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What should I tell her? She's going to ask. -
Re: Jarrad Grant
Not really - but given this happens to him repeatedly he is contributing to it. Why doesn't he check? I dont know. As for it being hard to check your run when you are on a flat out lead, it is even harder to check your kick when streaming downfield under pressure (perceived or otherwise).
Our forwards need to collectively toughen up and start focussing on making their team-mates look good (and risk making themselves look bad) by positioning themselves to contest the footy. Too often at the moment they are leading - at pace - away from what any reasonable person would consider target zones...then when the ball is kicked to those spots everyone at the ground blames the delivery.What should I tell her? She's going to ask.Comment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
I wish we would clear out the forward 50 and leave him 1 out in the square.Comment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
Let this be a lesson to all of you, kids.
If you can burn your opponent on a lead with pace then make sure you stop, allow him to catch up, initiate physical contact, then lead again to take the mark.
That's how its done.
Some full forwards used to lead, burn their opponent with pace and mark the ball in front of their eyes, but they were all hacks.
If you bust your gut to get clear and the ball gets sent sloppily over your head then that's your fault. Remember that. It's not the fault of the guy passing you the ball because it's up you to you to know where the ball will go (even if it's being kicked by someone who delivers at less than sixty percent).Comment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
And your post represents the entire problem.
It really doesn't matter whether or not you bust your gut running into the open and have your man 'beat'. It really does not matter whether or not the kick is perfect or otherwise. The important thing is that you compete for the ball.
We can apportion blame left and right, but if the kick isn't perfect Grant has to check his run, initiate contact and at LEAST contest. It is called forward play.
Apportioning blame to the kicker - who to paraphrase your example about the gut busting forward, might have actually bust his gut to win a contested footy, or ran 80m to provide a handball receive target - is all well and good...but it doesn't solve the problem. Equally, perfect kicks to forwards have been dropped on many occasions this year (watch the Freo tape if you dont believe me - and Grant was a leading culprit) but there was way too much hand-wringing about the drops and not enough about the lack of front and centre support from the mids.
It is a TEAM game for goodness sake. If you have to check your run and cop contact to compete - then that is what you have to bloody well do. Blame whomever you want to for our current predicament - but the fact remains we are ranked 13th for points for and 3rd for points against...our backs (despite the absence of both Lake and Hargrave) are holding up their end of it. Our mids - say what you will - are working very hard, winning the ball (or tackling) and forcing it forward. Our lack of forward pressure and lack of basic contesting inside 50m IS the problem. Grant needs to get better at the basic art of having a go (he came out of the same draft as Ward) and acting like a player in his 4th year in the system.What should I tell her? She's going to ask.Comment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
Sorry, going to ask a dumb question here.
I was chatting to my dad the other day about some of the great fowards.
Why don't people mark, sliding low to the ground like Dunstall used to?
he wondered why key fowards don't do that anymore and I'm not sure why myself.
Made life very hard for fullbacks in his day didn't he?
Going to ground is not great, and the turf these days might not make it do-able I guessYou don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― EpicurusComment
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Western Bulldogs: 2016 PremiersComment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
AFL is borrowing from other sports, recently basketball ie zoning
Guys like Pendulbury and quite a few others excelled at Basketball as well.
Slighter of frame ( rules protect them more)
agile, medium height, great runners and excellent 'shooting' ability
I think Grant will come along well in the new style of game.
The problem is many are trying to fit him into a traditional KFF mold that just wont fit. That's fine with me.
Can imagine him on a basketball court.You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― EpicurusComment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
Really?
It represents the 'entire problem'.
Cool.
Here I was just taking the piss a little bit because I found your criticism of a player beating his opponent on the lead to be quite funny, and I stumbled across the entire problem.
I'm a genius.
Someone should show that post to the Match Committee so they can find out what's wrong with us.Comment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
Because they'd slide straight into the three opponents filling space in front of them.
Traveling across grass on your knees puts your head at a regrettable height in the era of congested footy. If Dunstall played Collingwood today then he'd probably end up with his head up Nick Maxwell's arse.Comment
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Re: Jarrad Grant
Grant has a developing body - it will devolop further, in strength at least - and a developing game. Over the next couple of years he's going to have games where he gets it right, and ones where he doesn't. It's well known he played a lot of school football as well, and when you combine that with his injury issues during his first year or so at the club it's fair to say he's getting along on talent and smarts to this point.
I don't think he's going to fit the mould of any specific forward type. Depending on how we set up he might have to play a high flanker role, or a leading full forward role. Certainly with the slower way we're moving the ball this season he's struggled, but that's to be expected. As soon as we start getting some clean ball forward of centre a player like Grant will have an advantage. Right now, we're so confused and messy with our ball movement that our forwards look hopelessly out of position once opposition defenders have had a chance to work back.
Arguing over whether he runs too far under it or the midfield can't find him on the lead is for the most part pointless. We need to concentrate on ways to get the ball up the ground quickly enough using players in space so they're not always kicking under pressure.
Grant can't do a lot about this. Like MJP has pointed out though, he needs to go for every mark and every ground ball like his life depended on getting it. He, like a lot of other players on our list right now don't seem to be doing that.TF is this?.........Obviously you're not a golfer.Comment
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