My main worry from the game

[The_Dud]

My biggest concern coming away from the game on Sunday night was that it seemd me got absolutely slaughtered in the centre clearences, i would have said we won about 20%

i'm not sure what the stats are, but i know its a big worry

[Spinner]

Quality rucks.

Our midfield isnt the problem.


Is King really that good?

[St. Luke]

I'd have believed that in the first quarter, but I thought we got on top of that after half time????

[Eastern]

My biggest concern coming away from the game on Sunday night was that it seemd me got absolutely slaughtered in the centre clearences, i would have said we won about 20%

i'm not sure what the stats are, but i know its a big worry

For the 1st Q & 1/2. Then we smashed em !!

[The_Dud]

My biggest concern coming away from the game on Sunday night was that it seemd me got absolutely slaughtered in the centre clearences, i would have said we won about 20%

i'm not sure what the stats are, but i know its a big worry

For the 1st Q & 1/2. Then we smashed em !!

but how many times did we take it out of the centre cleanly?

i can only recall one, where BJ just booted it out and Roo got on the end of it

[jonesy]

Agree

Can't remember us winning to many out of the center which is unusual as we won a lot of the contested footy. We just couldn't get our hands on it at the centre bounces,that's what kept them in the game for so long otherwise it could well of been a massacre
Lendog was down, and none of the others are much chop at getting it out.
King does these fancy little taps over his head straight to the opposition, but most ruckmen do this.

[saintbob]

Neil Craig actually said that the Crows got smashed in the clearances after quarter time.

[perfectionist]

Dunno about smashed, but we did pretty well to at least stop them from getting a quick getaway.

And don't forget, this is without Luke.

[starsign]

we miss Bally

[n1ck]

First qtr and a half they killed us in the middle, but Lyon put BJ in the centre at the stoppages and his influence totally swung the game.

He got his hands on the ball first so many times and from then on we smashed them at clearances.

[Otiman]

Two words - Luke Ball.

[matrix]

total clearances was 44 to 27 in our favour...centre clearnces i have no idea
although Shirley got 7 clearances while tagging hayes (who somehow still managed 9 tackles, not bad for a bloke that didnt look 100% and had a heavy tag)

bally is deff back this week?

[n1ck]

Wouldnt think so. I heard him speak before the game at one of the functions and he was saying hed love to back next (this) week, but Wk1 of the finals is more realistic.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

During the first quarter we were clearly getting pumped in this area. It had a clear result on the scoreboard.

I actually take the opposite perspective though - because the big driver of turning this around was Brendon Goddard (finished the game with 7 clearances).

One of our big troubles in this area has been a reliance on Ball and Hayes. Prior to this year, Nick Dal Santo had also been a regular winner of clearances, and partly due to role, and partly due to his own play, this has not been the case - making us even more reliant on Ball and Hayes (Dal finished with 6 against collingwood, I'd bet most came in Q4 (Hayes had 7), and v Freo we had Hayes on 9, then a pretty good spread).

In other games since Ball's been out, we haven't had a new option. In the warm afterglow of that game, my hope is that the upside to beign without our most in and under player is that it's driven the next level of development from Goddard, which can only be to our benefit going forward. More clearances from Goddard, Gram and Dal and we can regain some of the old confidence in our centre play.