team gets the ball.
I kind of think defensive sprints are overrated cause you just have to fill space, offensive sprints to create an outlet, especially at the end of a game is much much harder.
This is something we lack on the bigger grounds. So it's possible we just don't have the fitness.

 

[00VicWard001]

Dunno. I don't think we will win against a form attacking side. Lyon is supposed to be this great coach, and he couldn't make it happen. Also, its shit to watch.

This is interesting.

If we attack all out and our players are sloppy, then we get opened up the other way (last quarter against Richmond, GC and Essendon games). So we try and mix the two. The best games that Geelong have played have relied on us controlling the tempo and controlling the game. Knowing when to attack and when to hold the ball and frustrate the other team.

On Friday, we were sucked into just playing. Making it a personnel vs personnel game. And in this case, once we had injuries and lost a slight bit of focus, and they held onto their's for just a bit longer, then we lost. The Eagles and Port did this too I felt. We did the same thing against Hawthorn (last year and then the last game as well).

But meanwhile, Sydney and Adelaide actually imposed their games onto the opposition. They took the pressure early and then executed. It also helps when you put scoreboard pressure on. It was a game until Buddy kicked three goals. Likewise GWS had moments where they looked quite good. But they were broken with turnovers and accuracy from the Crows.

I don't know if we lost our tactics and just played at a frenetic pace, or this is our tactic because we are a strong contested ball team. Against some teams, we are like an avalanche and they crumble under that pressure and punch for punch mentality. Adelaide and the Bulldogs and GWS are very susceptible to us doing this.

Against Sydney, when we seem to back our contested game, it often ends up as a nil all draw. However, the game is won by them, because they have better/more composed finishing class than we do. We may win more contests and have more inside 50's, but since Motlop, Menzel and Hawkins are down on output, Taylor is hit and miss, and we have no second tier small forwards that jag goals out of nothing - we just don't capitalise and by missing shots or wasting attempts. This equals no real scoreboard pressure for the work that we do. Meanwhile, Sinclair, Buddy, Reid, Papley, Heeney, Parker and Rohan just keep hitting the scoreboard whenever they get a chance (even if its the slightest chance), even when their midfield isn't firing.

 

[Catsace]

Against Sydney, when we seem to back our contested game, it often ends up as a nil all draw. However, the game is won by them, because they have better/more composed finishing class than we do. We may win more contests and have more inside 50's, but since Motlop, Menzel and Hawkins are down on output, Taylor is hit and miss, and we have no second tier small forwards that jag goals out of nothing - we just don't capitalise and by missing shots or wasting attempts. This equals no real scoreboard pressure for the work that we do. Meanwhile, Sinclair, Buddy, Reid, Papley, Heeney, Parker and Rohan just keep hitting the scoreboard whenever they get a chance (even if its the slightest chance), even when their midfield isn't firing.

Good point about Sydney's ability to literally jag goal out of their rear ends, but they do it against Geelong so regularly you almost think they practice one-step snaps, hoicks, bunts, you name it....that litany of 7-goal to stuff all scoring outcomes in the first quarter against Geelong is supplemented so much by this uncanny ability to accurately hit shots that by all rights are ambitious at best. We don't have any small fit crumbers, and haven't really had one since Motlop's pomp a few years ago. Menzel can jag them at times too, but there's a cavalcade of Swans who you'd probably not recognise walking down the street who can all score at will, from anywhere even if there's a bloke right in his face, or a player diving to smother his kick or something. It's an ability that Sydney has which stands it in good stead in Finals, although under Horse only once in a GF.

A lot of my optimism obviously has been blown apart by the loss to the Tigers, but maybe Geelong can turn things back Longmire's way and see if that they can beat the highly paid Swans, that maybe not all the pressure has to be worn by our team. But we'll need to see something kind of 1994 Semi type of special i think. I hope this Geelong side can throw a game like this in..please!

 

[00VicWard001]

Good point about Sydney's ability to literally jag goal out of their rear ends, but they do it against Geelong so regularly you almost think they practice one-step snaps, hoicks, bunts, you name it....that litany of 7-goal to stuff all scoring outcomes in the first quarter against Geelong is supplemented so much by this uncanny ability to accurately hit shots that by all rights are ambitious at best. We don't have any small fit crumbers, and haven't really had one since Motlop's pomp a few years ago. Menzel can jag them at times too, but there's a cavalcade of Swans who you'd probably not recognise walking down the street who can all score at will, from anywhere even if there's a bloke right in his face, or a player diving to smother his kick or something. It's an ability that Sydney has which stands it in good stead in Finals, although under Horse only once in a GF.

A lot of my optimism obviously has been blown apart by the loss to the Tigers, but maybe Geelong can turn things back Longmire's way and see if that they can beat the highly paid Swans, that maybe not all the pressure has to be worn by our team. But we'll need to see something kind of 1994 Semi type of special i think. I hope this Geelong side can throw a game like this in..please!

Chris Scott and Clarkson talk about momentum and capitalising on it when it is yours.

Well, Sydney have a team of momentum killers. They just take it from you and make it there own. You need to be deadly and uncanny when you have it and HOPE that it puts pressure on them. You almost have to outlast them because you know they actually won't crack.

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

Chris Scott and Clarkson talk about momentum and capitalising on it when it is yours.

Well, Sydney have a team of momentum killers. They just take it from you and make it there own. You need to be deadly and uncanny when you have it and HOPE that it puts pressure on them. You almost have to outlast them because you know they actually won't crack.

There-in lies our problem. Call it deadly , uncanny , clinical or surgical we had early chances but didn't take them.
When we're shit we fumble, drop chest marks , handball to stationary players and kick to one on threes - we don't capitalise and just hand the ball and any momentum we've built back to the opposition. Swans grind you down and make you pay.
We look best when we link with speed and overlap through the middle and enter F50 with quality to a number of options. We have to win the MF to win IMO as given equal opportunity Swans class up forward should prevail. We also have to have quality I50's as we won the I50 count last time still got hammered. All that and I won't mention how ridiculously easy they score against us
Line in the sand game Cats , make it happen