#AFL Round 5 Tigers v Swans Sat 20-Apr at Marvel Stadium #AFLTigersSwans @sydneyswans

[Steve]

Ralph Dawg all those comments from Horse were in our front third / going inside 50 (and he made similar comments after last week's game), that we weren't entering deep enough and they were rebounding from their defence and scoring. He referencing turning the ball over in "that" 40-70m range (from our goal). I didn't hear anything about how we moved the ball out of defence.

He also said we'd been good in the past at getting the mix of youth and experience right to remain competitive whilst blooding a ton of young players, which is true. That implies we are likely to see less youth and more experience in the side.

There isn't much to be taken out of a Longmire press conference after a loss - typically bemoans the area we performed poorly in, of which there has been a long, alternating list in recent times (poor pressure, were smashed around the ball, turnovers etc etc). To me it always comes across with a tone of 'I don't know why, I had a vision of what they should have done but the players just f'd up'. That was tolerable when we won consistently and poor performances were the exception - but there's only so long that a tradie can blame his tools before questioning his methods or the suitability of the assets/tools he's using. Or call out that we are learning / rebuilding and that we have to accept inconsistencies and some poor performances.

I was puzzled by his 'front third' comments - if he's talking about the area ~0-60m from goal, it is completely vacant for the majority of each game. Only when we get any sort of consistent ball movement from defence and/or lock the ball in the forward line do we have any presence of personnel in that part of the ground. So to be breaking down entering that part of the ground as we rely solely on the slingshot from deep in defence would to me seem to be expected, rather than a shock or disappointment.

Our i50 numbers are consistently low as well, so it's a real double-whammy - not getting the ball into that area as often as needed, but when we do it is a long kick generally not to our advantage.

If he meant 'our front third' which the way we set up is technically the area about 60m from the opposition goal, that is actually where most of the problems lie - the opposition still have players there applying pressure and not allowing an easy exit, but generally also more players than us between there and our goal, so we have nothing to go to.

He was asked repeat questions about a change of style, turning the season around etc - the first answer was along the lines of 'we did it before (2017) so we can again', but when pressed further (that it is a different side now, that the ability to turn it around is more difficult) he pretty much agreed with that with a sense of resignation.

[Steve]

Robbos take on the Swans in this weeks tackle:

Category: | Herald Sun

4. The Swans

YOU can lose pretty and you can lose ugly. The Swan were dog ugly against Richmond on Saturday night. They took 122 marks, so Richmond either applied the greatest pressure and defensive set-up we’ve seen this year or the Swans’ strategy was slow and controlled.

Robbo is an idiot, certainly not a football analyst, but the truth in his comments is that when you try and play a way you are not suited to or capable of pulling off, it will end badly.

In one respect, credit to Longmire for trying something different and employing tactics that have worked for other teams against Richmond - I much prefer that than the alternative we've been seeing previously where we stubbornly apply the same old plan and grind our way to competitive losses. However I would have much preferred him to say after the game "we tried something different, we didn't execute it that well under such pressure, but we need to have different strings to our bow so we'll keep working on it and get better at it".

The other option is to do what Richmond did at the end of 2016 and say 'what style of play suits the personnel we have' and base everything around that - rather than shoe-horn new and developing players into a style that worked previously but not any more.

[Aprilbr]

I watched the game from a high spot in the ground and it was apparent from there that whenever we managed to come out of defense we faced a wall of Richmond players set up right across the middle of the field. There were few if any good options to kick to and the result was that we rarely had good entries and generally turned it over.

The only way to stop this it would seem is to play very quick players who line break or who are very precise passers of the ball. Regrettably, we have few of these types in our side at present. In recent seasons we have drafted several quick, skillful types but none of them have made a major impact to date. We desperately need players line Stoddard, Foote and Ling to come through if we are to arrest this deficiency.

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[Ludwig]

The other option is to do what Richmond did at the end of 2016 and say 'what style of play suits the personnel we have' and base everything around that - rather than shoe-horn new and developing players into a style that worked previously but not any more.

We do play a style which suits our personnel, which is:

Kick the ball to the opposition.
Plan B: Handball to the opposition.

[troyjones2525]

I watched the game from a high spot in the ground and it was apparent from there that whenever we managed to come out of defense we faced a wall of Richmond players set up right across the middle of the field. There were few if any good options to kick to and the result was that we rarely had good entries and generally turned it over.

The only way to stop this it would seem is to play very quick players who line break or who are very precise passers of the ball. Regrettably, we have few of these types in our side at present. In recent seasons we have drafted several quick, skillful types but none of them have made a major impact to date. We desperately need players line Stoddard, Foote and Ling to come through if we are to arrest this deficiency.

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Yeah exactly. We have chased these types for the past few drafts but for a varying number of reasons they haven't seemed to come on as quick as we'd like and I fear that some may just not be good enough! Hopefully that's not the case but only time will tell... but we need them in a hurry!

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[Blood Fever]

I watched the game from a high spot in the ground and it was apparent from there that whenever we managed to come out of defense we faced a wall of Richmond players set up right across the middle of the field. There were few if any good options to kick to and the result was that we rarely had good entries and generally turned it over.

The only way to stop this it would seem is to play very quick players who line break or who are very precise passers of the ball. Regrettably, we have few of these types in our side at present. In recent seasons we have drafted several quick, skillful types but none of them have made a major impact to date. We desperately need players line Stoddard, Foote and Ling to come through if we are to arrest this deficiency.

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Hit the nail on the head. Pity Ling had toe injury that arrested his development. We need to be very patient unless we pull off something in trade period.

[Markwebbos]

This piece by Wayne Carey talks about exactly that: "Who is the creator of opposition chaos at your club?"

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/who-is-the-creator-of-opposition-chaos-at-your-club-20190418-p51fdj.html

In our game these days, all the plaudits seem to go to the onballers, even more than the gun forwards.

But there’s another group of players beginning to emerge as some of the most important in footy. They’re the unsung heroes otherwise known as half-back flankers.

I’m not just talking any type of defender, but the ones who can carry and create, either with blistering speed, precise kicking or a mix of both. With structures and zones now so incredibly organised these guys can provide the key to unlocking an opposition’s defence.

I think Dawson has the potential to be play that role by foot. Thought there were some promising signs when they played him as the spare against the Tigers. Aliir does it to an extent. Having Harry C in defence is a positive because he is able to carry the ball. I'd love to another player - from the sound of it Ling playing a run and carry role too.

[Matty10]

The only way to stop this it would seem is to play very quick players who line break or who are very precise passers of the ball. Regrettably, we have few of these types in our side at present. In recent seasons we have drafted several quick, skillful types but none of them have made a major impact to date. We desperately need players line Stoddard, Foote and Ling to come through if we are to arrest this deficiency.

I don’t think it requires quick players as much as quick ball movement.

Our players struggled with decision making as much as skill execution on Saturday night. The defensive wall that Richmond put up could have been kicked over, rather than run through, if we had taken first option handballs or kicked to players on the move. Instead, we consistently held the play up or kicked short or wide to safe stationary targets that enabled Richmond’s wall to maintain their defensive position.

We could also do with some quick players, but perhaps just as much for defensive pressure than forward forays.

[Ludwig]

We need more players with long penetrating kicks that can split the opposition open. Now we have Buddy and Dawson. We can soon hope to add Stoddart and Ling. That could make a big difference. COR also likes to run and kick with penetration. Mills would do it too if he had more opportunities playing in the midfield. Once we get a critical mass of good users by foot, we might actually be able to move the ball with a bit of speed.

[Matty10]

We need more players with long penetrating kicks that can split the opposition open. Now we have Buddy and Dawson.

I'd agree if Dawson regularly pulled the trigger, but he chooses the safe, short or wide option like everyone else, more often than not.

[KSAS]

Chris Judd and Matthew Lloyd were highly critical of Sam Reid, suggesting if he was playing for a Melbourne or Adelaide club he'd be under siege due to his big contract and lack of performance. They pointed out (and showed) his dropped marks, having little/no impact in games and being out of sight out of mind being in Sydney. Chris Judd suggested Reid being moved to defence to save his career (like his brother Ben).

I'm not sure what $$$$ Reid is on with his contract (he signed a 4 year contract in 2017 as a 25yo).

[Ludwig]

I did notice how many marks Reid has been dropping the last few weeks. It's usually one of his strong points. It should fix itself, one would think.

I like the idea of Reid playing back. He drops back in defence a lot and usually does a good job. He would be better than McCartin or the out of form Melican.

If McCartin plays at all, he can play forward. We actually have a lot of forward options; at least they're better than our key defender options. With Buddy, it doesn't matter much who makes up the supporting cast.

[shearer]

Reid is better down back as even if he does take a mark 20m out in front he will miss. He reminds me so much of Mark Bayes, looks like he is going half paced.

[jono2707]

We need more players with long penetrating kicks that can split the opposition open. Now we have Buddy and Dawson.

Too bad Buddy is stuck at the end of the chain trying in vain to deal with the crappy delivery he invariably gets along with two or three defenders.

[KTigers]

I'd be interested to see our disposal efficiency stats vs the efficiency of the other teams. Obviously we were atrocious on
Saturday night, but watching parts of other games over the weekend, I don't think we're alone in not being able to hit a barn
door from more than 20m away. Even yesterday, in the Geelong-Hawthorn game there were long periods where the ball
was just going backwards and forwards between each teams half forward lines, rarely threatening the goals. The real doozy
though was the first quarter of the Brisbane-Adelaide game, where if Adelaide hadn't kicked a goal after the siren, the
score at quarter time would have been 0.3.3 to 0.2.2.