Two things I didn't like from JLT vs Hawks - they are still happening from last season

[Dry Rot]

Given these two things were apparent last season as well and of concern, I thought they deserved their own thread.

Why do we end up with small defenders on tall forwards?

When the ball gets pumped forward by our opponents and we have players like Crozier or Biggs standing on Roughead, it isn't going to end well. Have seen this often.

Why does it happen? Zone defence disorganised? Needs to be fixed, fast.

I don't want to see Biggs trying to defend a high ball coming in, standing on Patton in Round 1.

Are we trying to kill Dalhaus?

Maybe it is a measure of Dalhaus getting into good positions, but if there's one Dogs player who will always receive a poor/panic hospital hand pass, and then get smashed, it's Dalhaus.

Likewise, we have a lovely habit of spotting Dalhaus on the HF line and then kicking to him, despite him having one sometimes two tall defenders on him. Generally then there is a turnover. Happens to other short or mid sized Dogs playing forward too. Need to fix our choices going forward.

Thoughts?

[GVGjr]

Given these two things were apparent last season as well and of concern, I thought they deserved their own thread.

Why do we end up with small defenders on tall forwards?

When the ball gets pumped forward by our opponents and we have players like Crozier or Biggs standing on Roughead, it isn't going to end well. Have seen this often.

Why does it happen? Zone defence disorganised? Needs to be fixed, fast.

I don't want to see Biggs trying to defend a high ball coming in, standing on Patton in Round 1.

.

Good thread.

We have been a zoning defence since Beveridge arrived at the club and this will on occasions cause some mismatches.
The zone defence works the majority of the time and if you have the right players it works even better but I think you have to be prepared to accept the odd mismatch and resulting goal.

To me this is very similar to team like ours that attack from the back half and on occasions we cough up a goal due to a turnover with our skill execution. We can of course player a safer brand but we then become less potent with our scoring.
Biggs, Crozier, Suckling, Wood., Williams and even Cordy all need to be able to adapt playing tall at times. I thought Crozier did well spoiling in a few contest against Gunston. Naughton and Young will add to this area by being tall and athletic and being able to be matched on various sized opponents.

Bevo comes from a 'risk' background and will alter things if he has to.



Are we trying to kill Dalhaus?

Maybe it is a measure of Dalhaus getting into good positions, but if there's one Dogs player who will always receive a poor/panic hospital hand pass, and then get smashed, it's Dalhaus.

Likewise, we have a lovely habit of spotting Dalhaus on the HF line and then kicking to him, despite him having one sometimes two tall defenders on him. Generally then there is a turnover. Happens to other short or mid sized Dogs playing forward too. Need to fix our choices going forward.

Thoughts?

I thought he ran into bad options throughout the game because his timing was out.
He should be better for the run but he did run into a few heavy tackles and some were his issue and others caused by poor handballs.

I'd wait and see on that one.

[Happy Days]

Re: Point one - this is where we really missed an athletic tall like Hamling last year, who can make it to more contests and hide these mismatches when they (inevitably) occur. Wood was also excellent at it in 2016, and when his form slipped inevitably so did ours.

Hopefully Adams can stay on the park, or Naughton can be the player we drafted him to be straight away, because it's a role we desperately need filled.

[BulldogBelle]

Maybe they kick it to Dolly because they trust him. He does get hit a lot. Tough guy.

One thing that I didn't like this year initially was the poor kicking for goal in the X series. This was corrected somewhat in the JLT so far.

Leaving a little guy on a tall forward is just asking for trouble. It has its advantages of course, usually there is a pack and the ball spills free and our little guy can scoop the ball up and run away with it. But if there isn't a pack... well we saw what happened. We have to do better.

[Twodogs]

I saw one bit of play when Naughton was running up the ground to make an and the pinged back into their 50 and (I think) Biggs was outmarked by Roughead who was probably Naughton's man. But that's going to happen and we want our guys running by themselves into dangerous spots. It's why we don't have an offside rule.

[Twodogs]

Dalhaus has certain spots on the ground that he knows he can kick goals from and the guys try to get the ball in his hands in those spots. You watch him, he takes an opponent to a spot and then he tries to get on the same side as the ball carrier and he will point to where he wants the ball, and from there he relies on touch and muscle memory because he doesn't usually have time to look at the goal but he knows how hard he has to hit the ball to bend it through.

It really is a thing of beauty.

[jeemak]

You need running players on the last line to receive and get the sling going, well coached and disciplined teams can exploit this, those coached poorly can't.

Hawthorn are a well coached team, so playing against them with a high press in the way we did means we have to take on some cuts and bruises along the way.

Under BMac we tried this type of play regularly, unfortunately the players weren't developed or coached well enough at the time to limit the exposure to the out the back miss match as we are now.

[boydogs]

Cordy didn't do any better than Biggs, Williams or Crozier. Maybe needed to keeps Adams back more as last man if Wood is going to be forward and Morris is injured

Dahlhaus being quick is often leading the fast break. Opposition teams know this and pay close attention to him

[bornadog]

Two things I didn't like:

* Jong still has the same old habit of putting his team mates under pressure when he handballs. He needs to learn to take on players with his strength and speed and then learn to make the right decision with ball in hand.

* Belting the ball into the forward 50 and not always looking for a player on the lead.

[ratsmac]

Two things I didn't like:

* Jong still has the same old habit of putting his team mates under pressure when he handballs. He needs to learn to take on players with his strength and speed and then learn to make the right decision with ball in hand.

* Belting the ball into the forward 50 and not always looking for a player on the lead.

Jongy Jongy Jongy. He needs to mimic the Bont more. At one point Bont handballed 15 metres backwards (instead of 2 closer team mates under immediate pressure) to McLean which he may have set up a score. But he is Jong and the Bont is the Bont.

As for the bombing into 50, I'm starting to think it's part of the game plan. I don't understand it either.

[jeemak]

Jongy Jongy Jongy. He needs to mimic the Bont more. At one point Bont handballed 15 metres backwards (instead of 2 closer team mates under immediate pressure) to McLean which he may have set up a score. But he is Jong and the Bont is the Bont.

As for the bombing into 50, I'm starting to think it's part of the game plan. I don't understand it either.

It's an admission that we don't have the cattle up front to be more structured, and part of why we set up as discussed in point one of the OP.

Like the 2016 finals, if we get Dickson back, have a few small to mid sized players playing to their peak we can be more structured. Until then, we will need to get used to it.

[SonofScray]

When we lose the hit out and centre clearance we do so convincingly. It wasn't as pronounced as last year but still there, it irritates me a great deal.

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

Fletch wasn't playing and I think Trengove and Wood will be on the backline in the season proper