https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-01/is-west-coasts-biggest-strength-masking-bigger-weaknesses/100255464

Wow, aside from the WCE stuff, it highlights how desperately we need a contested marking beast.

We play a game style that really needs contesting marking up forward, and we don't have one.

But it's an ABC story, so clearly unbalanced. I need to see how the Murdoch press cover the issue.

Oh. Sorry, wrong thread.

Super! Thanks for posting Sue.

Two takeaways -

1. What FITB said - we'll be <in Team America Voice) Unstoppable, Gary.

2. Look at our scoring range v top 8 and bottom 8. We're consistent AF. Does that mean we're more reliable / less flat track bully? I'm not sure, but I thought asking this question would make me look like I might have some semblance of knowing WTF I was on about which on reflection may not be the case.

5 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

But it's an ABC story, so clearly unbalanced. I need to see how the Murdoch press cover the issue.

Oh. Sorry, wrong thread.

Alan"s busy

Solid article from the evil scum People's Liberation ABC, there. :D

Just for fun I'll draw out whatever Melbourne stuff I can from the charts they've used:

Just one goal a game from forward contested marks is a concern. If we can lift that just enough to make it something opponents have to think about more seriously, it makes us much harder to defend against. Most directly it would make it harder for defenders to spread to cover the various leads of Fritsch.

Interesting, and good, to see that our scoring doesn't falter against the top teams in the way that Footscray or Brisbane... or Port... or Richmond... or West Coast do.  Would seem that the real 'finals football' styles belong to us, Geelong and Sydney.

Also interesting to see us on another extreme line with the scores from hitouts to advantage. We do just fine for our own scoring but when it comes to letting the opposition score from their good hitouts, we give away half what the next best team does and about a quarter of the average. Clearly we're a lot better at defending against a lost clearance than we were last year. Kudos to the inside mids learning to control the spaces better.

Little side story if you take the time to drag your mouse over the 'scores generated from clearances' chart: Jack Viney is on 2 from centre clearances and 6 from general stoppages, despite only playing six games. Per game that puts him in the vicinity of clear outlier Jacob Hopper. Mr Viney is having some offensive impact to go with his mighty tackle counts.

I think a big part of the reason we are kicking few goals from contested marks is our game plan on a slow play to kick long into the pocket. This is a defensive move to prevent getting hurt on the turnover. But it means that even when we do get a mark out of Jackson, Gawn or McDonald, they are kicking from a difficult spot.

We get most of our goals from opposition turnover on the counterattack and these come in general play or from uncontested marks.