Attack

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The biggest problem with our forward line is supply. We're 16th in the league in i50s. We're the second most likely team to turn over the ball. Our forwards are constantly faced with poor supply and still have done an admirable job. We're the 7th most likely to mark an i50. We score on a reasonable amount of our entries, given our ladder position. Our forward line is far from perfect, but it's far less of a problem than contested ball and field kicking.

If anything, we've been too tall for too much of the year. Predictably, Roo has marked far more of our entries than anyone else. He has nearly four times more m50s than second-placed Lee. We've usually had one other tall (Lee, Maister, Kosi) taking marks and then another one (usually somebody like Hickey) doing nothing of consequence. I think we could stand to play an extra runner which should make it harder for the opposition to rebound without hurting ourselves in the air. It's not like our commitment to two rucks is paying any dividends right now.

We're no chance of improving our attack though unless we win more ball and use it better. Our over-reliance on too few ball winners has cost us wins this year, as has our propensity to turn over the ball. Without Roo this season would have been even more miserable than it has been. I shudder to think where this club will be when he eventually retires.

[noob]

Doesn't help having Gilbert and Fisher out for most of the year. Our major rebounders.. therefore harder to get it from one end to the other.

[Apples]

I think we are focusing on the wrong reasons here, we constantly get thrashed out of the centre, we hardly ever get a quick break into our forward line whereas the ball in often kicked straight into the the opposition's forward line which puts our backs under enormous pressure. If we do get the ball deep in defence then we have to somehow have to run it the length of the ground to create a scoring opportunity. I really worry about big Mac, I hope he is playing injured as his form has progressively deteriorated and since about round 8 as he rarely gets his hand to the ball at centre bounces. Hickley looked better against the Swans particularly when McEvoy went off, it may be a case like at North where Goldstein can only play as the sole ruckman.

I think our centre clearence work in part expains why we are scoring less and the opposition is scoring more.

That said I'm disappointed with the recent additions of our small forwards Saad, Milera and TDL. They just don't do enough and Milera and TDL are soft at the contest. For this reason I thought last year given where our list was at we should have taken a risk with Dayle Gartlett either with a late pick or perhaps a rookie spot. Unfortunately this year several other clubs are circling and it would appear he will be in demand. Dusty Martin is a good player and would fit in nicely but I would pass on two reasons, one if he is asking for overs now and screwing the Tigers than we would likely face a similar scenario when his contract expired with us, Secondly I think next year we should concentrate on developing youth, I think we will be in the bottom four again next year and I don't see much point in paying Martin $700k to run around under these circumstances. I would be more inclined to try and land an experienced big fish in 2015 or 2016 when our list is hpefully more developed and on the way back.

[saintsRrising]

We have also had a lot more injuries as the year has gone on, and so that would not help with scoring opportunities.
PLUS we have been trialing more kids = less likely to score


A FEW MORE CENTS WORTH:

* My preference is to not play too many small forwards in the one team unless they can also play up the field, as otherwise your midfield has to work too hard.
* That this year, that they may have been auditioning a few players to see who takes over from Milne...though this year also playing Milne.
* Schneider plays very well up the field, though reportedly does not have the tank to play a lot midfield time (fact or myth???)

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I think our centre clearence work in part expains why we are scoring less and the opposition is scoring more.

That's certainly part of it. There aren't many areas in which we're positive this year, so it's really hard to pinpoint what's the cause of the problem or what's the most alarming factor. We've lost the ground level contests, we've lost the aerial contests and we've turned over the ball through free kicks and poor disposal. We're giving them first use more often than not and when we do win the ball, we're more likely to give it back than they are to us. We're running up a much steeper hill then they are and, oddly enough, they're getting to the top more easily than we are.

A couple of positives on the clearance front - we're actually plus in clearances and centre clearances since the bye. We've also won more times than we've lost. So at least that part seems to be pointing in the right direction.