Roo vs. Taylor

[carnasaints55]

Hi,
firstly i want to apologize. I could have squeezed this into about 15 different threads, but for that exact reason, I got overwhelmed and decided to start a new one hoping people wont mind. Sorry.

BUT, I'm REALLY nervous about this prospective matchup. I remember going into the final last year thinking that Roo, Kos, Milney and Schneids were our greatest hope. How can a forward line like that get beaten? But, as you all know, we got done, and ESPECIALLY Roo got towled up for one of the only times in his career--could not get near the ball, was spoilt at every opportunity, got bustled at every contest.

Now I'm hoping he comes out firing and eager to avenge last years embarassment, but it still makes me nervous because the Geelong backline, although not their strongest area, seems to beat our great forward line.

Would love some reassurance as to why our forward line can win it this year (and not just "because were 13-0 and a beater team) and specifically, why and how Roo can beat this Taylor prick and any other 2nd and probably 3rd men up in the contest.

Thanks everyone!

[Saintschampions08]

If Roo can't beat Taylor then we may as well start rebuilding a new team now...

He's not only our captain, our hope and our leading goal scorer but the most influential player in our team. Showed it against the Hawks (H&A) last year, but i'm a little worried about his performance against the top teams...

Our midfield has improved out of sight this year, and even if they managed to match or even beat Geelong's mid's this year, the problem is the Geelong mids will kick 5+ goals a game, ours will be lucky to kick 2 or 3....

We depend on Riewodlt as much as any other team does on their best player, if he doesn't fire...chances are Kosi won't fire and our midfield will look poor...

[saintly]

Well taylor beat him last year. So who knows. it depends if Reiwoldt has learnt from past experiences.

[Sainter_Dad]

Taylor got a lot of help last year - Roo was the ONLY target and they knew it - watch for Roo to do a bit - and Kosi to do a lot as he busts the packs that develop around Roo.

Kosi believes in himself now

and the midfield is starting to believe as well!

[Moods]

I agree sainter dad. Roo was competing against 3 of them last year in the final. Easy to beat someone when you have two team mates with you the whole time. Kosi becaomes crucial on Sunday. If he can grab a couple early, the defenders will be trying to spoil him and it will free roo up.

Taylor at this stage of his career is an emerging backman, nothing more. Rooey is the best key fwd in the comp in my opinion.

[bigcarl]

I agree sainter dad. Roo was competing against 3 of them last year in the final. Easy to beat someone when you have two team mates with you the whole time. Kosi becaomes crucial on Sunday. If he can grab a couple early, the defenders will be trying to spoil him and it will free roo up.

this is where we also need a goalkicking third forward in case both roo and kosi can't get going, like in the first quarter on sunday.

bj is the obvious choice and was swung forward after quarter time.

whether we can afford not to have him in the midfield against the cats is the question.

[kaos theory]

Hi,
firstly i want to apologize. I could have squeezed this into about 15 different threads, but for that exact reason, I got overwhelmed and decided to start a new one hoping people wont mind. Sorry.

BUT, I'm REALLY nervous about this prospective matchup. I remember going into the final last year thinking that Roo, Kos, Milney and Schneids were our greatest hope. How can a forward line like that get beaten? But, as you all know, we got done, and ESPECIALLY Roo got towled up for one of the only times in his career--could not get near the ball, was spoilt at every opportunity, got bustled at every contest.

Now I'm hoping he comes out firing and eager to avenge last years embarassment, but it still makes me nervous because the Geelong backline, although not their strongest area, seems to beat our great forward line.

Would love some reassurance as to why our forward line can win it this year (and not just "because were 13-0 and a beater team) and specifically, why and how Roo can beat this Taylor prick and any other 2nd and probably 3rd men up in the contest.

Thanks everyone!

The team is playing at another level compared to last year.

We had sloppy delivery into the forward line. We had only one target & Roo was double & triple teamed.

Therefore I'd expect Roo to be a real headache for them this year.

[BringBackMadDog]

this is where we also need a goalkicking third forward

Bingo!! We must have a 3rd DANGEROUS tall forward this week. This is the only way to stop Milburn and Harley peeling off their men to double team Roo or Kosi. One of Goddard or Gilbert must be played forward and then not be ignored if they are open. If the third option scores a few goals early then the other defenders will think twice before peeling off. Our midfielders also have to be very smart going forward and lower their eyes for the short options, if we are too Roo conscious they will kill us.

[perfectionist]

this is where we also need a goalkicking third forward

Bingo!! We must have a 3rd DANGEROUS tall forward this week. This is the only way to stop Milburn and Harley peeling off their men to double team Roo or Kosi. One of Goddard or Gilbert must be played forward and then not be ignored if they are open. ...

Agree with the first part not the second.

Teams have tried two tactics against us this year. First, play a spare man in defence to negate Nick (like Richmond did in the first half). Problem with this is that someone on our backline usually has a birthday with run (Gram last week) and Kosi looms as the danger. Second, go man on man (like Richmond did in the second half) to cut the run from the back. Problem with this is that Nick usually has a birthday (he kicked poorly on Sunday).

Geelong try another tactic as alluded to in this thread. They play man on man BUT take the risk of leaving their man to double team Nick. Theoretically this leaves a spare Saints player but that third player needs to be able to exploit the situation. Playing Brendon on the forward line for anything other than a few minutes of each quarter will unbalance the mid field, and we are going to need all the midfield strength that we have against Geelong. Playing Sam on the forward line is silly, he can't play forward and we lose too much on the backline.

The only alternative is James Gwilt. We need him back eventhough he is no Aaron Hamill, who played the role to perfection. James must run hard and often to ensure his man is nowhere near Nick BUT also be prepared to take his chances if his man wanders. Such a player can end up with 3 or 4 goals this way (as Aaron did against Geelong). Of course, it is risky because we all know that James lacks the ground skills and pace to keep the ball in the forward line like Hamill did, but he has improved this year in this regard.

The 3rd forward will, in my view, be the key to our success against Geelong.

[meher baba]

The two things that will change the Roo vs Taylor matchup (assuming that this is what Geelong go with) this time round are:

1. Kosi's current form. Scarlett will be fully occupied with trying to contain the 2009 Kosi, so this will prevent him from being able to help Taylor in any way. I do not believe that Taylor can handle Roo on his own. This will draw other Geelong players towards Roo, freeing up space for other Sainters: not only Milne, McQualter and Schneider, but also BJ and Dal when they go forward.

2. The delivery from the midfield: Dal and Joey are currently at the top of their games, which wasn't the case in the 2008 finals. Obviously they will be heavily marked, but Hayes and Ball are also providing better delivery as is, surprisingly, CJ. And Goddard remains as a looming threat. Good grief, if Gram could start hitting targets, we'll rip them to shreds.

The situation could be further improved if some of the following things happen

(a) Gwilt is selected and uses his body to stop Cats from blocking Roo and - in particular - Kosi from jumping at the ball. BTW, I'm Gwilt is an essential player for Sunday: I think it would be fair enough for Ross to decide that it's more important to lock down Geelong in midfield and bring in a Dempster or an Armo to do that job. With so many capable players to choose from ATM, the selection process is a balancing act (but I do hope they do something to reduce our back 7 into a back 6).

(b) Schneider delivers. I know I am often accused of being unfairly critical of Schneider, but one of the reasons for this is that I thought he went missing in our two key finals games last year (against the Cats and Hawks). Unlike Milne, Schneider is rarely closely marked, and he should make more use of his relative freedom than he does. He doesn't seem to have a huge engine on him, which might be a function of some form of chronic injury he is carrying. Whatever the reason, he needs to find some way of lifting for the big games.

(c) We can get a dangerous player running free at the back. This is where I would once again favour bringing Gwilt back and reducing our backline to 6. BJ could then be given a brief of staying back as much as possible, which would give Geelong the problem of stopping BJ, Fisher and Gilbert. in the last couple of games, our opponents have worked hard on checking Fisher and Gilbert, which has tended to free up relatively undamaging players like Dawson and Blake.

I'm sure there are lots of other ways of solving the problem of preventing the Geelong backline from obliterating Roo. My main point is that the solution is not just a question of matchups, but also of structure and effort all over the ground.

[saintsRrising]

bj is the obvious choice and was swung forward after quarter time.
.

]

I don't think BJ was so much swung forward as rather I think he hasa roving brief to push forward when he sees fit.

With Gwilt only going ok-ish asa HFF I think Lyon has decided to go this way instead...and more so as we are overflowing with backs..but are shorta forward.

However BJ is too valuable to only play forward...hence he now has 007 licence to roam at will.

[bigcarl]

bj is the obvious choice and was swung forward after quarter time.
.

I don't think BJ was so much swung forward as rather I think he hasa roving brief to push forward when he sees fit.

With Gwilt only going ok-ish asa HFF I think Lyon has decided to go this way instead...and more so as we are overflowing with backs..but are shorta forward.

However BJ is too valuable to only play forward...hence he now has 007 licence to roam at will.

gwilt is ok-ish for his defensive pressure and presence, but doesn't threaten to kick more than the occasional goal. lynch is extremely promising, but might not be ready yet.

we miss the flexibility that a dangerous third tall could provide.

[Moorabbin Saints]

Does anyone remember how our forward line set up last year?

Everyone was together inviting their opponent to cut off Roo. We must spread out and stop the opportunity for eg. Harley to come across and spoil.

[BringBackMadDog]

The other thing that we must do is use Gardiner when he moves forward. Last week I noticed at least half dozen occasions when Gardi set up at around the 50 m arc and we completely ignored him and bombed long to Roo or Kosi. If Geelong defence sag back as they tend to do, then we must use this option. Gardi is also a reasonable shot for goal and will make them pay if they ignore him.

[bigcarl]

The other thing that we must do is use Gardiner when he moves forward. Last week I noticed at least half dozen occasions when Gardi set up at around the 50 m arc and we completely ignored him and bombed long to Roo or Kosi. If Geelong defence sag back as they tend to do, then we must use this option. Gardi is also a reasonable shot for goal and will make them pay if they ignore him.

good call.

excellent call.

correct call.

[carnasaints55]

wow: scary call...

great to see this thread resolved as reiwoldt definitely showed he can own the cats defense.[/img]