Forward structure - what would YOU do?

[DOG GOD]

Our mids are the issue. Their refusal to run hard both ways, sacrifice their game, and their ball use are the major issues, and it doesn’t matter how we rotate them, they are a bunch of mids who are lazy and overrated.

[mjp]

I couldn't make sense on Sunday why we had large chunks of the game where we had 2 tall forwards on the bench at the same time.. it was ridiculous.

We're a rotation short for the runners mate...look at the way we line up. The bench needs to be balanced with on-field at the START of the game. But we try to squeeze an extra big in.

The defensive talls HAVE to hold 'cos there are only two (well, one actually) of them!!

[FrediKanoute]

I dunno. I like Naughton forward, he’s good at it and yesterday notwithstanding is our best forward at keeping the ball inside 50. Not to mention our leading goalkicker for several years.

What do we do if we move him and we still suck because our mids refuse to cover the ground that the opposition does?

I think the frsutration around Naughton on Sunday was that we didn't do anything with him. We didn't push him up the ground. We didn't swing him back. We didn't try to isolate him 1 v 1. We just did nothing and his opponent got 25 possessions and he got didly. When I woke up on Sunday morning and say he'd had bugger all possessions I assumed he had gotten injured.

Our forward line is crowded and dysfunctional. Naughton and Marra lead to the same spot and spoil each other. At least Lobb seems to get into different areas. The fact we still haven't solved the leading patterns after 2 or 3 seasons of these guys playing together is an sad indictment on the coaches.

[FrediKanoute]

We're a rotation short for the runners mate...look at the way we line up. The bench needs to be balanced with on-field at the START of the game. But we try to squeeze an extra big in.

The defensive talls HAVE to hold 'cos there are only two (well, one actually) of them!!

We are unbalanced aren't we. In that sense moving Nauighton back makes some sense - Jones at FB, Naughton at CHB. Marram and Lobb as our tall forwards; Cody as the medium that play's tall; a defensive forward and then 2 others.

[AshMac]

I think the core issue is we don?t seem to have a system - atleast one I can see. Until we are organised with every player clear on their role I don?t think it matters what players take the field against the really good sides

[Bulldog4life]

Let's go back to the future. The 60's. Where ruckmen changed in the back pocket to help the backline out. Johnny Schultz did with Murray Zeuschner....sorry if spelling wrong. Lobb in back pocket changing with Tim and Sammy in forward line rucking there if needed.
Let's be creative.

[bornadog]

Let's go back to the future. The 60's. Where ruckmen changed in the back pocket to help the backline out. Johnny Schultz did with Murray Zeuschner....sorry if spelling wrong. Lobb in back pocket changing with Tim and Sammy in forward line rucking there if needed.
Let's be creative.

Who can forget Dempsey taking a million marks in the backline

[Dazza]

I wouldn't mind seeing us go with the 1 KPF and 1 Ruck/KPD method. We'd probably have to stop rolling a HF to stoppages though.

[Bulldog4life]

Who can forget Dempsey taking a million marks in the backline

Yeah a ruckman in the backline saves you having a 3rd tall defender.

[Uninformed]

What would YOU do (not what you think we'll do)?

Play the forward line that the coaches we pay a lot of money to think is the best.

[jeemak]

I'd like us to play everyone higher.

Our best football was when we compressed the defensive half (and then did the same in our forward half) and ran like hell. If May or whoever is intercepting the ball, what's the point of having players behind them? Get everyone around that area and force a stoppage.

Bring our stoppage game back into it.

[Hotdog60]

I think Naughton's plan was to drag May up the field and the instruction was not to kick it to Naughton hence negating the May influence. The trouble was that May move back after the first 5 mins and kept his position and we didn't read the play book and kept kicking to were he was. We tend to trust our forwards too much and against the best defenders we need to lower the eyes and kick the ball to where the oppo best defender isn't. Know where the May's, Moore's and Collins are and keep it away from where they are.
Then we can go to work on the lesser lights.

[Sedat]

I think Naughton's plan was to drag May up the field and the instruction was not to kick it to Naughton hence negating the May influence.

If only he did that in the first 10 minutes of the 2021 GF and ripped May's dodgy hamstring off the bone