Where should walker play?

[CrowAboutIt]

I semi-understand the thinking of that with the way the game is played that you want your forwards to compete/mark on the wing. However to me it almost seems like an out-clause...IMO there are many more options than bringing Ur best fwd out of position.. If it requires more spread and harder running from our mids so be it... Tell me when did tex look at his most dangerous? Yes he made a nice low pass along the wing but when he was camped in the fwd line in the last qtr it seemed like we still had a chance.

 

[blitzer]

A lot of the fault for Walker being in the wrong spots comes down to their midfield. There was significant periods where it didn't go into the forward 50 and you can't really blame him for roaming. I think the problem Adelaide now have is that they no longer have a quality second tall target who can compete in the air consistently when Walker is up the ground. Jenkins appears to still need to develop his game a lot to get to that point. Its a tough situation for Walker and in any games that Adelaide don't play well this situation will probably arise at points. It will be interesting to see how they deal with it.

 

[Coopers]

I want Walker to be about 40m ahead of the ball.

So for tonight, I pretty much wanted him at out defensive 50.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

The way he plays full forward is fine.

He only ends up way up the ground when we're playing like absolute shit and our slow, sideways play forces him to.

 

[Geoffa32]

He should rarely be backward of centre, if ever. That is a 100% defensive mindset.

 

[Tarasque36]

No... unfortunately its modern day football. We all would love to see Walker not leave the 50m arc! Me included! But... theres a press. You have to zone up because its what your opposition do. If I was coach, I'd find a way to have a fwd stay inside 50 to lead at the ball carrier. Hard to say, but these coaches are full time professionals.. they must know why they dont.. I'd love to ask!
How frustrating to have the ball HBF to have no1 to kick to ! AAAARrrrrggggggggg

 

[Geoffa32]

No... unfortunately its modern day football. We all would love to see Walker not leave the 50m arc! Me included! But... theres a press. You have to zone up because its what your opposition do. If I was coach, I'd find a way to have a fwd stay inside 50 to lead at the ball carrier. Hard to say, but these coaches are full time professionals.. they must know why they dont.. I'd love to ask!
How frustrating to have the ball HBF to have no1 to kick to ! AAAARrrrrggggggggg

The top of the press should be about the Centreline. Any deeper and you are always going to get beat because when you get a turnover the other team has guys to mop up, ie Dustin Fletcher, and put the ball back into their offensive half.



Our guys were too close to the defensive goal tonight, and too slow to counter.

 

[Elder van Berlo]

Spent way too much time too far up the ground tonight. I know that it's a function of the way the game is going, but really, what did he give us up the ground? Bugger all.

But then on the odd occasion we did get out, there was nothing to go to up forward. I lost count of the number of times the ball got booted over Tex's head and dealt with easily by Essendon's defence. In the last quarter, he stayed at home more and we actually looked dangerous.

No idea why we insist on dragging every forward up within 50m of the ball.

 

[Elder van Berlo]

No... unfortunately its modern day football. We all would love to see Walker not leave the 50m arc! Me included! But... theres a press. You have to zone up because its what your opposition do. If I was coach, I'd find a way to have a fwd stay inside 50 to lead at the ball carrier. Hard to say, but these coaches are full time professionals.. they must know why they dont.. I'd love to ask!
How frustrating to have the ball HBF to have no1 to kick to ! AAAARrrrrggggggggg

Bugger the press. Leave Tex (or anyone else for that matter) in the forward 50. If they want to press their whole 18 up the ground, let them. But they know every time it gets out the back, it's a goal.

 

[Tarasque36]

The top of the press should be about the Centreline. Any deeper and you are always going to get beat because when you get a turnover the other team has guys to mop up, ie Dustin Fletcher, and put the ball back into their offensive half.



Our guys were too close to the defensive goal tonight, and too slow to counter.

So, in a perfect press/set up where would you have Walker? I'd like 30m, then run at the ball carrier.

 

[Geoffa32]

So, in a perfect press/set up where would you have Walker? I'd like 30m, then run at the ball carrier.

Probably 10-15m our goal side of Centre when we don't have the ball.


I don't see Tex as a traditional Full Forward, more a CHF. His best asset is his kicking. He can kick a goal from 60 out, or hit up a team mate in the F50. When we get the ball he does not always have to run forward though, this is where his Footy smarts (he seems to have a good Footy IQ, if not a non footy one) have to come in to play and realise what his next action is. Dependant on where the ball is and if he thinkins he is needed in the CHF area or can go forward and become a target inside the F50.


Our "Full Forward" stands in a similar position but a bit wider and as soon as we get posession runs like buggery to get into the F50 before Tex comes into play.

Of course these two players would rotate at times to mix it up a bit and rest players up forward.

I would have played Danger up forward most of the night tonight, (he gave us nothing in the middle) he and Tex playing these two roles.




Gone are the days where you have a guy sit in the goal square or even in the F50 when your team has the ball deep in the defensive half. It does not work. Hence Jack Anthony and Mark Williams (Hawthorn) type players are no longer in the AFL.

 

[Mervyn Beasley]

The only thing Walker should do is get a haircut.

The rest pales into insignificance

 

[Tarasque36]

Geoffa, we almost agree completely!
Technicality tho - ur theory that u explained, i agree. But, I'd 'label ' him more as FF than CHF. Only because I'd class a CHF as a -bomb the ball there for a pack situation. Altho for Walker (and FF) rather have kick to space infront of them - so Walker can use his footy smarts. Make sense?

 

[Geoffa32]

Geoffa, we almost agree completely!
Technicality tho - ur theory that u explained, i agree. But, I'd 'label ' him more as FF than CHF. Only because I'd class a CHF as a -bomb the ball there for a pack situation. Altho for Walker (and FF) rather have kick to space infront of them - so Walker can use his footy smarts. ?

I think so.......

 

[Slippery Pete]

You cannot expect a key forward to have a proper influence - let alone dominate a game -when every time he hits a contest he has just sprinted 80 metres from the other end of the ********* ground.

Every time I looked at Tex tonight, he was bent over with his hands on his knees, sucking in air like there was no tomorrow.

There is nothing wrong with a defensive press that has the caveat of your superstar forward staying somewhere remotely close to home.

There is a lot wrong with a coaches box not realising the affect that ongoing match fatigue has on a forward like Walker's ability to dominate.

Walker may as well not have been out there tonight. We could've got the same effect with Phil Harper playing.

 

[Tarasque36]

You cannot expect a key forward to have a proper influence - let alone dominate a game -when every time he hits a contest he has just sprinted 80 metres from the other end of the ********* ground.

Every time I looked at Tex tonight, he was bent over with his hands on his knees, sucking in air like there was no tomorrow.

There is nothing wrong with a defensive press that has the caveat of your superstar forward staying somewhere remotely close to home.

There is a lot wrong with a coaches box not realising the affect that ongoing match fatigue has on a forward like Walker's ability to dominate.

Walker may as well not have been out there tonight. We could've got the same effect with Phil Harper playing.

Love the bolded bit, esp when we play attacking footy and back our mids and rucks to win the contested ball.

 

[Coopers]

Well, if you don't ever get the ball, wtf are you supposed to do?

 

[Geoffa32]

Well, if you don't ever get the ball, wtf are you supposed to do?

Statistically he got as much of it as he does on average.

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-adelaide-crows--taylor-walker


And kicked his average goals.




But was in the "wrong" position for about 80% of the game.

 

[Tarasque36]

Statistically he got as much of it as he does on average.

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-adelaide-crows--taylor-walker


And kicked his average goals.




But was in the "wrong" position for about 80% of the game.

That sums him up!!!!

 

[CrowAboutIt]

IMO this isn't soccer.. There is no offside rule.. I understand they set up a zone but I guarantee that if a team puts their forwards up forward the opposition isn't going to set up in a zone.. Like I said this is just my opinion but I don't see players like tex Jenkins props etc going forward and not being followed... A lot of the time the forward press ends up in a ball up or a tint over straight back into the opp 50 where half of their team is set up with the other half guarding it not getting out because our forwards have allowed them to stay around midfield. Maybe im being biased but I think if we played that way and allowed our players to go 1 on 1 and then have something to kick to when they won we would have won..
One thing that emphasised this was Jenkins 2 on 1 he clearly was trying to tap behind himself and his opponent thinking he'd be able to outrun him but because we had no one back there a essedon player just mopped it up..

 

[CrowAboutIt]

Another quick question... In finals footy does this whole zone system come into play? The only time I can actually remember a player running into an open half was Lewis jetta vs collingwood..

 

[AFC979810]

A lot of the fault for Walker being in the wrong spots comes down to their midfield. There was significant periods where it didn't go into the forward 50 and you can't really blame him for roaming. I think the problem Adelaide now have is that they no longer have a quality second tall target who can compete in the air consistently when Walker is up the ground. Jenkins appears to still need to develop his game a lot to get to that point. Its a tough situation for Walker and in any games that Adelaide don't play well this situation will probably arise at points. It will be interesting to see how they deal with it.

Agree.

It all comes down to our midfield being smashed. The ball was in our defensive 50 for most of the game and we weren't winning the contested balls so Sando sent extra men to the contest. As a result of this Walker had to come up and sit around the defensive side of the square. No point in having him sit 30 metres from our goal when A. we weren't winning the ball and B. If we did win the ball nobody could kick it to him 80 metres away.

Hopefully our midfield will return to the level of last year and this will be a once off.

 

[BigLefty]

the defensive press has nothing to do with where Walker is playing. the press is when our defenders work up the ground to lock the ball up forward.

what Walker was doing was responding to Essendons press by not allowig his opponent to stand 50 meters from the ball waiting all by himself.

the reason he was so far up the ground is simply because we had the ball in our back half for too long, and allowed essendon to lock it in. If we rebound quickly, his opponent doesnt have the time to press up and settle into that spot. (that spot is also a dangerous attacking spot by the way, so he can hardly leave a guy hovering around his attacking 50 on his own)

 

[Mike Smyth]

the defensive press has nothing to do with where Walker is playing. the press is when our defenders work up the ground to lock the ball up forward.

what Walker was doing was responding to Essendons press by not allowig his opponent to stand 50 meters from the ball waiting all by himself.

the reason he was so far up the ground is simply because we had the ball in our back half for too long, and allowed essendon to lock it in. If we rebound quickly, his opponent doesnt have the time to press up and settle into that spot. (that spot is also a dangerous attacking spot by the way, so he can hardly leave a guy hovering around his attacking 50 on his own)

I counted at least 6 times where we rebounded quickly but the forward line was empty. In the 2nd half of the last quarter,when walker did stay at home,he looked like turning the game. We were horrible all over the ground last night but especially in the coaches box..

 

[BigLefty]

I counted at least 6 times where we rebounded quickly but the forward line was em

but had the bombers had an extended period up forward? if the ball has been in their forward line for any length of time, their defenders will push up to further crowd the area to keep it in.