Are we the only ones who flood?

[The Big Cat]

The commentators in the hawks game said Hawthorn employed a rolling zone. Is that a euphamism for flooding? Essendon "played players behind the ball". Another euphanism? Port "filled up the spaces on the opponent's forward line". Are we the only team that are capable of fair dinkum, ridgy-didge, game destroying, need-to-take action, ugly football flooding or am I just a little sensitive?

[DST]

The commentators in the hawks game said Hawthorn employed a rolling zone. Is that a euphamism for flooding? Essendon "played players behind the ball". Another euphanism? Port "filled up the spaces on the opponent's forward line". Are we the only team that are capable of fair dinkum, ridgy-didge, game destroying, need-to-take action, ugly football flooding or am I just a little sensitive?

Very good post "The Big Cat".

We do not flood or put players back anymore than the other 15 clubs, it's just that most commentators and to a certain extent the general public don't really understand how we play our football so "flooding" is used to describe the way we play while more positive langauge is used to describe the way other teams play.

In effect most teams now are trying to play man on man football and control the tempo of the game as it has worked for us.

DST

[liz]

There have been some funny discussions going on over on BF this week, with a good handful of Hawks fans claiming their side never floods, Sydney are disgusting (sic) for their constant flooding, and the fact that Hawthorn have been involved in some dull games this year is absolutely nothing to do with the way they play - which is, of course, fast attacking football.

Thankfully there have been a few more intelligent Hawthorn supporters who have told their fellow supporters where to go and pointed out that Hawthorn probably got numbers back behind the ball earlier and more often than Sydney.

A lot of it comes down to what people mean by flooding. I reckon Sydney stack their backline less than most other clubs. That's not to say they never do it - late in games or quarters, or when the opposition is getting a run-on, they sometimes do it. But generally they prefer to play man-on-man. That is why the Hawks found it so hard to find a man in space on Saturday - because the Swans were very very disciplined in staying with their man (and possibly because some of the Hawks players weren't working hard enough too).

But undoubtedly the Swans "flood the contest" more than most other teams, usually dragging their opponents with them.

This distinction - and the tactical purposes - seem to beyond the comprehension of many football fans and even some commentators.

[ugg]

I think the "Rocket Eade, inventor of the flood" stigma still sticks with us after all these years.

[573v30]

I think the "Rocket Eade, inventor of the flood" stigma still sticks with us after all these years.

And to think, under Eade the Doggies are playing probably the most free-flowing attacking footy of the year.

No, Sydney aren't the only team who flood. Just about every team we face signal the floodgates and put all their players in their defensive half of the ground. Flooding has pretty much become the norm and no single team is a major culprit but it can be such an effective game plan.

[shaun..]

I think the "Rocket Eade, inventor of the flood" stigma still sticks with us after all these years.

I think we can also thank Demetriou for the perception that we play an "ugly" flooding style which I believe hinders many peoples judgements on Sydney. And liz is right on the money as Sydney play tight, contested, finals-type footy with the hard run and carry from half back.

[ScottH]

From memory the majority of the Hawks flooding came midway through the last quarter, when we had our biggest lead. As I said in the match report, it worked to our advantage - we weren't desparate to score, it just wasted valuable time that the hawks didn't have.

We flooded the half forward line a few times to choke up their midfield up.

But it didn't appear to be all that often.

Most of the teams that have beaten us this year have flooded us effectively out of the game.

[hammo]

From memory the majority of the Hawks flooding came midway through the last quarter, when we had our biggest lead. As I said in the match report, it worked to our advantage - we weren't desparate to score, it just wasted valuable time that the hawks didn't have.

We flooded the half forward line a few times to choke up their midfield up.

But it didn't appear to be all that often.

Most of the teams that have beaten us this year have flooded us effectively out of the game.

Buddy's running goal at the end of the 3rd quarter came about because the Hawks had no forward line.

Having watched the game again last night, it was obvious the Hawks were flooding by the number of times they had no forwards to kick to. The commentators even made mention of the St Kilda game and said while the Saints got most of the blame that day, they weren't involved in the current game.

[Doctor]

I was chatting to a Bombers supporter a couple of weeks ago who told me Sheeds invented the flood. This guy was a reasonable fair-minded kind of fan so I didn't disregard what he was saying. I suggested that if that was true, Sheeds used it as a tactic rather than as a mantra. Can anyone offer an opinion as to whether he was right?

[dread and might]

Sheedy is the master of saying one thing and practising the opposite. The Bombers flood the backline as much as most other teams. He talks about how it's a blight on the game, but does it when it suits him.

On the one hand Fletcher was used as the spare man (another euphimism, though strictly speaking it's not quite the same as the full on Noah's ark job) against us,and other times there were only one or two bombers in their attacking half. So i would agree that it is used only at times rather than as a single, continuous plan i.e saints v hawks

[reigning premier]

This crapping on about flooding by opposition coaches and supporters really does give me the @@@@s. Yeah we probably started doing it first but just about every club does it now. We're still pretty good at it but there's plenty of teams out their challenging us. As for the booing of opposition supporters when we hold posession and start kicking backwards, etc, maintaining posession, well that's just stiff @@@@. If you know what we're doing, well it should be pretty easy for you to work out a way to beat it/us.

[hammo]

Media and football supporters love cliches.

Kangaroos have the shinboner spirit, West Coast are all drug taking criminals, Swans are boring flooders.

Accuracy is rarely a consideration.

[Doctor J.]

Sheedy is the master of saying one thing and practising the opposite. The Bombers flood the backline as much as most other teams. He talks about how it's a blight on the game, but does it when it suits him.

On the one hand Fletcher was used as the spare man (another euphimism, though strictly speaking it's not quite the same as the full on Noah's ark job) against us,and other times there were only one or two bombers in their attacking half. So i would agree that it is used only at times rather than as a single, continuous plan i.e saints v hawks

Ah yes Sheedy and his famous "We don't play that crap basketball kinda game" quote.

Did anyone notice how Essenscum set up for a centre bounce midway through the first term on Friday night. Only one player in their half of the field. Commentators even noted that a certain Peel Thunder coach was universally condemned for doing exactly that. Yet not a single comment is made about Essenscums ultra defensive tactics.

If such a set up is not flooding then I'm as confused as a Moe child on fathers day

[ScottH]

This crapping on about flooding by opposition coaches and supporters really does give me the @@@@s. Yeah we probably started doing it first but just about every club does it now. We're still pretty good at it but there's plenty of teams out their challenging us. As for the booing of opposition supporters when we hold posession and start kicking backwards, etc, maintaining posession, well that's just stiff @@@@. If you know what we're doing, well it should be pretty easy for you to work out a way to beat it/us.

The thing I find amusing is during the flood years, we were criticised and booed.

Now when the opposition flood, and we chip it around and around and around and even backwards, because the flood is so bad, we are booed and critised.

Don't you love fickle one-eyed supporters

[Danzar]

Sydney's 'chipping' and 'flooding' has decreased substantially this year. We're playing a different style of footy and I wonder whether that's revealing some kinks that need to be ironed out.

Because we carry the stigma, just a few examples of it would be amplified tenfold in the eyes of the media/opposition, at least for the next few years anyway.