Quote Originally Posted by metal View Post
Whilst I accept that turnovers were costly and we did not get run from some of our back half, I think we are a being just a little unfair on our backline. Some of the problem stemmed from Richmond's ability to use pace from a contested situation in our forward line to race the ball to a forward. Nothing anyone can do about that. I notice that while our defensive pressure was quite good at times in our forward line, it seemed to me that when the Tigers won the footy from a contest of players, we had no-one behind the play to stop them running away from us. Was this because we don't watch where our opponent is, or that we all go for the ball? I thought Essendon tried the same tactic, which was to get the ball out and then outsprint us up the ground. Unless everybody plays to a plan of cutting angles, knowing how to be defensive in relation to an opposition player in contested situations, who goes in, who stays out, where do you go into, where do you stay out, who fills the holes on the way back etc, then we are going to continue to have many goals scored against us.

Maybe our back half has one too many non contact running players and one short of a tougher, mobile tall. We need a Leo Barry or Adam Goodes type player. Watching the Swans game at the weekend (on TV), I couldn't help but feel we would really struggle to score enough against them. They just close space so well and put so much pressure on the ball carrier. They all seem to know their role and what to do in order to smother a game.

Inside outside players abound at Geelong. Strength and speed combined. I fear that we still have one or the other in a few of our players and when they struggle to get their hands on the ball enough to show that speed, then we will play like we did this weekend and be a threat to none of the top bracket.

My guess is we are lacking a good CHB and cannot expect Williams to excel in that job so early in his career.

I remain concerned, more than anything, about how we have played one woeful quarter in almost every game this year. It surely is a mid field problem where suddenly we lose the centre clearances. It must be coming clearer to the heirachy as to why this is happening. Why does it happen that our midfield work can drop so alarmingly in the space of 30 minutes? Do we not have a solution?

None of this is to say that the defensive side of our game hasn't improved. It certainly has. We are much more determined and stronger than last year such that our contested footy is so much more enjoyable to watch. But we seem unable to apply it for a whole game. Or we leave it to too few.
Excellent post metal, I think the conclusion to draw is that while we have improved we are still a work in progress and some way off being a top side, and others know this.