How do we fix our defence?

[BigRedRoo]

So after 10 games, we have scored 172 times while the opposing team has score 316 times.
A game average of 17.2 for and a whopping 31.6 against.

It's super clear to me that we must fix our defense, we are simply never going to win a game of football letting to opposing team have that many shots at goal.

While the back Six are highly questionable, I think our Forwards and Mids are far to lax defensively.

Yet to see someone like Zurhaar chase anyone down, it seems like we have a bunch of guys who only run one way.

How do we get these guys to defend the ground when we turn the ball over?

 

[Archer_11]

I can't think about this question without wondering what the list management team thought were going to happen this year. A team that is raw and undersized losing it's full back while our KPP - who had a patchy output to begin with - was sitting on the sidelines. And we recruited Pink in the hope we could weather the storm? It beggars belief.

Up the ground we're too young and too small. Even players with great promise are being monstered and will be for at least another season or two. And those with a full frame are either heading for the bread queue or cannot be expected to hold down two roles at once (with some exceptions like Zuhaar as you mentioned).

What really bugs me is that Comben should be down forward, it is a year lost and it is 100% to do with our own planning.

With that rant out of the way all we have is a miraculous increase in intensity - admittedly we saw something on the weekend in that regard - and patience. I don't think there are any tactical moves we can make that will magically turn our fortunes around.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

So after 10 games, we have scored 172 times while the opposing team has score 316 times.
A game average of 17.2 for and a whopping 31.6 against.

It's super clear to me that we must fix our defense, we are simply never going to win a game of football letting to opposing team have that many shots at goal.

While the back Six are highly questionable, I think our Forwards and Mids are far to lax defensively.

Yet to see someone like Zurhaar chase anyone down, it seems like we have a bunch of guys who only run one way.

How do we get these guys to defend the ground when we turn the ball over?

As nuffy supporters, we are a little too focused on our inability to chase once we lose possession. While that's important, one thing our team has never done well but other clubs have nailed is setting up a defensive wall to stop easy transition, to force intercepts in our forward half, and to achieve repeat inside 50s. If you look at what Sydney did to Carlton last week, every time Carlton won the ball back deep in their defence, they would look up and see a red sea in front of them. Chasing then becomes more about pressure on the ball carrier to force a long kick to an outnumber and to prevent an overlap run. Because once the overlap begins, chasing successfully is almost impossible.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

I can't think about this question without wondering what the list management team thought were going to happen this year. A team that is raw and undersized losing it's full back while our KPP - who had a patchy output to begin with - was sitting on the sidelines. And we recruited Pink in the hope we could weather the storm? It beggars belief.

Up the ground we're too young and too small. Even players with great promise are being monstered and will be for at least another season or two. And those with a full frame are either heading for the bread queue or cannot be expected to hold down two roles at once (with some exceptions like Zuhaar as you mentioned).

What really bugs me is that Comben should be down forward, it is a year lost and it is 100% to do with our own planning.

With that rant out of the way all we have is a miraculous increase in intensity - admittedly we saw something on the weekend in that regard - and patience. I don't think there are any tactical moves we can make that will magically turn our fortunes around.

We drafted a key defender in the first round and we recruited the best key defender in all the state leagues along with another young key defender from another club. On top of that, we took a key forward and turned him into a key defender. What else would you have done to bolster our defence?

 

[ChopChopDigDig]

We'll look much better when Griff is back, and Chom is looking pretty good. Shame that Goater and Bergman have had big setbacks, as this year was a chance for them to settle on back flanks/wings.

Hardeman and Dawson look like great prospects, and I recon there's a player there in Archer. Arch wont win any supercoach awards, but he'll be a great lock down defender.

All in all, I dont think we're that far off. We just need time. Get 50 games into a consistent backline consisting of these players and we'll be right.

 

[gokangas]

First thing I would do is spell it correctly.

 

[muttley45]

Pressure forwards, some clubs like Sydney, Geelong, Carlton, GWS, have multiple, we have zilch

 

[7577969923]

I can't think about this question without wondering what the list management team thought were going to happen this year. A team that is raw and undersized losing it's full back while our KPP - who had a patchy output to begin with - was sitting on the sidelines. And we recruited Pink in the hope we could weather the storm? It beggars belief.

Up the ground we're too young and too small. Even players with great promise are being monstered and will be for at least another season or two. And those with a full frame are either heading for the bread queue or cannot be expected to hold down two roles at once (with some exceptions like Zuhaar as you mentioned).

What really bugs me is that Comben should be down forward, it is a year lost and it is 100% to do with our own planning.

With that rant out of the way all we have is a miraculous increase in intensity - admittedly we saw something on the weekend in that regard - and patience. I don't think there are any tactical moves we can make that will magically turn our fortunes around.

I'm not sure what options you think they had. McKay clearly wanted out and is not a "keep at any cost" player.

We did pick up Biggy and Pink as mature-age players and drafted Dawson in the first round. We also drafted Hardeman with a first-round pick, and switched George into defence as he recovered from injury.

Comben was always going to go back this year at least to give him a chance to settle in AFL level football ina position a little less likely to result in injury. I think he has already shown some elite traits that suggest he could become a great key back.

CCL and Goater doing their achilles, along with injuries at various times to Archer, Bergman, George, and McKercher haven't helped in developing continuity and structure in defence.

 

[Archer_11]

We drafted a key defender in the first round and we recruited the best key defender in all the state leagues along with another young key defender from another club. On top of that, we took a key forward and turned him into a key defender. What else would you have done to bolster our defence?

Find an established tall defender, that was the ask. Not top 10, not even top 50. Just a big fella who could clunk the ball who was on the fringes somewhere. The comp doesn't blink an eyelid when a B list defender is gettable.

Maybe I'm spoiled but I remember a time when we used to be able to fill gaping holes in our list, including times that we've been unfashionable, and with poorer hands than the ones we've got now.

If you have intimate knowledge of every defender struggling to get a game and know for a fact that the club left no stone unturned maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree, but I struggle to see that out of the top 30 at each club (being 510 players) not one single one fit this bill.

I'm not sure what options you think they had. McKay clearly wanted out and is not a "keep at any cost" player.

We did pick up Biggy and Pink as mature-age players and drafted Dawson in the first round. We also drafted Hardeman with a first-round pick, and switched George into defence as he recovered from injury.

Comben was always going to go back this year at least to give him a chance to settle in AFL level football ina position a little less likely to result in injury. I think he has already shown some elite traits that suggest he could become a great key back.

CCL and Goater doing their achilles, along with injuries at various times to Archer, Bergman, George, and McKercher haven't helped in developing continuity and structure in defence.

You make a good point and we have had rotten luck. The worst and I wish the media would consider that more often. I think TT was going to be our CHB at one point too? So its a shit sandwich really.

But excuses get you nowhere, Biggy and Pink were huge risks and anyone else is a couple of years away. The club knew full well the equation we were dealing with.

The best possible outcome is a much better defence next year and this all become a memory. The worst case is that we have to spend more picks fixing the same problem we should have dealt with properly in the first place.

This is the only part of the list where I run out of patience. There's a lot to love about our mids and the forward line is one champ away from being amazing. But the defence to me seems like a right balls up.

 

[Val Keating]

As nuffy supporters, we are a little too focused on our inability to chase once we lose possession. While that's important, one thing our team has never done well but other clubs have nailed is setting up a defensive wall to stop easy transition, to force intercepts in our forward half, and to achieve repeat inside 50s. If you look at what Sydney did to Carlton last week, every time Carlton won the ball back deep in their defence, they would look up and see a red sea in front of them. Chasing then becomes more about pressure on the ball carrier to force a long kick to an outnumber and to prevent an overlap run. Because once the overlap begins, chasing successfully is almost impossible.

That has to be by design. It’s not hard to do a forward press.

Still does my head in though.

 

[ferball]

First thing I would do is spell it correctly.

Fix de fence!






The cattle keep getting out!!!

 

[ChairmanZia]

Very easy, get logue, comben, sheezal, goater, bergmen, dawson to play 50 games together.

 

[The Law]

Not let the opposition waltz out of our forward line and the midfield with relative ease.

We haven't had defensive pressure in our forward line for since the 2014 final series.

We've always been lazy, just ask Tarrant, Spud and Thompson. All 3 were underrated because they were basically under siege every week. We had the "they're good so we don't need to apply defensive pressure" attitude. Now it's worse because the backline isn't all that good.

We need Griff, Comben, and Dawson playing together. We need a lock down defender (Archer). We need accurate kickers so the ball doesn't bounce straight back in. We need some luck on the injury front (Goater, Bergman, Archer, Comben).

 

[ferball]

Mostly we just need the whole team committed to defending across the ground. Forwards and mids I'm looking at youse!!

 

[BigRedRoo]

First thing I would do is spell it correctly.

Grammar Nazi


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[ChairmanZia]

Not let the opposition waltz out of our forward line and the midfield with relative ease.

We haven't had defensive pressure in our forward line for since the 2014 final series.

We've always been lazy, just ask Tarrant, Spud and Thompson. All 3 were underrated because they were basically under siege every week. We had the "they're good so we don't need to apply defensive pressure" attitude. Now it's worse because the backline isn't all that good.

We need Griff, Comben, and Dawson playing together. We need a lock down defender (Archer). We need accurate kickers so the ball doesn't bounce straight back in. We need some luck on the injury front (Goater, Bergman, Archer, Comben).

Errr to allow that to happen, then we need like 5 small pressure fwd.

 

[CURVE]

I'm happy-ish with how our back six has been progressing, despite the injuries to K. Dawson, Goater, Archer, Bergman and McKercher and with Logue yet to make an appearance.

I'm frustrated with how we defend further up the ground, the number of times I see our opponents just walk the ball up the ground with little or no pressure is so disheartening and is actually quite anger inducing.

I can't see us improving enough to get ourselves outside the bottom four until something is done to improve how we defend as a team and that is on the coaching staff more than the players.

 

[Harris 10]

It's easy, win clearances, win stoppages and contested ball. Find better ball users and get cleaner and deeper entries inside 50. Do this and we'll start to improve our defence across the entire ground.

 

[koshari]

I actually reckon we have the cattle now to address defence but the frd line desperately needs a tall that can take a pack mark. Paul curtis is best contested fwd matk atm.

 

[harper2bastinac]

get Logue fit and firing asap, once he comes back the whole structure of the defence gets better.
This gives corr the chance to stay on the 3rd tall, and comben/dawson to take the 2nd best defender.
With that lmac gets to continue playing against mid sized opponents, then worry about a defender to take sheezels spot so we can play him up the ground.
On top of that find the right mix so we can give the right 6 a good chance to learn each others strengths.
More importantly, the mids/forwards must improve their defensive pressure so our defence isn’t always under so much pressure

 

[BlueRoos]

Grammar Nazi


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Spelling and grammar are different.

 

[The acurate one]

Yeah get Magoo back, how good was he when he stood 500mm from Zurhaar and watched Cam take a mark in the goal square unopposed it wasn't his opponent so it didn't matter. Ben did look around to find who was at fault .

Luckily not him . The exact same thing he did with us. We'd go through the tape and he'd blame others.

But to answer the question get K Dawson and Logue back and Goater and Bergman needs to stay on the park.

That's 3 changes which is fiddy percent. And Berg's is injured again. So next game we start with 4 of six starters out. Not flash fyi.

 

[wazza03]

It all starts in the middle. As we saw against the scum, we dominated clearances and the centre square and we were in the game for longer.
If it wasn’t for the 3rd quarter, we would’ve been a lot closer on the scoreboard.
Our back 6 will be much more settled next year and hopefully look something like this:

B: Archer Logue Corr
HB: Goater Comben Fisher

Depth: Hardeman, Bergman, McDonald, W. Dawson, K. Dawson, Pink, Nyuon.

We need to be better without the ball. We need to see players being desperate to pressure the opposition and get the ball back. We were so good at this in the 90’s. I know we have a young side, but the effort that some of these players are putting in week in week out would have never been tolerated back then.
We used to play a manic style of football back then, one on one contested footy and we need to start doing that again.




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[Waynesworld]

 

[Kangaroosters]

Our back 6 is the least of our worries - it’s extremely lazy analysis to blame our defenders when we concede a truly heinous amount of inside 50s each game.

There’s no better example of the impact of fast, repeat entries inside 50 than Wil Dawsons game on the weekend.

When the ball came in slower, like a long kick down the line, he was able to spoil really well and not get beaten 1v1 despite it being his first game as an 18yo kid who looks like he’d blow over in the wind.

However, when the bombers marched the ball out of the middle, he looked lost and beaten by Peter Wright. Our defenders, contrary to popular belief, are fine when we put in an AFL standard shift further up the ground. It’s no surprise that Aidan Corr

4

Aidan Corr

Age

30

Ht

195cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.2

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.9

4star

MG

291.0

4star

D

13.9

3star

K

11.1

4star

HB

2.7

2star

M

5.3

5star

T

1.1

2star

MG

291.0

4star

D

7.2

2star

K

2.8

1star

HB

4.4

4star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.6

4star

looked good on the weekend for the most part.

If you have elite mids who run both ways, talented forwards who bring pressure both through hitting the scoreboard and tackling/pressure acts, then you can basically plug 6 standard defenders in and you will be fine.

Sydney kept Carlton with CURNOW and MCKAY, 2 Coleman medalists, to 65points. The key defenders for the swans? Melican and Aaron Francis Elite Talent in your back 6 is not a requirement to stop teams scoring. It’s the only area of the ground you can get away with it. We just need our mids and forwards to learn how to defend transition and it will turn.

(FWIW, Comben and Dawson are both talented)