Defending the Three Headed Monster Defensive Strategy

[bulldogtragic]

So I suspect the Premier this year will have three KPFs. I suspect that the Comp with think this is a trend they have to copy. I assume Bevo is already onto this and why he was playing three KPDs.

So for this year and future years. Lock in our three KPDs. Lock in Duryea, Daniel, Dale & Williams. That’s a defensive 7. Hopefully Richards signs and he can join that group.

Then the question I have is where does that leave Crozier & Wood, assuming our guys are all fit? Wood can play a bit taller, but surely he needs to displace a KPD. Crozier seems without a home as he’s not displacing the smaller defenders and you wouldn’t play him on an Oscar Allen type.

Then what of bringing in a KPD? Looking at most, there’s two very good KPFs and another tall. Does this again highlight the need to get Keath a really good co-KPD and then use Gardner on the third KPF and Cordy is our mature depth player. I feel more comfortable with Gardner on your Oscar Allen type, as the real Oscar Allen got Cordy a few times with foot speed.

So how do you think we should go about dealing with this likely trend and what to do with our personnel and how they fit/or don’t in it?

[Mofra]

Caleb is now our Mr Fixit - sent wherever we need his footskills in congestion. Bailey Williams is often relied upon to 'play tall' as well, and Dale has decent reach.

Crozier & Wood are interesting cases as they play similar styles but Wood is injured, in the second last year of his career (likely) and has actually performed well on mid sizers and smalls as well (Charlie Cameron). Crozier looks like he's just plain old out of form.

I do think three talls will be the way to go, simply because so many teams are playing a ruck/forward as well as two KPFs and given the interchange cap restrictions that is likely to continue.

[bulldogtragic]

On Wood & Crozier. In this THM set up, are they competing with the third rung KPD owing to their extra leap or are they now firmly in the group, fighting for spots with, Williams, Daniel, Dale, Duryea & Richards. These five guys and three KPS pick themselves first. That’s leaving out HBF Norm Smith in the forward pocket. Is it just competition for spots or can these two be used elsewhere or a different role? Is one mid sized defender who can play tall enough (Williams) when there’s three KPDs? I assume mobility and good counter attack becomes even more important.

Does that then open up Young as a potentially important player. We’ve had two roles for him. Full back or CHB. But if he takes the third KPF then his intercept marking might be more of a feature and he’ll have a lesser opponent who hopefully lets him have space. If Wood & Croz are hard up in this set up, we would be well served to find a more intercept Lever like defender in style. I think Young might be more suited to this. If we can go three KPDs but keep our speed and have two good intercept marking KPDs, the mix might really work. Echoing others, I hope he gets the Hannan treatment and gets a sustained run back in the seniors to see if he can pull this off.

[Go_Dogs]

The benefit we have at the moment is all our small and medium defenders can run and use the ball well, and while perhaps not quite being as good in the air as prime Wood and Crozier, they can hold their own there too.

With the 3 talls, it gives us flexibility to lockdown, intercept, manipulate who plays high/low in transition a bit more. Keath is actually a reasonable offensive threat (a bit Brian Lake at times) but can move the ball and isn’t afraid to run and take space. I wonder how / if his role changes with Young back in? We’ve got a few weeks to sort it out.

Eagles have long played a very tall side front and back.
Richmond have up front but rely more on 2 talls (and not giants) + medium defenders and system.
Port near identical to Richmond
Cats have 3 talls + Stewart and match up well on our forward line, with 2 key forwards and ability to throw another in
Brisbane are quite similar to us too.

Certainly the way the top sides are structuring up.

[boydogs]

This is a 6-6-6 thing. Talls have become more important. There were games 5 years ago where Bont would be our 4th tallest player on the field. Then 3rd man up stopped and now 6-6-6 has come in, 3 good talls up forward can be a big advantage and we need to defend that

[SonofScray]

Unleash a four headed monster.

It’s the numbers game at the contest, but up front.

[bulldogtragic]

This is a 6-6-6 thing. Talls have become more important. There were games 5 years ago where Bont would be our 4th tallest player on the field. Then 3rd man up stopped and now 6-6-6 has come in, 3 good talls up forward can be a big advantage and we need to defend that

Agree, I assume that’s why the coaches are moving to go tall forward x 3 and Bevo moving to go tall defender x 3. The question I have is about the strategy and/or the personnel in a best 22. Moving ahead, I have questions about list management. Is Young a good Third Banana on the oppositions third tall? (I suspect he’s a good option) Where do Wood & Crozier fit in, now and next year, if we are now changing the personnel? Is the third defender coming in at the expense of a mid sized defender, to keep our run? I think there’s a lot of questions that come out of a not insignificant change to the 22 and changing the composition of our defence. I think Bevo is 110% right to start the move now. But for every action there’s a reaction. I just don’t see every small/medium defender squeezing into the side unless we start shoving HBFs up the ground.

[bulldogtragic]

Lewis Young is the answer.

Question. Will oppo clubs play three tall forwards, three back and two ruck. No.

So maybe going ahead the third KPF is also the second ruck. Lewy racked up 13 touches, 6 marks, 4 intercepts, 1 tackles (seemed higher?), 5 score involvements, 5 1%’s and 7 hit outs. If he shadows the third KPF/second ruck everywhere, we’ve got things covered. If this is the new trend, Lewis is the answer.

Like Leigh Browm in the Collingwood flag of 2010. He might not be the ideal, KPF, KPD or Ruck. But an athletic utility that can offer flexibility shouldn’t be underestimated.

[Bulldog4life]

Lewis Young is the answer.

Question. Will oppo clubs play three tall forwards, three back and two ruck. No.

So maybe going ahead the third KPF is also the second ruck. Lewy racked up 13 touches, 6 marks, 4 intercepts, 1 tackles (seemed higher?), 5 score involvements, 5 1%’s and 7 hit outs. If he shadows the third KPF/second ruck everywhere, we’ve got things covered. If this is the new trend, Lewis is the answer.

Like Leigh Browm in the Collingwood flag of 2010. He might not be the ideal, KPF, KPD or Ruck. But an athletic utility that can offer flexibility shouldn’t be underestimated.

Agree BT. I thought he was in our best players on Sunday....mainly for his terrific versatility.

[SonofScray]

Lewis Young is the answer.

Question. Will oppo clubs play three tall forwards, three back and two ruck. No.

So maybe going ahead the third KPF is also the second ruck. Lewy racked up 13 touches, 6 marks, 4 intercepts, 1 tackles (seemed higher?), 5 score involvements, 5 1%’s and 7 hit outs. If he shadows the third KPF/second ruck everywhere, we’ve got things covered. If this is the new trend, Lewis is the answer.

Like Leigh Browm in the Collingwood flag of 2010. He might not be the ideal, KPF, KPD or Ruck. But an athletic utility that can offer flexibility shouldn’t be underestimated.

Agree. So long as it doesn’t lead us to abandon a conservative ruck approach for any reason other than availability.