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Midfields are supposed to do two things...win the ball and stop the opposition from doing much with the ball that they win.
We have failed spectacularly in BOTH aspects of the game. Leaving out (for one more week) the option that we actually have a crap midfield then how do we fix the problem.
Objective number one: as far as I can tell we do not have a single midfielder who is in the team to win the ball with velocity and use it efficiently...a la Ball, Judd, Kerr, Cousins, Hodge, West, Mitchell.
Objective number two: as far as I can tell none of our midfielders have been tagging any of the opposition. They've just been hanging around the vicinity and being second to the ball...but not close enough to tackle.
At any given time there are 6 midfield players on the field and at least 2 should be tagging the opposition best and 2 should be hell bent on winning first clean use of the ball.
Problem...usually your senior players are your "best" and are placed in the role of winning the ball. Unfortunately our senior players are crap at that role....Kirk, Jude, Willo, Benny. Junior players are usually set to tag, but unfortunately our junior players are crap at that role...Ablett, Bucky, Schneider, Dempster, McVeigh
Solutions...Willo is not winning ball, either due to age or injury and as he cannot tag he should be moved out of the midfield to the HBF, bench or retirement.
Benny cannot justify a place in the side on any grounds. Cannot win the ball, cannot use it when given it, cannot prevent his man from getting the ball.
Kirk should go back to full time tagging. I don't mind if he gets 12 possessions as long as Simpson, West, Hodge get 8 or 10.
Ditto for Jude. As I have said ad infinitum when he gets first hands on the ball he is almost never in a position to get it directly forward or cleanly to a team mate who can get it forward. He is almost always facing the wrong and kicks an up and under over his shoulder. Really what?s the point of all the huffing and puffing to get the ball if that is the result? He is tough and fit, though so I say he has had long enough - make him a tagger and free up someone else to go in and get it. He had 24 possessions on Sunday and they didn?t help much.
Buchanan is the only Swan who can get the ball in the midfield and go forward. Give him the job that says?go and get the ball and give it to a team mate.. Let them worry about you and let your team mates worry about star opposition midfielders.
Davis and Goodes are the others who know how to find it in traffic, but can still keep their balance and vision and dish off. I say give them the job (for Davis it might only be in the front half).
As for the rest, I reckon our desperate need is to identify which of the younger or fringe players can win it and use it. Bevan, no. Ablett I don?t think so, McVeigh has never really been given the opportunity as far as I can see, he always appears to be ranked #6 when in the midfield and never goes in to win it. I assume that this is an instruction. Fosdike seems to be being played as a wide receiver. We know he can?t tag. Maybe he should be given a shot at it.
Moore? Malceski? Willoughby, Schmidt? Dempster? Kennelly? We really have no idea ?cos they haven?t been tried in that role. In the few games Moore has played he has been fantastic at winning and delivering the ball from in tight in the midfield. He must be under consideration. Two years ago we were all talking about needing an extractor, but we somehow won a flag without one and last year were nearly number one for clearances in the comp (though our clearances were usually uglier than the opposition?s clearances). Now it is coming back to bite. I want to see something done on Saturday night.
We have failed spectacularly in BOTH aspects of the game. Leaving out (for one more week) the option that we actually have a crap midfield then how do we fix the problem.
Objective number one: as far as I can tell we do not have a single midfielder who is in the team to win the ball with velocity and use it efficiently...a la Ball, Judd, Kerr, Cousins, Hodge, West, Mitchell.
Objective number two: as far as I can tell none of our midfielders have been tagging any of the opposition. They've just been hanging around the vicinity and being second to the ball...but not close enough to tackle.
At any given time there are 6 midfield players on the field and at least 2 should be tagging the opposition best and 2 should be hell bent on winning first clean use of the ball.
Problem...usually your senior players are your "best" and are placed in the role of winning the ball. Unfortunately our senior players are crap at that role....Kirk, Jude, Willo, Benny. Junior players are usually set to tag, but unfortunately our junior players are crap at that role...Ablett, Bucky, Schneider, Dempster, McVeigh
Solutions...Willo is not winning ball, either due to age or injury and as he cannot tag he should be moved out of the midfield to the HBF, bench or retirement.
Benny cannot justify a place in the side on any grounds. Cannot win the ball, cannot use it when given it, cannot prevent his man from getting the ball.
Kirk should go back to full time tagging. I don't mind if he gets 12 possessions as long as Simpson, West, Hodge get 8 or 10.
Ditto for Jude. As I have said ad infinitum when he gets first hands on the ball he is almost never in a position to get it directly forward or cleanly to a team mate who can get it forward. He is almost always facing the wrong and kicks an up and under over his shoulder. Really what?s the point of all the huffing and puffing to get the ball if that is the result? He is tough and fit, though so I say he has had long enough - make him a tagger and free up someone else to go in and get it. He had 24 possessions on Sunday and they didn?t help much.
Buchanan is the only Swan who can get the ball in the midfield and go forward. Give him the job that says?go and get the ball and give it to a team mate.. Let them worry about you and let your team mates worry about star opposition midfielders.
Davis and Goodes are the others who know how to find it in traffic, but can still keep their balance and vision and dish off. I say give them the job (for Davis it might only be in the front half).
As for the rest, I reckon our desperate need is to identify which of the younger or fringe players can win it and use it. Bevan, no. Ablett I don?t think so, McVeigh has never really been given the opportunity as far as I can see, he always appears to be ranked #6 when in the midfield and never goes in to win it. I assume that this is an instruction. Fosdike seems to be being played as a wide receiver. We know he can?t tag. Maybe he should be given a shot at it.
Moore? Malceski? Willoughby, Schmidt? Dempster? Kennelly? We really have no idea ?cos they haven?t been tried in that role. In the few games Moore has played he has been fantastic at winning and delivering the ball from in tight in the midfield. He must be under consideration. Two years ago we were all talking about needing an extractor, but we somehow won a flag without one and last year were nearly number one for clearances in the comp (though our clearances were usually uglier than the opposition?s clearances). Now it is coming back to bite. I want to see something done on Saturday night.
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