THE problem with our forward line

[Mr. Blonde]

Whilst sitting at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night I had a good feeling as the ball was bounced to start the game. In the forward line I saw Hale, Petrie, Edwards and Warren (all marking players more than capable of taking a contested mark...Warren??).

Great, I thought, finally I'll see a more direct style of game with North bringing the ball in quick and giving our big men a chance to take marks. Lower was also there to tag Bowden and stop him from being third man up to spoil these contested marking opportunities. Thomas was hanging around half forward ready to swoop on numerous crumbs that would no doubt eventuate.

What happened next is beyond belief. We chipped the ball around from side to side. We were slow to get it into the 50 and when we did we tried to pinpoint every pass. Whats the point of loading your forward line with talls if you aren't going to use them as talls. If Petrie and Hale and Edwards are one out in the forward line, I'd rather see us kick it high to them and let them use their marking ability to either take a mark or draw a free kick (which seem to be dead easy for tall forwards to get these days).

If we are going to insist on playing like we are I'd rather see a smaller, quicker forward line who can make fast leads and be on the end of pinpoint 15 metre passes.

Does anyone agree with this?

 

[Devil Fish]

Whilst sitting at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night I had a good feeling as the ball was bounced to start the game. In the forward line I saw Hale, Petrie, Edwards and Warren (all marking players more than capable of taking a contested mark...Warren??).

Great, I thought, finally I'll see a more direct style of game with North bringing the ball in quick and giving our big men a chance to take marks. Lower was also there to tag Bowden and stop him from being third man up to spoil these contested marking opportunities. Thomas was hanging around half forward ready to swoop on numerous crumbs that would no doubt eventuate.

What happened next is beyond belief. We chipped the ball around from side to side. We were slow to get it into the 50 and when we did we tried to pinpoint every pass. Whats the point of loading your forward line with talls if you aren't going to use them as talls. If Petrie and Hale and Edwards are one out in the forward line, I'd rather see us kick it high to them and let them use their marking ability to either take a mark or draw a free kick (which seem to be dead easy for tall forwards to get these days).

If we are going to insist on playing like we are I'd rather see a smaller, quicker forward line who can make fast leads and be on the end of pinpoint 15 metre passes.

Does anyone agree with this?

I agree 1000%. And what was laughable was the number of chest marks Edwards & Hale dropped.
And I will also reiterate something I mentioned years ago when Sav was playing under Laidley - for some reason, every NM player is scared to have a long shot at goal. I will never forget exploding at a game at the MCG when Sav was 45m out on a 45 degree angle & he short passed it to to Rawlings 30m out on the boundary - I don't need to tell you what Rawlings did next do I -yep, on the full!!!!!
Anything > 40m out & we look for a short pass ala Edwards on Sat nite & turn it over. Laidley needs to realise that we don't have the skill (or brains) of Geelong & trying to copy their game plan, particulalry up forward is just stupid. Richmond kicked 6 goals from outside 40m on Sat night, we kicked just one.
It's as if Laidley wants to drain any match-winning talent we have & play the most conservative brand of footy of all time. 26 goals in 3 weeks in perfect conditions - I will say no more. But hey, apparently he is a great tactician?????

 

[Gasometer]

It's 2006 all over again.

chip chip backwards sideways yawn back sideways....yawn...ooops...30 points down, game over.

Go down fighting will you!

Gaso

 

[rooboy_88]

speaking to a bloke i no down the club, the vibe that people not directly involved in the coaching group but on the inside believe information overload is a factor.

players look so confused and if thats the case, make it simpler for the players.

When we do move it in it is far too slow and we kick it to the pockets. yeh it might be a hard chest mark but its a low % play which is likely to result in a behind.

Move it in quicker and back the forwards. Hale doesnt necessarily have to mark it but chopping arms and pushing comes into play.

If it is kicked to the hotspot, you open up more avenues to goal and by moving it in there quicker, defenders will be under more pressure as they dont have time to set up there zones due to a quick play. This lead to plans not being satisfied and creates a situation where the defenders mindset is of confusion and uncertainty.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

spot on MR.Blonde!
Our chipping short, precision game plan is disgraceful because we don't have any players who can do it properly. We need to play direct and through the middle of the ground to give our forwards the best chance of being one out.

the problem is simple really, we chip sideways and backwards instead of going direct and it lets the opposition clog our backline. Then we end up bombing in their to a 3 on one or a 2 on one. And all this equals is frustration city.

 

[snrub]

We kicked three goals to nothing in the first 7 or 8 minutes. At the end of the game we had about 47 or 48 forward 50m entries from not many more than 300 possessions.

Someone on here blamed the loss on chipping the ball around straight after the game and it's now become fact.

Too true. We chipped backwards about 3 times when we shouldn't have and gave up goals. It was the indecision that cost us not the chipping.

 

[Mr Reliable]

I'm sick of the excuses for Hale. Blaming the coach and 'gameplan' for wishy washy performances like Saturday night is quite frankly laughable.

Yeah, our midfield's strong point isn't pinpoint passing. But David had some OK service in the game against Essendon from the same group of players. If he worked as hard as he did against Essendon he'd get to 20-25 contests and take 10 marks - lots of them cheapies - every week. Why does he get that he's a reasonably agile 200cm bohemoth one week and not another? It's time.

He's been toppling over at the slightest bump or push for years now and nobody seems to be telling him to:

(a) keep your feet, you weigh 100kgs and

(b) push/bump them over, you weigh 100kgs and most of them don't.

I'd love him to show some aggression occasionally.

 

[Artichoke]

He's been toppling over at the slightest bump or push for years now and nobody seems to be telling him to:

(a) keep your feet, you weigh 100kgs and

(b) push/bump them over, you weigh 100kgs and most of them don't.

I'd love him to show some aggression occasionally.

Hale = a glorified Capuano. Hale is living off past glories of a game he played at Skilled Stadium last year. The latest Roos News had an article on him & by the sounds of it, even Hale can't believe how well he played that day. One guarantee I give you is - when we play at Skilled Stadium in a few weeks, Hale will have no more than 6 possessions.

 

[Hoser]

I'm sick of the excuses for Hale. Blaming the coach and 'gameplan' for wishy washy performances like Saturday night is quite frankly laughable.

Yeah, our midfield's strong point isn't pinpoint passing. But David had some OK service in the game against Essendon from the same group of players. If he worked as hard as he did against Essendon he'd get to 20-25 contests and take 10 marks - lots of them cheapies - every week. Why does he get that he's a reasonably agile 200cm bohemoth one week and not another? It's time.

I agree. Good forwards present themselves consistently. Even in crap sides, good forwards still kick goals because when they present properly, they demand the ball and even a crap midfield that misses targets a lot is still going to hit them up somethimes.

As for this blame game, I said it in another thread. It's the chicken or the egg argument. Forwards blaming the midfield for poor delivery, midfield blaming the forwards for poor presentation.

 

[wolfy27]

to be fair.. the delivery was pretty bad.
doesnt excuse the forward line for that dismal performance.
get the thing in long and give them a chance one out
petrie and hale are both big boys who should be able to take on people 1 on 1.
edwards leads well but had bad game and hopefully he will bounce back
i rate him very highly.
will be missing harvey coz he is one of the only ones who can deliver it well into the forwards, as with wells who should have been rested from round 1 but oh well

will be interesting against the pies

 

[Melly017]

And what was laughable was the number of chest marks Edwards & Hale dropped.

The problem shouldn't be dropping chest marks. They shouldn't be trying to mark on the chest anyway.

HANDS OUT IN FRONT ON THE LEAD, WHEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE 1/A SH(T KICK(99% OF THE TIME) OR 2/HEAVY PRESSURE FROM THE DEFENDER.

And guess what, the umpires will pay the chop 99% of the time, if they see the forward hit on the arms.

Chest marks are for rainy days and perfect kicks to the lead.

Old School I know, but correct, unless your Dustin Fletcher or another knuckle dragging freak you can't reach the ball if the forward has its hands out in front.

 

[RooShine]

Problem is whenever i've seen us bomb it in long our set up is so s**t that the opposition marks it (marks it, not punch) and then runs away with it.

 

[Mr Reliable]

Some sides have a natural forward whose job it is to kick goals and who would kill to kick a goal.

Didak mad, Davis, Betts, Rioli, Milne mad, Chapman, Davey (x2), LeCras, Porplyzia, Bewick etc, etc.

With Campbell out and Thomas hopelessly out of form, we don't have one on the ground.

And there are none in the VFL that I can think of.

Which means that our coaches (Laidley and Bewick) have to work out another way to get the ball through the big sticks, apart from lining everyone up in a straight line when the ball is bounced in the centre.

 

[Zondor]

I'm sick of the excuses for Hale. Blaming the coach and 'gameplan' for wishy washy performances like Saturday night is quite frankly laughable.

Yeah, our midfield's strong point isn't pinpoint passing. But David had some OK service in the game against Essendon from the same group of players. If he worked as hard as he did against Essendon he'd get to 20-25 contests and take 10 marks - lots of them cheapies - every week. Why does he get that he's a reasonably agile 200cm bohemoth one week and not another? It's time.

You're spot on about Hale there windsock.

One good game out of 5 and in that good game Hale presented well up the ground early, gained confidence and thus made an impact. His work rate in the other 4 games were for the tip.

But you know what? Laidley keeps on playing him and for that who do yah think is to blame? Maybe the Zebs has had a quiet word in Dean Laidleys' ear and told him that big men take time so keep persevering.

David Hale should be less worried about his rug and more concerned about his football career.

 

[Long Live the King]

A guy 200cm will never make a FF...Salmon was the exception....hale will never be mobile enough to get to space quick enough..and he doesnt have hands like Edwards....put edwards in the square...the guy leads and contests...hale doesnt