Two flaws in our style of play

[skeptic]

1) Being drawn in...

Carlton player a) is free and has the ball in the back half. St.Kilda player a) leaves his man and charges at him. Carlton player a) merely passes the ball over the top 10-20m to Carlton player b) who is now free further up the ground.

How this is supposed to work is that you're only meant to leave your man for the ball carrier if someone up the ground can then cover the left...
If there isn't, then all you've done is let the opposition's free player have the ball in space, further up the ground.

It felt like the Blues had a field day with this today...
Time after time they just drew the Saints forward, passed over the top and just ran free into space... infuriating.

2) The quick pass.
Saints player gets the ball but is facing away from the goals... in order to move play on quickly they quickly handball to a player running past or two the side with no idea what's in front of them and with a disturbing regularity, pass it to a player that runs right into traffic.

This one has been going on for years and I Really never want to see it again. Just have a look before you do anything

[Jacks Back]

On number 2 our players have to set up each other to succeed - not to fail. Having a look at what obstacles are in the way of the guy your going to handball too would be a good start. Why handball a few metres to someone who's going to get caught when you can kick it 40-50 metres at a minimum to a contest?

We do like to play on at all costs but sometimes that cost is too much - like a goal coming back the other way. The amount of goals they got from our turnovers was disgusting.

[ace]

1 Let the opposition score too much.
2 Don't score enough ourselves.

[Teflon]

1) Being drawn in...

Carlton player a) is free and has the ball in the back half. St.Kilda player a) leaves his man and charges at him. Carlton player a) merely passes the ball over the top 10-20m to Carlton player b) who is now free further up the ground.

How this is supposed to work is that you're only meant to leave your man for the ball carrier if someone up the ground can then cover the left...
If there isn't, then all you've done is let the opposition's free player have the ball in space, further up the ground.

It felt like the Blues had a field day with this today...
Time after time they just drew the Saints forward, passed over the top and just ran free into space... infuriating.

2) The quick pass.
Saints player gets the ball but is facing away from the goals... in order to move play on quickly they quickly handball to a player running past or two the side with no idea what's in front of them and with a disturbing regularity, pass it to a player that runs right into traffic.

This one has been going on for years and I Really never want to see it again. Just have a look before you do anything

Billings mentioned number 2 after game said the manic way with no composure we were sometimes going forward with was discussed at half time

[SuperDuper]

1) Being drawn in...


2) The quick pass.


This one has been going on for years and I Really never want to see it again. Just have a look before you do anything

There is little doubt that teams that kick a lot can open up our game plan.. Melbourne undid us like that in rouynd 1 and Carrton again yesterday for significant patches of the game

As each of our guys leaves his man to force the hanball rushes and eventually pressure and disposess them... the kicking teams are ignoring the first handball option that may get pressured and instead taking the longer option

I think we adjusted a bit at half time... I just hope our game plan is not too one dimensional and that we have not been "found out"

[Vazelos]

In a crucial part of the game it was Riewoldt that stopped (2)by slowing the game and refusing to panic and take the play on option. There are times it's just better to hold the ball, you can't counter attack every time. With experience players will learn this.

[meher baba]

Overly harsh judgements, I reckon.

Re 1) Our strategy when they are coming out of their backline is based on blocking all their exit avenues. Unless we put pressure on the guy running free with the ball in his hand, he will be free to run forward outside the 50 and kick over the top of our blockers and the ball will be marked on the half forward line.

Re 2) The constant counter-attack approach can sometimes go wrong, but it pushes our opponents back, making them think twice about committing too many players forward.

I reckon we are close to having the most pissweak forward line in the whole AFL, and yet we have won five out of eight games and been competitive in the other three. We've done this largely by keeping our opponents out of their forward fifty for long periods of games.

The only major flaw in our style of play at the moment is the way we butcher so many of our entries into our forward fifty.

[magnifisaint]

1 Let the opposition score too much.
2 Don't score enough ourselves.

They kicked 10 goals. How is that too much?
The problem was Bruce and Membrey.

[Moods]

Overly harsh judgements, I reckon.

Re 1) Our strategy when they are coming out of their backline is based on blocking all their exit avenues. Unless we put pressure on the guy running free with the ball in his hand, he will be free to run forward outside the 50 and kick over the top of our blockers and the ball will be marked on the half forward line.

Re 2) The constant counter-attack approach can sometimes go wrong, but it pushes our opponents back, making them think twice about committing too many players forward.

I reckon we are close to having the most pissweak forward line in the whole AFL, and yet we have won five out of eight games and been competitive in the other three. We've done this largely by keeping our opponents out of their forward fifty for long periods of games.

The only major flaw in our style of play at the moment is the way we butcher so many of our entries into our forward fifty.

This!

Great to have you back posting in the last few weeks. You're spot on imo

[Otiman]

I have trust in our coaching panel to pick up gaps in our play style and move forward.

I don't think the areas you mentioned are fundamental to our play style, they can be coached independently.

[citywest]

No flaws in our game.

[skeptic]

I have trust in our coaching panel to pick up gaps in our play style and move forward.

I don't think the areas you mentioned are fundamental to our play style, they can be coached independently.

I agree

Just 2 things I notice yesterday that didn't work well at all... point 1 only came into focus because it happened so much yesterday... point 2 is something that we've been guilty of for quite a while (years) but comes and goes depending on form...
I think when we're under pressure and trying to break lines, players often make the mistake of getting a bit cute at times with the no look passes or the eye of the needle stuff...

[thejiggingsaint]

I guess that's why we're now sitting at sixth on the ladder, one win out of the top four?

[skeptic]

I guess that's why we're now sitting at sixth on the ladder, one win out of the top four?

What a weird post...
My apologies. Apparently there was nothing on Saturday that wasn't executed to plan... Webster meant to break his hand, Gresh waited for his opponent to catch him.

Yeeeesh

[thejiggingsaint]

No worries! You're forgiven !

[skeptic]

No worries! You're forgiven !

Well I can be touchey sometimes

[SaintPav]

No worries! You're forgiven !

Well I can be touchey sometimes

Yep

[sasaint]

Well I don't understand this bombing into the top of the goal square. It's not the we have Plugger standing there atm. Seems that yesterday the ball just rebounded out more often that not.

[skeptic]

Well I don't understand this bombing into the top of the goal square. It's not the we have Plugger standing there atm. Seems that yesterday the ball just rebounded out more often that not.

I think that was more a case of (at least yesterday) our structure bring out. With Webster down, we lacked some polished run out of our backline and as a result seemed to really break down across HFF.

[bigcarl]

I think that was more a case of (at least yesterday) our structure bring out. With Webster down, we lacked some polished run out of our backline and as a result seemed to really break down across HFF.

Yes, bummer about the Webster injury. I've been very impressed with him over the past month. Let's hope it doesn't keep him out too long.

[thejiggingsaint]

Agreed! However, the mark of a really good side is the ability to slot a replacement into the 22, without too many adverse effects. This will be a good test of our depth.

[spert]

Only one problem- the mental game of our mids. Can't go to sleep for 10 mins in a quarter and watch your opponents gather the ball unopposed. We lost to Melb, WCE and Geelong due to that, and should have smashed Carlton by more.

[thejiggingsaint]

If they learn the lessons and improve performance, then that's all we can ask. They are still very much a young side in development.

[borderbarry]

I am not sure that the forward line of Josh and Tim is working at the moment. Maybe we should try something else for a few weeks, like Paddy and Marshall.

[Superboot]

I am not sure that the forward line of Josh and Tim is working at the moment. Maybe we should try something else for a few weeks, like Paddy and Marshall.

Works when they lead and give the mids something to kick to. More often than not, they are static and leave the mids no option other than to bomb to the goal square or just short of it, often straight to an opposition player.

So many entries into forward 50, then, that come to nothing.