RWO widely held beliefs

[ROK Lobster]

That's a big call connolly! What about Lockett - O'Loughlin - Hall - Even Capper. He's probably in the top 10, but best...I'm not sure about that.

I'll take the other babble regarding Bevan with the sarcasm that it is undoubtedly intended.

[connolly]

Look at the first of the Geelong goals on the clip. Davo is doing the exact same thing as in the GF and scores a goal when the ball is palmed into Buchy's path, who fumbles, before Davis takes it cleanly and belts it through. Clearly was a set play for Buchanan to go through close and Davis to rove the space outside. Not everyone can crash packs and not everyone should.

In the Grand Final he actually runs away from the pack and the goals. If Buchanon had fumbled the ball Davo was in nowhere land. Didn't do well under close checking pressure and Wirra killed him in the GF. Coaches knew that they only had to put a close tag on him and he simply didn't have the will or the where with all to either hold hid ground or run them off. He was an opportunist forward and if they closed down his opportunities by close marking and physical pressure he couldn't kick goals. Still he's gone now so its thanks for the memories.

[connolly]

That's a big call connolly! What about Lockett - O'Loughlin - Hall - Even Capper. He's probably in the top 100 .

You dropped a 0 off

[goswannie14]

Look at the first of the Geelong goals on the clip. Davo is doing the exact same thing as in the GF and scores a goal when the ball is palmed into Buchy's path, who fumbles, before Davis takes it cleanly and belts it through. Clearly was a set play for Buchanan to go through close and Davis to rove the space outside. Not everyone can crash packs and not everyone should.

That was exactly the same as the winning GF goal, blind Freddie can see that, and that all three defenders went to davis, knowing what he had done in the past. So Monty strolls through unattended and kicks the winner. The facts speak louder that some of the other BS in this thread.

[ScottH]

That was exactly the same as the winning GF goal, blind Freddie can see that, and that all three defenders went to davis, knowing what he had done in the past. So Monty strolls through unattended and kicks the winner. The facts speak louder that some of the other BS in this thread.

A bit of a s t r e t c h there, GS14!

[goswannie14]

A bit of a s t r e t c h there, GS14!

You know what I mean, they were so obsessed with defending Davis, that they left Monty unattended.

[ScottH]

You know what I mean, they were so obsessed with defending Davis, that they left Monty unattended.

That's why he had to duck between 2 defenders!!!!

But yes they probably had their eyes on Davis.

[stellation]

I think the main thing is that Wrra went to Davis and that opened the goals for Buchanan. I'm not sure if he did that because it was Davis, or simply because there were two guys running at him- either way if there isn't a second guy running outside of Monty I'd say that Wrra could have gone straight for Amon, closed the goals and we probably wouldn't have got a goal from that play.

If Davis had run straight through the stoppage at the ball as the c word seems to suggest he should have I imagine he would have crashed into Amon and we'd just end up with another stoppage. Lobster has already pointed out that the youtube clip shows one of Davis' goals from the 2005 SF and that came from Davis also positioning himself outside of the pack and Amon going into it.

[reigning premier]

In the Grand Final he actually runs away from the pack and the goals. If Buchanon had fumbled the ball Davo was in nowhere land. Didn't do well under close checking pressure and Wirra killed him in the GF. Coaches knew that they only had to put a close tag on him and he simply didn't have the will or the where with all to either hold hid ground or run them off. He was an opportunist forward and if they closed down his opportunities by close marking and physical pressure he couldn't kick goals. Still he's gone now so its thanks for the memories.

The fact that they put Wirra on him shows just how much the WCE worried about Davis. Afterall, when BBBBH draws the number 1, 2 and sometimes 3 defender, isn't he doing a job in itself without actually kicking goals?

[connolly]

I think the main thing is that Wrra went to Davis and that opened the goals for Buchanan. I'm not sure if he did that because it was Davis, or simply because there were two guys running at him- either way if there isn't a second guy running outside of Monty I'd say that Wrra could have gone straight for Amon, closed the goals and we probably wouldn't have got a goal from that play.

If Davis had run straight through the stoppage at the ball as the c word seems to suggest he should have I imagine he would have crashed into Amon and we'd just end up with another stoppage. Lobster has already pointed out that the youtube clip shows one of Davis' goals from the 2005 SF and that came from Davis also positioning himself outside of the pack and Amon going into it.

1. Davo was always on the fringe of packs - that is the way he played.
2. Buchanon is always inside packs- that is the way he plays
3. Against Geelong Davis runs at the ball. The significant fact is that no Geelong defender is even close to him. In that situation, under no physical pressure Davis because he was a superb instinctive goal kicker was very dangerous. The 05 final quarter against Geelong should be a training tape for coaches of how not to defend a lead. Davo's opponent that night was Johnstone who had been put on him to run off him. Instead of closing him down he played wide of Davis kick hunting. The ball fell for Davis that night (thank christ) and his boot did the rest.
4.In the GF Woosha clearly had a tight check on Davo and Wirra was good enough to run off him as well. Davis was never comfortable with a fast, strong close checking defender. Under pressure he wouldn't run straight at the ball or the pack. The Eagle no doubt had studied the tapes from the Geelong game and didn't make the mistake that Geelong made on that night.
5. Rocket Eade once told me that players revert to form (old habits, idiosyncracies, weaknesses etc) under extreme physical and psychological pressure. The heat was really on in the last quarter of the GF. Some players, such as Buchanon stood up to the pressure. Some didn't. Davo reverted to form and simply didn't run straight at the pack or the ball. He ran very wide of the pack to try and shake the pressure from Wirra, in the hope that ball either was fed out to him or spilled wide of the pack. He was in fact in a low percentage position to even get a kick much less a goal.
This was no set play. Just two players responding in very different ways to the most extreme pressure on them. As i said thank christ Buchanon was on the spot at the right time. And i would suggest that Roos still picks him because under real pressure he will be always in and at the ball.

[connolly]

The fact that they put Wirra on him shows just how much the WCE worried about Davis. Afterall, when BBBBH draws the number 1, 2 and sometimes 3 defender, isn't he doing a job in itself without actually kicking goals?

Wirrapunda played a very good GF. He was put on Davis because he was the kind of defender that always exposed him. Fast, good defensive skills and wore him like a glove. Davo never broke a strong defensive smother. If defenders left him or played wide of him, which Geelong disastrously did in the 05 final, he would kick goals. He was also OK with the ball delivered silver service. But in the most physically intense GF in history, where both teams played disciplined one on one checking game plans, only the very strong- physically and mentally played well.

[Hartijon]

Wow! A few seconds of play becomes the basis of a text book on Aussie Rules and deep seated psychological trends. Lighten up! Its just a game! The ball bounces irregularly and players run chaotically and we try to draw up rules about this?
I do agree with one point however.Buchanan deserved the Norm Smith for 2005 and should have also been under consideration in 2006.Mercurial! Amazing ball getting under extreme pressure! My pet moment of frustration in 2006 was the smother off ROK's boot after Buchanan had given him an amazing handpass after a kamikaze attack on the ball.ROK was too one dimensional and predictable and could have dodged or changed direction ,or used his right boot to avoid that smother and stop the inevitable goal!

[connolly]

Wow! A few seconds of play becomes the basis of a text book on Aussie Rules and deep seated psychological trends. Lighten up! Its just a game! The ball bounces irregularly and players run chaotically and we try to draw up rules about this?
I do agree with one point however.Buchanan deserved the Norm Smith for 2005 and should have also been under consideration in 2006.Mercurial! Amazing ball getting under extreme pressure! My pet moment of frustration in 2006 was the smother off ROK's boot after Buchanan had given him an amazing handpass after a kamikaze attack on the ball.ROK was too one dimensional and predictable and could have dodged or changed direction ,or used his right boot to avoid that smother and stop the inevitable goal!

Agree about Buchanon and the Norm. He was robbed. The ROK smother in 2006 was right in front us and it probably underlines Eades point. ROK was deep in a pocket surrounded by Eagles, i think the deserter had given him the hot potato hand pass, and he turned onto his left inside. He did that because as a ntural left footer he turns that way instinctively. The point is this. Chick had moved to the left to tackle him because thats what he had been told to do against O'Keefe. Coaches study opponents in minute detail and look for the flaws when they are under pressure. Of course all of us in the grand stand wondered why ROK didn't go onto his right and grubber it down the line. Easy to say up there. Players react instinctively as we all do under pressure. Basic animal reflex. Good coaches study the instinctive reactions of players and look for patterns and weaknesses. And then instruct their players how to anticipate their opponent.

[ScottH]

1, 2, 3, and 4 were well constructed points.
5 started off alright until you fell off the cliff into the bias abyss, again.

Buchanan, may have kicked the match winning goal in the GF, as Davis did a few weeks earlier. The huge thing that remains in my frail old memory of that game was the infamous "1%ers" that Bucanan performed that afternoon. Including several fists in the way of certain eagles marks, which kept the pressure on them more than us. They were probably much more important, than the actual goal. Unfortunately they won't make any highlight reels.

[connolly]

Buchanan, may have kicked the match winning goal in the GF, as Davis did a few weeks earlier. The huge thing that remains in my frail old memory of that game was the infamous "1%ers" that Bucanan performed that afternoon. Including several fists in the way of certain eagles marks, which kept the pressure on them more than us. They were probably much more important, than the actual goal. Unfortunately they won't make any highlight reels.

He played the game of his life that day. Even i remeber one flying spoil in the third quarter!