Craig Bolton, and Sydney's full back situation.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

I've been off-line due to having moved on Saturday. Not that I'd be horribly wanting to write a novel after our bubs' 'effort' against the Blues on Sunday either.

Unlike other people I took Sunday's loss quite hard, as there were umpteen Carlton fans behind me getting all smug and cocky, wanting to seemingly rub it into my face. Losing by over 100 points was a huge shock to the system, even if we had a team of kids on the park. I had us pencilled in for a win in that one for sure.

One area which is of extreme concern to me is the position of full back. Interestingly they tried Craig Bolton in a midfield role. I can't say it was overly success. But more succinctly Brendan Fevola's 8 goal hall are indicative of the dirth of talent we have down back when Bolton is either out or up the field.

This brings me to the issue of where Craig Bolton is of best use to the team. Honestly I do thing he does have potential to become an on-ball along with Willo, Goodesy and Noggie. He has great skills, so once he gets a feel for reading the play more as an on-baller, I do feel he MAY be worth trying there more often. Dunno about what his defensive skills would be like when on the ball for long periods of time? Or his overall fitness.

However, if Bolton is up there who will be marking the full forwards. He HAS shown that he can nullify even big name forwards just as Richardson and Brown. Yet to me there ARE still concerns over the height advantage he gives taller high-marking forwards.

We have little else in defence if Bolton is getting beaten (aka against Josh Fraser from the Pies at Telstra from memory). Schaubles is good in body-to-body duals but would be hopelessly slow against quick leading forwards like Lloyd etc etc. Saddington is just not good enough to EVER be considered for a key position. Neither does he have the physical stature against bigger opponents, nor the ability to stave of faster leaders. Barry is definitely more a rebounding HB flanker. Mark Powell, too inexperienced and scrawny. Heath James, maybe too injury-prone? O'Keefe is a maybe, but I personally like him up forward more. Warfe, enough said.

What are everyone else thoughts on the situation in the Swans defence? It is something that I do NOT think has been rectified this last season.

JF

[Nico]

Got away last year with what everyone said was a very ordinary backline. Statistically one of the best in the comp. I even conceded that my player I love to hate in Leo had a stellar season.

There has been no change of personnel back there. Maybe we may have found another to slot back in there.


Sunday was nothing but a scratch match for us that we had to play. Forget it.

[liz]

Re: Craig Bolton, and Sydney's full back situation.

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG

What are everyone else thoughts on the situation in the Swans defence? It is something that I do NOT think has been rectified this last season.

JF

a) Roos has already said he would like to have recruited a bigger bodied KPP - but there were no 'easy fixes' available at the trade table even had the Swans been willing and able to trade for one. Beaumont, Rawlings, Jacobs - hardly solutions to our situation.

b) We have a fair number of youngish players who may yet develop into what we are looking for. None is there yet and it is not obvious that any of them will become a strong FB but the numbers are there - James, Rogers, Hunt, Meiklejohn, Dempster possibly(?), maybe even LRT.

c) People have been spelling doom for our defensive capabilities for several seasons now, including even when we still had Dunks, yet year after year the Swans defence ranks in the top half of the competition for point conceded. That is because it works as a unit and the whole game plan supports the backline structure.

Very few defenders - on their own - could have stopped Fevola on Sunday with the form he was in and the unpressured delivery he was getting from his midfield. The way you limit the chance of it happening in a proper senior game is i) to have a midfield which is more accountable, physically stronger, works harder and is more skilful than the one we fielded on Sunday and ii) to have defenders supporting the FB, whether that be a resting ruckman who drops back and fills the space into which the FF likes to lead or other defenders preventing their opponents blocking their runs so they can support or generally being more aware of filling the space in the backline.

I agree on paper that the defence looks vulnerable but stats indicate that, thus far, it does the job we need it to do.

[penga]

JF, i agree with your concerns and i think thats what is our major stumbling block for this year, therefore roosy has flat out said that he will recruit a young gun KP at the end of the season... our stocks are pretty good, however IMO not upto flag winning standard

[stellation]

Re: Re: Craig Bolton, and Sydney's full back situation.

Originally posted by lizz

Very few defenders - on their own - could have stopped Fevola on Sunday with the form he was in and the unpressured delivery he was getting from his midfield. The way you limit the chance of it happening in a proper senior game is i) to have a midfield which is more accountable, physically stronger, works harder and is more skilful than the one we fielded on Sunday and ii) to have defenders supporting the FB, whether that be a resting ruckman who drops back and fills the space into which the FF likes to lead or other defenders preventing their opponents blocking their runs so they can support or generally being more aware of filling the space in the backline.

I agree on paper that the defence looks vulnerable but stats indicate that, thus far, it does the job we need it to do.

I agree with you totally Liz. I really feel that the weak midfield had more to do with Fevola's efforts than his direct opponents.

My worry about our backline is what happens if Schaubs is injured more than anything, apart from being a good man-to-man defender (JF already pointed out he is not fast enough for the quick leading forwards, which is true... but he never really has been his whole career) he does keep things in order in the backline very well (I would put a lot of the success of the backline last year down to Schauble directing the show) and seems to run off his man better than any backman I remember... I don't know how many times he has been at fullback and then after we get the ball the next thing you see is Schauble offering a lead up on the wing.... which, come to think of it, he gets to pretty quickly...

[Bart]

Re: Craig Bolton, and Sydney's full back situation.

[i]Mark Powell, too inexperienced and scrawny. Heath James, maybe too injury-prone? O'Keefe is a maybe, but I personally like him up forward more. Warfe, enough said. [/B]

I would dearly love to see James fulfil his potential and become the long term replacement for Dunkley that he was meant to be.

Another option is LRT who is the right height and is very agile for a big fella

[taurus]

Re: Re: Re: Craig Bolton, and Sydney's full back situation.

Originally posted by stellation
I agree with you totally Liz. I really feel that the weak midfield had more to do with Fevola's efforts than his direct opponents.

My worry about our backline is what happens if Schaubs is injured more than anything, apart from being a good man-to-man defender (JF already pointed out he is not fast enough for the quick leading forwards, which is true... but he never really has been his whole career) he does keep things in order in the backline very well (I would put a lot of the success of the backline last year down to Schauble directing the show) and seems to run off his man better than any backman I remember...

That would be the worst nightmare scenario for our defence!

I think our defence (esp. Shauble) is quite underated and this is an advantage... let them underestimate us. Agree with the argument that the weak midfield and overall team effort were better indicators for Fevola's dominance.

[NMWBloods]

I wouldn't read too much into the dominance of either Fevola or Lloyd the previous week.

Fevola is a good player and may finally really step up this season, but tends to overperform when it doesn't count (like pre-season).

Lloyd is a great full forward and could be awesome this season and will cause backlines a lot of headaches.

I think what is important in our backline is we play as a team, as Liz said, and limit the opposition's total number of goals. They may get one player stand out, but if the rest of the team struggles to kick goals, then we should hold them to a beatable score.