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How does winning contested ball affect team performance?

Axis of Bob
in Melbourne Demons

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Great thread and clearly an area that the club needs to address.

There is no reason why under the tuition of Moloney, Jones and Sylvia that we can't create our own squad of elite ball winners with the young cattle we have.

The issue that goes hand in hand with this one which is just as pressing is our inability to reward the ball winner with viable options. We have a tendency to stop moving and running in games of football when we are pressed.

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    We have a tendency to stop moving and running in games of football when we are pressed.

    exactly.workrate.

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    • 2 weeks later...
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    We lost the contested possession count pretty comfortably on the weekend.

    Sylvia won 13 and McKenzie won 15. Other than that nobody for Melbourne were in double figures.

    Conversely, for Carlton, Judd won 12, Robinson 14, Scotland 10, McLean 14, Ellard 16, O'hAilpin 10 and Hampson 12.

    Overall, we have zero players in the top 50 for average contested possessions in the league. McKenzie is our best at 53rd with 11 per game (afteronly 2 games).

    The picture it paints is pretty clear. We can't get our hands on the footy. We will struggle to implement any game plan without the ability to get our hands on the footy. Maturity will improve our ability to get our hands on the ball.

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