The Dog whisperer: Brendan McCartney

[Mofra]

The first requirement of the midfield is to get the pill.

The first requirement of your inside mids is to get the ball to those who can move the ball quickly - the players you've listed move the ball quickly by hand, by foot and all have much better pace than Gia and Cross - there's a reason we don't put 3 slow inside mids at the centre contests.

I think people really undersell the pace of Geelong's engine room - they may not be the quickest in the competition but they are certainly not slow.

[LostDoggy]

The first requirement of your inside mids is to get the ball to those who can move the ball quickly - the players you've listed move the ball quickly by hand, by foot and all have much better pace than Gia and Cross - there's a reason we don't put 3 slow inside mids at the centre contests.

I think people really undersell the pace of Geelong's engine room - they may not be the quickest in the competition but they are certainly not slow.

You have answered your own question. Yes, the Geelong blokes firstly get the ball and move it quickly by hand and foot. Pace dpoesn't come into it although in case of Cross I have to agree.

However, Cross is rarely if ever in the middle at centre bounces not because of his pace but because he is not a good one grab ball-handler.

[ledge]

I think more to the point Cross is more a follower of the ball or tagger than a reader. he is great if he theres a fumble but in a clean get he would be just watching.
You need a reader off the ruck in the middle.
Liberatore, Cooney, Griffen are great readers .

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

I think more to the point Cross is more a follower of the ball or tagger than a reader. he is great if he theres a fumble but in a clean get he would be just watching.
You need a reader off the ruck in the middle.
Liberatore, Cooney, Griffen are great readers .

There has been criticism from some quarters that Cross wasn't used at the centre bounce and that because of his great courage he would have been better placed there in getting the ball out, rather than under Rocket to start him repeatedly on a centre wing where his lack of pace reduced his effectiveness.

[Mofra]

You have answered your own question. Yes, the Geelong blokes firstly get the ball and move it quickly by hand and foot. Pace dpoesn't come into it although in case of Cross I have to agree.

However, Cross is rarely if ever in the middle at centre bounces not because of his pace but because he is not a good one grab ball-handler.

So what happens after the centre bounce? The majority of the game is not played at the centre bounce - I still believe pace is a factor that does matter to a midfield and teams often structure up to allow thier quicker players to break away from stoppages and contested situations.