D50 to F50: Operating through oscillating extremes.

[1eyedog]

Every WOOFER has watched and been around football long enough to know what a cohesive forward line looks and feels like. There's a particular consistent energy and flow about them, much like what is occurring within our Mens Department at the moment. Even when a cohesive six is not playing at their best there remains an efficiency, coordination, and execution that you just know is classed as elite. It feels and operates like a real force when the ball goes inside 50 at either end. We certainly don't (didn't) have externally viewed elite players in our back six at the start of the year, not one. But it is because of our backline that we find ourselves entrenched in the upper part of the ladder today. But what bout our forward line? Put simply, If our back line have an off day we simply cannot keep up on the scoreboard with our impotent forward line.

Whether it be avoiding momentum killing free kicks, F50 entries vs scoring opportunities, marks inside F50, the 'locking it in' mentality, the control and modulation of tempo (i.e. avoiding things like our big hiccup late on Thursday night), our goal kicking efficiency and/or the consistent execution of opportunistic goals, etc. there are specific components and elements that best characterise what it means to be a truly next level offensive unit. We don't have it. Our forward line is completely bipolar to our backline and I watch the effortless game changing abilities of Papley, Rankine and Greene with envy. I want one. OUR FORWARD LINE IS A RABBLE.

Here we are 8 rounds into this cray cray season, and I wonder if we'll take that next step in the remaining games, and whether we even can with the players we are currently playing there; Vander / Young / Weightman / West all under 10 games each. Seeing Young trialled forward on Thursday night was the last straw for me. I understand many forward lines are struggling this season but I remember Bevo talking about our three talls being able to operate in unison. That seems like a distant pipe dream. I worry that our hotch-potch forward line will be found out at the pointy end of this season. What can we do? Who can we play there? Is Naughton our lone White Knight? Is it purely down to experience i.e. we will learn from our mistakes. Is this ok with you given our selection history? Should Bont play full-time forward?

Even though one component (i.e our defensive structure) is going well (with our mids treading water), something seems to always prevent us from consistently executing at the high level our talent suggests we can operate at. I guess what I'm trying to say is how can we possibly get there this season with our dysfunctional forward line?

Can someone please help me or give me some piece of mind with this?

[Sedat]

West Coast seemed to make 4 talls in their forward line work well the last couple of weeks. It helps that their tall forwards are mobile and not completely useless once the ball hits the deck. On that score, Schache has been disappointing this year after making good progress last year. If he continued his progress we would have additional weaponry up forward and would be working more efficiently.

With Schache out and Naughts injured, our pre-season forward line structure has completely broken down. I expect to see Bont spending more time up there in the next 4 games to try and provide more aerial strength that is missing in attack. We also simply need to get more consistent output from Bruce - competing hard might be enough for a 5-10 gamer but we need and should expect much more than that from a 28yo established AFL player.

[Mofra]

Having some semblance of a settled forwardline would lead to coherence.

We have Wallis and Bruce as the constants, that's it. Dale up to last week.

[Happy Days]

I don't think its that bad to be honest. We have put up some pretty decent scores and generally find a way to manufacture goals, which is all you can really ask of a team missing their most dynamic forward and their leading goalkicker from last season. We've also gotten pretty much nothing out of Dale and Schache who we all probably would've marked down for 20+ goals at the start of the year. I don't have access to advanced stats but I would speculate we're pretty efficient with our inside 50s and would rank highly scores from i50 stoppages; they might not be sexy but they all count for six.

We also invested significant draft capital and free agent dollars in the forward line last year, and are set to do so again this year, so it's not as if we aren't trying to get quality in either.

Basically I don't see it as a major issue and whatever level issue it is the club is taking steps to fix it.

[The Doctor]

Good post 1eyedog.

A quick look at the stats

In attack we currently rank 9th (Ess & Melb with game in hand could push us down to 10th or 11th) with an average of 61 points per game

Brisbane rank 1st with an average of 71 points per game.

However if you take away our awful first 2 games of the season our average improves to 67 points per game only 4 points per game adrift of the Lions.

The improvement co-incides with Tom Liberatore's return to the team. Not saying he is the sole reason for the improvement but we are clearly a better team with him in it.

In defence we currently rank 9th conceding an average of 60 points per game. However there are several clubs with similar defensive records so this could swing easily one way or the other after the next game.

Collingwood has the best defence so far this season (despite the hammering from WC) at an ave of 51 points per game conceded.

Once again if we take away our first two games our ave conceded becomes 51 points per game = with the Pies

We are not too far away from the best based on our last 6 games, statistically at least.

[1eyedog]

Does anyone think McLean can make it as a small pressure forward?

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Does anyone think McLean can make it as a small pressure forward?

I do. Well at least a small defensive forward. He can certainly apply pressure but he's not overly quick. But he knows how to find the goals and can play contested footy. It'll be a wait and see with him though as for whatever reason his efforts aren't consistent which is why he's finding himself in and out of the side.

[jeemak]

Does anyone think McLean can make it as a small pressure forward?

No, I don't think he's got the maturity to do that and be dangerous on the scoreboard.

What I think he can do is play a defencive inside mid role. But that's not really our go.

[bornadog]

No, I don't think he's got the maturity to do that and be dangerous on the scoreboard.

What I think he can do is play a defencive inside mid role. But that's not really our go.

what about a defensive HFF against the attacking backline players?

[The Doctor]

A quick look at the stats

In attack we currently rank 9th (Ess & Melb with game in hand could push us down to 10th or 11th) with an average of 61 points per game

Brisbane rank 1st with an average of 71 points per game.

However if you take away our awful first 2 games of the season our average improves to 67 points per game only 4 points per game adrift of the Lions.

The improvement co-incides with Tom Liberatore's return to the team. Not saying he is the sole reason for the improvement but we are clearly a better team with him in it.

In defence we currently rank 9th conceding an average of 60 points per game. However there are several clubs with similar defensive records so this could swing easily one way or the other after the next game.

Collingwood has the best defence so far this season (despite the hammering from WC) at an ave of 51 points per game conceded.

Once again if we take away our first two games our ave conceded becomes 51 points per game = with the Pies

We are not too far away from the best based on our last 6 games, statistically at least.

Can someone take the trash out please?