Wanted... A Forward Line

[hammo]

White is useless. Probably the most ineffective key forward in the AFL. Can't mark and can't get it off the ground = a forward who can't even get the ball.

Needs to spend the rest of the year in the reserves to develop his game. TDL or Johnston are far better options.

[liz]

I am not sure which is the chicken and which is the egg. But I struggle to recall one ball hitting our forwards on the lead tonight. Is the ball being bombed in aimlessly on their heads because they are not working hard enough to lead? Or are they not working hard enough to lead because they know the ball will just be bombed in long on top of their heads. Both Goodes and White seem to want to play from behind and rely either on their defender misreading the flight of the ball, or the ball going over their heads so they can run onto it. White is actually a good lead when he bothers, because he is quick and his hands can sometimes be very good. But the style he played today is going to get him nowhere.

I wonder whether the "Goodes to the forward line" move was driven by our need for a tall forward or a feeling it would prolong his career. I wish they'd abandon it, at least until he can no longer run in the midfield. He was close to useless up forward tonight, but when he went onto the ball midway through the 3rd quarter (why did it take so long), he immediately sparked into action and won a couple of clearances. Even on his good days up forward he isn't really much more than a so-so forward. But we all know how he can play in the midfield.

[Bloody Hell]

White has hands of stone and no idea when or where to lead or how to position himself. Opportunist = fluke

Each game that passes he looks less and less likely. Starting to look like a #79 draft pick.

[Bloody Hell]

McGlynn ?(White/LJ)? Rohan
TDL Bradshaw Vespremi

Our goals were kicked vs Pies by - O'Keefe 3, McGlynn 2, Kirk, Bird, Shaw, Rohan, White

Though O'Keefe looked good up forward, but not sure you'd want to sacrifice him from the midfield. O'Keefe and Goodes seem to have a good chemistry together in the midfield.

CHF is the trouble position IMO. I say LJ at CHF, though it appears he's not ready, for a few reasons - but the most important being there's noone else!

I think White would be a better CHF than a FF, but he'd have to lose a fair bit of body mass. He looks most comfortable on the lead....he'd finally have to play in front anyway!

I think we'd b e more effective with 2 talls, with Rohan able to play tallish. McGlynn has a fair leap on him too.

[Nich]

I would like to see Gary play forward for a whole game. He's 7:1 in 7 games, and in most of those games he's probably spent more time in the defensive line. He's an attacking forward. Great leap, super quick, great 2nd/3rd efforts. His body isn't strong enough yet but I just think he's a creative crumbing forward that needs to be played forward for a full game. He'll kick 2+ every game I'm sure and will only get better.

[Reggi]

I'm actually thinking Henry is a better option at CHF than goodsy.

Take the beer goggles off please

[elroy67]

Each game that passes he looks less and less likely. Starting to look like a #79 draft pick.

We should be so lucky. James Hird went at pick 79...

I think White should be played on the ball more. Not as a ruckman, but as a genuine midfielder. Let him run and carry more, instead of being solely a marking target.

Rotate all of White, Goodes and O'keefe through the forward line to rest, but play a mainly small forward line with the likes of Vespremi and TDL and Jetta.

[cruiser]

I look at White now and I keep thinking Vogels.

[UglyDuckling]

After the last couple of weeks i really think white needs to go back to canberra, just for a couple of weeks, to find some form. This year he was dropped for a game, then came back and kicked 6 in 2 weeks, similarly last year he had a great end to the season after being dropped. He seems to really respond. Needs to work on his workrate.

TDL is the man to replace him, 18 goals in 3 weeks enough said
Rohan to play forward
Vezpremi to come in to play a lead up role on the flank or a crumbing small forward
O'Keefe to the hff where he was AA to provide a link to goal
Bradshaw at FF
The last forward spot you can rotate some mids

Goodes back into the midfield where he does his best work. Made an immediate impact against collingwood. The experiment has failed put him in the guts, brownlow style

In this scenario we have a much smaller forward line with only 1 genuine tall. Rohan (190) and o'keefe (188) are both mediums who will keep good defenders honest.
This forward line provides pace and skill that we havnt seen at the swans for many moons.

Last night heath shaw ran off bird the whole time making him look really poor. Enough playing mids forward all the good premiership teams have good quality small forwards. So lets start developing some.

[Legs Akimbo]

I actually feel sorry for white.

The delivery into the forward line is haphazard and poor. When we were winning earlier in the year, it was becuase White and Goodes were leading wide which opened up the corrider allowing Bradshaw to lead and get one on one with his opponent. Also opened the way for McGlynn, Kennedy, Jack et al to run into the open space and kick goals. Conversely, the ball exited our forward line last night far too easily due to a lack of forward pressure and poor workrate from the midfield to close holes.

Our current forward malaise is structural in nature. The mids seem to not have any sort of plan for forward entry. It seems this year we are playing on a lot more, which is great, but then lately they are releasing the ball into the forward line from further out rather than taking more time to work the ball in to leading forwards. The forwards are not working for each other to draw their man and create space. Leads are often token and poorly timed. Goodes is a classic for that. He said it himself that to be an effective forward he needs to run, but last night they showed several times hands on hips with Prestigiacomo at his side. It shows in that he was too often needing to take contested marks rather than uncontested marks on the long lead, being able to play on wheel around and keep the ball moving. Also doesn't help that he is continually leading under the ball and missing the mark,

White has clearly lost confidence and is not playing well one-on-one. I am a big fan, but agree that the time has come for him to return to the reserves and get some confidence up. That's what happened last year - kicked bags in two reserves games and then came back looking a million bucks for the later part of the season. At present he is 'faux' leading, symptomatic of him not really wanting the ball.

Who is our forward coach. Think it might be time to get a new one.

[Donners]

Was it only the start of the season that Veszpremi and White were going to be key parts of our forward line? One can't make the side, the other is there but he may as well not be.

[liz]

but then lately they are releasing the ball into the forward line from further out rather than taking more time to work the ball in to leading forwards. The forwards are not working for each other to draw their man and create space. Leads are often token and poorly timed.

I think that is key at the moment. When we were often lauded as having not the best, but close to the most efficient, forward line, back in 2003-6 (and especially 2006-5) it was because we were getting the ball to the 60m out spot and then pinpointing passes to a leading player, even in congestion. Now we're bombing in from 20-30m further out and it is completely haphazard.

Who is our forward coach. Think it might be time to get a new one.

We do have a pretty good one, based on past history. Just that he's not coaching the forwards anymore. Maybe the last 10 weeks of his senior coach apprenticeship can usefully be spent on some intensive forward structure coaching. It will only hold him in good stead for next year.

[dimelb]

I actually feel sorry for white.

The delivery into the forward line is haphazard and poor. When we were winning earlier in the year, it was becuase White and Goodes were leading wide which opened up the corrider allowing Bradshaw to lead and get one on one with his opponent. Also opened the way for McGlynn, Kennedy, Jack et al to run into the open space and kick goals. Conversely, the ball exited our forward line last night far too easily due to a lack of forward pressure and poor workrate from the midfield to close holes.

Our current forward malaise is structural in nature. The mids seem to not have any sort of plan for forward entry. It seems this year we are playing on a lot more, which is great, but then lately they are releasing the ball into the forward line from further out rather than taking more time to work the ball in to leading forwards. The forwards are not working for each other to draw their man and create space. Leads are often token and poorly timed. Goodes is a classic for that. He said it himself that to be an effective forward he needs to run, but last night they showed several times hands on hips with Prestigiacomo at his side. It shows in that he was too often needing to take contested marks rather than uncontested marks on the long lead, being able to play on wheel around and keep the ball moving. Also doesn't help that he is continually leading under the ball and missing the mark,

White has clearly lost confidence and is not playing well one-on-one. I am a big fan, but agree that the time has come for him to return to the reserves and get some confidence up. That's what happened last year - kicked bags in two reserves games and then came back looking a million bucks for the later part of the season. At present he is 'faux' leading, symptomatic of him not really wanting the ball.

Who is our forward coach. Think it might be time to get a new one.

You'd think Longmire would have a few clues.
Otherwise I agree it is a mental thing with White. We know what he can do - they keep replaying that hanger in ads - but we'd like to see him doing more of it.

[ugg]

Pretty sure Blakey is the forwards coach

[Legs Akimbo]

Pretty sure Blakey is the forwards coach

Blakey was a fine BACKMAN for two clubs.