Our world class defence - why all the hate?

[tribey]

From the swirling trough of ignorance known as the main board:

Defence doesnt really have too many big names.

The likes of Rutten, Basset, Bock and co. are not great players.

Good coaching.

FB: Hart - Rutten - Bassett
HB: McLeod - Bock - Torney

# Rutten = 22 years old with 34 games under his belt and already reigning AA fullback.

# Hart = 4 x All-Australian and dual Premiership player.

# McLeod = 3 x All-Australian and dual Norm Smith Medal winner.

# Bassett = More than serviceable, shortlisted for the 2005 AFLPA Most Courageous Player Award.

# Torney = Solid flanker with plenty of experience.

# Bock = Still young (22yo, 34 games) and learning the caper.

Yeah, all hacks who only perform well because Neil Craig tells them to. I concede.

Why is it that despite us having the meanest defence since the sixties - statistically meaner than the great West Coast defences of the early nineties - neutrals still don't rate it?

Apart from levelling the sort of criticisms as quoted above, "It's all because of your midfield", they say.

What, and Leppitsch and Michael - one of the most celebrated defensive duos in recent memory - never had support from the fab four?

Matera, Pyke, Kemp, Banfield and Mainwaring never got back to assist their backmen - in the era when it was sexy to always have a ruckman playing a kick behind play?

My verdict? Pure jealousy.

With our airtight back-six taking care of business, if only we had a power forward - any power forward - we'd have won this year's flag standing on our heads.

 

[snakebite01]

Too true DT.

Problem these days, and particularly with BigFooty is that people love to tow the party line. If it is of popluar opinion then people will run with it. No names sadly take a long time to get any recognition. For instance if people asked the question who would you prefer, Bassett or Clement, it would no doubt be 95% in Clement's favour despite similar output for the year.

It's the same sort of thing with the flooding. People see us do it in one quarter or one game, and they say it is our gameplan and that we play boring footy. One person says it and the rest follow.

BTW, agree on the power forward, and if we got Pav gome next year we'd surely be Prem favourites. Him and Fergus in tandem along with Welshy is a whole lot classier than the combo of Perrie and McGregor, despite their amazing efforts this year.

 

[just maybe]

I would suggest if Pavlich was to come home, Watts would disappear in a trade as well.

 

[tribey]

To Richmond: Fergus Watts & Brent Reilly & first rounder
To Fremantle: Mark Coughlan & Andrew Krakouer
To Adelaide: Matthew Pavlich & Paul Medhurst

That's the deal I'd do if there was a half decent football management game out there

 

[Bomber1313]

From the swirling trough of ignorance known as the main board:




Why is it that despite us having the meanest defence since the sixties - statistically meaner than the great West Coast defences of the early nineties - neutrals still don't rate it?

Apart from levelling the sort of criticisms as quoted above, "It's all because of your midfield", they say.

What, and Leppitsch and Michael - one of the most celebrated defensive duos in recent memory - never had support from the fab four?

Matera, Pyke, Kemp, Banfield and Mainwaring never got back to assist their backmen - in the era when it was sexy to always have a ruckman playing a kick behind play?

My verdict? Pure jealousy.

With our airtight back-six taking care of business, if only we had a power forward - any power forward - we'd have won this year's flag standing on our heads.

I think mainwaring pushed back a fair bit.
And i wouldn't say jealosyis the main reason....maybe, but the general feeling (may not be correct) is that you get all your players back and choke teams, which means the back six becomes the back 18.
Personaly, yes you push back, but its not as much as people think, I think its exagerated by jealosy.
I dont mind if you push back, its a hard style to do(positioning player rotations etc), if you have the fitness to do so why not?
Sure it may be ugly, but as has been said 1 million times, better to win ugly(Not that you always do.83 ) than lose exciting.
IMO.

 

[Bomber1313]

To Richmond: Fergus Watts & Brent Reilly & first rounder
To Fremantle: Mark Coughlan & Andrew Krakouer
To Adelaide: Matthew Pavlich & Paul Medhurst

That's the deal I'd do if there was a half decent football management game out there

adelaide big winner there.

Richmond lose: top 2 midfielder, and fringe player.
Gain: young(VERY promising) kpp, young midfielder, late 1st rounder.

Freo lose: the face of the club, future captain, best player, top 4 player in comp and There forward line bar mcpharlin, and fringe player.
Gain: excellnt youngish midfielder and fringe player.

Adelaide lose young very promising kpp, good midfeilder, and 1st rounder.

Gain: premiership Pav...AND a fringe player.

 

[snakebite01]

To Richmond: Fergus Watts & Brent Reilly & first rounder
To Fremantle: Mark Coughlan & Andrew Krakouer
To Adelaide: Matthew Pavlich & Paul Medhurst

That's the deal I'd do if there was a half decent football management game out there

I don't think that'd happen DT.

Richmond are probably the winners, Freo probably losers, we probably break even but I am still very uncomfortable about giving away 2 young first round players who we have put 2-3 years of time into. Potentially we're giving away 2 Scotty Thompson's (in the sense that we've put in a lot of time and effort for little return so far, but undoubted potential is there) and another 1st rounder, for Pav, admittedly an absolute superstar and an inconsistent, at times selfish small forward.

Personally, I don't think Medhurst addresses our needs, he's not a traditional crumber, we have Welsh who is a good leading forward with a touch of class. And it certainly sits uneasy with me just giving away developmental players.

It seems a resonably fair trade in terms of value but I don't think it is sending a good message to youngsters coming to our club that we will trade you away without giving you a proper opportunity if something better arises.

Personally I'd go something like:

To Adelaide: Pavlich
To Fremantle: Coughlan, Perrie, Adelaide 1st rounder.
To Richmond: Reilly and Haddrill.

Adelaide gain: Pavlich
Adelaide lose: Perrie, Reilly, 1st round DP

Fremantle gain: Coughlan, 1st round DP, Perrie.
Fremantle lose: Pavlich, Haddrill.

Richmond gain: Reilly, Haddrill.
Richmond lose: Coughlan

Perhaps Richmond and Freo also swap first rounders as well so Freo move a couple of places higher up.

 

[Bomber1313]

I don't think that'd happen DT.

Personally I'd go something like:

To Adelaide: Pavlich
To Fremantle: Coughlan, Perrie, Adelaide 1st rounder.
To Richmond: Reilly and Haddrill.

Adelaide gain: Pavlich
Adelaide lose: Perrie, Reilly, 1st round DP

Fremantle gain: Coughlan, 1st round DP, Perrie.
Fremantle lose: Pavlich, Haddrill.

Richmond gain: Reilly, Haddrill.
Richmond lose: Coughlan

Perhaps Richmond and Freo also swap first rounders as well so Freo move a couple of places higher up.

I'd say thats as close a deal as you would get!
But the stumbling block for me would be, would richmond give up coughlan, for a very good(injured) full back and promising midfeilder.
good effort though!!

 

[snakebite01]

I'd say thats as close a deal as you would get!
But the stumbling block for me would be, would richmond give up coughlan, for a very good(injured) full back and promising midfeilder.
good effort though!!

Yeah it really all depends on whether he would want to go home. The Tigers would have to entertain the idea, they really need an injection of quality in the back half, and they atleast get a replacement midfielder for Coughlan, albeit inferior. But would they seriously consider getting involved just to help Adelaide and Freo reach a conclusion, if Coughs didn't want to go back across the nullabour?

 

[Juddyzthebest]

I think your defence is supherb. Like the Great Wall of Bloody China.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Meh, why the hell do we worry what some imbeciles think onthe main board. They never rated us and never will.

Some bonehead actually started a thread yesterday saying something along the lines why isn't Rutten that good when he has no midfield support. The **************** in question was suggesting that Rutten got beaten yesterday. WTF