Analysis The Midfield

[tgrs]

I would tend to agree that it is not our weakest link in regards to quality, I would tend to think our forward line is our weakness in regards to depth.
Yet I would hasten to say that our midfield is our weakness at the moment in regards to form, which if they can find form and confidence can give our backs a chance to at least have a reasonable opportunity to defend properly. Also if they move the ball quickly & more direct it will also help our forwards be able to compete one on one.

Overall our biggest weakness lays in the hands of our coaching staff, that continually seem to have the same game plan week in week out, with minor changes that don't seem to help any of our current players out in regards to structuring up during games. We see the same mistakes every week & it's so frustrating as a supporter to see no changes in regards to being pro-active rather than re-active.

I completely agree with both your points, form is the key point to be making in regards to our midfield. Our midfield is class, no doubt, just not living up to that label at this point in time. A big part of it is that Deledio is not playing at the moment, which seems to completely ruin midfield chemistry.

Your second point basically steals the words from my mouth.

Though, our defence and forward line are not to the same level of quality as the top teams even when our midfield is clicking.

I mean if you count Sheds as a midfielder now our forward line basically consists of Reiwoldt. There are a few youngsters showing some skill but right now they are nowhere near flag contending level.

Quality in our defence is a bit easier to find with Rance, who I reckon would walk into any team right now, Houli and Vlas. Astbury could come good in time but last game showed that theres still a lot of things that need to go right.

 

[sante]

Your forward and defence can only be as good as your midfield allows so to speak.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Dejavu

 

[partycorolla]

I would tend to agree that it is not our weakest link in regards to quality, I would tend to think our forward line is our weakness in regards to depth.
Yet I would hasten to say that our midfield is our weakness at the moment in regards to form, which if they can find form and confidence can give our backs a chance to at least have a reasonable opportunity to defend properly. Also if they move the ball quickly & more direct it will also help our forwards be able to compete one on one.

Overall our biggest weakness lays in the hands of our coaching staff, that continually seem to have the same game plan week in week out, with minor changes that don't seem to help any of our current players out in regards to structuring up during games. We see the same mistakes every week & it's so frustrating as a supporter to see no changes in regards to being pro-active rather than re-active.

Started to do this on Saturday. We are definitely a tall forward short (if that makes sense!).... DH said earlier in the season that he was playing Lloyd as a third tall role (which is silly).... while TV was out. Shows a lack of faith in McBean/McKenzie... After this game I'd have Astbury up forward if Griff isn't ready.... We need 3 up there to capitalise on our manic ball movement (like the 2nd half against the Cats)....

 

[Livonski]

Started to do this on Saturday. We are definitely a tall forward short (if that makes sense!).... DH said earlier in the season that he was playing Lloyd as a third tall role (which is silly).... while TV was out. Shows a lack of faith in McBean/McKenzie... After this game I'd have Astbury up forward if Griff isn't ready.... We need 3 up there to capitalise on our manic ball movement (like the 2nd half against the Cats)....

How easy does it look when you come thru the guts and chip it to a leading forward?
The one to Astbury who then wheeled around and put it on Jacks chest 25m out from goal. Simple.
Vickery got 2 like that in Q2 and Q3, one from Ivan, one from Grigg. And then missed them both. Either shot on goal would have created a serious uplift if he'd kicked em, and sat Geelong right on their arses.

 

[Stitch]

Our 2012 midfield was being talked up to be the best in the comp, and it should have been!
What happened?
Tuck, Jackson and Foley (still playing but injured).
That's what happened. And to make it even worse, we turned Cotchin and Martin from contested machines to 'high possession' uncontested players. Cotchin almost won a brownlow and Martin was an absolute bull inside, now we rely on an undersized Miles & Edwards and 1st year C.Ellis to extract it.
We have A+ grade players but we are a longshot from an A grade midfield. Get Dusty and Cotch back to doing what they do best and leave that other game to Deledio, B.Ellis, Lennon, Houli.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

We ain't got the cattle yet to charge into the four...
Gonna take at least 3 /4 years more....

 

[partycorolla]

How easy does it look when you come thru the guts and chip it to a leading forward?
The one to Astbury who then wheeled around and put it on Jacks chest 25m out from goal. Simple.
Vickery got 2 like that in Q2 and Q3, one from Ivan, one from Grigg. And then missed them both. Either shot on goal would have created a serious uplift if he'd kicked em, and sat Geelong right on their arses.

Certainly not taking our chances at the moment.... pretty frustrating...

I'm now over all the gloom and doom, I'm just looking for the game style to be like the 2nd half. Get back to 2012/13 run and gun. I'm looking forward to seeing more Lennon, C.Ellis, see what Conca has to offer and less Lloyd, Morris (at least in the forward half) and Petterd and co...

The side on the weekend wasn't that bad on paper.... Add Lids, Griff and Conca to that team, maybe swap Grimes with Batch, take out Lloyd, prob Morris, Chaplin (replaced by Elton at some stage) and Newman (not for next week as he was alright but for the future) and we have a decent core.... Need to add 2 more very good to gun mids, a quick dangerous sneaky forward and find another running half back to complement Houli and we are on the right track. Can we add all of those this off season? Yes but we'll have to creative and a touch lucky. Use TV, Batch, Foley and perhaps Conca to get some sort of trade value and we might be able to rustle something up.... They aren't great trade options but probably all we can afford to lose unless we give up a Dusty/Rance type....

Oops, sorry I got sidetracked.... I'm thinking of how we can improve our list in the next year.... real effort, intensity and ball speed is all that can help us this year...

 

[Livonski]

Agree. One thing was that there was a genuine desire to move it quickly last week. Saw that with the handball ratio. Problem was there were too many running to get the handball rather than running away from the ball carrier to make an option further forward. It will come I reckon.
The other thing is if you run and gun then at some point you'll run into trouble (a la Batch) in which case throw it on your boot. That said we need match ups in fwd 50 otherwise the H Taylors of this world will pick us off.
Couple of healthy ins like Lids, Conca and Griff and a bit of poise in front of goal...who knows.

 

[jc12]

I hate making threads and jumping the gun and overreacting to losses but is our midfield overrated internally?

Look at the better teams and their midfields shit all over ours.

HAWKS
Lewis
Mitchell
Hodge
Smith
Hill
Shiels
Langford

SWANS
Hannebery
Kennedy
Jack
Jetta
Parker
Bird

PORT
Boak
Ebert
Gray
Hartlett
Wines
Polec
Cornes

TIGERS
Cotchin
Martin
Ellis
Miles
Deledio
Grigg
Edwards
Conca

I think Deledio and Edwards are moreso Half forwards but still good midfielders. Grigg and Miles are just B Graders really. Didn't include McIntosh cause he's a kid. We only have 2 gun mids in Cotch and Martin and both cop all the attention weekly because of it. Conca hasn't had a good season as a midfielder yet


I know I've probably missed a player or two but I think the difference in class is staggering and the reason we can't jump to a top 4 team.

you are right mate, cotchin martin and lids are guns no doubt but we are missing probably one more A grader who is a big bodied player that can take the grunt work off cotchin, cotchin needs to be used a bit more forward of centre thats where he is more deadly with his poise and quick descions. swans have JPK , port have wines and boak, hawks have lewis

 

[jc12]

also we need our younger players to develop much more faster, can't help but feel vlaustuin should be in the guts extracting it for us, conca, lennon etc need to get going too. annoys me how other clubs have players who are automatic locks for most teams in the comp after one season, ie; wines and bont

 

[jc12]

Cotchin is a joke. Mark Murphy MKII.

Played a few good games then rides on coat-tails, JEEP ads and other soft shit!

If he's our spiritual leader then we are well and truly farked. He's on media street is the pretty boy.

you are a joke, he was one of the few that actually tried to lift us against melbourne and was good again on the weekend, problem is he cant kick a set shot

 

[unfoley]

I think cotch is a great midfielder but we gave him captaincy way too early. He needed time to establish himself as a gun in the comp first. Lids or jackson was primed for the role. I would prefer if he was more unsociable at times

 

[richoatthedisco]

Can Matt Dea become our bigger bodied midfielder ?

I reckon it's worth a try giving him run-with roles to learn the caper. He's strong, tough, powerful, quick and has good hands in close.

 

[sante]

I remember during the off season a minority of us (Tigerbob?) were saying we should of chased after Sewell/O'Keefe to help out in the midfield and we were shot down by many saying it was another top up etc. They would be great additions to our 'small' midfield.

 

[tunksy]

I remember during the off season a minority of us (Tigerbob?) were saying we should of chased after Sewell/O'Keefe to help out in the midfield and we were shot down by many saying it was another top up etc. They would be great additions to our 'small' midfield.

And shot down for suggestions of higgins. When we need a classy hf or good user off hbf

 

[TiggerMan22]

Our midfielders poor form is also one of the reasons we can't hit the scoreboard.

Average goals a game
Last year/this year

Dusty: 1.2/0.8
Deledio: 1/0 (has been injured tho)
Cotchin: 0.8/0.3
Ellis: 0.4/0

We really need Dusty and Lids to kick about 30 a year, and Ellis and Cotch around 20. Especially when our forwards can't kick goals we need midfielders to hit the scoreboard a lot more.