Morning Gloom and Doom!!!

[Mike_B]

The best comparison to make is centre bounces vs all other stoppages because the former are a 4-4 contest, the latter are anything goes. How often to we actually get a centre clearance from a non-secondary bounce? From what I've seen this year, we would be pretty much near the bottom. We tend to try and lock the ball up and then introduce more numbers around the contest at a secondary bounce to nullify some of the better centre clearance combos - by having more around the ball, they have less space to work in. This is why Mathews plays in the centre square - to lock the ball up when his opponent has it. At least Kirk and Bolton are there to try and win the ball.

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by Mike_B
The best comparison to make is centre bounces vs all other stoppages because the former are a 4-4 contest, the latter are anything goes. How often to we actually get a centre clearance from a non-secondary bounce?

And yet we seem to break even in the centre clearances. Certainly in games where we have won (Ess, Port, Bris, WB come to mind) it has been our centre bounce clearance ability that has won us the game.

Maybe we should try to adhere to a strict 4 v 4 at stoppages? Requires a lot of faith. Especially if they add some of their players in there when they are losing the contests. The flip side is we have more players free around the ground if they do.

[NMWBloods]

Centre bounce clearances:

Haw........15-10
Kang.........6-10
Bris...........9-11
Adel........14-11
Melb..........7-11
WC..........16- 9
Ess..........13-10
Port...........5- 7
WB..........10-11
StK............6-11

Overall...101-101

Our opponents are amazingly consistent and we are amazingly inconsistent!!

Other clearances:

Haw.........29-28
Kang........16-23
Bris..........30-15
Adel.........24-23
Melb.........28-32
WC...........24-38
Ess...........32-22
Port..........28-22
WB...........28-21
StK...........18-24

Overall...257-248


It's not just the number of clearances but their quality, as well as the quality of subsequent disposals, etc.

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
It's not just the number of clearances but their quality, as well as the quality of subsequent disposals, etc.

Still. With the exception of the Adelaide game, win the clearances, win the game.

This is what the opposition coaches will surmise in the main too IMO. Hence throwing more players at our stoppages as well.

[Nico]

Originally posted by ScottH
I suggest we put NMW and barry in the coaches box, we are sure to win then!!!!


Actually I only saw Fri Dee/Tiges game and Sat. game. The big difference I noticed was the low flat kicks to the leading forwards, where no defender can stop the fwd marking it. We pop them up too high on most occasions and it gives defenders time to com e in and spoil.

Also Saints manned up regularly, we didn't.

Can't quite work this one out Scottee.

If we didn't man up regularly which means we were not on our men, which in turn means the Saints players weren't on their men, then the Saints were not maning up either. Or was it that the Saints had as part of their game plan, to peel off their players, so the ball watching Swans who hunt in packs of 20 between the wing and back pocket, had no idea where their opponents were.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
It's not just the number of clearances but their quality, as well as the quality of subsequent disposals, etc.

Roos mentioned this after the game. A clearance can be a grubber kick out of a pack, then picked up by an opponent and disposed of effectively. Therefore clearance stats can be misleading.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by Nico
Can't quite work this one out Scottee.

If we didn't man up regularly which means we were not on our men, which in turn means the Saints players weren't on their men, then the Saints were not maning up either. Or was it that the Saints had as part of their game plan, to peel off their players, so the ball watching Swans who hunt in packs of 20 between the wing and back pocket, had no idea where their opponents were.

The latter, Nico. I just noticed that when we turned it over there was atleast one sometimes several Saints in the clear.
When they turned it over we didn't seem to have a man free (or someone they wanted to kick to, as others have pointed out)