Changes for Adelaide

[Cheer Squad]

I have a feeling that Goodes may spend a lot more time on the ball this week. He has been right on the edge of a blinder. Maybe his fitness is just about right to be unleashed onto the ball. Does he play out of the centre and Jude and McGlynn play forward a lot more? I think we really need his best presence around the ground.

IMO, the only way we're going to win this game is to play attacking football, so that means we have to select the strongest possible midfield to ensure the forward line has as much supply as possible. We can't to defend our way to victory.

So if Goodes is going play a blinder, it's best if he does it from the centre.

[Scottee]

Our side is taller on the whole than theirs.Both back and forward. Their talls however are very tall in the forward line but surrounded by 4 crumbers. We on the other hand have 5 talls and one crumber (not that they will line up like that).We are a more mid-sized team over all.

I really must get a life.

[India'sDad]

Well all I can add it that I'll be stepping into 24 hours of limbo - flight at 3PM - back in October - please lads lets be the start of a month that will lead me to divorce - the bank balance won't support a round trip in September and the marriage won't support leaving Europe 2 weeks early. OTT I know feeling so powerless now - can't even throw the cat at the TV!

[wolftone57]

Didn't mean you specifically - just the general notion! I tend to agree but it is clearly the structure they are determined to stick with ... McGlynn and Jack have had a fair bit of success crumbing goals. When it works, we're a formidable forward line but when it's not quite there, we're very slow to react which I think is the bigger problem.

The problem is we have all our talls going to the same position on the ground and flying against each other. All the opposition has to do is allocate an extra crumbing player to follow and they will have the advantage at ground level every time. This is what Geelong, Collingwood and the Hawks did as well as Adelaide in the earlier game. What happens then is they run the ball out get a run on and a few goals and our coaches start the flood and we have no forward line altogether. Then every time we clear the defensive 50 the ball just comes back in.

Our coaches have to change the forward set up so the talls are leading to different spots out to the forward 50. A tall and a small paired in each area of the lead. The small to run about 10 to 20 metres off the tall, far enough away to not get in the way and near enough to crumb. In other words as the ball nears the tall the small moves in so he is under and to one side of the contest, then if the ball comes off hands he can pounce. With three talls you need at least three smalls. The wingers can also move to impact the crumbing contest too.

[Dirtyburt]

Emg: T.Armstrong, M.Morton, J.White

If it's wet, wouldn't surprise to see a late change of Armstrong or Morton....

Really trying to stretch them down back. This is their Achilles heal, they don't have enough tall defenders. Good move, might even force them to late include McKernan.

I like the plan

[mcs]

The problem is we have all our talls going to the same position on the ground and flying against each other. All the opposition has to do is allocate an extra crumbing player to follow and they will have the advantage at ground level every time. This is what Geelong, Collingwood and the Hawks did as well as Adelaide in the earlier game. What happens then is they run the ball out get a run on and a few goals and our coaches start the flood and we have no forward line altogether. Then every time we clear the defensive 50 the ball just comes back in.

Our coaches have to change the forward set up so the talls are leading to different spots out to the forward 50. A tall and a small paired in each area of the lead. The small to run about 10 to 20 metres off the tall, far enough away to not get in the way and near enough to crumb. In other words as the ball nears the tall the small moves in so he is under and to one side of the contest, then if the ball comes off hands he can pounce. With three talls you need at least three smalls. The wingers can also move to impact the crumbing contest too.

I think you have hit the nail on the head wolftone, and I think the solution is an easy one. The guys up forward just need to talk more, . Having LRT down back I think may help solve this problem this week - as he so often is just like a bull at the gate in the forward line, without sometimes thinking strategically as to how to create space for the other guys up there. If they work together better, and use the more space at AAMI (compared to the SCG), then we can take advantage of Adelaide potentially being a little stretched at the back.

[wolftone57]

Really trying to stretch them down back. This is their Achilles heal, they don't have enough tall defenders. Good move, might even force them to late include McKernan.

I like the plan

Shaw 194cm 86kg a bit light but tall, Rutten 192 & 101, Talia 196 & 95, Rielly is 185 & 85 but plays taller. Yes we can exploit Doughty but I doubt he will line up on Tommy anyway. You are right they might have to bring McKernan in or they might just decide to exploit our lack of speed with all those talls. But they might just decide to play 189cm & 78cm Brodie Smith on Walsh, be a risk but Sanderson has been seen to take them this year.

[swansprincess]

Staggering that Armstrong can put in a performance like that and get dropped. Yes I know he was a late inclusion but it was a pleasure to watch his use of the ball.

x 100

[Bloody Hell]

I would love to know how they work out disposal efficiency. Shaw supposedly was 93.75 efficient last week but I saw him butcher at least 4 disposals out of his 16. Josh Kennedy had 59% in the Hawks game but he played a blinder. They must count every little blocked handball that gets smothered in the packs. That would make it difficult for an inside mid to get a good DE rating. I think some of these stats are highly misleading as they seem to count efficiency as getting a clear disposal even if it goes to the opposition.

If you check the stats on the AFL website you'll see the list of most CLANGERS for the season. It's a list of very good inside players.

The top 5 are:

Thompson
Ablett
Greene
Redden
Boyd

[wolftone57]

x 100

Agree with this. It staggered me that according to the stats Shaw had a 96% Efficiency Rate. I am sure that can't be right! His decision making and delivery were staggeringly bad, he just bombed it every time. If by efficiency they mean bombing the ball to huge pack on the wing then yes he was efficient but if they mean actually getting the ball to one of our players then absolutely not! Armstrong on the other hand used all of his possessions really well and he thought it out and picked the right option. It was like looking at the way the Hawks move the ball.

[wolftone57]

If you check the stats on the AFL website you'll see the list of most CLANGERS for the season. It's a list of very good inside players.

The top 5 are:

Thompson
Ablett
Greene
Redden
Boyd

Yes isn't it amazing that most of the clangers come from the players doing the hardest job on the ground, inside mid. Struggling to wrestle the ball off other mids and get it out of a pack, no mean feat. How can they call them clangers? They are attempts to clear the area. When a player has the ball all on his lonesome and stuffs up the kick or handball then that is a clanger or if a player is even pressured but can get a clearance and stuffs it then that is a clanger. But when there are a lot of players around the ball and a player attempts to get it out and it goes wrong then that is just bad bleeding luck.

[crackedactor]

Reason Included

Disappointed Armstrong has missed out - I thought he was great last week, and he has a better idea of the inner workings of the Crows than anyone else on the list (Mattner played there too long ago for his experience at Adelaide to be relevant), but looking at the team, who's spot does he take? Malceski, maybe; but does Malceski deserve to lose his spot in favour of Armstrong?
On Walsh, I agree with a number of you that Morton would have been a better option. This will be Walsh's 4th, 5th game? Has he ever played a full game at AFL level (ie. not been subbed off)? I know it's like for like (LRT for Grundy, Walsh for LRT), but can we trust such an inexperienced player to step up when the pressure is on? Don't get me wrong - I like Walsh and think he could be great for us, I just wonder if this is a bit too much responsibility to be putting on him at this stage.
I really hope I'm eating these words on Saturday evening.

I was surprised that Walsh held his spot also. But then again he did compete very well when flying for a mark and there was a couple of handy punching the ball efforts from him. I think Longmire is worried that the LRT defending experiment might not work with Walker and Tippett and Walsh could be another option. He spent sometime with St kilda in defense.

[Meg]

Off topic - but does anyone know, or can anyone guess, what time the boys will train at AAMI tomorrow? (I assume they will do so at some point.) On the Swans' website it says: "The Sydney Swans next open training session will be announced once the draw for Week 2 of the AFL Finals is finalised." - so it sounds as if they don't really want us to turn up tomorrow .......

[Captain]

I was surprised that Walsh held his spot also. But then again he did compete very well when flying for a mark and there was a couple of handy punching the ball efforts from him. I think Longmire is worried that the LRT defending experiment might not work with Walker and Tippett and Walsh could be another option. He spent sometime with St kilda in defense.

Gee some people have short memories.

LRT is a gun defender. I hardly think a 2 or 3 game player would do a better job if the LRT experiement doesn't work!!!

[wolftone57]

I was surprised that Walsh held his spot also. But then again he did compete very well when flying for a mark and there was a couple of handy punching the ball efforts from him. I think Longmire is worried that the LRT defending experiment might not work with Walker and Tippett and Walsh could be another option. He spent sometime with St kilda in defense.

He also played a few Two's games in the defense when we were a bit short down back and did pretty well.