Damning stat from North Melbourne Game

[w00dy 146]

it pretty much sums up our day...

champion data believe it's an all time low...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...9-19742,00.html

But if you are looking for the real storyline to this game, try scanning the contested marks column for the Demons.

Brad Miller: zip, Brad Green: zip, Matthew Bate: zip, Paul Johnson: zip.

Scarily, the Demons only contested mark came from 184cm first-gamer Kyle Cheney, whose magnificent debut summed up that aforementioned spirit and zest.

Champion Data believes it is a new record - never before in the history of our great high-marking game has a side notched such a low total of contested grabs.

any thoughts on how we can improve in this area? as I've said previously I'd like to get Stef Martin into the forward line... but as many have already said, tall targets are clearly the biggest deficiency in our game...

[Yze_Magic 3]

Sylvia would have taken a couple.

[Jaded No More 68,972]

Two words: JACK WATTS

[Yze_Magic 3]

Six words - Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Jack Watts

[Jaded No More 68,972]

Six words - Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Jack Watts

Old, Ordinary, The reincarnation of Christ himself

[dee-luded 2,959]

it pretty much sums up our day...

champion data believe it's an all time low...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...9-19742,00.html

any thoughts on how we can improve in this area? as I've said previously I'd like to get Stef Martin into the forward line... but as many have already said, tall targets are clearly the biggest deficiency in our game...

One marking target won't cut it, it's too easy to counter. We would need to have all of Robbo, PJ/Jamar, Bate, Sylvia, Martin, & Wonnaemirri, then with the smalls streaming in for the drop.

[Chook 15,022]

Two words: Kick Better. Any hack can mark a ball. It takes a guy with skills to kick well.

[Trisul 664]

Kick well, greater than 30 metres, to someone who is attended by more than 0 and less than 2 people.

That and having more than half a forward line (or if you like, more than 3 people in front of the footy)

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Did anyone expect the forwards (in particular) to take contested marks when they were continually outnumbered?

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Sylvia would have taken a couple.

The fact is he didn't but probably could have had a couple after the game.

[drdrake 3,186]

How many marks did we take inside 50, I can only remember 3-4, many times we had good leads back to space but we lacked depth in our kicks. That seemed to be a plan creating space behind the forwards and working hard back into it.

[titan_uranus 25,042]

Did anyone expect the forwards (in particular) to take contested marks when they were continually outnumbered?

Our lack of contested marks is a combination of three factors: ordinary kicks to targets, ordinary targets themselves, and being outnumbered. Kicking to Brad Miller when he's hard up against the boundary with 2 or 3 opponents is almost never going to result in a contested mark.

[praha 11,240]

Quite a disgraceful stat. And it really does no justice for the way we played all day (which wasn't that bad).

[H_T 3,049]

Did anyone expect the forwards (in particular) to take contested marks when they were continually outnumbered?

Not really. We were undersized. Bate was outnumbered many-a-time and doesn't have the capabilities to take a mark or spoil an opposition ruckman dropping back into the forward line either. Our height deficiency and "nous" in the forward 50m was severely lacking I thought. Petterd showed " a bit".

[george_on_the_outer 7,693]

it pretty much sums up our day...

champion data believe it's an all time low...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...9-19742,00.html

Lies, lies and damn statistics......

Do the comparisons first people. North had 6 contested marks for the day. Fairly typical these days. That's the way the game is played. That's the way teams are coached to play...don't kick it to a contest.

Result: few contested marks.

Uncontested possessions Melbourne 340 North 348. Contested marking has become irrelevant.

[titan_uranus 25,042]

Lies, lies and damn statistics......

Do the comparisons first people. North had 6 contested marks for the day. Fairly typical these days. That's the way the game is played. That's the way teams are coached to play...don't kick it to a contest.

Result: few contested marks.

Uncontested possessions Melbourne 340 North 348. Contested marking has become irrelevant.

Just because teams are coached to stay away from kicking to contests doesn't mean it doesn't happen. When there are spare men in defence, getting a mark in the forward 50 is basically only going to occur if you have the ability to take contested marks.

[drdrake 3,186]

I couldn't care less if we had no contested marks as long as we have 15-20 marks inside the forward 50.

[Guest petjud]

I couldn't care less if we had no contested marks as long as we have 15-20 marks inside the forward 50.

A voice of sanity prevails, getting the ball accurately into the forward 50 is where our problem lies, not who is on the end to mark it, Bailey has had them practicing and practicing but when the pressure is on we still come up lacking, but give it time, 1 game in, blokes getting used to the possy, four debutants, Buckely playing out of position.....you would think our world had come to an end already..and immediately players are rubbish and should be dropped to the Old Xavs reserves as penance and players who have been derided the previous week and thanks being given to the heavens that they weren't picked for the first game have now become the saviours.........read everything Bailey says......competitive, we need to get games into people, we have people coming back from injury............look at the positive Bailey's ideas and coaching team produced four young debutants who didn't disgrace themselves...and one of them looked like he had been there for years.........if the stress is too much....stay away from the games until the middle of the season.....barring anything unforseen we should have everybody fit and firing and 'experienced'

[dee-luded 2,959]

Our lack of contested marks is a combination of three factors: ordinary kicks to targets, ordinary targets themselves, and being outnumbered. Kicking to Brad Miller when he's hard up against the boundary with 2 or 3 opponents is almost never going to result in a contested mark.

I think it's also a sign that we are moving the pill too short ATM & too slowly.

[Supreme_Demon 3,898]

I remember reading about this and saying this is very much why we NEED a tall marking forward!

Brad Miller does provide a "contest" but his kicking is terrible. As for Michael Newton...well he can't even seem to play a decent game in the VFL for the Casey Scorpions at the moment. What other options do we have? Bring back David Neitz?

However, we do have Jack Watts...but it will be quite a wait before we see him in action.

Personally I think we need to follow Hawthorn's long-term model. They took both Franklin and Roughhead in the AFL National Draft a few seasons ago and it is now paying dividends. Hawthorn now have a powerful forward line with 2 tall strong marking forwards who are hard for opposition defenders to match up on.

That is why at the end of this year we should be looking at taking another tall strong-marking forward in John Butcher from the Gippsland power.

It's all about short term pain for long term gain (a Premiership) in my opinion.

[pitmaster 3,577]

Then the missed at least one of Cheneys!

[Whispering_Jack 30,600]

We seem to have fixed that one up over the week.

[Jaded No More 68,972]

8 contested marks to their 1 in the first quarter... Or so the scoreboard says.

[titan_uranus 25,042]

The contested marks really improved this match. In the first half it was one of the reasons we did so well. Good to see they saw one thing that was bad from last week and improved on it.