Best Forward Duo?

[Johnny Member]

we just need 6 good players in there.
carlton doing well with their littluns fwd.
trouble is over the past few years we have had 3 good players in our fwd line at any one time. which means they get double teams .
have u have 5 good players in there (regardless of size) you will do well.

That's what I reckon.

[spert]

You need effective key forwards, not just rely on flankers and smalls to kick goals. We have had no effective key forwards all year that could consistantly win a one-on-one contest, and had none in the 09 and 10 GFs- easily beaten in each case, and that's what killed us especially in the 09 GF, but '10 GF replay was more of a poor overall team effort. For 2011, RL needs to have a good think about the forward structure, and really put a bit of time into solving the FF position.

I'll probably have to agree to disgree with most in regards to this.

But I just don't reckon the answer is big forwards who can mark.


I'd argue that in 09 and 10, the issue was definitely that we couldn't kick enough goals - but I think that was because we relied too much on the 'kick it to the big guys who will take a contested mark' strategy.

Kosi was taking contested marks, and so was Roo - but that wasn't enough. That system doesn't work.
What works is having many options and many ways to generate scores.


I mean even in the 08 GF, Hawthorn had used Roughead and Franklin all year to win games.
But in the GF those two didn't play huge roles. Geelong expected them to, and prepared accordingly.
Whgat won Hawthorn the flag (in addition to Geelong's poor kicking) was their ability to kick a winning score without relying on 'two talls' and being able to use various systems and players to kick goals.

Ok..come GF time, redundant.. CHF and FF. I think not. Let's stop making endless excuses for the poor performances of our key forwards in grand finals shall we.

[Johnny Member]

You need effective key forwards, not just rely on flankers and smalls to kick goals. We have had no effective key forwards all year that could consistantly win a one-on-one contest, and had none in the 09 and 10 GFs- easily beaten in each case, and that's what killed us especially in the 09 GF, but '10 GF replay was more of a poor overall team effort. For 2011, RL needs to have a good think about the forward structure, and really put a bit of time into solving the FF position.

I'll probably have to agree to disgree with most in regards to this.

But I just don't reckon the answer is big forwards who can mark.


I'd argue that in 09 and 10, the issue was definitely that we couldn't kick enough goals - but I think that was because we relied too much on the 'kick it to the big guys who will take a contested mark' strategy.

Kosi was taking contested marks, and so was Roo - but that wasn't enough. That system doesn't work.
What works is having many options and many ways to generate scores.


I mean even in the 08 GF, Hawthorn had used Roughead and Franklin all year to win games.
But in the GF those two didn't play huge roles. Geelong expected them to, and prepared accordingly.
Whgat won Hawthorn the flag (in addition to Geelong's poor kicking) was their ability to kick a winning score without relying on 'two talls' and being able to use various systems and players to kick goals.

Ok..come GF time, redundant.. CHF and FF. I think not. Let's stop making endless excuses for the poor performances of our key forwards in grand finals shall we.

I'm not sure what you mean?


If you only have a Plan A in regards to kicking goals these days, you're stuffed.

Not one flag team that I can remember, has relied on 'two talls' to kick their score for them.

Throughout the season, you'll win games purely from them kicking a score. But in a Grand Final, it's proven that an unpredictable and balanced spread of goal kickers is what wins flags.


Our biggest failure this era was the inability to develop a system to score outside of Roo and the 'two talls' thing.

[bigcarl]

Important thing about having key forwards who can take contested marks is that it encourages quick delivery in there ... as we saw Collingwood do early in both grand finals.

No chipping around backwards and sideways waiting for the perfect lead. They bang it long to the goalsquare if a good lead doesn't present itself, a strategy endorsed by guys who know such as Leigh Matthews.

That's the value of good key forwards like Cloke and Dawes.

Vital to structure, even if they don't kick a bag on the given day.