Why do we blame the forwards?

[andyyoa]

All i have read on here since last night is how our forwards let us down.
Did anyone not watch the game last night? Our forwards were owned last night by our own midfield. Our kicking to leads was disgusting. Cloke started well and took and few good leading marks. After that the ball was kicked over his head our to far infront of him. By the second quarter our forwards weren't confident in our midfieds use of the footy. So clokey and dawes tried to play push and shove with their direct opponent. Hence where Scarlett (the germ) rubs his hands and plays that third up and punches the ball away.
Stop pointing the finger at the forwards and realize that our midfield efficiency with the footy was discusting last night

 

[ralu]

Firstly, I am going to ask why geelong were able to clear the ball so easily after we kicked it in. We had no crumbers (leon was awful) and the cats repelled the ball with ease. This is partly because we just launched the ball long and high each time (this is all cloke does). This is because of the pressure geelong puts on in the midfield.

Maybe this is why MM rates Dick so highly. He is a natural crumber, it certainly found us out last night with blokes like enright, wojo, hunt and mackie clearing it every bloody time

 

[Dylz48]

I heard dermott brereton say something which really is true. Cloke often copes flack for going missing but I think this is not the case. I think he has a specific role and when our structures break down like last night and we began to just bomb it in he is unable to get the footy not because he isn't doing his job just because the ball isn't coming in right.

As for Dawes he played on Matty Scarlett last night who in the last few weeks has kept Daniel Bradshaw and Brendon Fevola to one goal.

 

[kevind]

Launching the ball long and high is not the specific problem. The problem is we did not kick the ball to the advantage of our forwards.

The other problem is Dawes is not good overhead. He has poor hands and is a poor judge of the flight of the ball through the air. Geelong realised this and played Lonergan on him. Lonergan would struggle with a big forward who is good in the air, but a player who relies on mobility to find space like Dawes, he is a good match up.

Anyone who thinks we can beat sides like Geelong by trying to spot up short passes into the forward 50 is having a lend of themselves. We just don't have a midfield with that sort of kicking skills. We will barely be able to score and when we do we will end up with the ball in the forward pockets and scores like 5-12.

IMO, one of the reasons we have improved this year is that we have been going longer and more direct to the top of the goal square. We just need a player who is competent in the air and a good crumber.

 

[Art Corvelay]

Forwards can't be blamed if you kicking to contests where they are clearly outnumbered. Less panic, more discipline going forward required.

 

[rose jam]

It stems from slow movement of the ball up field, and our forwards get dragged up the ground to compensate. Their defense sags back and we're choked around that 30m-40m out.
To overcome we need to move through with hands if there are no targets to hit by foot, or else we need to press up the ground.
I think we played a very defense first game where mids pushed back, and that has been opposite to how we've played the last month.
Bit of reprogramming and I think we'll be OK.

 

[TradeDraft]

Very Well Said our Defense and Espically our Midfield is where we lost the Game

 

[OniAu]

we miss medders and dick and even anthony to an extent.

was annoyed when wellingham was bought in for anthony, macaffer should have made way or obree.

 

[Soul_Pie]

We were fairly impatient last night, instead of working the ball around and waiting for options to present we decided to bomb it long far too often. A lot of the time we just belted it long to Leon of all people, it's just not going to work that way. Cloke worked hard, you can't fault his effort but the delivery to him and the other big guys was shocking, it was easy pickings for the Geelong talls. Davis lacks the one touch skills and the speed that he usually has, which means that any time the ball went to ground it was swept up too easily.

Not a great effort, but we can learn from it.

 

[tranquilli lace]

We were too defensive orientated last night. Forwards were dragged up the ground, hardly their fault. Would be nice to see MM not revert back to a defensive game plan in these big games. Back the attacking style that has seen us flog sides over the past month. It's the same story as the St Kilda qualifying final last year. Until our coaches back us in against the big boys we're not going anywhere.

 

[Paulborracho]

For what its worth from a Lions supporter, Geelong simply out classsed you in the 3rd quarter. The Pies are playing well but are simply no match for the cats when they decide to fire.

 

[Bay Pie]

People carrying on about Travis not staying at home is worse. If he is staying at home in the F50, who would the defenders have kicked too coming out of the back half? Trav was very good in the 1st half and killed Taylor.

Cats had more polish and were able to finish better. Similar numbers of inside 50s and we beat them in contested possessions which is a very good effort. We need to get the ball into the hands of our more polished players when the game gets tight. Easier said then done.

 

[Zahki]

We were too defensive orientated last night. Forwards were dragged up the ground, hardly their fault. Would be nice to see MM not revert back to a defensive game plan in these big games. Back the attacking style that has seen us flog sides over the past month. It's the same story as the St Kilda qualifying final last year. Until our coaches back us in against the big boys we're not going anywhere.

Bingo. Nail. Head. Hammer.

Malthouse doesn't think we can match it with the Saints or Geelong and reverts to an ultra defensive gameplan, that keeps the opposition to low scores but ultimately robs the side of all scoring power.

It's no coincidence our worst scores this year are against the Saints and Geelong, the Space Jam aliens didn't come down and steal all our kicking skills before these games.

 

[the_fresh]

Forwards are paid the big money to kick goals not points.
They simply kicked us out of the game again last night.

 

[loki04]

Launching the ball long and high is not the specific problem. The problem is we did not kick the ball to the advantage of our forwards.

The other problem is Dawes is not good overhead. He has poor hands and is a poor judge of the flight of the ball through the air. Geelong realised this and played Lonergan on him. Lonergan would struggle with a big forward who is good in the air, but a player who relies on mobility to find space like Dawes, he is a good match up.

Anyone who thinks we can beat sides like Geelong by trying to spot up short passes into the forward 50 is having a lend of themselves. We just don't have a midfield with that sort of kicking skills. We will barely be able to score and when we do we will end up with the ball in the forward pockets and scores like 5-12.

IMO, one of the reasons we have improved this year is that we have been going longer and more direct to the top of the goal square. We just need a player who is competent in the air and a good crumber.

Lonergan also spent the 2nd half on cloke and kept him goal less too, the ball movement forward was atrocious and was not a lot the forwards can do about it.