Centre clearances - WTF?

[Auntie.Gerald]

Nico I only agree in part

The swans set up their defensive structure and counter attack to minimise the effect of loosing a centre clearance

Geelong did not against Melb and the cats paid the price

[stevoswan]

This seems the most likely to me - JPK was averaging almost 9 clearances a game to round 6; since then he's been averaging below 5. Last 3 rounds, he's had 2, 3 and 1 centre clearance respectively. Time for others to step up.

Time for JPK to step up! Let's hope he and his lovely wife don't have another baby for quite awhile! It's clear his form has dived since he became a dad!! Real pity.......I know peoples priorities in life can change once you enter parenthood, but for two hours on any winter weekend, your priorities should be to your team and it's success, and nothing else.......

[Jeynez]

The swans set up their defensive structure and counter attack to minimise the effect of loosing a centre clearance

I noticed how poorly the Richmond midfielders were set up in the centre bounces on the weekend. They gave at least an arms length of space to their opposing player, and on a couple incidents Nic Nat was able to tap it cleanly to an uncontested teammate streaming forwards. While we do get smashed in the centre clearances, as you said, the vast majority of them are rushed and ineffective kicks.

[giant]

Nico I only agree in part

The swans set up their defensive structure and counter attack to minimise the effect of loosing a centre clearance

Geelong did not against Melb and the cats paid the price

This (rightly or wrongly) was the essence of what Goodes claimed the Swans had done v Norths.

[Nico]

Nico I only agree in part

The swans set up their defensive structure and counter attack to minimise the effect of loosing a centre clearance

Geelong did not against Melb and the cats paid the price

But we get beaten so many times, surely we are not purposely conceding centre clearances. Jack Riewolt said today that they got thrashed out of the midfield (not his exact words) and it cost them the game. At some point we have to start winning more centre clearances and give our much vaunted forward line a chance to stun an opposition. I hate watching it.

[Nico]

I noticed how poorly the Richmond midfielders were set up in the centre bounces on the weekend. They gave at least an arms length of space to their opposing player, and on a couple incidents Nic Nat was able to tap it cleanly to an uncontested teammate streaming forwards. While we do get smashed in the centre clearances, as you said, the vast majority of them are rushed and ineffective kicks.

I have to disagree. I watch this closely every week and the opposition gets many clean clearances every week. It is us who have the scrappy clearances on the rare occasions we get it cleanly. There is no doubt opposition tactics are to pounce on our players immediately we get our mitts on the pill, to nullify the effectiveness of our first possessions. Our mids that set up at centre bounces, apart from Jack, are slow footed off the mark.

[liz]

I have to disagree. I watch this closely every week and the opposition gets many clean clearances every week. It is us who have the scrappy clearances on the rare occasions we get it cleanly. There is no doubt opposition tactics are to pounce on our players immediately we get our mitts on the pill, to nullify the effectiveness of our first possessions. Our mids that set up at centre bounces, apart from Jack, are slow footed off the mark.

The most effective clearance players are generally those who are on the move before the gather the ball. Ours tend to wait until they have the ball in hand, and then start to move. When Goodes was at his peak and playing in the middle, his cleanest clearances were because he was already on the move. I guess the downside is that if a player has started to move in anticipation of the ball falling into his arms and someone else intercepts, they are not in a position to lay a tackle or generally pressure the opponent with the ball because they are moving in the opposite direction.

Many of the competition's best clearance players aren't particularly quick by foot - they are just good readers of the fall of the ball and/or anticipators of where the space is going to open up.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Nico it is a good argument because we all want to see the bloods stream forward from the centre clearance and kick a goal

BUT What I suspect is that the statistics tell us that teams that win a clearance and kick in to our defensive arc generally obtain minimal advantage and even worse get on the receiving end of counter attack that punishes them because of how we have set our defensive structures and how we have positioned our counter attack once the ball nullified

This has been the swans way for a long long time

It was the way of the saints under Ross and also the way of Freeo under Ross

It is a hard structure to break down and offensive defence so often wins the big games and the little games

The counter though is the class of a structure such as the Hawks that back their forwards to fund a a way in heavy traffic. The Hawks took a gamble and flooded forward when ever they won the ball in last years GF and it worked cause they converted

In 2012 the Hawks didn't convert and lost

I feel confident in our structures because it becomes less Indy player dependant week in week out and you can even win games while loosing heavily the centre clearances

Ps I would still like us to win more centre clearances but I see the light .......well some light until the finals series and a team like the Hawks smashes us in the clearances and goals

[Puppy Eyes]

The most effective clearance players are generally those who are on the move before the gather the ball. Ours tend to wait until they have the ball in hand, and then start to move. When Goodes was at his peak and playing in the middle, his cleanest clearances were because he was already on the move. I guess the downside is that if a player has started to move in anticipation of the ball falling into his arms and someone else intercepts, they are not in a position to lay a tackle or generally pressure the opponent with the ball because they are moving in the opposite direction.

Many of the competition's best clearance players aren't particularly quick by foot - they are just good readers of the fall of the ball and/or anticipators of where the space is going to open up.

I think that's right. The priority is to stay in the play. One of the shows was showing Dangerfield taking off at centre bounces and when he doesn't get it, he's out of the contest. I think the priority is to stay in and affect the contest (even if it's just a pressure act or a tackle). I can't find stats on it but I'd suspect that goals are easier to get from turnovers and that we might create more turnovers than other clubs.

[Auntie.Gerald]

I mentionedo hear years ago that in soccer the majority of goals come from 2 or 3 passes

Ie of this majority a very high percentage of goals are from turnovers ie the hardest phase of play to defend against

The other area which we have neglected is the opposite

Ie when we win centre clearances do we kick goals ? Maybe let's watch the next few games and see if we do ?

I suspect that the same rule we apply against the opposition is equally true for us when it comes to poor forward entries from centre clearances actually hurt more then help