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The Age -
Cleaning up when it counts
By Rodney Eade
May 16, 2004
Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell has a strong body and clean hands.
Picture: GETTY IMAGES
It is down to the frenetic last five minutes of the round-one thriller between the Brisbane Lions and Sydney at the Gabba. Less than a goal separates the teams. The ball is on Sydney's forward flank, with a cluster of players fighting for the loose ball. Tackle after tackle after tackle, and the ball spills free. Players fumble under the pressure. No one can successfully dispose of the ball.
Lions captain Michael Voss - who had barely trained, let alone played, during the pre-season - waltzes into the middle of the scrum and grabs the tumbling ball at his first attempt. He then proceeds to handball to a teammate 25 metres away.
It is something that about 10 other talented players in the area could not do. And it sums up the ability and consequence of having "clean hands".
Clean hands is the ability to take a moving ball that is below knee-level, or take clean possession in a tight situation with much traffic. It is a different skill to marking solidly on the lead. It takes poise, a clear mind, good touch and courage to continually do it.
The greatest advantage for teams that have players with clean hands is in dead-ball situations. All teams heavily focus on stoppages, with the aim of gaining first use of the ball. Their strategies for centre bounces and boundary throw-ins rely heavily on players who can take clean possession and then dispose of the ball efficiently.
It is not paramount to have a dominant tap ruckman, although it helps. Last season, Collingwood was second only to Adelaide in the AFL when it came to stoppages (that is, taking away the ball or clearing it), but the Magpies were 13th in hitouts. The Crows have a good tap ruckman in Matthew Clarke, great first-touch players in Andrew McLeod, Mark Ricciuto, Tyson Edwards and Simon Goodwin, and follow a sound strategy in such situations.
Teams have now expanded their strategy to include second and third-phase disposals. An example is Hawthorn's centre-square work when it is playing well. Peter Everitt palms it to Sam Mitchell (strong body, clean hands), who handballs to Shane Crawford, who will then either kick or handball to a runner outside the square. But teams need to be wary that if they try one tactic only, or have only one "go-to" player: they become predictable. Flexibility is the key.
A strong component of a player who has consistent clean hands is a willingness to stand his ground and have his head over the ball. Apart from courage, it helps if he has a strong body, especially in the thighs. The player must be prepared to be the first to the football. Pace is not essential. Many times, a quick player is first to the ball, only to fumble.
Consider some of the greats of the past in this area: Greg Williams (probably the best), Brett Ratten, Geoff Raines and Dale Weightman.
The best of today's players are Voss, McLeod, Simon Black, James Hird, Scott Burns, Robert Harvey and Scott West. At times, you will hear Mitchell referred to by the nickname, "The Extractor", which is very apt for a person who is the go-to player at stoppages.
In my time as Sydney coach, the two best Swans at stoppages were Daryn Cresswell and Wayne Schwass. With midfield rotations, there was a noticeable drop in clearances when these two were rested.
A strategy to combat the dominance of a player at stoppages, apart from his normal tag, is to utilise your own tagged player to block him. In today's match in Launceston, Fremantle might opt to use James Walker to tag Mitchell, hoping he uses his pace to run off the Hawk. But at stoppages, Walker would most likely be well beaten, so in these situations, the Dockers might get Paul Hasleby (who himself will be tagged) to go to Mitchell to either block him or take him on. Hasleby's tagger would follow, allowing Walker to become a loose man.
One of the great attractions of Australian football is that players of all sizes, varying speeds and differing talents can play the game. With the push towards better athletes, the one constant still required is the ability to win the ball. To have first use of it is a great advantage and to have players who have clean hands gives teams a head start.
Cleaning up when it counts
By Rodney Eade
May 16, 2004
Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell has a strong body and clean hands.
Picture: GETTY IMAGES
It is down to the frenetic last five minutes of the round-one thriller between the Brisbane Lions and Sydney at the Gabba. Less than a goal separates the teams. The ball is on Sydney's forward flank, with a cluster of players fighting for the loose ball. Tackle after tackle after tackle, and the ball spills free. Players fumble under the pressure. No one can successfully dispose of the ball.
Lions captain Michael Voss - who had barely trained, let alone played, during the pre-season - waltzes into the middle of the scrum and grabs the tumbling ball at his first attempt. He then proceeds to handball to a teammate 25 metres away.
It is something that about 10 other talented players in the area could not do. And it sums up the ability and consequence of having "clean hands".
Clean hands is the ability to take a moving ball that is below knee-level, or take clean possession in a tight situation with much traffic. It is a different skill to marking solidly on the lead. It takes poise, a clear mind, good touch and courage to continually do it.
The greatest advantage for teams that have players with clean hands is in dead-ball situations. All teams heavily focus on stoppages, with the aim of gaining first use of the ball. Their strategies for centre bounces and boundary throw-ins rely heavily on players who can take clean possession and then dispose of the ball efficiently.
It is not paramount to have a dominant tap ruckman, although it helps. Last season, Collingwood was second only to Adelaide in the AFL when it came to stoppages (that is, taking away the ball or clearing it), but the Magpies were 13th in hitouts. The Crows have a good tap ruckman in Matthew Clarke, great first-touch players in Andrew McLeod, Mark Ricciuto, Tyson Edwards and Simon Goodwin, and follow a sound strategy in such situations.
Teams have now expanded their strategy to include second and third-phase disposals. An example is Hawthorn's centre-square work when it is playing well. Peter Everitt palms it to Sam Mitchell (strong body, clean hands), who handballs to Shane Crawford, who will then either kick or handball to a runner outside the square. But teams need to be wary that if they try one tactic only, or have only one "go-to" player: they become predictable. Flexibility is the key.
A strong component of a player who has consistent clean hands is a willingness to stand his ground and have his head over the ball. Apart from courage, it helps if he has a strong body, especially in the thighs. The player must be prepared to be the first to the football. Pace is not essential. Many times, a quick player is first to the ball, only to fumble.
Consider some of the greats of the past in this area: Greg Williams (probably the best), Brett Ratten, Geoff Raines and Dale Weightman.
The best of today's players are Voss, McLeod, Simon Black, James Hird, Scott Burns, Robert Harvey and Scott West. At times, you will hear Mitchell referred to by the nickname, "The Extractor", which is very apt for a person who is the go-to player at stoppages.
In my time as Sydney coach, the two best Swans at stoppages were Daryn Cresswell and Wayne Schwass. With midfield rotations, there was a noticeable drop in clearances when these two were rested.
A strategy to combat the dominance of a player at stoppages, apart from his normal tag, is to utilise your own tagged player to block him. In today's match in Launceston, Fremantle might opt to use James Walker to tag Mitchell, hoping he uses his pace to run off the Hawk. But at stoppages, Walker would most likely be well beaten, so in these situations, the Dockers might get Paul Hasleby (who himself will be tagged) to go to Mitchell to either block him or take him on. Hasleby's tagger would follow, allowing Walker to become a loose man.
One of the great attractions of Australian football is that players of all sizes, varying speeds and differing talents can play the game. With the push towards better athletes, the one constant still required is the ability to win the ball. To have first use of it is a great advantage and to have players who have clean hands gives teams a head start.
BTW these numbers are only since JAN 2003 when the site was revamped
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