Strategy Who To Play A Lockdown Role On The Most Dangerous Opposition Small Forward?

[shewho]

Apparently, in 2013 Hinkley identified a need to get someone into the club to be able to do a lockdown job on players like Betts, Balantyne, Walters, Rioli, Breust, Motlop etc. This is why we traded down our first draft pick knowing Impey would be available well after our original first pick. Byrne-Jones, White, Russell also came in.

12 months on, I'm not sure Impey is ready or suited for the role. He strikes me as a much better attacking force than a true lockdown defender.

So the question is, who plays the lockdown role on the sorts of players listed above who often tear us a new one?

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Impey is very good at this role. He also has the footy smarts to counter-attack by running off his man and making him accountable. As he gets more experienced and physically mature he will be a tough opponent. Impey's Rising Star game against Ballantyne wasn't a one-off. If he becomes more a McLeod-type intercept and rebound defender, Byrne-Jones could become a sticky defender.

I like Sam Russell too, he didn't get to play much footy this year but he has a real blue collar, hard-nosed, bring the steel lunch pail to work feel about him. And he has the running power Ken and Burgo love.

 

[finbarr]

Apparently, in 2013 Hinkley identified a need to get someone into the club to be able to do a lockdown job on players like Betts, Balantyne, Walters, Rioli, Breust, Motlop etc. This is why we traded down our first draft pick knowing Impey would be available well after our original first pick. Byrne-Jones, White, Russell also came in.

12 months on, I'm not sure Impey is ready or suited for the role. He strikes me as a much better attacking force than a true lockdown defender.

So the question is, who plays the lockdown role on the sorts of players listed above who often tear us a new one?

Impey is both, which is what makes him so exciting. Name one other first year player who could keep Ballantyne to 11 touches and no goals.

 

[mic59]

As yet, Impey would be the best option. The occasions when players got away from him were only inexperience, he will learn. And the cows will sing that Betts had it all over him but the truth is two of his goals were junktime, one was an unearned free and Impey was not even on him all of the time.
The other players on the list of possibilities are better somewhere else and if used as lockdown defenders our defence as a whole would suffer. White is not even a defender.
The only other possibility could be Krakouer who has done the job in the SANFL and I believe once in the AFL but is yet to be really tried.
Colquhoun is more of an attacking player.

 

[faquito]

Impey is both, which is what makes him so exciting. Name one other first year player who could keep Ballantyne to 11 touches and no goals.

But any Freo supporter will tell you that only happened because Ballantyne broke his jaw........








in the last 5 minutes*

 

[Steve Dore]

Is it official that Krak is on our AFL list for 2015?
Glenn who?

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Josh Glenn from Centrals is continually linked to Port. He's another 179cm half back and possible on-baller.

Krakouer is being assumed to be drafted by Port.

 

[Macca19]

Impey did a great job for a first year player and he's as good as we've got. So for now its Impey.

This is why Russell becomes important.

 

[Steve Dore]

Josh Glenn from Centrals is continually linked to Port. He's another 179cm half back and possible on-baller.

Krakouer is being assumed to be drafted by Port.

So this is a hypothetical then.

 

[I Dont Care]

I thought that Impey can do this job well, he is only learning at AFL level, wouldn't have thought it would be questioned yet?

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Impey gets this role - had a bloody good first year and will only get better, with Jonas being a back up if he is getting beaten.

If Pittard was a proper defender he should be another who could be given the role because he has the pace to go we these little guys but he is a wingman playing hbf rather than a lock down defender.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

So this is a hypothetical then.

It's a hypothetical like yours was a rhetorical question.

 

[Powerstufff]

... 12 months on, I'm not sure Impey is ready or suited for the role. He strikes me as a much better attacking force than a true lockdown defender ....

Impey did fine as a defender in 2014 IMO, sometimes astonishingly well for a 1st year player. Only Eddie Betts proved too hard for him as I remember.
Yeah he had a couple of Michael Wilson-like good attacking bursts, I'm surprised on checking to see he only scored 3 goals for the year. Must have set up a few too. However in saying that all of the good taggers have an attacking side, I'm not sure that means they are being misused.

 

[Forzaport]

Back Impey in. Still has heaps of development in him.

 

[tangolikelama]

Impey this year - if he gets dominated then Jonas goes to his man

I see Impey being more attacking after 1 or 2 more years

 

[Pappagallo]

Back Impey in. Still has heaps of development in him.

He did excellent for a first year player in a tough position.

 

[Jack Grange]

Impey is very good at this role. He also has the footy smarts to counter-attack by running off his man and making him accountable. As he gets more experienced and physically mature he will be a tough opponent. Impey's Rising Star game against Ballantyne wasn't a one-off. If he becomes more an McLeod-type intercept and rebound defender, Byrne-Jones could become a sticky defender.

I like Sam Russell too, he didn't get to play much footy this year but he has a real blue collar, hard-nosed, bring the steel lunch pail to work feel about him. And he has the running power Ken and Burgo love.

FF well summarized...I have a real gut feeling about Sam Russell and people from Geelong have commented about his courage, ability etc. I also think Russell, Byrne-Jones could well become our 'run with players' as well. But Impey in his FIRST year showed plenty to suggest he can play lock down role and create RUN from defence. Just needs experience, another pre-season, game time etc

 

[Macca_1870]

Impey this year - if he gets dominated then Jonas goes to his man

I see Impey being more attacking after 1 or 2 more years

Serious trouser movement with that one-handed pick up!

 

[RossFC]

1. Impey (1st choice)
2. Glenn or Krakouer (backup)
3. Byrne-Jones and Russell (development)

Jonas and Logan CAN play on small fwds but I'd prefer if they didn't.

 

[Andre]

So a first year player, who isn't a man-child, manages to perform a lock down role where you have to either out think or out muscle your opponent well enough to play most games and get a rising star nomination and there's doubt's on him?

He's about to have a second pre-season under Burgess to improve his ability to compete physically. And have a pre-season with Hinkley and the defensive coaches to address positioning and other non-physical issues. I don't see how he can't improve. Lock down defender is not a position where a second year player is going to get extra attention from the opposition that could result in second year blues.

 

[Power Raid]

Impey is both, which is what makes him so exciting. Name one other first year player who could keep Ballantyne to 11 touches and no goals.

11 touches, no goals and a broken jaw!

 

[Power Raid]

geez our back line looks solid with the development potential of our youth and the current ability of our regulars

Hombsche, Trengove, Carlile and Clurey is as good as you could hope for the KP roles
Jonas and OShea for our utility defenders
Broadbent, Pittard, Krak(?) and Inpey for the small and medium role


but Impey definitely gets the gig on oppositions best smalls

 

[dav3]

Happy to let Impey keep developing his defensive side in the AFL, once he's got more confidence in that he'll have more opportunity to use his attacking abilities.

 

[Nemisis]

Impey will get first crack at the role but he needs time to develop - perhaps Josh Glenn will be the backup

 

[Phhht]

Impey has been fine in the role for a first year player. Needs to tighten up on his disposal/rebound work but that will get better with couple more preseasons (stronger/fitter) and experience (game-time).

Wild card for this spot might be Flynn, would love to see him monster some of these small forwards but game knowledge-wise he is a fair way of it.

Would like to see Krak rookied and given another chance in this role.

*PS: What happened to all the Logan-is-our-2nd-best-small-defender love from earlier in the year?