Discuss our teams list live with Lethal from 1.10pm

[Bornadog]

Re: Discuss our teams list live with Lethal from 1.10pm

Well, yes.

St.Kilda also will try to do anything to get free blokes behind the ball.


They drop a bloke back, you man him up.
They drop another one back, you man him up.
They drop another one back ... you get the picture.

All you end up with is a crowded forward line at your end and a very open one at their end.


Sometimes you might try to have your extra man in the midfield so every time the extra bloke in their backline gets it he has to kick it back to you.


All thiese things have been tried, sometimes they work, sometime they don't. What it almost always does, though, is make defenders look better than they really are.

The Saints tried that in the prelim but this time we beat them for the contested ball, clearances and total disposals as well as inside 50's, however, no tall target down there to help out, and when we did get the opportunity to kick for goal, we missed.

[Desipura]

Re: Discuss our teams list live with Lethal from 1.10pm

Well, yes.

St.Kilda also will try to do anything to get free blokes behind the ball.


They drop a bloke back, you man him up.
They drop another one back, you man him up.
They drop another one back ... you get the picture.

All you end up with is a crowded forward line at your end and a very open one at their end.


Sometimes you might try to have your extra man in the midfield so every time the extra bloke in their backline gets it he has to kick it back to you.


All thiese things have been tried, sometimes they work, sometime they don't. What it almost always does, though, is make defenders look better than they really are.

Too true and it means there are some free players around the ground generally in the midfield (as you have mentioned). This tactic has probably prolonged Eagletons career as he generally does not have an opponent.

[LongWait]

Re: Discuss our teams list live with Lethal from 1.10pm

Finals is a different kettle of fish. We've been found out in '06, '08 and '09 despite the statistics. In the Home & Away season, there's a lot more time to spot up targets. There's much more space to lead into. Finals footy is very different - especially the deeper you go.

Make no mistake about it, if we had a solid KPF v St. Kilda we would have won by 4-5 goals. We dominated all other areas of the game but we simply didn't have a forward half capable of putting on the scoreboard pressure required.



As other posters have suggested, a lot will be taken care of once the forward half is. The midfield won't have to run specifically hard one way with the hope of providing options in the forward half themselves. We should be able to implement a far more defensive game plan with a player of Hall's calibre in the side. Instead of running primarily forward, we're in a better position to help out the backs. Setting up from kick-ins, preparing for turn overs etc. will all be helped by a forward structure that doesn't always rely on precise kicking.

There's no doubt we have other areas that need to be improved. Desperate for a quality CHB, an outside runner + a small forward.

Agree with all of the above and especially the last part - thought I might have been alone in ranking our priorities like you have.