Bruce Accuracy

[David-Lee]

Never read so much rubbish as on this topic, obviously written by people who have never had to compete athletically at any level.

Here we have Josh Bruce not a huge forward by any standard who every week has to take either the number 1 or 2 defender. So he has to compete against very good strong players and then in most games about half way through the quarter he has to go into the ruck and compete against giants for another 5-10 minutes and then return to have another go forward.

So in other words physically he would be more exhausted than I would imagine every other player in the team, yet he still competed to the very last minute.

Then he gets a shot for goal and in less than 30 seconds try and get his body to settle enough (that is get his heart rate down) to kick accurately.

I believe he is a great Saint who plays his heart out and given a different team set up will be a star

fqf

Although not a world champion athlete like yourself I have played amateur level in 5 sports and to my surprise was part of a state championship team as a defender.
That was long ago but I reckon I remember a few things before me mind withers.

So he is too small to be a forward, needs a nap to stand tall and works harder than anyone on the field ya reckon?

I wonder if you remembered he's been on field with Sir Nick? You know the guy who ran 4 kilometers whilst Bruce stood in the goal square. Not to mention the mids who run and run and run and almost every minute are making body contact.

Height:197 cm Weight:102 kg

Well he is 4cm taller than Roo, He's taller than Jarryd Roughead and Jack Riewoldt who both are fowards and both do ruck work, Roughead had almost exact same hitouts. As a matter of fact looking at FACTS Bruce is one of many forwards who ruck and they are either the same height or shorter.

I like him a lot. But your argument of him being an out breath little man playing his heart for the team....well no.

I think he is very committed no doubt but after his first year he has basically declined. Yes he or Membrey get the key defenders but you know what? So does every other teams forward! For feck sake.
I'm not against you or Bruce. I really like him but something has significantly happened. Yes the first year he was a bit unknown so got an easier crack. But 2 years in a row he has played worse than the year before. So what does he need to work out how to excel? Is it our coaching or his fitness or his thinking? Dont tell me poor supply, when it comes in he fumbles marks and when he takes them he misses almost as often as he goals.

[Jacks Back]

Bruce is a mix of tragedy and comedy.

He keeps inventing new ways of missing easy goals.
Hitting the post or missing on the run from 3m out
having a bounce and can't collect the ball

He looks and behaves like Basil Fawlty ffs
We just need Manuel running out with a water bottle
so Basil can point to the goals and scream at Manuel for missing the goal

+1 Plus he falls down a lot and tries to take too many marks of the round.

[Con Gorozidis]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/sydney ... 32545f1b3c

[Sainternist]

We should poach Plugger back from the Swans. It's about time we poached something off of them!

[spert]

Don't look through rose-coloured glasses...the guy has had an ordinary year and should have done a lot better.

[Sainternist]

Don't look through rose-coloured glasses...the guy has had an ordinary year and should have done a lot better.

A really ordinary year, considering he'd come off an ordinary year before. I'm beginning to suspect Bruce is a bum.

[CQ SAINT]

Bruces set shot problem is technique. Fatigue and heart rate might play a small role but Bruce has been toe poking at the ball and hooking his leg after impact. He is not a great kick but can fix it.
I recall huge concerns about Roos kicking not all that long ago. He improved after he was a few years older than Bruce. It was disappointing this year but by no means our biggest issue.
Bruce works hard, runs hard and has a real crack. His kicking will improve.

[parkeysainter]

Decent and big mobile forwards that can kick 30-50 goals a year don't grow on trees. Brucey is a very required player at this point in time and in the future.

[saintsRrising]

Bruce had quite a good year.

And his accuracy on goal was mainly stuffed up by 3 shots on the run that he missed that were gimmes.

36g 27b to 39g 24b is not that shabby for someone that runs as much as he does.

And what mobile key forward are you going to be able to get in that is a vast improvement on him anyway?

Improving Gresh and Billings accuracy should be the main focus forward wise.

Team wise it is midfield class, midfield class and midfield class.

[oldie60]

Never read so much rubbish as on this topic, obviously written by people who have never had to compete athletically at any level.

Here we have Josh Bruce not a huge forward by any standard who every week has to take either the number 1 or 2 defender. So he has to compete against very good strong players and then in most games about half way through the quarter he has to go into the ruck and compete against giants for another 5-10 minutes and then return to have another go forward.

So in other words physically he would be more exhausted than I would imagine every other player in the team, yet he still competed to the very last minute.

Then he gets a shot for goal and in less than 30 seconds try and get his body to settle enough (that is get his heart rate down) to kick accurately.

I believe he is a great Saint who plays his heart out and given a different team set up will be a star

fqf

Well said, people have forgotten that his breakout year was when Rooey was taking two defenders whereas the past two seasons has seen Roo play further up the ground and Bruce now gets the two against one most of time which i don't care who you are makes it near on impossible to take any clean marks so his ability and want to compete has at least kept the ball in our forward half giving us chances to score. Yes his kicking has been poor but run 10 sets of 50 meter runs and try having a shot for goal. Kicking for goal at Afl level now is probably worse than it ever was. Forwards and midfielders from the past would lick their lips at a 40 or 45 meter shot at goal but nowadys because of the work rates required players are just too buggered to be able to kick consistently accurate. Its not about fitness its the continuous bursts of energy expelled to cover the ground and play the role thats asked of you.

[happy feet]

Terry Smith - you are 100% correct. I think Josh Bruce is a great player who gives his all.

For those of you old enough to have seen Stewart Loewe's kicking in his early days, my god it was dreadful. Standing in the outer at Moorabbin we would all turn our backs to the play when Stewie was lining up for goal. But the Club persisted and put some effort in, as did Stewie and he improved enormously. Josh Bruce is nowhere near Stewie standard, so there is something to work with. Am I correct in thinking the Club brought in Peter Hudson to fix Stewie's kicking technique?

Cheers,

[GregPackhamsHeadband]

Terry Smith - you are 100% correct. I think Josh Bruce is a great player who gives his all.

For those of you old enough to have seen Stewart Loewe's kicking in his early days, my god it was dreadful. Standing in the outer at Moorabbin we would all turn our backs to the play when Stewie was lining up for goal. But the Club persisted and put some effort in, as did Stewie and he improved enormously. Josh Bruce is nowhere near Stewie standard, so there is something to work with. Am I correct in thinking the Club brought in Peter Hudson to fix Stewie's kicking technique?

Cheers,

Indeed, HF. Loewe went from horrible to reliable, kicking 90 goals in 1996. Hudson's techniques were the essence of simplicity. It worked for Hudson, who was one of the best ever and it worked for buckets. If Bruce could nail a few more he'd be a gun. Misses too many of the "should gets", then will bomb one in from 50 out on the boundary. A combination of technique and psychology, methinks. Lloyd improved Daniher. We might have someone who can do the same for our guys.

[MickThomas]

Terry Smith - you are 100% correct. I think Josh Bruce is a great player who gives his all.

For those of you old enough to have seen Stewart Loewe's kicking in his early days, my god it was dreadful. Standing in the outer at Moorabbin we would all turn our backs to the play when Stewie was lining up for goal. But the Club persisted and put some effort in, as did Stewie and he improved enormously. Josh Bruce is nowhere near Stewie standard, so there is something to work with. Am I correct in thinking the Club brought in Peter Hudson to fix Stewie's kicking technique?

Cheers,

I'm sure you're correct in the Peter Hudson mentoring.
And Loewe famously said "to keep my head down, I imagine a fish hook in my groin area (he said something different, but the mods are watching)
as I'm kicking!!!"

[MickThomas]

I remember that final against the Cats in early 90's at Arctic Park,
my seat was behind the goals, high up in the stands.
in the last qtr. Loewe marked about 50 out
Plugger motioned to him to go for it
and with perfect smooth fluid technique, it went through at post height.

[saintbob]

Never read so much rubbish as on this topic, obviously written by people who have never had to compete athletically at any level.

Here we have Josh Bruce not a huge forward by any standard who every week has to take either the number 1 or 2 defender. So he has to compete against very good strong players and then in most games about half way through the quarter he has to go into the ruck and compete against giants for another 5-10 minutes and then return to have another go forward.

So in other words physically he would be more exhausted than I would imagine every other player in the team, yet he still competed to the very last minute.

Then he gets a shot for goal and in less than 30 seconds try and get his body to settle enough (that is get his heart rate down) to kick accurately.

I believe he is a great Saint who plays his heart out and given a different team set up will be a star

fqf

+1

[Jacks Back]

I heard SEN today when they were talking about players kicking for goal and that a golf coach may help as players have a natural draw or fade which they probably don't even know about. Once a player can have a set routine (like in golf) and they know which way the ball will move in the air then they are more likely to be able to kick to their potential.

They also mentioned that clubs spend millions on coaches and can't believe the kicking for goal is so bad.

So, what are we waiting for? Go for it Saints! Get ourselves a golf coach and see what they can do with our forwards.

[GregPackhamsHeadband]

The only difference in golf is you're hitting a stationary object. No ball drop, run up etc. on the upside we'll end up winning the various AFL and corporate golf days. Re rookie Sam Fisher, get BJ back and we'll be unbeatable! We may not kick many goals, but we'll score lots of birdies and Eagles. Probably still hit them out of bounds, though. Honestly, I've never heard a worse suggestion.

How about we hire a specialist kicking coach, who knows a bit about biomechanics and how to set up a set routine, al a Peter Hudson with Buckets? Someone who knows the unique mechanics of an AFL kicking style, inside and out. Imagine if an AFL coach turned up and started telling you how to swing a club? Sorry, I heard the segment as well and all I could think of was that KB has finally lost his marbles completely.

[Yorkeys]

How much force does it take to kick a football 50 metres and pass the goals about 2 metres high with a 6.4 metre width to pass through. And what margin of error is there using an egg shaped ball? Not so easy I'd think. Jason Day could probably do it though, if he wasn't a league player.

[Jacks Back]

I think anything is worth a go as our kicking for goal is really shyte.