Our Forward structure

[Hartijon]

What is it? Our midfielders sometimes come under criticism for not hitting targets in the forwards but running into the Swans forward 50 must be a real lottery as to who you will have in front of you. Will Reid be there or up around the centre? Goodes? Pyke? (not for 4 weeks now) or will the Gopher pop up.Then there might be Jude, ROK,Everitt or runningplayers like Moore,MacVeigh. Each one would require a slightly different delivery.You don't want to kick it too high to the Gopher but a high ball would favour Reid's marking ability.
Our defense is solid and well structured,our forwards are unstructured. In that situation a long bomb is sometimes the best option. Can anyone explain how our forward line is supposed to work? It seems makeshift and chaotic to me and against Geelong it dissappeared altogether.

[Mr Magoo]

I dont know if that excuses the midfielders from not hitting a swans jumper though.

One of the problems I think is that the players who are playing forward dont seem to be leading to the right places or in many instances leading at all. The constant tactic seems to be to try to get in behind the defence rather than leading out from it. While this may work on a fast break out of defence it is not a strategy to rely on.

Being the play maker (rather than the play reader as a backman generally is) is a far different skill set and the reason why the converts seem to always start up back.

In my opinion at the moment we lack in two areas up forward :
1. We just dont seem to have anyone that fits into that dominating leading forward goalkicker role (Jesse should but he doesnt and Sam Reid to me leads too far up the ground to have much effect on the scoreboard.)
2. We dont have any real goalkicking crumbing forwards. McGlynn is more of a midfielder that sneaks forward rather than a small crumbing forward.

By not having either position filled properly, we lose out in that our big forwards dont lead and kick goals and when they choose to contest in a pack (as they seem to ) then we have no one with the nouse to crumb and kick goals.

[Mountain Man]

I agree entirely with these comments - surely there should be a Plan A that can be worked on in training.

[dimelb]

The dynamic duo Mummy 'n' Mike have started to provide the basis of a structure; perhaps Seaby can slot into that frame. Everitt looks like a lead and mark player, reasonable pace, good hands, good kick. The crumber we need could be TDL when he's there, or McGlynn or Moore on rotation. Goodes and ROK obviously are targets when they play forward, and I'd prefer to see ROK to keep running and creating rather than tagging. Reid is a real find and I think at this stage simply needs to make the most of his experience.
In other words the ingredients are all there, but we need to be better organised, which may happen if Moore takes up more of the role of onfield forward coach. Having said that, I'd like to know what the off-field forward coach is doing.
And we could confuse the hell out of the opposition by playing LRT forward ...

[Mr Magoo]

The dynamic duo Mummy 'n' Mike have started to provide the basis of a structure; perhaps Seaby can slot into that frame. Everitt looks like a lead and mark player, reasonable pace, good hands, good kick. The crumber we need could be TDL when he's there, or McGlynn or Moore on rotation. Goodes and ROK obviously are targets when they play forward, and I'd prefer to see ROK to keep running and creating rather than tagging. Reid is a real find and I think at this stage simply needs to make the most of his experience.
In other words the ingredients are all there, but we need to be better organised, which may happen if Moore takes up more of the role of onfield forward coach. Having said that, I'd like to know what the off-field forward coach is doing.
And we could confuse the hell out of the opposition by playing LRT forward ...

I think Alex Johnson also played his junior football at CHF didnt he. Surely he could be worth throwing up there if he is a natural forward and with an opponent like Port coming up even LJ is worth giving a chance to isnt he? We must have some natural forwards on out list.

[aardvark]

I think Alex Johnson also played his junior football at CHF didnt he. Surely he could be worth throwing up there if he is a natural forward and with an opponent like Port coming up even LJ is worth giving a chance to isnt he? We must have some natural forwards on out list.

A major part of the problem is we keep throwing people up there with no thought to structure or how it will work.

[Triple B]

A major part of the problem is we keep throwing people up there with no thought to structure or how it will work.

This/that ^^^

[liz]

A major part of the problem is we keep throwing people up there with no thought to structure or how it will work.

This/that ^^^

Or that the personnel available to Longmire / Blakey are either too inexperienced or not good enough to work within whatever structure they are trying to set up.

It seems that Goodes has been now denominated a midfielder who sometimes goes forward, rather than a forward who sometimes gets a run on the ball. Realistically he is our only obvious candidate to provide a bit more structure to the forward line. But do people want the team to make that sacrifice, especially with Jack unavailable?

[Bexl]

Reid has not been the goal kicker that we want yet so that puts us 1 player down on the forward line. I hope he gets better soon.

[aardvark]

With the exception of Reid and maybe McGlynn we don't have anyone in the team ATM who plays as a permanent forward. Collingwood and Geelong both have 2 Big strong KP forwards who are great targets, can take a strong mark and are fairly reliable shots for goal. They play there the whole game so their mids know where and how to deliver the ball and their small forwards can anticipate where to crumb or where there is space they can play in. The point being they have settled forward lines that can function together to create scoring opportunities.
I hate to say it but its time we gave up on the idea of Braddy coming back and settled on a FF who can give us a focal point. Rotating our Key forwards into the ruck and small forwards into the Midfield all the time just doesn't work and as Collingwood and Geelong have shown its not the best way to develop a functional forward line.

[Hartijon]

With the exception of Reid and maybe McGlynn we don't have anyone in the team ATM who plays as a permanent forward. Collingwood and Geelong both have 2 Big strong KP forwards who are great targets, can take a strong mark and are fairly reliable shots for goal. They play there the whole game so their mids know where and how to deliver the ball and their small forwards can anticipate where to crumb or where there is space they can play in. The point being they have settled forward lines that can function together to create scoring opportunities.
I hate to say it but its time we gave up on the idea of Braddy coming back and settled on a FF who can give us a focal point. Rotating our Key forwards into the ruck and small forwards into the Midfield all the time just doesn't work and as Collingwood and Geelong have shown its not the best way to develop a functional forward line.

Amen! Its time to settle the forward line if we want to go Top 4. Ummm how do we do that?

[Auntie.Gerald]

I think Horse is aware hence if we are aiming to peak in 2012 and also give 2011 a shot he needs to keep bringing thru the forwards .................he has stated that several times and we have seen Goodes head more into the midfield anyway.........Everitt up forward.......seems ok now and Mike............Mummy...........

I reckon as coach he would have been hanging on Braddy to play 2010, 2011 and maybe 2012 and we would have been fine..............but the cookie hasnt crumbled for us and we have had to fast track players who maybe could have done with another year in Ressies

[Auntie.Gerald]

PS Pies without Dawes or Cloke would be down a notch also..........we have done with out Braddy considering....................probably beyond my expectation................I still remember us all so bloody desperate when we were crying out for a FF when Baz left................Braddy looked the solution...........but alas !!

[Mountain Man]

I echo most of the comments here.

I would like to see some STRUCTURE to the forwards, rather than wish for the personnel to be different, or more skilled or more experienced. Only then can the midfield be given training drills, and be held to account for bad delivery during a game. In this age of everything being a "process", I am staggered we are so far into the season with no apparent Plan A.

I contrast how the back 6 seem to play together. We have had plenty of 'outs' with injuries, but we don't circulate people wildly through the backs from game to game, or during a game.

[GongSwan]

I echo most of the comments here.

I would like to see some STRUCTURE to the forwards, rather than wish for the personnel to be different, or more skilled or more experienced. Only then can the midfield be given training drills, and be held to account for bad delivery during a game. In this age of everything being a "process", I am staggered we are so far into the season with no apparent Plan A.

I contrast how the back 6 seem to play together. We have had plenty of 'outs' with injuries, but we don't circulate people wildly through the backs from game to game, or during a game.

Agree with this and believe that the forward line was to be structured around Jesse, who has not made the progress hoped for. Leaves a dilemma for the coaches. Two talls and a leading forward with crumbers like McGlynn, and TDL altho from reports his form isn't all that ATM. A stable back 6 means rotating yr midfield thru the forward line, especially down to 3 interchange players, they have to spend more time on the ground, you can see the players are spent in the last q, looking at Teddy last week for example, in contrast to White's games where he looks like he could go again. I doubt we'll peak next year, Reid Johnson, and the other young blokes need to fill out and run out games better, Reid looks good but a bit fragile against mature bodies. Granted in 2013 we might have a few 30 y olds, but the newer guys will be much better, well hopefully, and this will give us the chance to move up the ladder, if only we could find a 23 yo Goodes