13 hours ago, kryton101 said:

It’s very noticeable that May kicks to the left on kick-ins pretty much every single time, a couple of times short to Salem but mostly long to a pack. I think even the commentary remarked on it in the Bullys game.  I can but presume it’s with the coach’s approval and for good reason, but it seems very predictable?  Of course that’s where Max and co set up.   At the same time vision would show say Pickett right up the middle with plenty of empty space and with his speed could surely give a good lead up?  Maybe the potential for intercept is too high?  How about going right to a smaller pack for some unpredictably?  

As Steve says, it's predictable to our guys most importantly. And I've said it before, Richmond's game plan for 2 or 3 years was, and probably still is to a degree, very predictable. Surge, long and high to contests and then a surge at the foot of those contests or take contested marks.

As Steve again rightly points out, we're playing a system that suits our players. Richmond recruited a lot of quick smalls. We don't have that list make up. We've built a midfield that loves loves contest and contested possession and then we've built an intercept defence that can then ping back quickly the other way, so we play to our strengths.

I'd argue, as others have too, that the kick out strategy is also about taking territory and by kicking to numbers, if we don't win the contest, we can clog up the contest to prevent it from pinging back in for an easy score. This protects our back 6 and immediately takes pressure off them by taking the ball to effectively centre wing.

If we can take a little bit of extra territory (ie the opposition allows a shorter kick to Salem first), we can get it even further away from a dangerous area and psychologically take the pressure off.

I reckon keeping defence as predictable as possible is the smartest strategy. We've heard the players mention on multiple occasions that this year the game plan is simpler, this is an example of that simplicity.

As a side notorious for cruddy kick ins over the years this might be the best I’ve seen us in this area.

2 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

We're not exactly devoid of marking options up the ground though: Gawn, TMac, Weideman, Jackson, Fritsch.

May's our last line of defence. If we turn it over on the kick in, he's back in position to defend. If he's up the ground trying to receive the kick and we lose possession, he's out of position. 

It makes perfect sense.

Understand the argument for keeping May at home, although he is a better mark than all the names you have mentioned, and most of those are forwards anyhow. Petty and Lever are still available to sit at home in this place

15 hours ago, Nasher said:

The thing that sticks in my head is a post match interview is Gawn saying “Lynden Dunn kicked a torp to the middle. Unfortunately he forgot to tell us he was going to do it.”

 

Was that Dunn's last possession or match in a demon jumper? I recall Roos dragging him and then he played in the VFL for the rest of the season.

2 hours ago, Demons1858 said:

Understand the argument for keeping May at home, although he is a better mark than all the names you have mentioned, and most of those are forwards anyhow. Petty and Lever are still available to sit at home in this place

If you used your point 1858 then May could go all the way to the forward  line!!!

Please he is our best kicker in and we are not conceding goals by our kick ins so let's have a Plan B but stick to A until we need a variation during the game. 
 

Maysie knows what  he is doing 

I think it was Leigh Matthews who said "if you've got a good game plan that works, you can tell the opposition what you're going to do, and if you execute it well enoguh, they won't be able to stop you"

Yes it is predictable but it is predictable in our favour. We set up for it.

The ball is kicked well outside the so-called"danger zone" into a contest near the boundary line. It plays to our strengths and minimises to risks if it comes unstuck.

Regarding Dunn's kick outs. He was also highly predictable and so the rest of the team and the coaching team should have accepted and set up for it. When Maxie says that they didn't know it was perhaps their own fault. Wouldn't happen today.

I am not against this predictable tactic of where Steven May kicks the ball.

However, I would suggest an occasional "set play" of kicking it to the centre of the ground with a massive torpedo and having both Jayden Hunt or Kozzi Pickett waiting to run off with the ball and use their pace to kick into an open goal. You would only be able to get away with this once or twice in a game though. I just think it would be fun to watch as a supporter though! Especially if we are already a few goals up!

12 hours ago, Demons1858 said:

Understand the argument for keeping May at home, although he is a better mark than all the names you have mentioned, and most of those are forwards anyhow. Petty and Lever are still available to sit at home in this place

He's not a better mark than Gawn, he's arguably no better than TMac.

It's also irrelevant because even if he were, those players aren't so bad at marking the ball that the plan is bad. Moreover, the plan doesn't require them to mark it, it requires them to make a contest, and they're doing that absolutely fine.

12 hours ago, John Demonic said:

Was that Dunn's last possession or match in a demon jumper? I recall Roos dragging him and then he played in the VFL for the rest of the season.

That's the story, but I don't think it's the truth. Pretty sure torp-gate was this game - he played another three after that.

2 hours ago, Supreme_Demon said:

I am not against this predictable tactic of where Steven May kicks the ball.

However, I would suggest an occasional "set play" of kicking it to the centre of the ground with a massive torpedo and having both Jayden Hunt or Kozzi Pickett waiting to run off with the ball and use their pace to kick into an open goal. You would only be able to get away with this once or twice in a game though. I just think it would be fun to watch as a supporter though! Especially if we are already a few goals up!

It is my guess we have a different set play for each kick-in player and whether the kicker takes a short kick (which May sometimes does to Salem) or takes a long kick to one side or the other.

So that is at least 6set plays  (assuming May, Salem and Lever are take the kick ins) that players know how to position themselves.

Best defensive system in the league. If it ain't broke..

19 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

It is my guess we have a different set play for each kick-in player and whether the kicker takes a short kick (which May sometimes does to Salem) or takes a long kick to one side or the other.

So that is at least 6set plays  (assuming May, Salem and Lever are take the kick ins) that players know how to position themselves.

Lever hardly does Rivers is our third  option and ha mixes it up a bit but runs his full distance so gets at least 70//80m out from  goal.

3 minutes ago, 58er said:

Lever hardly does Rivers is our third  option and ha mixes it up a bit but runs his full distance so gets at least 70//80m out from  goal.

My point is still valid.